Page 14 of The House of Wolves

“So why don’t you want to tell the Wolves what to do same as you tell us?” he said. “Isn’t football your family business?”

“Love the football business. Hate the family.”

Carlos said, “Is that why you had that big fight with your father?”

“I never told you about that.”

Now he grinned. “There’s this thing called the internet, Coach Jenny. And it pretty much knows everything.”

We practiced then, and practiced hard, but then these kids always practiced hard, because their season mattered as much to them as the pro season meant to the Wolves. And maybe even more.

Damn, I do love this game as much as these kids do. This is my favorite time of day, the same as it is theirs.

No wonder they acted as if they didn’t want to live in a world where somebody got handed an NFL team and was even considering handing it back.

At one point during a water break, Carlos came over to me and said, “If you do take over the Wolves, you gonna leaveus?”

“The only time I leave this team is if you guys tell me you don’t want me around anymore.”

He lowered his voice.

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Practice ended a few minutes later with Carlos reading Chris’s eyes perfectly and breaking up what looked to be a perfect pass to Davontae. As soon as he did, he looked over at me and shook his fist. I smiled and shook mine back.

Maybe the Hunters Point Bearshadmade up my mind for me.

When I got back in my car, I decided to turn my phone back on, just to see if it had blown up yet.

The last text message I’d gotten was from Rashida.

Check out the Trib.

Eleven

I SAT WITH MYex-husband at a table near the wall at the Horseshoe Tavern on Chestnut Street, once my father’s favorite hole-in-the-wall bar. Fascinating that Joe Wolf, the guy who had such a taste for the finer things in life, also loved places like this.

Just not as fascinating, in the whole grand scheme of things, as my once being married to the quarterback of the Wolves.

Ted Skyler had his navy cap imprinted with the white wolf logo pulled down low.

My phone was in front of him next to his mug of beer. The screen was filled with a headline in end-of-the-world type on theTribune’s home page:

SHE WOLF

Now my ex tipped his cap back and grinned.

“What did you expect? That your brothers were going to fight fair?”

“I didn’t do this to them,” I said. “Dad did.”

“You should have heard your brother Danny in the locker room after practice today,” he said. “He’s pacing up and down and yelling that hell would freeze over before his sister was going to take overhisfootball team. And his imagery got even more colorful after that.”

“Jack probably feels the same way about the paper,” I said. I pointed at the phone. “Hence the hit piece.”

“You have to know it’s only the beginning.”