The Wrong Quarterback (The Wrong Player #1)

Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

PARKER

I was laying in my bed, miserable because all I wanted was to go kidnap Casey out of her dorm and make her talk to me. If I could somehow force her to live with me so I didn’t have to sleep without her anymore…that would have been great as well.

But unfortunately, pretending you weren’t a psycho meant you couldn’t do things like that—yet.

My phone buzzed, and I grabbed it on the off chance that Casey had texted me, doubtful since it was three in the morning.

It was not her.

Cole: I think you’re in the wrong profession, Parkie.

I sighed, the normal smile I would have at this point nowhere to be found.

Me: It’s 3 a.m.—why are you texting me right now?

Cole: Because now I know—you’ve got a little rockstar in you. So, of course, you’d be up.

Me: What makes you say that?

Cole: Making out with a girl in the stands after you score…very rockstarish of you.

Walker: It’s fucking 3 a.m. Why the fuck are you texting right now?

Cole: Whoops. Didn’t mean to include you, Disney. You’re definitely not rockstar material.

A ghost of a smile slid across my lips.

Walker:

Before I could read another text, there was a heavy pounding at my door. I sat up, blinking in the dark, the sound echoing through my place.

Who the fuck was it?

I threw on a shirt, rubbing my very tired eyes as I made my way to the door. The pounding continued, echoing louder with every step. I swung the door open, prepared to rain hell on whoever was at the door—but my planned fuck you faded on my tongue right away. Two officers stood on my front porch, their faces set and serious, the cold gleam of their badges reflecting under the porch light.

One of the officers, the tallest of the duo, stepped forward, his eyes hard and cold. “Parker Davis?”

“Yeah?” I answered, my voice coming out more uncertain than I liked.

“You’re under arrest,” he said in a steady voice, “for grave robbing and desecration of a gravesite.”

Oh shit.

Before I could say a word, the officers moved in, one of them yanking my arms behind my back as the cold metal of the handcuffs bit into my wrists. I barely had time to register what was happening before they dragged me forward, out of the house. My pulse hammered, every instinct screaming at me to fight, to resist, but I forced myself to keep it together.

The night was quiet, traffic on the street non-existent. A twisted kind of relief flickered in me—at least no one was around to see this. But then another realization hit just as hard: my phone was sitting on my bed. I’d walked out without it, never thinking I’d need it.

They shoved me into the back of the squad car, the door slamming shut with a heavy thud. The confined space felt suffocating, the reality of it closing in fast. One of the officers turned around in his seat, his voice steady and impersonal as he started to read my rights.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…”

The car pulled away from the curb, and we took off.

This was actually happening. How the fuck was I going to get out of this? How long would it take for this to make the news? What was going to happen to my career? Did the Sphinx have some kind of legal counsel for the shit they asked inductees to do? I needed to call Walker or Cole.

Fuck.

Casey’s face appeared in my head. She was going to freak out.

The officer driving looked at me in the rearview mirror, a twisted smile on his face.

“So, you’re the big shot who thought it’d be fun to dig up a dead woman,” he scoffed. “Did you get a thrill out of that, Davis? Pulling open someone’s grave like some sick fuck?”

I kept my expression blank, staring straight ahead, refusing to give them any reaction.

“What were you after, Davis? Some sort of sick trophy? Not getting enough pussy on campus?”

Alright…that was disgusting.

I kept my face impassive, my jaw tight, staring out the window at the blur of city lights, trying to block out their words. They were fishing, desperate to get a rise out of me, but I wasn’t giving in.

“What’s the matter?” the cop in the passenger seat taunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Big man goes silent when he gets caught, huh? Thought you’d be bragging about it, Davis. Thought you’d be proud of what you did.”

The cuffs bit into my wrists as the officers led me out of the car, dragging me through a backdoor into a nondescript building I assumed was the police station. My brain was reeling. This was a nightmare, a screwed-up, surreal nightmare .

They shoved me into a cold, cramped room, a single light flickering overhead. A table sat in the center of it, two chairs on either side, like something straight out of every cop movie I’d ever seen.

The officers smirked, practically shoving me down into the chair.

One of them leaned in close, a smirk on his face. “Think you’re hot stuff, don’t you, Davis? The golden boy, everyone’s favorite football star?” He chuckled, low and mocking. “You’re nothing but a little punk in cuffs now. Can’t throw a pass to save yourself from this.”

I clenched my fists, forcing myself to keep calm, keep cool. If I showed even a hint of nerves, they’d pounce. “I don’t know why I’m here, Officer. This seems like a mistake you’re going to regret,” I said evenly.

Another officer, the one who looked like he was enjoying this way too much, crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Grave robbing, Davis. Desecration of a gravesite. You really think you’re gonna come out of this one clean? We know you did it, so why don’t you save us all a little time and confess?”

I blinked, keeping my face blank. “I’m just as shocked as you are, gentlemen…” I let out a half-scoff, shaking my head. “Why would I?—”

“Why?” he interrupted, eyes narrowing. “Don’t play dumb, Davis. We know about the Sphinx. We know about the little hazing ritual, and we know that you’re up for induction. All we want is for you to say it.” He leaned closer, voice dropping to a low whisper. “Just say it was the Sphinx. You admit to that, and we’ll call it a stupid hazing prank. You can save your precious career, maybe even walk away with nothing but a slap on the wrist.”

I stared straight ahead, letting his words wash over me. They didn’t have proof. If they had evidence, they’d be throwing it in my face by now. All they had was a hunch, rumors. And I didn’t believe for one second that me saying anything would fix this.

I forced myself to stay calm, even though my heart was attempting to beat its way out of my chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said flatly, meeting his gaze head-on. “Sphinx? Hazing? I don’t know anything about that.”

The officer’s mouth twisted, his jaw tightening. “You’re really going to play this game, aren’t you?”

I shrugged, feigning indifference. “I’m not playing anything. You’re accusing me of something I didn’t do. I have no idea why you’d think I’d be involved in something like that.”

The officer scoffed, crossing his arms. “Come on, Davis. Everyone knows you’d do anything for that damn football career of yours. Think about it. A little confession, and this all goes away. You’ll be back on the field before you know it.”

I bit down, every muscle in my body tense. “I’m not admitting to something I didn’t do.”

“Fine,” he sneered, pacing in front of me. “But think about this: we leak this story. All those scouts, every single NFL team? They’re gonna hear all about the golden boy grave robber. Your face will be plastered on every news channel. You’ll be ruined.”

Ruined. I wasn’t a big fan of that word at the moment.

His partner leaned in, joining the act. “Last chance, Davis. Tell us what happened. Call it hazing, say it was just some Sphinx stunt, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll let you keep your dreams.” He let out a slow, mocking chuckle. “Otherwise? Well, good luck trying to throw touchdowns in jail.”

I swallowed, keeping my breathing steady. The last thing I would do was give them what they wanted. If I cracked now, it was over. I held my gaze steady, refusing to flinch under their scrutiny.

“Sorry,” I said, my voice cold and calm. “But I have no idea what you’re talking about. And since you don’t seem to have any real evidence, I think I’ll be wanting my one phone call now.”

I didn’t get my phone call.

Instead, the hours dragged on in a haze of questions, accusations, and threats. Every time they left, I thought maybe, just maybe, it was about to be over. But then the door would open, and another round would start—questions about the Sphinx, demands that I just admit to the crime, taunts about how I was ruined. They even threw in details about the woman’s family and how they wanted to see me punished to the fullest extent of the law. Evidently, grave robbing was a Class E felony in Tennessee, and I could look forward to at least four years in prison for my future.

Sometimes they would try the “nice guy” routine, where one of them would pretend to be sympathetic about my situation. Say that he understood what the Sphinx represented, and he could understand how I would be tempted.

“It’s a lot of pressure, isn’t it, looking after your mom?” the tall one said. I stiffened, resisting the urge to jump over the table and drop kick him. “And those famous brothers of yours. That’s a lot of pressure, too, living up to that?” he continued, because I think of the two of us, he was the one who liked digging a grave. “What’s going to happen to your mom when you’re in prison, Davis? Who’s going to watch over her then?”

I bit my lip so hard it started to bleed. What was going to happen? My brothers would do their best, but what were they supposed to do, drop everything to take care of her? They would, but I didn’t want that for them.

Fuck.

I was exhausted, every muscle aching from hours of sitting, my wrists raw from the handcuffs, my mind a tangle of tension and fatigue. Maybe I should just tell them what happened.

I was about to break, and then the officer stood. “We’ll give you some more time to think,” he snapped, leaving the room with his partner.

That was close .

I shook my head, blinking my eyes several times, because what the fuck was I about to do? They didn’t have anything on me. I just needed to keep my damn mouth shut.

The silence pressed in, and my mind drifted between anger and sheer exhaustion. I reviewed film on Sundays with the coaching staff, so all my mistakes were fresh. Even if I got out, that was going to be a fun conversation with Coach about why I’d missed that. And Casey, I had planned to be over there the second I was done, convincing her she was the love of my life. I was going to send her breakfast…and flowers. The last thing I needed was to give her space, and now here I was, completely silent for who knows how long.

The door was thrown open, and the cops filed in again, and judging by their faces, the nice guy routine was done.

How fun.

In my next bout of “quiet time” I couldn’t fight it anymore. My eyes drifted shut, my head drooped down onto the cold surface of the table. I let myself slip into sleep, even though I was the opposite of comfortable. My wrists might be permanently impaired at this point.

I’d just nodded off when the door opened again, the sudden noise jolting me awake. I wearily blinked at the door, feeling like a zombie. But it wasn’t the same cops coming back to torture me. Instead, a guy I didn’t recognize, with a shock of blond across the front of his dark hair, stood there. He was dressed in a fitted suit, but he looked completely casual, leaning in the doorway as if he owned the place, his expression unreadable.

I blinked, trying to place him. There was something vaguely familiar about his face…or maybe it was his eyes. Where had I met him? Before I could ask who he was or why he was here, he took a key out of his pocket and ambled over to me, with a quick click undoing the cuffs around my wrists.

I hissed as the blood rushed back into my hands. Fuck, that did not feel good.

He straightened up, giving me a slow, deliberate look. “The Sphinx sends its congratulations. Sometimes silence is trust,” he said, his tone low, almost amused.

And then, he turned on his heel, slowly walking out of the room, leaving the door wide open behind him.

I sat there, staring after him, my mind reeling. This had been a setup—the cops, the endless questions, the threats. This hadn’t been a real interrogation. This had been my second trial.

Fuck.

I had no money, and I had no phone. So it was really fun to step outside the now seemingly empty building and realize I had no idea where I was…and that it was night. First chance I got, I was going to go find out what the real police station looked like in town—because this wasn’t fucking it.

My stomach twisted as I blinked, trying to get my bearings. I’d lost an entire day—at least. I had no idea where I was, and I was more tired than I could ever remember being.

Which would make this walk fun.

I forced myself to move, barely noticing the trash on the broken sidewalk or the lack of streetlights in this part of town. There were certainly a lot of empty, run-down warehouses. I guess if the third trial was hiding a dead body, I’d have a possible location to dump it.

Fucking hell.

I must have walked a mile before I heard the sound of an engine revving, headlights cutting through the darkness. I squinted, turning my head just as a truck screeched to a halt beside me, the headlights blinding for a split second.

As my eyes adjusted, I recognized the familiar outline of an army-green Jeep Gladiator. I exhaled, relief flooding me as I saw Jace sitting behind the wheel, Matty next to him in the passenger seat.

Jace threw the truck in park so violently, the whole Jeep shook. He jumped out and jogged over, throwing his arms around my shoulder and squeezing.

“Fucking hell. Where the fuck have you been? We thought you died!” he growled, still holding me tight. Matty was out of the Jeep, too, and suddenly I was in some sort of group hug.

“As endearing as this is, can we fucking get back? I haven’t slept in—what time is it? What day is it?” I asked.

“It’s eleven p.m. on Sunday,” Jace said, still not letting me go.

“Crap,” I growled, shaking my head. A part of me had been hoping I’d just overestimated the time I’d been gone. I couldn’t believe they’d kept me for almost an entire day. “Have you seen Casey? Is she okay? Is she worried?”

Matty threw up his hands. “We didn’t exactly have time to go check on your girlfriend since we’ve been looking for you all day!”

I stalked over to Jace’s truck and jumped in. “Let’s go. I need to see her.”

Jace and Matty stared at me incredulously.

“I got arrested after the party for our little adventure in the graveyard. They took me to a fake police building and interrogated me for almost twenty-four hours before someone from the Sphinx came in, undid my handcuffs, and told me I’d passed the second test. Can we go now?”

Jace and Matty were still blinking at me. But I didn’t have time for that. As crazy as my story was, all I cared about at the moment was making it back to Casey. It had been almost an entire day since I’d last seen her. Completely unacceptable.

“Well, I guess when you put it like that,” Jace said slowly, finally walking over and getting into the driver’s seat. It took Matty a little longer, his mouth had been so wide with shock, it had taken him a moment to scoop his bottom lip off the ground and get ahold of himself. Neither of them had gotten any Sphinx trials yet, and here I was with two already. Lucky me.

We started driving, each of them peppering me with a million questions that I answered tiredly. They’d covered for me this morning by saying I had a stomach bug—which usually would be code for “Hungover” for a college coach. But since I’d never done anything like that before, Coach didn’t make a big deal of it. Matty and Jace had then spent the rest of the day trying to find me.

“How did you even find me?” I asked, suddenly realizing in my exhaustion how unlikely it was that they’d just happened to be driving in this part of town as I was walking down the sidewalk.

Jace had a very smug look on his face after that question.

“Oh, well, with your friendship bracelet,” he said nonchalantly.

Matty made a pained sound in the backseat. “They are not friendship bracelets.”

Jace smirked. “They’re totally friendship bracelets.”

I glanced at the leather band that I’d forgotten Jace had even given me. We’d gotten them freshman year, and I considered it my lucky charm at this point. I never took it off.

“What does my…band have to do with this?”

“It has a tracker in there,” he said proudly. “Because best friends stalk each other.”

I gaped at him and then looked back at Matty who just looked resigned at this point.

“What do you mean it has a tracker?”

Jace shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. It just was annoying freshman year that I never could find you guys when I needed you. So I bought tracking discs for your friendship bracelets and gave them to you…it’s very useful.”

There was a lot to unpack with all of that.

“Well, why the fuck didn’t you find me sooner?” I griped.

Jace snorted. “When I was eighteen, I was obviously not shelling out for high-tech machinery.” He raised an eyebrow at me like I should know that…even though the thought that my man bun best friend had been actively stalking Matty and I for the past three years had never even come up as a possibility in my mind before.

Although now that I was thinking of it…Jace had always just popped up. I’d assumed it was some sort of super power he had that he always was able to find us.

I was going to have to reevaluate my life after this.

“Anyways. It was just telling us your general location, but not the exact building. We’ve been searching warehouses all evening, trying to figure out if you’d been kidnapped or something.” He nodded to himself as we continued to drive. “I’m definitely going to upgrade now.”

I didn’t have the energy to address that revelation. Matty was also being surprisingly silent about this. But I guess Jace had all day to beat Matty into submission. He was very good at that.

“We’ll discuss this tomorrow,” I finally said tiredly, and Jace started whistling, like he wasn’t worried about that at all.

“I did come up with a really good one today,” Jace commented, as we turned at a stop sign, and I finally began recognizing where we were. “All the driving around frantically because we thought you died was really good for my creativity.”

Matty snorted in the back, and I could only imagine the day that he’d had.

“Hit me with it,” I told Jace, needing something to distract me from the fact that I had a thrumming need to be with Casey that was only getting worse.

“What does a robot do after a one-night stand?” he asked.

I tried to think of something, but my brain had no interest in performing.

“I have literally no idea.”

“He nuts and bolts,” replied Jace proudly.

I huffed out a laugh. “Good one,” I told him, and Jace preened.

Matty clapped me on the shoulder. “Really glad you didn’t die, QB.”

I nodded, feeling oddly…choked up at the moment.

“Me too.”

The dorm was silent. I strode through, barely glancing at the girl at the front desk who gave a half-hearted protest as I passed. No one was going to stop me from seeing my girl.

I took the stairs two at a time, reaching Casey’s floor, and her door at the end of the hall. I knocked, not caring about the hour, my pulse steady and determined. A moment later, Nat’s sleepy face appeared in the doorway, her eyes barely open as she blinked at me in confusion. She started to say something, but I pushed past her gently, my gaze already fixed on Casey.

She was curled up in bed, hair splayed across the pillow, her brow creased, lips pressed together, like something was haunting her even in sleep.

Without a word, I walked over, pulling off my shirt before I eased myself onto the bed. Gently, I slipped my arm around her, brushing a kiss against her hair, breathing her in. “I’m here, baby,” I whispered, my voice soft, the words more for myself than for her.

She shifted, her face relaxing, and I held her close, feeling the stress of the day lift. Nat’s bed creaked as she climbed back in, but it barely registered. All I could feel was Casey beside me, her breathing slow and steady, and then I closed my eyes, letting sleep finally pull me under.

I was back where I belonged, at last.