Keeper (Alpha Athletes #2) Read Online Free

to beg.
    “That’s it? You don’t have anything else to say? No apology? Nothing?” he asked, raising his voice more than one octave.
    “I’ve got nothing for you. Good luck finding another star, because I’m moving on.” The words felt bitter on my tongue, but as soon as I said them, I couldn’t reel them back in.
    “I’ll send you the paperwork.” His voice was clipped. “Goodbye, Lachlan.”
    I didn’t bother with a goodbye. I hung up and shoved the phone in my back pocket.
    I realized things had gone from bad to worse. But I didn’t need Rick. I could handle my own press. I could handle the sponsors, the teams, the Olympics.
    I didn’t need him. I didn’t need anyone.

Chapter Six

Aspen
    A rmed with suitcases filled with designer clothes, I waved down a cab outside of baggage claim. I didn’t have time to go to the hotel. I needed to find Lachlan Kenzie. I instructed the cab driver to take me straight to the Olympic village. I read the UK teams moved into the village today.
    Revolution’s sponsorship came with privileges. I had a pass that would get me in the village. I should be able to find Lachlan. So far, he hadn’t answered any of my calls and neither did his agent. I wasn’t stupid. I knew I wasn’t the only executive after Lachlan. He had endorsement deals with numerous companies. If they had all flown here I was going to have to fight for time with him.
    I stared at the high rises towering in front of me. How was I going to find him in there? The village was its own city. I knew there were over ten thousand athletes here. If I had to search every building and every floor I would.
    I handed the driver a wad of cash and pulled my luggage from the backseat. He sped off toward the airport to make another run. He had been more talkative than the customs agent.
    There was a line half a block long at the security checkpoint. I retrieved my ID badge from my purse and roped it around my neck.
    I was operating on a few hours of sleep. The heat wrapped around me, and I had to wrestle my bags into position behind me. They bumped over the sidewalk as I stood in line behind a girl that was easily six feet tall. I wondered what sport she competed in. I sized her up as a volleyball player or maybe a rower.
    Thirty minutes later I made it through the metal detectors and started my hunt for Lachlan. The buildings were divided by country. I couldn’t imagine the nightmare of working out the political logistics of placing each team based on preferences and cultural demands. The United Kingdom was grouped together in building three.
    I rolled my suitcases behind me, looking for numbers on the buildings.
    I passed by a small tropical oasis filled with bright flowers and a cascading waterfall that trickled into the pool. A game of volleyball had broken out between the most perfectly toned people I’d ever seen in my life. I tried not to gawk as I walked past them, but it was like something out of a magazine. Their muscles glistened under the lights of the pool as they laughed and splashed in the water.
    I forced my gaze straight ahead and marched into the third building in the row. I tilted my bags upright in front of the concierge desk.
    “Hi, I’m here to see Lachlan Kenzie. Is there a way to page him or can I go directly to his room?” I asked.
    The woman behind the desk looked up from her phone.
    “You can’t go up there.”
    “Okay.” I wasn’t entirely surprised. I knew my badge didn’t give me unlimited access in the village. “Can you call him or something? I haven’t been able to reach him. It’s extremely important.”
    “Are you his coach?” She smacked a piece of gum in her mouth.
    I shook my head. “No.”
    “Are you a trainer?”
    “Um, no.”
    She shrugged her shoulders. “You can wait, but your pass expires in two hours.”
    “What? Why two hours?”
    She pointed at my chest where the badge hung around my neck.
    “There’s a village curfew. The gates close in two hours and you