Page 122 of Secret Husband
“You are my wife.”
“On paper.”
He drew back. “Perhaps it is time to acknowledge that it is more than that. If people see you are with me in an official capacity, it will create distance between you and Thad.”
Finally, he got Thad’s name right. No longer a laughing matter, it seemed.
“I’m already under suspicion because of that asshole.” The FBI agents were guarded in revealing details of the investigation, but it was clear that my clients being scammed was highly suspect. “You want to tell people that while that was going on, I was married to a high-profile hockey player? Because my clients would love that! No conflict of interest there at all. I may as well close my agency down today.”
He didn’t like that. Well, tough. I needed to knuckle down and focus on extricating my clients from this mess.
“Together we would make an excellent team.”
I almost melted, but I had to do this myself. “Let me figure this out, Alexei. You should take Sasha home. Today’s been a lot of stimulation for him.”
He kissed my forehead and opened the driver side door. Before he got in, he said, “Whether it is today or a month from now, we will have to deal with our marriage, zhena.”
He was right, and as I watched him walk away, I said a little prayer that we would both emerge unscathed.
The next day, I lost three more clients. While Thad’s criminality wasn’t yet public, the pro-sports world was small and gossip was its currency. Word was spreading that I was persona non grata. No one wanted anything to do with me.
The only thing I could do was carry on, fighting for the few clients I still had. With as much spring in my step as I could manage, I walked into the Rebels front office ready to negotiate with the team brass on Francois Gaultier’s contract. Walking into the conference room, I was surprised to see Harper and Isobel, two of the owners, along with Ray Garcia, the team’s legal counsel.
“No Ryder today?” Ryder Calloway was the Rebels GM and my usual point of contact during contract negotiations.
“He’s dealing with some personal issues,” Harper said. “But we’re more than capable of filling in.”
I had heard that Ryder’s wife was ill. I hoped it was nothing serious.
“First off,” Isobel said. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.” That sounded rather inadequate, so I followed up with, “I know you’ve probably heard some rumors, but I can assure you that everything is business as usual.”
Harper smiled. “I have no doubt you’re a professional in everything, Lo. We’ve known you for close to twenty-five years. Sure, this is a business, but you’re also part of the Rebels family.”
The lawyer winced. This was not the kind of chumminess he wanted at the negotiating table.
Neither was the rock the size of a puck in my throat appropriate right now. Some ball-buster I was! But these women were like aunts to me. When Sadie and I sold my family’s home to make restitution to my father’s clients, we had lived rent-free in the coach house on Chase Manor. Harper would drop in with gift baskets and treats to make our stay as comfortable as possible. Isobel was my first official coach, taking me under her wing following my first Rebels Youth Hockey Camp. Along with Gunnar, she was my hockey mentor, and the woman I looked up to most in the sport.
I couldn’t speak, I was that upset.
“Ray, could you give us a couple of minutes?” Harper asked the Rebels’ counsel. “We promise we won’t talk business while you’re gone.”
Ray looked so happy to be excused.
Once he had left, the sisters came around the table to sit beside me, one on each side. Isobel squeezed my shoulder.
“So your boyfriend’s a fucking asshole, huh?”
I barked a laugh that released some of the tension. “A lying, cheating, criminal asshole.” Something awful occurred to me. “Please say he didn’t get you to invest in one of his dubious funds.”
“Not me or Vadim.” Isobel threw a glance her sister’s way. “Harper?”
“He cornered Remy at Theo’s retirement party with an offer that sounded too good to be true. But my husband gets offers all the time. He thought it was the usual spiel, but not problematic. Perhaps we should have said something.”
I shook my head. “This is not on anyone else but me.”
Isobel frowned. “You’re not taking the blame here, Lo. This can be laid at the feet of one person and one person only. How are your clients taking it?”
