The King's Men (All for the Game, #3)

by Nora Sakavic

"Kevin Day was your uncle's second largest investment, but Riko destroyed him over injured pride. At the start of his sophomore year Kevin had a seven-digit net worth between his professional contract, his spot on the national team, and his endorsements. He could have earned your family fifteen, twenty million a year after graduation. Now Kevin is starting over from scratch. "Riko killed one of my teammates in August and admitted to it in a public location," Neil said. "In November he interfered with the Oakland justice system and left a money trail from California to South Carolina all for the sake of hurting another teammate, and in December he bought out a psychiatrist at Easthaven in Columbia to continue that torture. Over Christmas break he gave me back my natural looks so my father's people could find and kill me. He laid the groundwork for the confrontation in Maryland that ended with my father's death and this entire federal investigation. "Last week he reacted to your father's death by beating one of his teammates within an inch of his life. He is lucky it was Jean Moreau; Jean knows who your family is and would never speak out against Riko. But Jean is in our custody now while he heals and Edgar Allan University has launched a quiet investigation into the Ravens. They will find out about the hazing and abuse your uncle condones and someone will have to answer for it. What happens if they stumble across evidence of Riko's manipulations during their search?

All true

"I am not saying your brother is out of line," Neil lied,

LMAOOOOO

"Perhaps your life has a price tag after all," Ichirou said. "Eighty percent of your earnings for the entirety of your career will be sufficient. I expect similar tithes from Day and Moreau; it is only reasonable considering my family funded their training. Someone will be in touch with you to make arrangements. If you fail to make the cut after graduation, the deal is forfeit and you will be executed. Do you understand?"

KEVIN, JEAN AND ANDREW ARE FREE????!!!!

"Choose us," Neil said. It was enough to shut Andrew up—maybe only for a second, but Neil would take any opening he could get. "Kevin's going to retake his spot on Court before he graduates. He thinks I can make the cut with enough practice and time. Come with us. Let's all play in the Olympics together one day. We'd be unstoppable." "That's your obsession, not mine." "Borrow it until you have something of your own."

He wants Andrew to live for himself T-T

Neil saw the tired look Matt and Dan exchanged, the disappointment evident in the frowns tugging at their lips. They'd made real progress in the mountains, or so they thought, but Andrew had closed up again without warning. Neil wanted to say Andrew was conserving all his energy for Kevin's quiet meltdown, but he wasn't sure how to say it without drawing Andrew's ire.

He understands Andrew so well

then handed his racquet off from his right hand to his left one. Neil expected him to shake his right hand out before starting a second around. Instead Kevin reached right-handed for the nearest ball.

This wasn't a practice anymore; it was a fight. Andrew was trying to cut Kevin off at the pass, and Kevin was daring Andrew to keep up somehow. Exy had been a raw point between them since they'd met. It was the critical part of their friendship Andrew refused to acknowledge and Kevin couldn't fix, a dream Andrew wouldn't believe in and Kevin couldn't give up on. This was a shootout years in the making, and Neil could barely breathe as he watched them struggle. Neil could see their tempers starting to flare in the little things, a jerk of Kevin's racquet here and there and the increasing viciousness of Andrew's deflections.

Katelyn made the mistake of stopping too close to him. She barely had time to cry out before Andrew caught her shoulder and threw her at the wall. Neil winced at the sound she made as she slammed into it. She stumbled but didn't fall and turned to stare wide-eyed at him. "Please," she said. "Please, I—"

This poor girl

You are part of his life but you will never be part of mine. If you forget that I will remind you, and you will not survive the lesson. Do you understand?"

That's not a life she deserves...

"That reminds me, is now a bad time to take my bonus turn?" Neil interpreted Andrew's silence how he wanted and said, "Who said 'please' that made you hate the word so much?" Andrew gazed at him in silence for a minute. "I did." Neil didn't know what answer he'd been expecting but this wasn't it. He felt it like a pop to his chest, sharp and startling. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but what could he possibly say to something like that? Andrew tolerated his blank stare for only a couple seconds before waving this all off as inconsequential and uninteresting. "He said he would stop if I said it." "You believed him," Neil guessed. "I was seven," Andrew said. "I believed him."

"After everything they did to you, how can you stand me?" Neil asked. He was unwilling to put the details into words with so many people around. He doubted anyone was paying attention to them, but he wasn't going to risk it. He gestured between them, knowing Andrew would understand. "How is this okay?" "It isn't a 'this'," Andrew said. "That's not what I'm asking. You know it isn't. Andrew, wait," he insisted, because Andrew was turning away like he couldn't hear Neil anymore. Neil reached for him, unwilling to let him leave without a real answer. "No," Andrew said, and Neil's hand froze a breath from Andrew's arm. Andrew went still as well, and they stood for a minute in awful silence. Finally Andrew looked back at him, but for a moment Neil didn't know who he was looking at. In the space of one breath Andrew's expression went so dark and distant Neil almost retreated. Then Andrew was back, as calm and uncaring as always, and he caught Neil's wrist to push his hand to his side. He dug his fingers in before letting go, not quite hard enough to hurt, and said, "That's why."

Because you respect his boundaries

"I'm looking forward to playing USC again," Kevin said. "I haven't spoken to Jeremy or Coach Rhemann since I transferred but their team is always amazing. Their season was nearly flawless this year. There's a lot we can learn from them." "Still their biggest fan,"

Simp

"Did you say Coach Wymack is your father?" "Yes, I did.

Did you know I've never been skiing? I'd like to try it one day, though."

In your face Riko

"Kevin told them Coach is his father, said he's never going back to Edgar Allan, and called the Ravens out as two-faced assholes. Oh," he said, looking up from his hand, "and he said his injury wasn't an accident. Not in so many words, but it won't take them long to figure out what he meant." Dan gaped. "He what?" "Great," Wymack said. "He's turning into another you. That's just what I needed."

They're your sons your honor

"Also: welcome to the semifinals. It's you, USC, and Edgar Allan. You're toe-to-toe with what's left of the Big Three. No, don't make that face," Wymack said, because Dan blanched a little at that reminder. "Don't be afraid. Be rowdy. Be proud.

I love him

Neil wanted to tell her they weren't dating and Andrew could take or leave his presence at any given point. He wanted to stay and celebrate his teammates' brilliant success. He wanted to watch the way Aaron became a completely different person with Katelyn at his side. But half of the Vixen squad was already here, taking up the room with bright laughter and thick perfume, and noise in the hall said more were on the way. Neil had nothing against the cheerleaders, but if he could choose between playing nice with half-strangers for hours or bothering Andrew in private, the latter was the obvious choice.

"Speaking of getting some," Nicky said in German. He wheeled on Aaron and flailed at him. "How is he suddenly okay with this? What the hell did you do?" "I returned the favor," Aaron said with a cool look in Neil's direction. "Neil used Katelyn against me, so I used Neil against Andrew. Depending on how you look at it, Neil's as much a violation of our deal as Katelyn was. Andrew could break our deal and let me go or break things off with Neil."

Ooooh gayyyyy

Aaron ignored Nicky and tossed a key to Neil. "You're trading rooms with me tomorrow. I'm allowed to bring Katelyn by the dorm now but I'm not putting her in the same room as Andrew if I can help it. He might've agreed to stand down but I still trust him as far as I can throw him." "I'll pack in the morning," Neil said.

Ooooooh very interesting (pls just become official before I lose my mind)

"Last I checked you hated me," Neil said against Andrew's mouth. "Everything about you," Andrew said. Neil pushed himself up a bit. "I'm not as stupid as you think I am." "And I'm not as smart as I thought I was," Andrew said. "I know better than to do this again. Perhaps it's the self-destructive streak in me?"

"I am not a pipe dream," Neil said. "I'm not going anywhere." "I didn't ask you." "Ask me," Neil insisted, "or stick around long enough to figure it out for yourself." "I'll get bored of you eventually." "You sure?" Neil asked. "Rumor has it I'm pretty interesting." "Don't believe everything you hear."

Neil wasn't fooled. Andrew had made it very clear the first time he kissed Neil how important an actual "yes" was. This casual surrender wasn't genuine consent. Andrew was doing this because of what they'd said on Wednesday, but Neil wasn't sure which one of them Andrew was trying to convince. It'd only been three months since Proust's abuse and four months since Drake's attack. Neil didn't know when Andrew would be okay with this but he knew it wasn't today. Neil left his hand on Andrew but refused to move it from that spot.

Respectful king

"I won't be like them," Neil said. "I won't let you let me be." "One hundred and one," Andrew said, "going on one hundred and two." "You're a terrible liar," Neil said, and Andrew kissed him into silence.

Theodora Muldani

Kevin's gl right?

"You and Kevin start thinking about what you're going to say in pre-game." Dan rubbed hard at her arms, struggling to hold herself together and give her team a captain's unwavering confidence. "Does 'We're excited to be here' and 'We're going to do our best' cover pretty much everything?" "How about 'We're gonna own these losers'?" Nicky suggested. "And that's why you're not allowed to talk to the press," Matt said dryly.

Matt, marry me

Jeremy Knox

Friend of Kevin?

but Jeremy's serious expression dissolved to a toothy grin as soon as he spotted Kevin.

Gay

"I have a backliner for you. Do you have room on next year's line-up?"

Jean, I hope you'll be accepted or you won't be able to pay the family

"You're joking. You're joking. You're not?" he asked with an incredulous look at Jeremy. Allison yanked hard on his sleeve, wanting an explanation, so Matt said, "There are only nine names on it." "Two goalies, three backliners, two dealers, two strikers," Jeremy said. "You've made it this far with those numbers. It's time to see how we'd fare in that situation. I'm excited," he said, with another toothy smile. "None of us have ever played a full game before. Hell, most of us don't even play full halves anymore. We don't have to because the numbers are always in our favor." "And you called me a crazy fool," Kevin said. "You'll lose tonight if you play like this."

Sm to say wtf. Matt, you funny sweet man. Kevin, be nice bro. Jeremy, you're fair but I hope you lose

"I take back what I said about earthquakes," Nicky said weakly. "I have a new favorite team."

Same

"Interesting" was too tame a word for the look in Kevin's eyes. The smile that finally slipped free and curved his lips was hungry.

Bro wants Jeremy

"Are we really going to beat USC?" Dan asked, staring at Matt. "And go on to beat Edgar Allan in a few weeks? Hell yeah we are."

Matt at some point we have to kiss

"It's a bigger point gap than we wanted. Can you close it?" "We are not the problem here," Kevin said, gesturing between Neil and himself. Nicky was too tired to bristle at that accusation, but Aaron sent Kevin a sour look and Matt scowled. Kevin didn't care who he offended and kept his eyes on Dan. "If you'll actually get the ball to us, we can do something with it." Matt looked at Andrew. "One of these days you have to let me hit him."

Matt stop flirting w me rn

"That was fantastic," Alvarez said. "I want to do it again. Next year, maybe, when my legs grow back." "Stop being such a baby," Laila said. "Ignore her," Alvarez said to Neil. "She's just sour because she lost nine goals in forty-five minutes. Don't know why, not like it's a new personal record or—ohhh, it is. Ouch, that's gotta sting a bit. So much for being first-draft." "Bitch," Laila said without any heat.

She is me I am her

Jeremy had an exhausted smile and nothing but compliments for them.

Why is he only appearing now, we could have done w his positivity before

"I've got a theory that Renee and Jeremy are long-lost siblings. What do you think would happen if they ever joined forces?" "They'd get murdered," Aaron said, getting up from the other beanbag chair. "War's profitable; no one wants their world-peace nonsense." Nicky made a face at him. "Thanks for that cheery dose of reality."

How does his gf even stand him?

Now that number was gone, covered up by the jet-black image of a chess piece. Neil's knowledge of chess was hazy at best, but he knew for sure that wasn't a king. "You did it," Neil said, too stunned to manage anything else. "Let Riko be King," Kevin said, with the exaggerated enunciation of the thoroughly sloshed. "Most coveted, most protected. He'll sacrifice every piece he has to protect his throne. Whatever. Me?" Kevin gestured again, meaning to indicate himself but too drunk to get his hand higher than his waist. "I'm going to be the deadliest piece on the board." "Queen," Andrew said somewhere behind Neil. Neil hadn't heard him get out of bed, but of course the bang of the door would have woken him. A sober Andrew was as light a sleeper as Neil was, maybe moreso because Andrew was used to unfriendly people sneaking into his room. Neil looked back at him, but Andrew was studying Kevin. Andrew crossed the room to stand at Neil's side and caught Kevin's chin in his hand. He turned Kevin's head to inspect the new ink. "He is going to be furious." "Fuck him,"

YES YOU FINALLY GOT IT

"Thea is watching from South tonight," Kevin said, looking to the elevated VIP box. It was too far away and too high up for Neil to make out any faces, but there was a small crowd gathered at the windowed walls already. Knowing the Court was here to watch them play sent a chill through Neil's veins. Kevin dragged his stare back to Wymack's face and said, "and my father comes to all of my games. That is enough." On Wymack's other side, Abby's gaze softened. Wymack's jaw worked for a moment before he could say in an even tone, "Your mother would be proud of you."

Guess they worked out their issues

"Not just of me," Kevin said in a rare bout of humanity.

LMAO THEY HAVE NO RESPECT FOR KEVIN

Matt's father skipped a simple "hello" to tell Neil about a plastic surgeon he knew, if Neil wanted someone to clean up his face a bit. "Dad," Matt said, horrified. "The fuck?"

Matt ur a true one

"You know they're still watching you, right? They're waiting for you to slip up, waiting to see if someone's stupid enough to take a bite. Bait and a mole in one. Be smart, would you? You bought into this, which means I can't protect you if things go sideways again." "I'll be careful," Neil said. "Thank you." "Chin up," Stuart said, straightening. "Eyes forward. Little boss is here tonight. Don't make him regret investing in you."

Not one once of fucking sympathy I swear to god

"Ichirou," Riko said, so choked with emotion Neil almost couldn't understand him. He could have been cursing Ichirou's name for waiting so long to come into his life. He could have been begging for justice or revenge. Riko opened his mouth to say something else but closed it again when Ichirou cradled Riko's cheek in his free hand. It wasn't comfort, but Neil didn't figure that out until it was too late. Ichirou put the gun to Riko's temple and pulled the trigger without hesitation.