Hail Mary (Playing For Keeps Duet Book 4), page 1
Hail Mary
PLAYING FOR KEEPS
BOOK FOUR
SAMANTHA BARRETT
Contents
This is your warning!
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Epilogue
Thank you!
Also by Samantha Barrett
Acknowledgments
About the Author
This is your warning!
If domestic violence, bullying, drug use, stalking, date rape, loss of a loved one and degrading is a trigger for you then close the book and move on to another amazing read.
If you are into some dark shit and get off on possessive as fuck asshole alpha males, turn the page babe and wrap your heart in a condom because these boys are about to fuck your feelings, real hard!
For Sarah,
Dear lord woman, you keep me fucking humble and ride my ass like no other! Karma… I mean Alexa reminds me so much of you, this was always meant to be your book. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for always loving, caring, and being by my side throughout this journey. I fucking love you, lady!
Hail Mary sure as fuck is for you! Xxx
Alexa
“No more, Alexa. Jason is a dick and I won’t stand by and watch him hurt you any longer, he is a piece of shit!” I lean my head against the car window and gaze out at the passing landscape trying to tune out Cody’s bitching, I know she’s right. Jason is a dick, since we started dating six months ago he has changed. When he became captain of the basketball team at our high school it went to his head, three months ago he started hitting me and no matter how hard I try to end things, he won’t let me. “Do you hear me?”
I cringe and slowly turn to look at my sister, who is gripping the steering wheel so tight her knuckles are white. “Uh, yeah.” She pulls her gaze from the road to glare at me for a second and I quickly look away.
“I mean it, Lexi. Jason is a piece of shit and after everything my friend Leah went through–.”
That piques my interest. “What happened? Did she get beaten up by her boyfriend and call her sister to come to save her ass?”
Cody huffs and shakes her head, clearly she’s exasperated by me. “Not exactly, a guy did punch her though after airing a video of him raping her at a party, he roofied her drink then aired it at a football game. She’s in Alaska at the moment trying to recover and heal.”
“Her brother is the one you have been hooking up with, right?” Cody cringes but nods. “You lecture me on my choices, yet you’re sleeping with a guy who won’t commit to you.”
“We’re not talking about me, Lexi. Corvin isn’t going to beat me to death. He may not want to commit but at least he keeps his hands to himself.”
I snicker. “Whatever, can we just not talk about this shit?”
“If Jason kills you, I have first dibs on your Gucci bag and clothes.”
My jaw slackens as I turn to scowl at the bitch. “Seriously?” She just giggles and shrugs her shoulders. “Well, if your boy toy kills you, I’ll be a good sister and fuck him over so bad he’ll hate himself and wish he was the one who had died.”
“Jesus, Lexi, that is fucking morbid.”
I scoff. “Coming from the one who just wants my shit when my ex kills me.”
“Alexa, if Jason ever took you from me, I would ruin his life and kill the son of bitch with my bare hands. We may fight and joke but at the end of the day, you’re my baby sister and there isn’t a fucking thing in this world I wouldn’t do to keep you safe.”
I wish I had known then that this conversation would in fact become my reality. Revenge is a dish best served hot, ready or not, Corvin Williams, I’m coming in blazing.
Corvin
“I can’t do this,” I breathe out the moment the priest begins to speak, it’s too fucking much for me to handle.
“You may not want to be here but by God, you are going to stay because that girl deserves that much from you. Man the hell up, Corvin, and pull your head out of your ass. Cody deserves more than this pathetic sack of shit in front of me. Don’t dishonor her by being a pussy and leaving.” I stare at Darius, surprised by the amount of contempt I hear in his voice. He has no idea that it is taking every ounce of strength I have just to stand here, that wooden box that holds her body taunts me.
“Who the fuck is she?” Beck growls from the other side of Darius.
“Who?” D asks.
“Her!” Beck grits out as he points toward the front of the church where–fuck! It’s the girl from the motel this morning. I was that fucking wasted last night I don’t even remember who the fuck she is. Honestly, if we fucked I’d be surprised my cock even got hard with the state I was in if the hangover I’m currently dealing with is anything to go by.
“Shit,” Darius breathes out at the sight of her. The girl lifts her gaze and locks eyes with me. A chill runs down my spine, I can feel it in the pit of my stomach that she wasn’t just some random groupie from around here that has watched me play.
“Thank you all for coming,” she says as she looks around the packed church. “For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Alexa.” She turns her gaze back to me. I swallow the dread brewing inside me, I know without a doubt that she is about to tip my fucking world upside down. “And I’m Cody’s little sister.”
Jesus Christ!
I feel sick. Her mouth continues to move but I can’t hear anything over the ringing in my ears, it becomes hard to pull air into my lungs. My head starts to spin and my stomach churns. I shove past Darius and Beckett and rush outside, jump down the stairs and manage to make it around the corner of the church before I empty the contents of my stomach in the garden. Fuck. Beer coming back out of your body like this tastes like fucking ass.
“Fucking hell, look at the state of you,” Beck growls from behind me. I ignore the bastard. I don’t need any of their judgment, they’re no fucking saints. The thing is at least they get to still see the women they love unlike me, I have to bury the girl who gave me everything only for me to refuse her and treat her like shit.
“Well, what a surprise.” At the sound of her voice, I straighten and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand before I slowly turn around and face Cody’s little sister. Her long raven-colored hair falls in loose waves around her shoulders, bright blue eyes spear me with a look of hatred. She’s so tiny, the top of her head would just reach my chest. Looking at her is like looking at a pocket-sized version of Cody. Pain radiates throughout my chest.
“We just came to pay our respects–” Beck starts but she isn't listening, her gaze is fixated on me as she talks over him.
“The fact you have the nerve to show your face here speaks volumes about you being a real piece of shit.” I flinch but don’t deny what she says, because it’s true. I shouldn’t be here.
“Hey, Cody and Corv were—” She swings her gaze to Darius and pins him a scathing look before cutting off his tirade.
“I don’t give a fuck what any of you have to say.” She slowly turns back to me but this time, her face is blank of all emotions. “Because of you, I have to bury my sister on her nineteenth birthday.” The air rushes from my lungs, I had no fucking idea today was her birthday. “You may not know this yet, Corvin, but in time you will learn that Cody was the nice sister, the one who loved everyone and saw the world through rose-colored glasses.” I frown. “I’m the opposite. I’m jaded and fucking angry, I hate everyone and live to ruin those who wrong me or anyone I care about. You just became my sole focus. Everywhere you look, everywhere you go I’ll be watching and waiting for you to fuck up. The moment you do, I’ll be the one calling the cops and sending your ass to jail because, make no mistake, my sister and I shared everything with each other.” She doesn’t wait for a reply, turns on her heel and marches her little ass back inside the church.
“Why do I get a sinking feeling that she is going to cause us a shit load of problems?’ Darius breathes out.
“Because I think Alexa Sutton just admitted to the fact that her sister told her about me taking care of Garett,” I answer. I feel their gazes on me, but mine is still glued to the little demon that just rocked me to my core and gave me the reality check I needed to get my shit together.
Corvin
Six weeks later
Have you ever felt a pain so crippling that it steals the very breath from your lungs and makes you feel like you’re dying slowly, except you’re not? You just have to force yourself to breathe through the pain and then carry on like you want to be here. You watch people smile and laugh and think to yourself, how the fuck can you be happy when she’s dead?
She’s in a
Living away from the others has been a blessing. Beck’s in Alaska with her and Dawson, Saint and Crue moved into the dorms on campus to be closer to Katie. Darius packed up and took Leah to Chicago, where she studies online and he learns the ropes of HQ. Me, I packed my shit and moved to North Carolina to train to be the best the fucking QB so I can get drafted. The penthouse I live in is luxurious. The place is huge and something any guy my age would fucking love but I hate it. Her laughter doesn’t fill the place, her intoxicating perfume doesn’t linger after she’s left the room, and stray hairs don’t stick my pillowcase.
I’m fucking drowning without her and I don’t know how to fix it. I stopped drinking the day we buried her, haven’t popped a single pill since then either. All I do is hit the gym, train, hit the gym again, then come home to work on the reports Darius and Beck send me. It was supposed to be just them doing this shit so Saint, Crue and I could focus on football but with too much free time on my hands, I needed something to occupy my mind since I don’t have school anymore. Not going to school is going to fucking make it hard to get drafted but I can’t go back there, everything reminds me of her.
Like clockwork my phone pings with a text like it does at eleven forty-two every day—the time Cody was officially pronounced dead.
Alexa
Did you know she wanted to star in Rita Ora’s film clips one day as a backup dancer? No, of course, you wouldn’t because all you ever fucking cared about was yourself. I hope to God her fucking death haunts you every second of every day, you piece of shit! I. Hate. You!
Scrubbing a hand down my face I release a loud exhale. Every day since the funeral, Alexa texts me something about Cody and then always ends the message with wishing me dead or hoping I’m in pain. Honestly, at the start, I hated them and felt like a right fucking cunt for how I treated Cody, but now, I love learning new things about her each day. It’s sick and twisted but it’s the only link I have to her.
I didn’t know that. She wouldn’t have been a backup dancer, she was far too beautiful and would have stolen the spotlight.
Her reply comes almost instantly.
Alexa
Go fuck yourself, also your car needs another paint job!
“Fucking hell,” I growl into the empty apartment. I don’t know how she found out I moved, but two days after I moved into the penthouse, Alexa showed up with a bat in her hand where I train and smashed the windshield of my new Maserati. I should have let the cops arrest her but the guilt of knowing it’s my fault that she is struggling and unable to live her life like she used to stopped me. She’s keyed my car, smashed the mirrors, tried to break into the penthouse, and slandered me online—Katie was able to remove all of that shit. The girl lives to torment me and I’m unable, or unwilling to stop her.
I’ll sort it, is there a color you prefer or just get the red touched up for you to ruin again?
I shouldn’t taunt her but Alexa is the only person who I want to speak to right now, I constantly blow off the others and only communicate through emails in regards to work. I know they are all worried about me and scared that I am going to throw any chance I have of being drafted, but the truth is, as much as I love the game and thrive off the need to be the best QB in the country, some of my focus has shifted from that goal and now I’m just stuck in a state of limbo wondering where the fuck I go from here. I know if I give that up, I will hate myself for it in a few years’ time, but then another part wonders if all the stress and pressure is worth it.
Alexa
Go fuck yourself pretty boy, I hope you break your arm!
Oh goodie, she must be warming up to me since she didn’t tell me to go die this time!
Training with Travis is brutal. He pushes me harder than I have ever trained before. The guy doesn’t push you to be an ass, he pushes because he can see the best in you and wants your full potential to be obtainable. My muscles ache in the best possible way. I used to detest ice baths but now they have become my saving grace. Travis is pushing me to sign up at the local college and join the team as their QB. The idea does intrigue me but I’m not ready to people every day. I lean my head back and close my eyes as I wait for the fifteen-minute timer to count down, letting me know to get my ass out of the ice bath and head home.
“You’re good, Corvin.” I blink one eye open and stare over at Travis.
“Thanks,” I say closing my eyes again.
“That wasn’t a compliment.” I snap my eyes open and glare over at him. “You could be great but something is holding you back. I have a buddy over at Wake Forest College that is willing to put in a good word for you.”
Shaking my head I answer him. “I’m not interested–”
“Too late, their QB is injured and I told them you would be there first thing Monday morning, so sort your shit over the weekend and get your ass there first thing.” Before I can even argue or call him out for going behind my back, the asshole turns and leaves the fucking locker room, while I sit here stewing in my anger.
Fuck this!
I don’t even wait for the timer, I get out and change before storming out to the parking lot ready to get the fuck out of here, until I can’t spot my car. I turn a full circle looking for it. It’s not fucking hard to miss, it’s a cherry red Maserati for fuck’s sake and I always park in the same spot–right in front of the doors! This can’t be happening, there is no fucking way someone had the balls to steal my fucking car in broad daylight!
Unless…
I pull my phone out of my pocket and immediately see a string of messages from Alexa and just know without a doubt it was her who stole my fucking car! My finger hovers over the message thread for a second before I grow some fucking balls and click on it.
“Mother fucking, bitch licking, pussy hairy cunt!” I spew out and cringe the moment I hear a gasp but don’t dare turn around. Alexa stole my fucking car alright and had the cahoonies to fucking send me pictures of the damage she has caused to it. The little bitch has taken a baseball bat to the headlights and bonnet of my beautiful MC20 Cielo Spyder, the cherry-red paint is ruined thanks to her keying the sides, all four tires have a knife sticking out of each of them. The last photo has a cold sweat breaking out on my brow. It’s a picture of a Zippo lighter next to a jerrycan. Before I can even think, I hit dial on her contact and wait with bated breath for her to answer.
“How can I help you, your royal worthlessness?” I grit my teeth at the smug tone of her voice and remind myself to remain calm or risk the little psycho burning my baby to a crisp.
“That’s a five hundred thousand dollar car that you are about to set fire to–”
“What do you mean about to?”
My stomach sinks. “You already burnt it, didn’t you?”
“Yep.” The way she pops that ‘p’ like she is so fucking proud of herself grates on my fucking nerves. A slow smile spreads across my face when the sound of sirens can be heard in the background, her sharp intake of air tells me she is still at the scene of the crime.
