Redemption: A British Stepbrother Romance (13 page)

“
C
ongratulations
, mate,” Gary said, slamming his hand down on my back. “Youngest player ever to play for England. That’s one hell of an achievement.”

“I’ve not played for England yet,” I replied. “I just got called up to the squad.”

“You’re going to play. I guarantee it. I’m so fucking proud of you man.”

“Thanks Gary.”

A few of my teammates had thrown a surprise party to celebrate the news of my call-up to the England team. We had training tomorrow, so alcohol was supposed to be off limits, but the manager turned a blind eye tonight. It wasn’t every day a player got selected to play for England—certainly not at the age of eighteen—and it reflected well on the club as a whole.

When young players were choosing which club to sign for, West London R.F.C. could say “come and play here like Oliver Cornish did and you can go on to play for England.” For a player with ambition, that would mean more than a fat salary.

Most people at the party had a few drinks in them at this stage, and there was plenty of noise; enough for Gary and I to have a private conversation. I motioned him over to the corner and he reluctantly followed. He always tried to avoid this conversation, but tonight I didn’t give him a choice.

“Have you heard from Carl?” I asked. I hadn’t heard anything from him since I started handing over twenty percent of my salary, but the silence had been far from comforting.

“Yeah,” Gary said quietly. “He’s been in touch.”

“He wants more money?”

“I don’t know what he fucking wants to be honest. He’s just reminding me he’s in control. That he can destroy my life at any minute if I step out of line.”

“If he tries to blackmail you again—”

“I’ll go to the police. I’ve had enough of this shit. I’ll give him my salary, but that’s it. I’m not going to ruin things for you guys by throwing a game.”

“Okay. Just let me know if he—”

“Shit,” Gary said, looking over my shoulder. “Speak of the devil. Look outside.”

I turned to look through the glass and saw a familiar face outside the window. It was one of Carl’s henchmen. The one who always collected the money from me every week. Wayne, I think his name was.

“We can’t be seen with him,” I said to Gary. I caught the eye of Wayne and motioned for him to go round the corner. “Let me deal with him.”

“Fuck that,” Gary replied. “I’m coming with you.”

We spoke loudly about needing to get some fresh air, and then snuck outside and went to meet Wayne.

“The boss wants to speak to you,” he said to me, once we’d caught up with him.

“We’ll both go,” Gary said.

“No. The boss just wants Cornish.”

“It’s okay, Gary. I can handle this.”

I knew Gary wanted nothing more than to hit him. Gary had enough pent up rage at this point that he could have destroyed Wayne with his fists and taken any other henchman along with him. But Gary had a child to protect; a child that Carl had threatened on a number of occasions already.

I accompanied Wayne to a nearby park where Carl was waiting for me on a bench. This didn’t look at all discrete to me, but it was dark and there didn’t appear to be anyone else nearby. It would have to do; it’s not like I had a choice in the matter.

“Congratulations on your call up to the England team,” Carl said. Countless people had already said those words to me tonight, but none had made it sound so vile.

“What do you want?” I asked. “You have your money.”

“Yes, about that... “

“I’m not paying you any more. You get 20% for doing jack shit. You should count yourself lucky.”

“I’m a realistic man, Mr. Cornish. I know what I am; I’m a criminal. The thing with criminals is they’re never satisfied. They always want more.”

“You’re not getting any.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to take any more of your salary. I have much bigger plans in mind. It strikes me that you may have quite a big role to play in the upcoming World Cup. From what I’ve heard, you’re going straight into the team as fly-half.”

“So what if I am? I don’t get paid for playing for England, so there’s no more money for you to take.”

“True, true. But the English are optimistic about their chances at this World Cup, and you know what the English do when they get excited about something? They gamble on it. Nasty habit really, but who am I to judge?”

“Is there a point to all this?”

“You’re a man who likes to get straight to the point. Okay, fair enough. During the World Cup, I am going to give you instructions about what to do during certain games and you’re going to follow through. Nothing too major. Just miss a difficult kick now and again. No one will even notice.”

“I’ve already told you, you can’t blackmail me. You can threaten me all you like; I’m not going to do your bidding.”

“Gary used to say that. Then I reminded him of all the nasty things that could happen to him and his family. Do you know how easy it is sabotage a car so that it breaks down at high speed? Scary stuff.”

“I don’t have a family,” I replied. “And you can do what you want to me. I’m not going along with it. Now, if there’s nothing else...” I stood up and started to walk away. Wayne went to block my path, but he must have received a signal from Carl because he moved out of the way again.

“Don’t make any rash decisions, Mr. Cornish. I’ll be in touch.”

I walked off and didn’t look back. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I knew one thing for certain; I wasn’t about to betray my country by taking a bribe during the World Cup. Nothing could make me do that. Nothing.

I
woke
up from a nap to a banging at my door. I assumed it was a visitor from Carl, but then I heard Gary’s voice.

“Olly, you home? Olly?”

I threw on some shorts and ran downstairs to find a panicked looking Gary at the bottom of the stairs with his son Shaun standing by his side.

“Sorry, I was asleep,” I said through a yawn. “What’s up?”

“Can you look after Shaun for a few hours tonight?”

“Sure, no problem. You doing anything exciting?”

“You could say that.” Gary leaned closer to speak to me without Shaun overhearing. “I’m going to the police. I’m going to report what’s been going on. I’ve had enough, Olly. I know I might end up in prison over this, but it can’t go on forever.”

I nodded and motioned for Shaun to come inside. “Good luck, mate,” I said, shaking his hand. “It’s the right thing to do.”

I couldn’t deny feeling a touch relieved. If Gary reported Carl, then he wouldn’t be able to threaten me any longer. Shaun had brought a Nintendo DS with him, so we took turns playing on that. He loved watching me play, although I suspected that was largely because I was terrible at the game, and he found it amusing.

When Shaun fell asleep on the sofa, I looked at the time and realized how late it was. Gary must have been giving the police all the details. There was a chance they would want to hold him overnight, but it seemed unlikely. He wasn’t exactly a flight risk.

I saw lights in the driveway, followed shortly after by a knock at the door. I didn’t wake Shaun in case Gary wanted to carry him out to the car while he was still asleep.

“How did it go?” I asked as I opened the door. It wasn’t Gary. Two police officers stood in front of me.

“Mr. Cornish, my name is Officer Brett and this is Officer Thompson. May we come in?”

“Listen, I’m happy to give my side of the story, but how about I come to the station tomorrow morning. I have a kid to look after right now.”

The officer frowned. “I’m not sure what you mean, sir. Are you looking after Shaun Williams?’

“Yes. Why?”

“Sir, we need to speak to Shaun. I’m afraid his dad has been involved in a car accident.”

A
week passed
before Oliver and I finally got the opportunity to tell Maisie and Shaun about our relationship. We probably could have told them sooner, but there was some fun to be had in sneaking around, at least until it got in the way of us having sex.

One evening we took them both to an American restaurant chain for dinner because Maisie was complaining about the lack of melted cheese and bacon which usually formed part of her meals back home.

We agreed that I would take the lead in telling them, because Maisie was the bigger risk. I honestly had no idea how she would react. She could be pleased for us, but it was more likely she would be a bit freaked out. Her brother and her sister were dating; that wasn’t something every teenager went through, but Maisie had coped with worse.

I waited until we’d finished eating and were waiting for our desserts before breaking the news. “Maisie, I don’t want you to be freaked out, but I have some news for you.”

“Okay,” she said, stretching out the word in a way that only teenage girls could. “Good news or bad news?”

“I think it’s good news,” I said.

“So do I,” Oliver added.

“You see, Oliver and I have become close over the past few weeks, and well, we’re dating.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Shaun look briefly surprised, but then he smiled at Oliver and went back to drinking his soda. Maisie’s face didn’t give anything away. She let the pause drag on uncomfortably long before finally speaking.

“Oh my God,” she said loudly. “That is completely new information. I am
so
surprised.”

Oliver snickered, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re being sarcastic aren’t you?”

“Not at all. I had no idea you two had been sneaking around having sex for the past week while Shaun and I played rugby. No idea at all.”

“Alright, missy, no need to show off.”

“Congratulations,” she said, being serious this time. “I’m very pleased for both of you.”

“You don’t find it… weird?” Oliver asked. “We weren’t sure how you’d take the news.”

“Nah, you’re cool and just what Michelle needed.” Maisie leaned towards Oliver as if she were going to whisper a secret, but she spoke loud enough for us all to hear. “She’s been walking around with a spring in her step for the past week, and she’s much happier now that she’s had a good—”

“Who ordered the banana split?” our waiter asked, standing by the table with no idea how much I appreciated his timing. He’d be getting a good tip tonight.

After the meal, the four of us took a walk, with Oliver donning a San Diego Chargers cap to avoid getting recognized. I wouldn’t usually be seen dead with someone in a Chargers cap, but Oliver had never seen a game of football in his life, and likely had no idea who the Chargers were, so I let him off.

No one recognized Oliver, although it probably helped that we were walking around with two teenagers—hardly the glamorous life you’d expect of the rich and famous.

“What’s going on over there?” I asked, as we approached a bookstore with a line coming out the front door.

Maisie usually couldn’t be less interested in the contents of a bookstore, but she squeezed past the crowd and peeked through the window, before letting out a squeal. She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me back.

“We have to go in here,” she exclaimed.

“Why do you want to go into a book store all of a sudden.”

“There’s a book signing.”

“We’re not getting in line for an hour so you can get some member of a boy band to sign a book he didn’t even write.”

“It’s not a member of a boy band,” Maisie said excitedly. “It’s Victoria Marshall.”

“And she is…?”

Maisie sighed. “You’re so out of touch. She’s a YouTuber who hosts a cooking show.”

“When have you
ever
cooked?” I asked.

“I can cook,” Maisie protested.

“No you can’t,” I insisted. “Last time you helped in the kitchen, I asked you to cook half an onion, so you put it in the microwave. And somehow you still managed to burn it.”

“I watch her channel because she’s funny,” Maisie said. “The cooking thing is just part of the show. Come on, please can we buy a copy and get it signed? When do I ever get the chance to meet celebrities?”

“Oh, thanks,” Oliver replied.

“You know what I mean.”

“Sorry Maisie, we’re not lining up for an hour.”

Maisie put on her sulking face, but then smiled. I didn’t like the look of that smile. “We won’t have to wait in line.” Maisie reached up and yanked the baseball cap off Oliver’s head.

Oliver tried to snatch the cap back, but Maisie was too quick for him. She grabbed his wrist and pulled his arm, dragging him towards the door and past the line of people, who quickly recognized him.

“Excuse me,” Maisie yelled as she entered the store. “Famous person coming through.”

Oliver’s face was bright red by the time Maisie had dragged him all the way to the table where a young woman sat signing books, while her rather attractive manager lingered behind her.

“I’m so sorry about this,” Oliver muttered, half to the young woman and half to the long line of people we’d just walked past. None of them seemed to mind. The men were taking pictures and the women were gawking at him.

Victoria’s manager didn’t seem so pleased to see us. “You all need to leave,” he said sternly. People didn’t often speak to Oliver like that. He had some balls, I had to admit. “There’s a line of people waiting patiently and you just walked right past it.” Was that an American accent?

“Caiden,” Victoria said, “it’s okay.” She pulled him away with a tug on his arm that looked more affectionate than I’d been expecting between author and manager, or bodyguard, whoever he was. Something was definitely going on there. “You’ll have to excuse him,” she said to Oliver. “He’s American. He doesn’t know a thing about rugby and is quick to violence.”

“I am sorry about this,” Oliver said. “I’m at the mercy of two Americans myself. It’s not easy, is it?”

“Um, hello, we’re right here,” I pointed out. Maisie would usually have said something, but she wanted her signed book and didn’t much care how she got it.

Victoria smiled and introduced Oliver to Caiden. She seemed almost as excited to meet him as Maisie was to meet her. Maisie got a signed book and spent the whole trip back to the hotel trying to explain to me what was so cool about this Victoria woman.

Oliver and I could have spent the night together now that things were out in the open, but we decided it would be best to stay apart and ease Maisie and Shaun into the whole thing.

“Are you really okay with Oliver and me?” I asked once we were alone in Maisie’s room.

“Of course,” she replied. “Why do you think I wanted you to come with me?”

“Because Mom wouldn’t have let you go otherwise?”

“Yes she would. I could have convinced her. I wanted you to come because that way you would have to meet Oliver. He always asked after you when we spoke online.”

“I should have spoken to him,” I said. “But when we left him things were… weird.”

“Well, I’m glad you’ve finally hooked up with him.”

“I prefer the term dating,” I said.

“Whatever. There is one thing that worries me a bit though.”

“What’s that?”

“What’s my relationship to Shaun now?” she asked nervously.

“Oliver adopted Shaun, so I guess technically you’re his step-aunt. Is that a thing?”

“Ugh. I don’t like the sound of that. Shaun says they are more like brothers, so maybe he’s like another step-brother. But then if you marry Oliver, I’ll definitely be his aunty.”

“I’m a long way from marrying Oliver. Anyway, why all the questions?”

Maisie took a deep breath and then blurted out “Shaun and I are going on a date.”

“Aren’t you a bit young to be dating?”

“Would you rather we ‘hooked up?’”

“Good point,” I agreed. “Well, I guess that’s fine.”

“On a completely unrelated note, can you take Oliver out tomorrow night so that we have the place to ourselves?”

“Hell no,” I replied. “In fact, I think Oliver and I just so happened to have plans to hang around his house tomorrow night as well. We can make it a double date.”

“That’s not what I had in mind.”

“I don’t want to know what you had in mind. But you two can still have fun. Okay, I need to get to bed.” I walked towards the door, but then turned and said “thank you.” I didn’t know what I was thanking her for, but I felt like saying it anyway.

The evening had gone about as well as could be expected, although Oliver wouldn’t be too happy about spending tomorrow evening chaperoning Maisie and Shaun. We’d sneak in some fun though. Oliver always found a way.