Page 41 of Ruthless Ambition
“No. Bit stiff, unlike him.”
Snorting out a laugh at his bad humor, I drummed my fingers off the desk. “Did he actually manage to have sex with her?”
“Not sure, not willing to check her,” Charlie said gruffly. “She’s a bit shaken up now the glamour of last night’s over, but shewasa willing participant, if not a misguided one.”
“I didn’t meanyoucheck her, dickhead. Get her checked and tested for everything, and for fuck’s sake, make sure she’s not traumatized. I don’t care if she’s saying she was willing now, she’s sixteen.”
“And him?”
“How stoned? Weed-stoned or coke-stoned?” I asked as I beckoned Johnathan into my office.
“Coke.”
“What a waste of fucking time,” I snapped. “I don’t care what you do with him, but make sure the girl’s okay and not hurt and returned to her parents. He’ll be off the client list by the afternoon.”
“No problem, happy to leave the piece of shit.”
“Tell me when you’re done, and donotleave her.”
“I’ll keep her close,” he said, and then I heard him moving. “Onyx, man,” he said quietly, “she looks like a freaking kid. I don’t know what the fuck he was thinking.”
“Sheisa kid,” I snapped angrily. “Take care of her, make sure she’s okay. We’ll come back to the asswipe later.”
“Hoping you would say that,” Charlie said before he said goodbye.
Turning my attention to Johnathan, I saw him blanch. “Terminate everything. We no longer represent him. Sponsorships, contracts, branding, all of it — wipe it. He’s gone.”
“If we could discuss this—”
“She’s sixteen.” I reined my temper back. “She’s in high school, he’stwenty-nine. He’s a fucking predator. Get him gone or I will, and you really don’t want me to look too closely at your client list, do you?”
Johnathan stood hastily. “I’ll let you know when it’s all done,” he said before he scurried out of the office.
When he was gone, I called Owen. “Wait four hours before you drop it,” I told him after I gave him the details. “Make sure everyone knows Saints Sports Management is no longer affiliated, a source from the agency has confirmed that the agency was already terminating their agent’s representative agreement when this happened.”
“Were you?”
“Don’t question your source, Owen,” I told him. “Four hours, and the exclusive is yours.”
“Will do . . . and is there anything else I need to know?”
I smiled to myself as I heard his anticipation. “Charlie’s on site, he’s with the girl, and he’ll be keeping tabs on the shithead.”
“Perfect,” Owen said, sounding pleased. “Been a while since some Mayhem happened.
“It has indeed.”
“And from the sounds of it, this fuck needs to be reminded of right and wrong.”
“I’ll keep you posted, or Charlie will,” I assured him.
Satisfied that they would each play their parts, I fired off an email to legal and Neil, ensuring that Johnathan the useless dick had started terminating every association we had with the scumbag. When I got the confirmation that everything was in progress, I returned my attention to Ryan Carmichael.
What had she seen in him? What was I missing? As I scoured through reports and finances of the Carmichaels, I hesitated over a news report. Ryan Carmichael Sr. had been in a car accident last year; the car that hit him left the scene, and there was no record of who it was. Some people were just scum. Carmichael Sr. had sustained injuries, and although not severe, they had greatly impacted his ability to work. He ended up losing his job, and even though he found new employment, the hit to his earnings was enough to make a significant difference in the household’s income. I then found the divorce papers where Mrs. Carmichael skipped out of his miserable life and left her son behind.
There was no mention of whoever was in the other car, and from the reports, it was a fifty-fifty on who was the cause of the accident. Was it someone she knew? Was it her? No, she’d met them both. You’d remember the person who changed your life. But still, as I read and reread, I began to lean more to the fact that Angel knew more about this accident than perhaps even the Carmichaels did. Was she doing this out of guilt?
Reading the boy’s stats again, I saw the potential, but at the moment, it was untapped and untested. My own brothers and cousin were so driven and determined on their future that their focus was never in question. I wasn’t seeing any evidence that Ryan was at the same level of determination.
