Power Pucking Play (Chicago Blades)

24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Lexi

T he editing room feels more like a prison cell than a workplace. I've been staring at the same footage of Gio for hours, trying to cobble together a feature that doesn't scream, "I'm hopelessly in love with my subject".

So far, I'm failing miserably.

My eyes burn from lack of sleep, and the coffee in my mug has long gone cold. I can't remember the last time I ate something that wasn't from a vending machine.

This is what rock bottom feels like, I think. This is what happens when you rip your own heart out and try to pretend like it never existed.

Every time Gio's face appears on the screen, grinning or staring or just being his infuriatingly charming self, it's like a knife twisting in my gut.

I did this. I pushed him away.

I broke us before we even had a chance to begin.

My phone buzzes for the umpteenth time today. Another missed call from Gabi. I wince, guilt gnawing at my insides. I should talk to her, explain everything. But it feels kinda fucked telling your best friend that you broke her brother's heart...and your own in the process.

The thought of Gabi sends a fresh wave of ache to my chest.

I've lost not just Gio, but potentially my best friend too.

All in the name of what? Professional integrity? A career that suddenly feels hollow and meaningless?

I catch a glimpse of myself in the dark computer screen.

Pale, red-eyed, a shadow of the bold-ass reporter I used to be.

Is this really what success looks like? Loneliness wrapped in a veneer of journalistic ethics?

"Alexandra?" The editor, Mike, breaks through my brooding. "You okay? You've been staring at that same clip for ten minutes."

I force a smile, but it feels more like a grimace. "Yeah, sorry. Just...trying to find the right angle."

Mike nods, but I can see the concern in his eyes. "Look, I know this isn't easy…but we've got enough here for a solid piece. Maybe not the exposé Charlie was hoping for, but…"

"It'll be fine," I cut him off, probably more sharply than necessary. "I just need a little more time."

"All right. If that's what you want." He pauses. "I'm gonna grab some coffee. Want anything?"

I shake my head, already turning back to the screen. Back to Gio's face, his smile, his eyes that seem to look right through me even in pixelated form.

I can still remember the first time I met him, at Gabi's birthday party. He was charming and witty, with a glint in his eyes that hinted at something more beneath the surface.

Over the years, we'd circled each other like vultures. Pecking at each other. Sniping.

But there was always a unspoken mutual respect.

Until now.

I'm so lost in my own misery that I almost miss the tentative knock at the door. "Come in," I call out, not bothering to look up.

"Um, Miss Brookes—Lexi? Do you have a minute?"

I freeze, recognizing Sophie's voice. Slowly, I swivel my chair to face her. "Sophie? What are you doing here?"

She steps into the room, closing the door behind her. There's an excitement in her blue eyes that makes me instantly wary.

"I've got news," she says, practically bouncing on her toes. "Big news. About Parker Altman."

I sit up straighter. Parker Altman, the slimy excuse for a journalist who's been gunning for my job... and who nearly ruined everything with his "scoop" about Gio and me.

"What about him?"

Her dark hair bounces against her shoulders as she grins, looking far too pleased with herself. "Let's just say our friend Parker hasn't been very...professional lately."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning...the man was caught with his pants down. Literally. All that talk of professionalism. Turns out he's been having an affair with one of the Blades' interns. And I've got proof." Sophie pulls out her phone and taps at the screen before turning it towards me.

On the screen is a grainy photo of Parker, in flagrante delicto with a young woman who looks barely out of college.

I can't help but laugh. "Sophie, this is amazing. You're amazing. But...how did you…"

"Don't ask." She winks. "The point is, this is huge, Lexi. We can use this to discredit Altman completely. Make all those rumors about you and Gio disappear like they never happened."

For a moment, hope blooms in my chest. A way out.

A chance to salvage my career, my reputation. Maybe even...

But no. I shut that thought down before it can fully form. There's no going back with Gio. I made sure of that.

"I don't know, Soph," I say slowly. "Using someone else's personal life to cover up our own mistakes...it feels wrong."

Sophie's excitement dims a little. "But Lexi, think about it. This could fix everything. You could keep your job, finish the feature with Gio…"

"We'll finish it but it won't be what I'd hoped it would."

She studies me for a long moment, her expression softening. "It can be though. Right?"

I look away, unable to meet her eyes. I don't want this to be over.

Not in my heart, at least. But it has to be. For both our sakes.

"Look," Sophie says gently, "I know it's not my place. But...I've never seen you like this. You're always so strong, so in control. But with Gio...you're different. Softer. Happier."

I close my eyes, fighting back tears. "It doesn't matter how I feel, Sophie. This can't happen. It's too complicated, too risky."

"Says who? Some stuffy network rules? The court of public opinion? Since when does Lexi Brookes let anyone else dictate her life?"

Her words hit me like a bucket of cold water. When did I become this person? This scared, rule-following shell of myself?

"You have a choice here," Sophie continues. "You can use this info on Altman, squash the rumors, and move on with your life. Pretend none of this ever happened. Or..."

"Or?" I prompt, even though I'm not sure I want to hear the answer.

"Or you can fight for what you want. For who you want. Consequences be damned."

I stare at her, this intern who suddenly seems wiser than her years. "When did you get so smart, Bennett?"

She grins. "I learned from the best."

As Sophie leaves, her words echoing in my head, I turn back to the screen. To Gio's face, frozen mid-laugh during an interview.

I have a choice to make. The biggest of my life, probably.

I could take Sophie's information, bury the story about Gio and me. Save my career, my reputation. Go back to being Lexi Brookes, hard-hitting sports journalist.

It would be the smart thing to do. The safe thing.

But as I look at Gio's face, remembering the feel of his arms around me, the sound of his laugh, the way he makes me feel more alive than I have in years...I realize something.

I don't want to be safe anymore.

But how? After everything that's happened, after what I said to him...would he even want me back?

There's only one way to find out.

I need to talk to someone who understands the weight of my choices, of putting career before everything else. Someone who's been where I am, who's made the hard decisions and lived with the consequences.

I need...him.

My hand hovers over my phone, heart pounding. This could blow up in my face spectacularly. I haven't spoken to him in years, not since he missed my college graduation for a big story. He might not even pick up.

But if there's even a chance...a chance that he could help me see clearly, help me figure out if what I'm feeling for Gio is worth risking everything for...

Before I can talk myself out of it, I hit call.

The phone rings once, twice, three times. I'm about to hang up when suddenly…

"Hello?" His voice, so familiar yet so strange, fills the line.

I take a deep breath. "Dad? It's me. Lexi. We need to talk."