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“There’s another side to it,” Esme says, looking me straight in the eye. “The girls are the story. But underneath it, there’s something else. He’s also a traitor.”

I’m still trying to swallow the first part. “What are you talking about?”

“Let me ask you something. How do you think Apex stayed three steps ahead all year? How do you think they managed to outmaneuver your father at every turn?”

“I honestly don’t know much about what’s been happening at the Tide. If you want to talk about that, you should go to Alycia instead.”

“Yeah, she’d be a good source, but I don’t want to bother her with this right now. Besides, I already have most of the information.”

“What now?” I ask.

“Before I get into it, I want you to keep an open mind. I’m still working on confirming the facts, which is actually what I need your help with. I wouldn’t come to you with just rumors.”

“Esme, you’re wasting my time. Just tell me what you know.”

She hesitates. “Lexa… Before Declan came to work for the Tide, he was an assistant coach with a high school program in Toronto. I don’t have the names yet and I’m not sure how many girls he manipulated, but I know of one for certain. She was his player. I only have her initials, but I know there was a non-disclosure agreement, followed by her dropping out.”

“That’s not much,” I say, but I can already feel the nausea creeping up my throat.

“That’s only the beginning,” Esme assures me. “But I know for a fact that he did it again, and again, and again. He makes them feel chosen and then he owns them.”

“Fuck, Esme.”

“And that’s where I come in. I got a call from a source inside the Tide. She told me about the affairs, about the way he manipulated his players. She wants me to expose him.”

“Is that how you came up with Rebecca’s name?” Asking where she got a name isn’t the same as confirming it.

Esme nods. “Yeah. She’s one of the victims. But she’s not the only one.”

“How many are there?”

“I don’t know. At least five or six, maybe more. It’s hard to tell, because most of them are too scared to come forward. They’re afraid of what he’ll do to them, to their careers.”

It’s sick, all of it. “Why would he do that? I used to think he was a good guy,” I say, leaning back in my chair. “A great coach, a respected figure in the league. I used to think Alycia was lucky to have him as a husband. How did no one know about this?”

“Because he’s smart,” Esme says. “He’s charming, manipulative. He knows how to play the game, how to keep people on his side.”

“What do you need from me? And why now? I’m not playing for the Tide anymore.”

“No, but you have connections. You have friends, family, people who still work there, who can help me get to the truth.” She pauses. “I need someone credible to go on the record, someone who can corroborate the story. Preferably Rebecca.”

“No. No way. I’m not saying it’s Rebecca. What I’m saying is that I’m not going to ask anyone to put their career on the line like that.”

“You don’t have to ask them yourself,” Esme says. “I’ll do it. But I need your help to get to them.”

I look away, thinking about my sister, who quit the Tide last month and still hasn’t decided what comes next. She’s been through enough already. Rebecca as well. I don’t want to add more fuel to the fire, especially not something this big.

“What’s your angle here?” I ask, turning back to Esme. “What’s in it for you?”

“I’ve covered this league for fifteen years. I’ve sat in press rooms with that man and laughed at his jokes. I’ve had him on my show four times.” She looks down at the pancakes. “I’d like to stop being somebody who did that.”

“Okay. But you have to understand, this is not just a story. These are people’s reputations, their futures.”

“There’s even more.”

“What?”

“I believe that Apex found the pattern of Declan’s abuse. I believe that’s why he’s in their pocket.”