Chapter Fourteen
KANDY
I’d caved. Like, truly, honestly caved.
I couldn’t even go three measly days without giving in.
Don’t get me wrong, I had a great third day. My new friends gave me a tour around campus and let me come to the mall with them for smoothies. Morgan and Gina were great girls with big hearts and I loved that…but something was still missing.
Morgan and Gina decided to hit the field again after our smoothie run. They were rebels that way. They’d told me that the fields were still under maintenance and that they weren’t supposed to be on them, but of course they didn’t give a damn. I warned them not to get caught, especially by the snobby teammates who would snitch in a heartbeat.
I had yet to see Coach Carmen or Coach Tally, then again their offices were way across campus and meetings weren’t starting until next week. For all I knew, they probably weren’t even here yet. If they were, I was certain they’d have come to greet us at the least.
I sat on top of my bed and pulled out my laptop, lifting the lid and going to the search engine. I searched for Tempt, something I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do, and a few articles popped up, all of them with split candid photos of Cane and a heavyset Asian man. All of the red and yellow made it clear the articles were important and yielded warnings. I clicked the first one:
Tempts very own Quinton Cane blows big deal with big-time Tokyo investor, Mao Zheng.
The article went on to report how Cane’s party led to a disaster. A few anonymous guests reported that a man had shown up at Cane’s house with a temper and threatened and assaulted Cane, and when Zheng was asked how he felt about the night, he told the media that he would never invest in a man who dealt with ruthless people like the one who’d assaulted Cane at the party. It also went on to say that the man who’d threatened Cane was toting a gun and had even pointed it at Cane, and that they seemed familiar with one another.
Wait…a gun? I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Mom didn’t say anything about a gun. The man with the gun was Dad, but…why would he do that to Cane? Bring a gun and point it at him too? Was he really going to kill him that night? What the hell was Dad thinking?
My first instinct was to call Dad and blast him. Literally yell at him for being so reckless, no matter how bad the situation was. He handled it improperly and jeopardized Cane’s business. Because of this, so many others probably felt the same as Zheng and were thinking of backing out of contracts too. He’d truly put Cane’s company on the line, and all because of his horrible temper.
I advised myself against it, though, and climbed off the bed with my cellphone. I wanted to call and ask Dad what all had happened that night and what all was said. Yes, I knew Dad had assaulted Cane, but I didn’t know a gun had been brought into the mix. I had reason to believe Mom didn’t tell me that detail for a reason.
No wonder Cane hadn’t called me. He was probably too wrapped up in the scandal and getting his company out of the flames to bother.
I hated that thought and needed to know he was okay, so without mentally preparing myself for what I did next, I went to my call log, found his name, and called him.
Chapter Fifteen
KANDY
It took everything in me not to hang up after the first ring.
I didn’t even know what I would say to him after what he’d gone through. What do you say when your own father threatens a man you slept with, with a gun? How do you help him overlook that and accept you, without that horrible memory coming into play?
The phone rang several times and defeat washed through me when I got his voicemail. I hung up before the beep, a sigh pushing through my lips. Of course he wasn’t going to answer. He was probably knee deep in work shit, trying to dig himself out of a hole.
I was the reason all of this had happened. If only I’d kept my hands to myself, he would be fine now. I closed my laptop, slid it back in the case, and then grabbed the room key, locking it up before walking down the hallway.
I needed fresh air, and the weather was pleasant, so I took a trail that wasn’t too far off campus. On the trail, green and yellow leaves were scattered on the ground. The trees were covered in moss and snaked with green vines. This was way different to Georgia. Everything was fresh and real here. I had my phone clutched in hand, praying he would call back during the walk.