Chapter 2
"My father's name was Daniel Johnson."
The elderly man stumbled backward.
His hand flew to his mouth.
For a moment, I thought he might collapse.
"Daniel?"
I nodded.
"Daniel Marcus Johnson."
The old man's eyes filled with tears.
Behind us, the crowd was still shouting about Ethan's sports car.
But the stranger seemed to hear none of it.
"Dear God," he whispered.
I frowned.
"Did you know him?"
He stared at me.
Then he said something that made my stomach tighten.
"I knew your father before you were born."
My fingers closed around the baseball.
"Who are you?"
The man took a shaky breath.
"My name is Arthur Williams."
I stared at him.
"Coach Arthur?"
His face changed.
"Your father mentioned me?"
I nodded slowly.
"He said you were the best coach he ever had."
Tears slipped down Arthur's cheeks.
He looked away.
Then he whispered, "I thought I'd never hear his name again."
Before I could answer, Ethan stormed toward us.
"What's going on here?"
Arthur turned.
"Not now."
Ethan laughed bitterly.
"Excuse me?"
"I said not now."
The superstar's expression hardened.
"That kid thinks he won my car."
Arthur looked at him.
"He did exactly what you challenged him to do."
Ethan pointed at me.
"He's fourteen. He can't even drive!"
I lowered my eyes.
That was true.
But Ethan had made the promise.
And six hundred people had heard it.
Arthur folded his arms.
"Then perhaps you should have thought about that before making the offer."
The crowd cheered.
Ethan's jaw tightened.
He looked at the phones pointed toward him.
Then at the red car beyond the fence.
"Fine," he snapped. "My attorney can deal with it."
He stormed away.
I watched him go.
Arthur turned back toward me.
"Malik, is your mother here?"
I hesitated.
"She's at work."
"Where?"
"Mercy Memorial Hospital."
He frowned.
"Is she a nurse?"
I shook my head.
"She cleans rooms."
Something softened in his face.
"What's her name?"
"Angela."
He closed his eyes.
"Angela Johnson?"
I nodded.
He whispered, "I remember her."
I felt a strange mixture of excitement and fear.
My mother rarely talked about Dad's baseball career.
Whenever I asked, she would smile sadly and say he'd been good.
Really good.
But she'd never explained why he stopped playing.
I knew he'd suffered an arm injury.
I knew he'd worked construction afterward.
And I knew he'd died in a highway accident when I was eleven.
That was all.
Arthur touched my shoulder.
"Would your mother allow me to visit?"
I looked at him.
"Why?"
He hesitated.
"Because there's something she deserves to know."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
Arthur looked toward the field.
Then he said quietly, "Your father should have played in the major leagues."
I stared at him.
For years, people had told me Dad was talented.
But I'd never heard anyone say that.
Arthur continued.
"He had the strongest arm I ever coached."
I looked down at my baseball.
"Then why didn't he?"
Arthur's expression darkened.
"That's a long story."
"Please tell me."
He studied me for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Your father was eighteen when I first saw him pitch."
I listened.
"He walked onto our field wearing secondhand shoes and carrying a glove that was falling apart."
My throat tightened.
"He asked whether he could try out."
Arthur smiled sadly.
"Some of the other boys laughed."
I thought about Ethan.
The expensive car.
The crowd.
The insults.
Arthur shook his head.
"Then Daniel threw his first pitch."
I looked up.
"What happened?"
"Nobody laughed again."
A strange warmth spread through my chest.
Arthur continued.
"Within two years, scouts from professional organizations were watching him."
I stared.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Then what happened?"
Arthur looked away.
"He signed with a development program. But an injury interrupted his career."
I swallowed.
"Mom told me he hurt his shoulder."
Arthur nodded.
"That's what everyone heard."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
He hesitated.
"Some people believed his injury wasn't the whole story."
My stomach tightened.
Before I could ask another question, my phone vibrated.
Mom.
I answered immediately.
"Malik?"
Her voice sounded frightened.
"Yes, Mom?"
"Where are you?"
"At the baseball field."
"Why are people sending me videos of you challenging Ethan Cole?"
I winced.
"I'm okay."
"Malik!"
"I'm not hurt, Mom."
I heard her exhale.
Then she said, "Are you with someone?"
I looked at Arthur.
"Yeah."
"Who?"
I hesitated.
"Coach Arthur Williams."
The line went silent.
For several seconds, I thought the call had disconnected.
"Mom?"
Her voice returned.
But it sounded completely different.
"Arthur Williams?"
"Yes."
"Is he standing beside you?"
"Yeah."
I heard something fall on her end.
Then she whispered, "Tell him not to leave."
I looked at Arthur.
His expression was serious.
"Mom?"
Her breathing became uneven.
"Malik, listen carefully."
I stood straighter.
"Okay."
"Do not go anywhere with him until I get there."
My stomach dropped.
"Why?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Then she said something that frightened me more than anything Ethan had done.
"Because there are things about your father's career that man hasn't told you."
I looked at Arthur.
He was staring at the ground.
"Mom, what's going on?"
Her voice broke.
"Just stay where you are."
The call ended.
I lowered the phone.
Arthur looked at me.
"Is Angela coming?"
I nodded.
He sighed.
"Good."
I felt my heartbeat quicken.
"Coach, did you hurt my father?"
He looked up sharply.
"No."
"Then why is my mom scared?"
Arthur's eyes filled again.
"Because your father trusted the wrong people."
I swallowed.
"Who?"
Before he could answer, someone shouted from behind us.
"Arthur!"
We turned.
A tall man in a dark suit was walking toward the mound.
He looked about sixty.
His face was stern.
Arthur went completely still.
The stranger stopped several feet away.
Then he looked directly at me.
"Well," he said quietly.
"Daniel Johnson's boy."
I stared at him.
"Who are you?"
The man smiled.
"My name is Robert Mercer."
Arthur stepped in front of me.
"Stay away from him, Robert."
The stranger laughed.
"Still protecting that family's secrets?"
Arthur's hands clenched.
May you like
And then Robert said something that made my blood run cold.
"Does the boy know what really happened to his father?"
