Page 19 of Set Play

The sound of his voice, alone, heats my blood, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from lashing out.

It’s his fault I’m now seen as a man who put his hands on his sister!

Breathing deeply, I remind myself that I need his help. “Look, I know you don’t want to hear from me. Hell, I don’t want to be calling, but I’m hoping that you’re as willing to protect your sister as I am to protect mine. So please, give me two minutes.”

When he stays silent, I’m sure he’s going to hang up, but then he grumbles, “Fine. Two minutes. For Élise.”

“First, you need to know that I want to help her. My agent has an idea that will clear everything up. I don’t know all the details, but he’s never let me down, so I trust him.”

I take a breath and see I have one minute left. “Anyway, evidently your sister is essential for his plan, but I don’t have her number. Is there any way that you would please consider giving it to me so I can—”

A scoff cuts me off. “You cannot be serious. You’re the reason this entire mess is happening. You got caught on camera with my sister, lied about knowing her, then walked away from her to go out with someone else. And now, you’re asking me for her number? Non. You’ve done enough. This will blow over soon. Without your interference.”

“Henri, please. If you would just list—”

“I said ‘no’ or is that word not in your vocabulary? I won’t let you use her for your latest twisted game. You’ve done enough damage to my family over the years.”

The heat that was flowing through my veins earlier ignites to a full fire at that. “What the hell are you talking about? I’ve never once said anything against your family. Unlike you, pendejo!”

“Whatever, I listened to your request, bâtard.5 My answer is no. Now, va te crosser, Mateo, and leave my sister the hell alone.6” And with that, another person hangs up on me. And it’s not even noon.

Great.

I get out of my car, slamming the door before I storm over to the stairwell door. The elevator would be faster, but standing in a metal box sounds like a horrible idea. All this pent-up energy needs an outlet before I explode, so stairs it is. By the time I reach the twenty-third floor, the raging inferno within has run out of steam, mostly because it’s transformed into a different type of fire…the burning of my ass and thigh muscles thanks to my stupidity.

Shit. I regret taking the stairs. A mistake was made.

Panting, I stride into Garrett’s office, moving straight for the mini fridge to grab a water before relaying Henri’s answer. Garrett shrugs, hardly seeming surprised. “I guess we will find her another way. Unless you think your lady friend from last night will help?”

“I guess it was hard to tell in those pictures,” I mutter as I slump down into one of the leather armchairs. My eyes lift to the antique looking chandelier above his desk as I shake my head.

“That was Sophie, Garrett. You know, Flora’s wife? My sister-in-law? Ring any bells? So, she’s not an option. What’s this magic plan of yours that requires a ‘lady friend’ anyway?”

He has the decency to look slightly chagrined at not recognizing Sophie but doesn’t bother providing an answer to my question. In fact, he looks everywhere in the office, except at me. Currently, he’s fascinated by a smudge on the oak table in front of him.

I'm not going to like this plan.

Minutes tick by without Garrett so much as a glancing in my direction. It isn’t until I shift in my seat that he raises his eyes to mine, but still, he remains silent. I quirk an eyebrow, preparing to walk out if he doesn’t get to the point. He sighs so loudly, I swear it sounds like he is expelling his soul from his body. “Do you promise to listen before shooting me down?”

I give him a brisk nod, unwilling to verbally agree; everything about this unsettles me, and it’s getting worse the longer he takes to explain.

Finally, he starts, “If you could get Élise to pretend to be your girlfriend…”

A sharp look from Garrett stops the objection I was about to make. “I know you don’t love the idea, Mateo. But doing this will disprove the claims that you are a cheater, that you hurt her, that she was a pawn in the rivalry, and so on.”

Garrett drops onto the couch across from me before meeting my eyes again. “All you have to do is act lovey-dovey for the camera, get headlines to shift, stay together long enough to be believable, and then ‘split’ once things have settled. Easy.”

“Okay, say I agree,” I start, hesitantly, “how exactly do you propose I convince Élise to help? Assuming I can even find her. Like I said, she doesn’t have social media and a Google search didn’t pull up anything either. Unless you count some sports stats from middle school.”

His head bobs from side to side as he considers his response. “Isn’t that the million-dollar question? Memphis is a big city. Maybe ask some trusted helpers. I doubt convincing her will take much effort. Just turn on your charm once you find her, and boom. Done.”

As I leave his office, I sigh, realizing he’s right. I’ll never find her on my own. So, I pull out my phone and text the only idiots I trust enough to help. I just hope this won't be a massive mistake.

Today 11:10AM

Me:

I need help.