High Risk Rookie

by Odette Stone

  “Sorry,” I said immediately.

  The cop’s partner moved behind me and yanked my arms back to handcuff me. I didn’t resist as he pulled me backward.

  “You’re under arrest.”

  Krista got in that cop’s face. “You’re arresting the wrong man. Brody started this.”

  The cop looked at Krista. “You need to step back and stop interfering, ma’am.”

  Krista looked incensed as she pointed at Brody. “He’s the one who grabbed me. Then he shoved Levi.”

  “Lady, if you don’t get out of my face, I’ll arrest you too.”

  She wasn’t backing down. “You’re the epitome of a clueless moron.”

  Her eyes widened as he spun her around. “Okay, then. You’re under arrest for interfering with an arrest.”

  “Spoken like a true idiot,” she spat over her shoulder.

  “Krista.” I caught her eye. “It’s okay.”

  Her cop spun her around and pushed her roughly towards the door. “You should listen to your friend. He knows what he’s talking about.”

  My cop shoved me forward. “Let’s go.”

  I could feel the eyes of my entire team on me as we were hustled past them towards the door, but I didn’t look at any of them. I was too focused on how the cop was manhandling Krista’s arm and shoving her through the crowd.

  “Can you please ask him to go easy on her?” I said to my cop in my most respectful voice.

  “Maybe you should try to control your girlfriend the next time you get arrested.”

  I let out a long sigh. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

  “Oh yeah, who is she?”

  My wife. “My sports agent. I don’t know anyone who can control her.”

  He laughed.

  “Maybe her mom,” I added, “but I haven’t seen them together.”

  The cop laughed again. “Okay, funny guy.” But then he yelled at his partner ahead of him. “Hey, Rick.” The big cop stopped Krista short and waited. “You mind switching off? This guy’s giving me a headache.”

  The bigger cop glowered at me. “Gladly.”

  My cop gave me a look. Understanding passed between us. He couldn’t ask his partner to be gentle, but he could take over.

  I nodded a short thanks.

  The bigger guy, anticipating a problem, held my arms but jerked me forward. It was a move designed to throw off my center of gravity and keep me off-balance, making me easier to control.

  I gritted my teeth and allowed him to shove me roughly through the bar. I didn’t care. My eyes were glued to the cop ahead of me, who was carefully escorting Krista out, putting a protective arm in front of her and making sure she was safe.

  Outside, Officer Rick pushed me across the tarmac and then bent me none too gently over the trunk of his squad car.

  “Don’t move,” he barked as he patted me down.

  “I wasn’t planning on it,” I said.

  He stood up and pinned my face against the metal. “You trying to resist me?”

  “No, sir,” I ground out.

  “Didn’t think so.”

  He hauled me back up to a vertical position. Three feet in front of me stood Mark Ashford.

  Our eyes locked.

  “They arrested Krista,” I told him, as Rick spun me around. “You have to help her.”

  The back of the cop car stank like urine and something worse. I tried to turn and look over my shoulder to see what was going on, but I couldn’t see Mark or Krista.

  I was driven to a police station. They didn’t process me but instead put me in a holding cell. I paced while the adrenaline wore off. My face and most of my body started to hurt.

  Where was Krista? Was she okay? Did they put her alone in a cell, or was she with other women? I tried to imagine Krista in jail, but I couldn’t bear the thought.

  About two hours later, another officer took me out of the cell and led me down to a desk. They handed me my cell and wallet in a clear plastic bag. Then they pointed at a door. “Go right through those doors.”

  I pushed open the door and was stunned to see the waiting room of the police station. Off to my right, Mark Ashford stood with his back to me. He was talking to Krista. I felt my entire chest relax when I saw her. She looked tired and a bit ruffled around the edges, but otherwise okay.

  They stopped talking when I approached.

  “You happy with yourself, son?” Mark snapped, his tone grim.

  “No, sir.”

  He glared at me. “What was the number-one rule I spoke about at our last meeting?”

  “Don’t get arrested this season.”

  “What game did we play tonight?”

  I swallowed as I felt my eye twitch. “First game of the exhibition season.”

  “And yet I had to call the mayor in the middle of the night to prevent you from getting charged.”

  Krista raised her eyes to look at me.

  “I’m sorry,” I said to him, unable to look away from her.

  He glanced over his shoulder at Krista. “Will you please give us a moment, Krista?”

  She tightened her bag over her shoulder. “I’ll go wait in the car.”

  He waited until she had disappeared through the doors, where his driver was waiting, before he looked back at me. “I want the truth.”

  “Brody and I got into it.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “It wasn’t Krista’s fault.”

  He crossed his arms. “That’s not what she told me.”

  “Of course, she’s going to try to take the fall for this,” I argued.

  He shook his head. “If your agent is decent enough to protect you, let her.”

  “I don’t hide behind anyone. I knew what I was doing when I hit him.”

  He put his hands in his pocket. “You were protecting her?”

  I looked away from him, frustrated at the whole situation. “Now what?”

  “I’m still talking about tonight, son.”

  “I found Brody with his hand on Krista’s arm. We exchanged words. I decided to walk away.”

  Mark listened intently.

  “He shoved me twice into Krista, and I almost crushed her against a table.” I tightened my jaw at the memory of the little sound she’d made when we crashed. “She could have been hurt.”

  “So you hit Brody?”

  “No, I shoved him through a few tables until I had him up against a wall.”

  “He hit you first.”

  “And then we scuffled. And when the police pulled me off him, I elbowed the officer.”

  “Why was Krista arrested?”

  “She called him an idiot.”

  Mark looked away from me while his lips twitched. “Okay. I need to sort some stuff out here with my lawyer. Can you please get yourself and Krista back to the hotel?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He turned away from me.

  I decided to push my luck. “Can I ask you what the consequences will be for this?”

  He ignored me as he walked away.

  I walked outside and got into the car. The clock on the dashboard read 4:00 a.m. I needed to be up in an hour to catch our flight to the next city.

  Beside me, Krista was silent. I stared out the window and watched as the darkened city passed by. “Say it.”

  “Say what?”

  “Give it to me straight.”

  “This wasn’t your fault, Levi,” she exclaimed.

  “How upset was Mark?”

  “Well, he’s not happy with either of us.”

  I spoke under my breath. “That’s an understatement.”

  She didn’t respond. I looked over at her. “Where’s the fire-hot anger?”

  She sighed and looked up at me. Her voice sounded sad. “Your face.”

  The car pulled up in front of the hotel. Together we walked towards the elevator. I pushed the button for the fourth floor; she pushed floor six.

  When the elevator reached my floor, I didn’t get of
f.

  She looked at me.

  “I’m walking you to your room.”

  “That’s all you’re doing,” she said primly, but she didn’t argue.

  In silence, we walked to her room. When we stopped at her door, she turned, and we both spoke at once.

  “You go first,” she said.

  “I’m sorry for fucking this up.”

  Her gaze went dark. “You have nothing to apologize for. Brody is a menace.”

  “Thanks for coming to my first game.”

  She lifted her hand and put one small, soothing hand on my jaw. “Please stop letting people punch you in the face. It hurts me to look at it.”

  I grabbed her wrist and tugged her closer. Just one kiss. She wasn’t resisting, and those big blue eyes were wide on my face.

  Somewhere down the hall, around the corner, a door slammed.

  She jumped back and then ducked her head. “Good night, Levi.”

  I cursed myself for not moving faster. “Good night.”

  Mike: You’re missing sick waves here.

  Me: I miss it all.

  Mike: Someone has been asking about you. Everyone said we didn’t know you.

  Me: Who?

  Mike: No clue. Andrew found a video from that night. Want me to send to you?

  Me: Yeah, when you can.

  Mike: If you play in LA, let us know and we’ll drive up to see you.

  I stared at my phone, missing my friends. Life was simple when it was just about the next wave.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Krista

  Three weeks later, I stood outside the locker room after the Wolves lost their first game. When Mica stepped out, I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side. I needed some answers.

  “Sorry about tonight.”

  He scowled. No one hated losing more than Mica. “Yup.”

  “You have a minute?”

  He looked over his shoulder. “You want to talk about your rookie.”

  “How it’s going?”

  “With your rookie?” He scratched his chin. “No one’s talking about it.”

  “You mean there’s something definitely going on and everyone is aware of it.”

  He avoided eye contact. “Yup.”

  I put my hand on my hip. “Why?”

  He glanced at me. “Mark put us in a tough situation. Everyone knows that in December, it will either be Brody or Levi.”

  I let out a breath. “So no one wants to get involved.”

  “No one wants to pick sides.”

  “In case Brody became a permanent part of the team.”

  “Seems like the coaches have the same mindset.”

  I looked around in frustration. “How bad is it?”

  He grimaced. “I’m doing what I can—but it’s not great.”

  I put a hand on my hip. “What are we talking about?”

  “Nothing out of control, but it’s uncomfortable to watch.”

  “What can I do?”

  He shrugged. “You need to tell Levi to be a bit friendlier. I know it’s rough in there, and I know he doesn’t know who to trust, but he can trust the veterans. We’ve talked, and none of us have a problem with him.”

  I poked him hard in the shoulder. “Mica!”

  “Oy, what?” He rubbed his shoulder. “What did I do?”

  “Take him out for beers, and you tell him that.”

  He raised his hands. “Fine.”

  I crossed my arms. “Tonight.”

  “Come on. Charlie said she made stroganoff tonight. It’s my mother’s family recipe.”

  I made eye contact with Levi as he walked out of the men’s locker room and motioned him over. My greedy gaze drank him in. He looked bigger than I remembered, and his hair was growing out a dark, rich brown.

  His eyes locked with mine and my knees went a bit weak.

  “Hey, rookie,” Mica said.

  “Hey.” Levi looked between us. “What’s up?”

  “Mica just invited both of us to come over to his place for stroganoff,” I interjected. “It’s homemade, and it’s legendary.”

  Levi’s eyes lit up with interest. “Oh yeah?”

  Mica gave me a dark look. “You’re probably tired.”

  I put my purse over my shoulder. “Mica is afraid we’re going to eat his precious home-cooked meal, so I need you to bring your A-game. I want you to eat like it’s an eating contest.”

  Mica lifted one finger and pointed at both of us. “You get one bowl. Then you go home.”

  Levi looked at him. “This must be some stroganoff.”

  Mica put his arm over Levi’s shoulder. “You have no idea.”

  When I turned to follow them, I noticed Brody watching from further down the hall.

  “He’s extremely good-looking.” Charlie stood at her island, holding some dirty plates. Mica and Levi were talking around the bonfire on the massive deck.

  I took the plates from her and started to stack them in the dishwasher. “The sponsors will love him.”

  She leaned against the counter and looked at me. “You doing okay?”

  I shut the dishwasher door. “Yeah, why?”

  “You look tired.”

  I was tired. “Things have been crazy lately at the office.”

  “How are things going with Levi’s contract?”

  I sighed. “He’s temporarily contracted until December, and then Mark will decide between him and Brody.”

  “How will that work with the Forbes list?”

  “I need to sign as his agent and negotiate his future contract before December 31 in order to qualify for this year’s list.”

  She frowned. “I’ve never heard of someone not releasing a client.”

  I tried to hide my anxiety. “This agent, Scott Spears, is hanging on for dear life. He knows if Levi makes the team, he’ll make a lot of money. My lawyers don’t think he has a leg to stand on, but he’s fighting them tooth and nail.”

  It was already October, with no end in sight to this legal mess. It didn’t help that Spears was in a different country.

  Charlie reached out and touched my shoulder. “On Thanksgiving weekend, we’re heading to Tofino. We rented a huge house for the weekend. You remember my friend Jasper? He and Mica’s mom are coming. Why don’t you join us? We’ve got extra room.”

  “My strategy is that if I attend my mom’s Thanksgiving weekend, then it will be reasonable to boycott the engagement celebration.”

  “I like your logic and remember, we’ll only be four hours away from you if you need an escape.”

  I scowled as I remembered Eduard cornering me in my room, wanting to talk. “I might.”

  Ever positive, Charlie added, “You know, some time off with lots of turkey and wine might be a nice way to ease back into things with everyone.”

  I loved how Charlie found the silver lining in pretty much any situation. “My mom left me three texts asking for details about my plus-one.”

  “Oh.” Charlie took a sip of her wine. “So, it’s like that, then.”

  I crossed my arms. “Who am I going to bring?”

  “What about the lawyer, Brian? How are things progressing with him?”

  I had forgotten that Charlie thought we were dating. I stuck as close to the truth as possible. “We haven’t made it past a coffee meeting.”

  Charlie snapped her finger. “You could hire an actor. And you could make up whatever story you want. A chick from my Pilates class brought an actor home to her high-school reunion.”

  I turned, and shock zapped through my body. Levi stood there, listening.

  “Geez!” I put my hand to my heart. “You’re going to kill me if you sneak up on me like that.”

  Levi gave us one of his half smiles, filled with charm. “I wasn’t sneaking.”

  Charlie laughed. “Mica does that all the time.”

  We watched as Mica shut the patio door and moved towards us. He rubbed his hands together. “Who wants vodka?”

  Levi la
ughed.

  I shook my head. “I have yoga in five hours, and I know you both have an early practice tomorrow.”

  Mica shrugged. “Next time, then.”

  Levi reached over and gave Charlie a friendly hug. “Thanks for the home-cooked meal. It was fantastic.”

  Charlie smiled at Levi. “There’s some leftover stroganoff. You should take that home with you.”

  Mica made a noise in his throat. Levi’s eyes met mine, and we both started laughing.

  Charlie looked between us. “Am I missing something?”

  “Mica’s pretty protective of his stroganoff.”

  Charlie looked amused. “Yes, I noticed.”

  Levi turned and shook Mica’s hand. “Thanks.”

  Mica slapped him on the shoulder. “You’re okay.”

  Levi and I sat silently in the back seat of the car. It was just after 1:00 a.m. I seriously doubted I would be attending tomorrow’s 6:00 a.m. yoga class. I stared out the window, completely aware of how close he was sitting beside me.

  “Do you always use a driver?” he asked.

  “I have a car,” I admitted, using our conversation as an excuse to look at him. The streetlights hid and illuminated his features at intervals. “But I prefer to be driven. It’s one of my little luxuries. I get a lot of work done while I’m being driven from place to place.”

  “Tell me about your family Thanksgiving plans.”

  “First you tell me what is going on with the team.”

  He shook his head. “Not much.”

  “Try again.”

  “Mica has been friendly. Probably because he’s doing you a favor, but he’s still a great guy.”

  I was dying to know what they had talked about tonight. “You had a good chat tonight?”

  “Yup.”

  “Did you talk about anything specific?”

  “My turn.”

  I crossed my arms. “Fine, go ahead.”

  “Your mom wants you to bring a date home for Thanksgiving?”

  I looked over at him, feeling testy. “I don’t have time for a pedicure, much less a relationship. It’s not like I can just snap my fingers and someone materializes.”

  He smirked. “Well, I happen to be free that weekend if you need a plus-one.”