The Perfect Stroke (Lucas Brothers #1)(74)

“Why in the hell do they even think they can get away with printing this garbage? I mean, calling Cammie my fiancé? And who the f*ck knows what was in their heads when they said that shit about you and CC. David, you have to admit this is overboard. You can help me take them down. We’ll file suit today.”

“It’s true,” CC whispers.

“Of course it’s not, baby. Don’t you worry about… What did you say?”

“I said it’s true, Gray.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, confused. But when I look around the room, there are three sets of eyes on me. Three sets that don’t look the bit lost.

Three sets of eyes that look eerily alike.

“My mother… well, I’ve told you enough that you know she’s not the best person in the world.”

“Yeah, but…”

“She had an affair with… this man,” she tells me, indicating Riverton. “He had money and power and she thought that she could trap him into marriage by getting pregnant with me. The plan backfired because even as f*cked up as Margaret was, she had no idea just how cold the bastard she was sleeping with was.” Her voice is still a whisper, but there’s a coldness in it. When I look up, I see she’s staring straight at Riverton.

“Jesus,” I mutter, not sure how I feel about this shit or the fact that she kept it from me. I mean, why? Why wouldn’t she tell me? I went into business with this * and that alone makes me sick. I don’t want to work with anyone who can’t even acknowledge his own daughter. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask her, not wanting to have this out with Riverton and his daughter around, but unable to keep myself from asking.

“I wanted to. It’s just… I was…”

“She was using you, Gray. She wanted into the world my father and I have because she’s jealous. Jealous of me. Jealous of the fact that she’s just too far out of your league,” Cammie chimes up in her annoying voice. There has to be a mistake somewhere, because this woman cannot be kin to CC.

“I was not! I…” CC starts, but I interrupt her.

“You need to shut it, Cammie. CC has been through enough. She doesn’t need you trying to land digs at her expense,” I tell her, defending my woman even if I don’t understand her right now.

“Gray, I really was going to tell you. I started to before they got here, I promise.”

“It’s not important right now. What’s important is we need to figure out a way to do damage control here,” I tell her. I sound short with her and I regret that. I’m not really upset with her over the secret, just the thought that she kept it from me. I’ll think about it later. It was her secret she didn’t have to tell me, no matter how much that upsets me. Still, my main concern right now has to be how to get these pictures taken down.

“It’s much too f*cking late for that,” Riverton says.

“No. We just need…”

“You don’t get it, Lucas, so I’ll spell it out for you. You’ve been suspended from this tournament.”

“What? They can’t do that!”

“They can. You signed a contract with a morality clause. This is clearly in violation of those terms. You’re out. The sponsors have given you and your entourage until the end of the day to leave the club.”

CC’s startled gasp tries to grab my attention, but I stay focused on Riverton.

“I understand the temptation to lie with pigs, son,” he goes on. “After all, I did it myself, but you can’t allow them to drag you down into their mire.”

I blink. For a second, I think I must have imagined what he said. Surely the * wouldn’t say that shit in front of CC—a woman who is apparently his own daughter.

“We can still spin this, Grayson. I’ll go out with you and we can present a united front. We’ll tell them that we were separated at the time…” Cammie chatters.

I’m barely listening to her, still going over what Riverton says, and I can’t control myself. I slam my fist into his nose, and even when blood is spurting out and he’s groaning in pain, I don’t feel better.

“You f*cking loser! How dare you talk about CC like that! She’s worth ten of you and your crazy-ass daughter!” I growl, hitting him again just because I have more frustration and I can’t hit Cammie. I do turn to her, though. “And you! Are you crazy? ‘Separated?’ We were never together! Are you the reason the press thinks we’re an item?”

“I’ll sue you for this, Lucas. You won’t have a dime to your name when I’m through with you!” Riverton mutters through his blood-soaked hand which holds his obviously broken nose. “I’ll sue you right before I foreclose on your whore’s garage and burn it to the ground!” he spits. Before I can respond, the door opens with enough force that it slams against the wall.

“Like hell you will! You’ll tuck your head between your tail and leave my son and CC alone or you’ll regret it,” Ida Sue says while standing at the door. CC’s trying to pull away, but I don’t let her. I hold her close and together we turn to look at Ida Sue. I know my mother well, and there’s a fury behind her words, but that face is what I’m concentrating on. She’s got something big up her sleeve and I’m suddenly very anxious to see what it is. Hopefully she’s getting ready to hand Riverton his ass because if she doesn’t, I sure as hell will—one way or another.