The Trade

The Trade Book 2 in The Underdogs Series Copyright ©2023 by Kata Čuić All Rights Reserved. This novel may not be reproduced in whole or in part without express written permission by the author. This includes, but is not limited to, the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. And yes, that includes the internet and social media. Especially those. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review. Art in any form is created from the blood, sweat, and tears of the artist. In this case, the writer. Please do not engage in piracy or plagiarism. Purchase from valid vendors. Create your own art! This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and goings on are the product of the author’s ridiculous imagination and/or life experiences and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead or otherwise, is coincidental. Kind of. Mostly. Editing by Nicole McCurdy at Emerald Edits Proofreading by Alison Evans-Maxwell at Red Leaf Proofing Cover by Sarah Kil at Sarah Kil Creative Studio CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Sneak Peek of Most Valuable Player Also by Kata About the Author Acknowledgments To my grandparents, I miss you. ONE Merrick I’ve done some really weird things in my life. The weirdest should be firmly filed under that time I smiled and laughed and pretended to be happy with a group of three-year-olds while I filmed a commercial for a nutritional supplement that doubles as a meal replacement for picky eaters. Only half of those kids were toilet trained. I’ve never understood piss-play kinks, but I definitely discovered I have zero interest in it after being covered in someone else’s urine for most of the day. I hauled another fifty grand into my stock portfolio for swimming in kiddie pee pee for a few hours, so it was time well spent. Mathematically, it was better than flipping burgers for minimum wage. It also opened the door to several more endorsement deals, so I guess I shouldn’t complain. My agent definitely didn’t mind the royalty shares. Spoiler alert—that’s not the weirdest thing I’ve ever done. Maybe weird is the wrong word. Underhanded might be more like it. Dirty? Deceiving. Definitely not on the up and up despite having the excuse of achieving a singular goal the way professional athletes are hardwired to do. My quarterback would never launch another pass at me if he ever found out what I’ve done. The guy who damn near sacrificed his own NFL career to save mine would be totally justified in cutting off my catching arms, my balls, my head—whatever he wants to appease my betrayal in spite of all he’s done for me. The weirdest thing I’ve ever done is pretend to be someone else. Someone other than me. Someone the woman I love didn’t cut out of her life like we never meant anything to each other at all. My intentional lies started out as a way to soothe my bruised ego. I just needed a little more proof to convince myself that my quarterback and buddy, Kyle, was right about her all along. That she was a gold-digging, jersey-chasing snake who only wanted me as long as I could give her the ride of her life. Another spoiler alert—even though I had to lie through my teeth to get this information, that’s not what I found out. Not at all. Turns out Kyle was wrong. I wasn’t being too hasty in wanting to put a ring on this mythical woman’s finger. Temptress42: I think they’re going to get married and make beautiful babies. Jagoff42: You say that like it’s a bad thing. Temptress42: It is a bad thing. And I didn’t say anything. I texted it. Jagoff42: Cum see, cum sa. Temptress42: ??? Jagoff42: Never mind. It’s a saying where I’m from. Temptress42: Where are you from? A porny alien planet?? Jagoff42: Pittsburgh. I hold my breath and wait for her to make the connection. This isn’t the first time I’ve let too much slip. Real-life me is actually from Pittsburgh. She knows that. I told her. So far, she’s never mentioned that my background sounds awfully familiar. Either she doesn’t want to associate me with…well, me. Or she doesn’t want to part with me to forget about…me. Yeah. I won’t blame Kyle if he decides to cut off my balls. I completely deserve the castration. Temptress42: There’s a big Serbian population in Pittsburgh. Is that why you’re so much better than me at the language? Because you’ve already been exposed to it for half your life? Jagoff42: Could be. Temptress42: Have you been playing me all this time? Am I just an easy way to make you feel better about your already awesome foreign language skills? Jagoff42: You make me feel better about all sorts of things. I hope I’m the same for you. Temptress42: Make me feel better about this then!!! I’m about to be all alone again!!!! Jagoff42: You’ll never be alone. You’ve got me. Temptress42: Great. My best friend is a random stranger on a language learning app who’s too far away to pay half the rent I’m missing. Jagoff42: You need a roomie? You’re in Cali, right? I’m closer than you think. Temptress42: You hate hot weather. You probably live in a luxury cabin in Tahoe. Jagoff42: I do hate