Chasing Football Dreams (Diner Girl #2)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

B enjamin slipped his hands into his pockets. His dull expression was unchanged as he stared at me unworried. I was like a bug in his way that he would squash.

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about," He played dumb.

"You knew from the moment you met me who I was and you tried to blackmail me because you knew I would mess things up for you,"

He laughed but it was far from friendly. "I like this story you created in your head. It sounds almost believable. It's just a shame that nobody is going to believe you,"

"Who is going to believe a desperate orphan over someone famous like me?"

My mind was rushing as I processed his words. "Are you threatening me?" I asked.

He shrugged. "You can take it as a friendly warning and leave here without ever talking to Shane again,"

I stared at him finding him ridiculous. "No, they are my parents and for seventeen years they were forced to believe that I am dead,"

"I am not going to disappear out of their lives only to hurt them,"

"They will get over it and I will help them like I did before,"

"Why?"

He cocked his head to the side. "Why what?"

"Why would you do it to your best friend?"

"Shane is not as innocent as you take him for," His voice became cold and smothered by hate when he spoke of Shane.

"That so-called quarterback position he got was my spot. He was supposed to stay a rookie, a second-string,"

"He was better than you and you couldn't take it," I corrected him, knowing all about his replacement.

"You know nothing," He growled, his voice making me jump back and feel like a cornered animal.

"I know that he could handle the pressure. Just admit it. You screwed up when you not only once but twice fumbled the ball. You couldn't get out a pass and threw it straight into the other team's hands,"

"Shut your mouth!" The strike of his hand came out of nowhere. The force and surprise slammed me into the floor.

"I lost my daughter and yet, I was to hear how someone was to replace me!"

I ignored the sting in my cheek and pushed to my feet. Flashbacks swirled around in my head, unboxing suppressed memories.

I saw myself, crawling away from him crying when his hand struck me. His loud voice boomed at me to quit crying.

I got to my feet refusing to stay down and let him mistreat me again. "So, you planned on taking his daughter and what? Put him through the same misery thinking his spot would open up to you,"

"Guess that blew up in your face,"

He came at me again but I dodged landing on my knees and crawled out of the room. I screamed as loud as I could with the hope someone would hear me when he grabbed me by the leg and pulled me back into the room.

I grunted at the force of him shoving me into the room and throwing me against the wall. I glared up at him, watching him freak out.

"Glare all you want, girl. You are stuck in this room until I figure out what I am going to do with you,"

"With a house full of guests, including my father and team who is going to come looking for me,"

"I will tell them that you felt ill and had to leave," He shut the bookcase which was the door to this room, shutting me inside again.

I pulled my phone from my shorts to call for help when I noticed I didn't have it. It must have fallen out. Shit. Just what I needed.

I pushed to my feet, rushing over to the bed. I shoved off the mattress and threw the bed frame over hoping to make as much noise as possible.

I tried to see if I could push the door open but it didn't budge. I was freaken trapped and nobody downstairs could hear me.

"Shit!" I screamed, feeling like I could pull my hair out.

Why the hell did I have to be such a stubborn ass?

I just hoped that Duncan or Eliza would notice that I was missing. And not believe Benjamin.

I jerked around when the bookcase moved and opened. I picked up a football that was lying on the ground and threw it at the person I thought was Benjamin entering and made a run for it.

"Zoey, wait,"

I ran over to the desk and grabbed my phone when the person grabbed me by my arm.

"Let me go!" I balled my hand in a fist out of instinct and punched the person in the face.

My eyes widened when I watched the jerk guy who comes to the diner with a different girl every day hit the ground.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, my gaze shifting around the room.

"I live here,"

I blinked. "Benjamin is your father?"

He nodded, cupping his jaw.

"I need to get to Duncan," I ran out of the study and down the staircase. Biting back a disgruntled moan when Benjamin intercepted my way.

He stopped me, grabbing me around the waist and picking me up before carrying me back upstairs.

"Let me go, you jerk!" I whaled and kicked in his arms.

"You are beginning to get a real nuisance," He growled at me.

"Yeah, well, you are an asshole who messed with the wrong girl," I thrashed around in his arms until I hit him in the face making him lose his balance and fall.

I was the first to hit the floor with him falling on top of me. "Get off me, you creep," I shoved him away from me and jumped to my feet when he grabbed my foot, jerking me back and making me land on my face.

"Get your fucking hands off of her!" I sighed with relief when I heard Duncan's voice bawling over the loud music.

Benjamin ignored him and came at me but his plan failed as Duncan tackled him to the ground.

"Zoey," Wesley helped me to my feet.

I turned around to watch Andrew pull Duncan from Benjamin.

"What the fuck is going on?" I heard Shane's voice as he emerged from the guests.

His eyes found me and landed on me. "Why is your lip bleeding?" He asked.

I touched my lip and noticed the blood on my fingers. I looked at Benjamin shoving Duncan away from him.

Duncan instantly came over to check on me, his hand quivering as he cupped my face. His eyes darkened as I flinched when his fingers brushed over the swollen skin of my cheek where Benjamin slapped me.

"What did he do to you?" He asked like he instantly knew.

"He locked me in a room,"

"Yes, because you were snooping around,"

"He's the one who took me," I told Duncan.

"You watch it now, girl," Benjamin warned coming over to me but Shane stopped him.

"That's my daughter you are talking to," Shane warned him.

"She's a liar. She's not your daughter,"

"What are you talking about?" Shane asked, entertaining Benjamin's remark.

"He believes that I am a fraud," I held my composure even though it had cracks and was ready to fall apart.

My gaze drifted up the stairs when I heard footsteps and saw the jerk from the diner coming down.

"A fraud? Why would you say that?" I looked back at Shane and saw a look in his eyes that was tearing him apart.

"Because he is the one that broke into our home and took me from you,"

Everyone's gazes swing over to me. The room felt like it was getting smaller until it was squeezing the breath from my lungs. Dizziness became my friend and anxiety soon caught up.

"If you don't believe me go up to his study. Underneath his desk is a hidden lever that opens a bookcase. There is a bed in there made for a child,"

I reached for Duncan when my legs gave a slight wobble it was alerting me that I had run out of adrenaline. He reacted without hesitation wrapping his arm around my waist and guiding me away from the attention.

"Breathe. Zoey. Breathe," He coached me until we got outside and he got me seated. He kneeled in front of me, cupping my face between his hands.

"What happened in there?"

Tears pricked my eyes as I felt the emotions of what happened upstairs play out in front of me as I told him.

"I can't be dead sure what I saw in my head was the truth. I can't decipher if it was real or planted in my brain,"

I didn't realize Shane followed us out. I only grasped his presence when I heard a shuddering gasp. I tried to jump to my feet but my body wouldn't let me. Duncan held me down as he got to his feet to face Shane.

"He slapped you?"