Page 50 of Saved By the Pitcher

“But why?”

“Because Billy, when you were assaulted, it wasn’t by two random men wanting to rob you. They were sent to attack you and to retrieve the engagement ring you had purchased. Their intent was to stop you from proposing to Nadia. The reason they beat you was to send a message to James.”

“To James? What are you talking about?” Billy demanded.

“The men were sent by your father, Billy. Your father wanted to stop you from getting married, and he wanted James to know that you were beaten as punishment for him dating me. It was a warning to end it or things would get uglier,” Mike explained. Billy’s eyes went wide with disbelief and hurt. “I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. If you confront James about it, I’m sure he’ll come clean.”

“James knew?” Billy asked, his face contorting like he was trying to process the information.

“Your father summoned him to his house the next day to tell him.” Mike paused and saw a hint of remembrance in Billy’s expression. He realized Billy must have known about James’ trip to visit their father.

“But why wouldn’t he tell me?” Billy murmured. “I don’t understand.”

Maria put her hand back on Billy’s. “Puppy, he didn’t want you to know how cruel your father could be to you. He was protecting you, like he always has. James broke up with Mike the next day. He told Mike that he felt nothing for him because he feared if he was honest with Mike, Mike would insist they stand up to your father. But Billy, your father knows James’ biggest weakness. Your brother would never put you in harm’s way for his own happiness.”

Billy nodded as he absorbed the information, seemingly open to the plausibility of what he was hearing. “But even if he wanted to keep it from me that Father was behind my attack, he still could have told me the truth about his breakup with Mike. He could have said he was afraid of what Father would do, and it would have made sense to me.”

Maria shook her head. “Billy, you were pressing him to stop letting your father control him. Do you think James could trust that you would accept him walking away from Mike? You would have pushed him to fight for himself, and you might have engaged Mike to help. But Puppy, James knew things you didn’t. He knew how ruthless your father could be, and he saw with his own eyes the measures he was willing to take to get his way.”

Billy sank his head into his hands for a couple of moments. When he uncovered his face and looked to Mike, the expression of confusion had returned. “How do you know all this? If James made excuses to break up with you, then he didn’t tell you.” He looked over to Maria. “Did James tell you? Did you tell Mike?”

“No,” Maria replied. “I was in the dark, too. James would never have laid that burden on his family.”

“James told his co-star, Emily Hunt,” Mike clarified. “He requested that she not share the information, but she could see he was struggling. She told her agent, who happens to be your brother’s agent too. Emily thought it might be helpful for their agent to know in case James imploded from the pressure and the crap he was enduring.”

“And their agent called you?” Billy asked with an expression that showed he found that odd.

Mike chuckled. “No, of course not. But it turns out, James’ agent is very good friends with my agent, Bob Daly. Bob shared with me that my break-up with James became a topic of conversation during a golf outing. Once Bob found out what happened, he told me the whole story. He knew I was down in the dumps, and he wanted me to know that I hadn’t misread my relationship with your brother.”

“Oh,” Billy whispered. “So, that’s it? Why are you even telling me? James didn’t want me to know, so what gives you two the right to betray his wishes?”

Mike sighed. “Because that’s not the end of the story. In this very small world we live in, turns out my agent’s wife, Ginny, is good friends with the New York District Attorney, Alyson Hansen. Once Ginny learned of what your father had done, including how your father once institutionalized James for making disparaging comments in public about him, she felt obligated to report him to Ms. Hansen.”

“Shit,” Billy mumbled.

“And this is the part that you and James may never forgive me for. I can tell you that I did it because I care about you both and I thought it might be best.” He saw Billy was waiting without the need to interrupt, so he continued. “Hansen approached me to ask if I would participate in a sting operation to bring down your father.”

“What?” Billy gasped. He glanced at Maria and she nodded, confirming Mike’s statement. Billy gave Mike a look to carry on.

“Seems your father owns a portion of the Cherry Hill Marksmen. His business partner, Stan Lyons, owns a greater share. When we were together, James had shared with me that your father wanted all the shares. The D.A. and I thought we could play on that. We brought Lyons into the know about what we planned to do, and he agreed to let us convince your father that he was caught with underage girls by a private investigator I had hired. Lyons didn’t love that angle, but we assured him it was just a ploy to ensnare your dad and it would be made clear in any court, if we were successful, that there was no truth to the allegation and that Lyons cooperated to bring about justice. I used the lie to convince your father that I had blackmailed Lyons into selling me his shares.”

“Why? What does that have to do with his crimes?” Billy asked.

Mike continued, “It set the stage. I set up a meeting with your father to let him know I was his new partner. As expected, he wasn’t happy—at least not until I made him see how he could profit. I used the information that James had shared with Emily to trick him. I told him I knew about his connections and that if he used them to protect my interests, I’d hand over ten percent more of the team, plus twenty percent of my restaurant businesses. He took the deal, acknowledging he has connections with organized crime, the police and fellow legislators. Your father wanted me to know that if I crossed him, it would not end well for me. He pointed out that if he could have one of his sons put in an institution and have his other beaten that he would have no qualms about doing something worse to me.”

“Jesus,” Billy muttered. Then he grimaced. “Shit, what good is any of that? It will be your word against his. I know you wouldn’t have been allowed in his house while wearing a wire. He even has me and James searched before he talks with us.”

Mike smiled. “I didn’t need a wire. There was a hidden camera and mic in your father’s office. Everything was captured and handed over to the District Attorney’s office.”

“How could anyone from outside bug the office without Father knowing?” Billy challenged. “It would be like getting into Fort Knox.”

“True. That’s why it was done by someone on the inside.” Mike grinned. “I informed Ms. Hansen that we had an ally in the mansion.” He shot Maria a small smile.

“Maria?” Billy gasped.

Maria grinned proudly. “They taught me how to set it up. I felt like I was in a spy thriller.”

“This isn’t funny, Maria.” Billy gaped. “Who knows what he could have done to you? Still could, if he finds out you were involved.”