“Duke!” Kinley said, before he could even say hello. “I saw you on the news! Is that little boy okay?”

He groaned. “Are you kidding me?”

“You saved a kid’s life, that’s what the newscasters are saying. There’s footage of you running with him, taking him to an ambulance. He looked like he was unconscious.”

“It’s Jose, Angel’s son. I’m at the hospital with him and his mom right now.” Duke put a hand over his eyes, dropped his voice. “He’s not waking up, Kinley. It’s pretty awful.”

“I’m coming over. I’m already on my way.”

“No—”

She’d hung up.

Out in the waiting area, he barely made it to the chairs without falling. It felt like he’d been shot minutes ago, not months ago.

After dropping into the seat, he glanced up to find Kinley coming down the hall in a red wool suit. He grumbled, “You said you were on your way, not here already.”

“Duke! You can’t walk? Oh no!” Kinley sat next to him. She knew exactly what it meant for an athlete to be hurt during the season.

“Yeah. I re-tore everything.” He gripped the arms of the chair and blew out his breath. At least he could finally admit it in the open. “Good thing I quit this morning or I’d be fired. Well, they might have fired me, but I quit first.”

Kinley leaned forward, perplexed. “What are you talking about? What’s going on?”

“It’s a long story. Suffice it to say, my ankle was not healing right. I wasn’t going to be able to play anyway. This,” he pointed to the purple and swollen tissue, “is just the final nail in the coffin. But, like I said, I was already dead. It doesn’t matter.”

“And Jose? Poor Angel! Please tell me he’s okay.”

“It’s pretty scary. How’d you know we were here, anyway?”

“News crews are reporting from the main lobby.”

“Of course they are. Jose had an asthma attack during his baseball game and stopped breathing on the way here. He’s still unconscious. We’re waiting to see if he’s going to recover.”

“Jesus. What a day.” She paused. “You need to know, though, there’s more. Roland told me everything.” When Duke raised his eyebrows, she nodded. “About Regina, about the money, and about Mark.”

He felt the air in his chest ball up. “He told you he killed Mark?”

“Yes, he showed me the video, admitted he ran away like a little bitch.” She wiped her hands together, as if wiping off dirt. “I took a copy of the video and then I made him call the police, Duke. I was in the room with him, on the speakerphone. Our lawyers conferenced in. Roland admitted to it all. And I made sure the detective was clear on the blackmailing angle.”