Soft rays of sunlight began to creep through the closed blinds from the window behind the bed as the morning wore on, the light dimly illuminating the room and casting beams upon the pale skin peeking out from beneath the covers. It had been a long, tiring night, but Zero had been unable to sleep at all, too upset and concerned with what today would bring. His arms tightened around the man currently shifting sleepily on top of him, morning stubble rubbing across his own bare chest.
Zero trailed a hand down his back and clenched his jaw. He had been so distracted these last few weeks. He had been overwhelmingly busy, something entirely his own fault—coming out parties, sponsors and endorsement deals, signing a book contract, and failing miserably at tennis—all on top of a normal busy practice schedule. He seemed to be doing okay on the team now that things had quieted, the attention dying down, but it had still been hectic on top of trying to maintain a relationship because everything came back to Jude Kincaid.
The old Zero would have probably never been blindsided by this.
Things had been so much simpler when it had been just about sex. He could move around as he pleased, never tied down to one person or place, and it had definitely suited him—even in the beginning with Jude. Although if Zero were being honest with himself, it had never been just sex between them—he had been too emotionally invested since the beginning, since before even agreeing to the trade and moving to Los Angeles, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise. He had denied those feelings, but they had never truly gone away.
Instead it had all festered like an open wound, building up inside until Zero felt a desperate need to reach out and entice Jude back. Those days had been easier too, because by then Zero knew exactly what he wanted even if he had no idea how to get it. He always did like a challenge. He never expected the emotions that manifested once Jude was back in his sights—so close but still out of reach.
It had been such a struggle to get where they were now. Zero had had done it the only way he knew how, trying to use money and sex appeal and offering crumbs, only digging deeper and opening himself up when that proved to only make matters worse. He had been on the cusp of losing Jude completely, treated like any other player on the team, and the declaration of love had spilled out unintentionally. He had only realized it was true once he said it, but even still it hadn't been enough.
The jealousy and bitterness of realizing that someone else could be everything Jude wanted came a few days later. Lucas was an asshole and Zero would admit the guy was right up there with Terrence Wall and Jelena Howard at the moment of people he despised. He hated that the man had been with Jude, that the pompous asshole had been given a gift and had discarded it so carelessly, when Zero was still trying hard to obtain it himself.
By that point Zero had been intent on doing whatever it took to convince Jude that this was something he wanted. He stopped caring about the consequences. For someone who earlier that year had professed a dislike of relationships, who saw them as useful implements for release or to gain publicity, it had been surprisingly easy for Zero to admit that he wanted a real one when it came to the right person. He knew the insecurities Jude possessed though, a product of feeling unloved and unwanted—two emotions Zero himself was familiar with—and had laid every card on the table in one grand gesture.
That night had changed everything between them. Every past argument or discussion on what they wanted became irrelevant, every hurt forgiven or forgotten, because it was a new beginning and they finally had each other. They had fallen together without any hesitation whatsoever, Zero practically moving in with Jude; he had slid into the role, comfortable and sure, and felt content for the first time in a very long time.
The old Zero would have remembered to keep an eye on important things.
Neither of them had put a label to what they were now—boyfriends or lovers or partners—and it surprised Zero at just how much he wanted to. He wanted everyone to know they were exclusive, that no one else could come between either of them. In the aftermath of their very public courtside kiss, the discussion had been one without words, because their mouths had been too busy with more important matters at the time to form words. The days following that had been stressful and blissful all at once, so defining what was between them just never came up.
Weeks had passed since then and neither had broached it still. He knew Jude was just trying to respect the fact that Zero disliked the idea of labeling himself, but it was something he was okay with in this instance. Zero had actually just recently taken to calling himself wifey of all things; they were practically acting like a married couple and it seemed appropriate. If nothing else, the moniker had made Jude smile, like he knew it was an opening to define their relationship.
It was all just a little too easy to get lost in this relationship though, to indulge in the way their lives just blended together almost seamlessly now that the rough edges had all been smoothed over. In hindsight they had both been reckless, Jude and Zero so preoccupied with one another, with the absolute frenzy their public kissed had caused—in the media, in their personal and professional lives. They should have paid more attention to the threats lurking at the door.
Zero had been honest when he claimed that being with Jude was not something he regretted. He reveled in it in fact. He did regret losing sight of everything else though. He had been so caught up in playing house with Jude when he should have been playing the house.
The old Zero would have gone over all the angles and known the score.
Instead it all was coming back to haunt them both and Zero had been helpless to stop it. He had only been able to watch as the man he loved broke. He tried to whisper soft assurances, tried to calm Jude down and piece together the fragmented explanation of that caused it, fury rising in his veins as the night wore on. He had been helpless to comfort him, the situation all too upsetting, and just when things were getting into a good place too. It had been unbearable.
A few short hours ago Jude had finally fallen asleep, too emotionally exhausted to do anything else, taking comfort in Zero's arms even as troubled lines etched deep into his forehead. Zero watched over him the entire time, one hand trailing across his back gently, once again feeling uncertain about everything. He had thought long and hard through the night and knew that today might just be the end of their relationship.
The old Zero would have already had contingencies in place to eradicate the threat.
It was so hard to pull away from Jude now, but the longer Zero laid here beneath him, the harder it would be to get out of bed and do what needed to be done. He may have been genuinely taken aback by the revelation last night, but Zero had always been good at adapting. He already had a plan. He slid out of the bed slowly, taking great care not to disturb the other man, leaving him to curl up into the warmth clinging to the sheets.
Zero dressed quickly and efficiently, throwing on a pair of jeans and a shirt from the drawers that had been cleared out for him. He stared down at Jude for a long moment, drinking in the sight of his sleeping face, gut clenching when he realized it might be the last time he got to see this sight.
"I will fix this," he said quietly, bending down to press his lips against his temple, running his fingers through the dark strands of hair splayed out on his pillow. "I promise."
Lingering just a moment longer, Zero finally managed the strength to pull himself away, grabbing his keys and locking up the house on his way out. He only hoped that Jude would forgive him for what he was about to do, but really, no one should expect Zero just sit by and do nothing. He climbed in his car and forced himself not to look back.
The media response had thankfully died down somewhat around the Devils Arena. There were still a few reporters and news vans milling around outside hoping for an exclusive interview with anyone willing to speak, but the majority had set their sights on a more cooperative target than Zero after the last few encounters he had with the press. He managed to pull into the parking garage and swipe his badge to get inside without attracting too much attention.
There were always quite a few people in the arena during the day, the dancers and players all getting ready for their rehearsals or practices, the janitorial staff taking care of any messes to prepare for upcoming game days. None of them even bothered to greet Zero upon catching a glimpse of him as he made his way through the halls, apparently something in his expression warding them away today—he was grateful for the extra time to gather his thoughts.
Zero approached the conference room without any hesitation at all, determination and anger thrumming through him and spurring him on. He knew what would be taking place in this room in just a few short hours and knew who to expect inside. Terrence and Jelena for sure, which was bad enough, but his relationship with Derek Roman was no better. Zero felt pretty indifferent to Coach Davenport and Sloane Hayes, but he still braced himself before opening the door and moving inside because he had no allies here.
All conversation in the room had ceased at the unexpected entrance, expressions quickly shifting from surprise to either suspicion or curiosity, and Zero exhaled slowly taking in the sight of all of them seated at the long polished table. He had been so against these people up until this point. He was Team Kincaid for the win, through and through, willing to do whatever he could to help ensure Terrence and Jelena never got their hands on the team.
It was funny how that could all change in a single night.
"Zero," Coach Davenport was the first to speak. "This is a private meeting."
The words were cautious, maybe even a bit suggestive to the fact that no one wanted him here, but Zero was well aware of the situation. "You all have less than five hours to convince the board to accept your pitch for the team. Do you have everything you need?"
Jelena leaning back in her chair, a confident smirk on her painted lips. "It is practically a done deal," she said proudly, triumph gleaming in her eyes. "Soon the Devils will be under new ownership. I do hope you've missed Ohio."
The thinly veiled threat would have normally irked, though Zero had no patience for posturing today. "Cut the crap," he bit out, a hint of his rage shining through. "Do you have what you need or not?"
Sloane shared a look around the room, still suspicious but clearly curious, and rose to her feet. She gestured to the papers spread out before them. "There is a very good possibility that the board will agree to the sale, and with the three of us—" she gestured between the Davenport, Derek, and herself "—supporting the bid, our chances of pushing this through are good."
Zero nodded slowly, absorbing the information and wondering if it would be enough. "What if another play supports the bid too," he suggested. "Would have improve your chances even more?"
Coach Davenport blinked in surprise. "Are you offering?"
The old Zero would have never considered working with the enemy.
"… Yes."
The quiet declaration had the others staring at Zero in evident shock. He waited out their reaction, emotions in turmoil with regret and guilt warring one another. He refused to take the offer back. He had to do this.
Terrence scoffed abruptly. "You expect us to believe that? There are only so many times you can play that hand, Zero," he said, glancing at Derek. "Take your scheme somewhere else."
"No scheme," Zero shook his head. "I'll do it."
Jelena crossed her arms over her chest, disbelief written across her features. "If you think throwing in your support now will prevent you from being traded the first chance we get—"
Zero cut her off, because that was the least of his concerns. "Trade me for all I care, but you need the team first," he snapped, hands balling into tight fists. "I can offer my support, financial or otherwise, okay?" He exhaled, trying to remind himself to keep his composure, back still tense. His voice lowered. "Just tell me what I need to do."
"Why should we trust you?" Derek asked, speaking for the first time. "You are in bed with the Kincaids—literally," His eyebrows rose contemplatively. "Your side was chosen the moment you kissed your boyfriend on national television. Why risk whatever the two of you have to help the three people in this whole place that are your biggest threat? Why would you betray that?"
Zero had already considered that question carefully before even deciding to come here today. He wished he could disagree, claim that it was not betrayal, but it felt too much like it no matter his intentions. "Whatever is between us is between us," he said, eyeing Derek, Jelena, and Terrence intently. "We have all screwed each other over more than once, but I'm willing to ignore it until this sale is done."
"… Why?" Derek asked again.
"Lionel is a backstabbing bitch," Zero replied flatly. "I want her gone."
Several eyes widened at that, though none of them seemed overly surprised. Most of the people in this room had been wronged by Lionel Kincaid nee Davenport at one point in time or another. She made enemies quickly and now they were all in collusion together.
"What did Lionel do to you," Jelena drawled doubtfully, one artfully sculpted eyebrow lifting. "To make you change sides to quickly? Did she threaten you not to break her step-son's little heart?"
Zero leaned forward and braced his hands on the smooth tabletop, barking out an incredulous laugh as the words brought up memories of a recent conversation. "Lionel did threaten me not to hurt him," he confessed ruefully. "She said that she would drive her car so far up my ass that I would taste wiper fluid… I respected her for that."
A protective Lionel was a scary sight to behold. He had believed her and felt suitably intimidated by the threat, having no doubt that she would deliver if provoked. Funny how quickly things change.
"Any respect I had for that woman ended last night," he said, a sneer working its way onto his lips. "Lionel got Oscar Kincaid released from prison to help put an end to the sale."
For a moment Zero thought they might not have heard him, but looking up it became apparent that everyone was still processing the news with varying degrees of astonishment and skepticism, not to mention no small amount of uncertainty. Sloane seemed to take it the worst, fear flashing across her features, and Zero vaguely recalled that her defense against the murder charges had been that Oscar was framing her.
"You're joking," Coach Davenport said, his voice both hopeful and a bit shaken. He glanced at Sloane beside him and reached out with a comforting hand.
Zero gnashed his teeth together. "No."
Sloane sank back into her chair, a hand pressed against her mouth. "What are we going to do?" she asked worriedly, shaking her head. "What are we…"
Jelena and Terrence seemed to appreciate the gravity of the situation as well, neither appearing quite as confident as before. They frowned to one another and laced their fingers together, seemingly contemplating their next move without words.
"Why would you side with us?" Terrence asked in confusion. "With Oscar out of prison…" He let the question hang. They all knew just how much pull that man had—with the board, with the league, with the police. The chances of their bid being successful now had been significantly reduced.
"… If any of you use this," Zero began, narrowing his eyes on everyone in the room. "To hurt Jude in any way…" He released a heavy sigh and spoke reluctantly. "He came home shaking last night, because Lionel just sprung this on him, no warning, just…"
All the fire seeped at him for a moment, recalling just how upset Jude had been the second he entered the apartment. No one seemed to understand yet, though Zero realized it because they only saw what they wanted to see. They saw the Jude Kincaid that was projected to the business world, someone who could be ruthless and calculating, and who would only do things that benefitted himself and his clients—and even that could be subjective.
No one saw the Jude Kincaid that was insecure and unsure, who felt genuine remorse when his actions hurt people. They had never seen the man who ate sugary sweet cereals and watched cartoons in the morning, the man who was protective of those he loved and did his best to keep them all safe and happy, or the man who just wanted someone to reach back when he reached out. That Jude was only reserved for literally a handful of people.
They had no idea just how bad things were between Jude and Oscar; they were oblivious to the damage that man could inflict with his callous words. Lionel had known though. She knew just how bad her sham husband, the sperm donor is what she called him, could hurt Jude and she let it happen. He would never forgive her for that.
"I will not let that emotionally abusive asshole manipulate Jude again," Zero said evenly. He made sure to choose his words carefully. He wanted them all to understand exactly what had driven this desire to destroy Lionel and Oscar both, but also what had driven some of the underhanded decisions Jude made earlier in the year.
Jude could certainly be devious when he wanted to be. He and Zero were very similar in that way, but Jude never resorted to it unless he was motivated to. He was a better man than Zero for it, because he had no such qualms in trying to force everything to go his way. He had never cared the conflicts it caused until recently either. He looked up then, suddenly remembering where he was, noting their reactions—none of them seemed overly surprised by just how angry and troubled Zero was.
They even seemed a bit understanding. Oddly enough Jelena and Terrence seemed strangely serious, maybe even a little upset. Zero had no idea why, but he felt relieved that they were actually taking him seriously now.
"I have to do something," Zero said, as the silence dragged on. "I want them gone."
"… Say we believe you," Jelena spoke slowly. "What would you be willing to do?"
The old Zero would have probably retreated when faced with an impossible scenario.
The person Zero was before the trade had been selfish and alone. He would have been able to recognize just how desperate Lionel was becoming, would have realized that the worst she could do was hurt the only person he cared about. He would have made arrangements and set things in motion to protect himself and Jude. He had always planned contingencies for the blowback because there was usually never anyone to fall back on.
Zero had something to lose now. He had something to protect. He had been falling back on Jude for weeks now, relying on him when the past became too much to deal with, and now it was his turn to do the same. He would be there for Jude to fall back on. He would protect him, especially from Oscar, because that man had no business screwing with Jude just when he was letting go of his own past.
He would do anything for Jude. There were no lengths that Zero was unwilling to go to protect Jude now that they were together.
Jude may be a bit calculating at times, but Zero had always been a bit of a sociopath. He would hurt whoever he had to in order to keep Oscar away from Jude and none of it would lay on his conscious. Jude would be angry, there was no doubt about that, but the old Zero would never have asked for permission to go after someone threatening them.
That was the man Jude had fallen in love with.
Zero just hoped Jude remembered that once the meeting began. "Anything," he replied without hesitation to the earlier question.