Page 5

CHAPTER 5

Turk

Something’s wrong. I swear she was on edge when Baylor had her trapped against the wall. I wonder what he really said to her.

Pulling out of my parking spot I glance both ways. I’m surprised to see her getting on a bus the opposite direction of where she’d walked away from me. What the hell?

Did she deliberately try to trick me? Was I wrong in my assessment of her reaction to the jerk? Is she up to something with that conniving fucker, Baylor?

Instinct has me following the bus. Stop after stop I watch for her to disembark. We’re two blocks into one of the rougher neighborhoods in town when she finally gets off. She walks a couple blocks then down an alley and up the stairs to what appears to be an apartment over the corner diner. Not believing what I’ve just seen I, park just before the alley entrance. A few minutes later she comes down the stairs wearing an apron over her jeans and goes through an employee entrance to the diner.

What’s going on? This doesn’t feel right. Pulling up the files that Clark sent me on my phone, I check hers. This is not the address she has listed. Although there is a note that all correspondence be sent to a post office box. I study the alley as my mind replays what happened in the tunnel.

Baylor had Cat against the wall. By the color on her face, I had the feeling he was trying to make a move on her. An unwanted move. Her body was tense, one hand fisted at her side.

He’s an ass at best, and probably worse.

Could I have misread the situation? Rubbing a hand down my face, I know I should leave. I’ve got a shift tomorrow, but I don’t care. I’m fixated on the woman and spend the next couple hours on my phone doing research on the team, on Cat. I hit a lot of dead ends, which just intrigues me more.

Something catches my attention, and I glance at the clock. It’s almost midnight. The lights from the front of the dinner go off and the back door opens. Cat comes out, a big ass dude behind her. He says something, she nods and heads up the stairs. He waits until her door shuts before scanning both directions of the alley and heading toward the opposite end. I wait till I see him turn the corner before starting my car and heading home.

I’m confused and tired. Tomorrow I’ll check her file again and maybe the diner too before reaching out to Clark.

Tatum texts me at lunch.

Tatum: You’ll be there tonight, right?

Turk: Planning on it.

Tatum: I just heard from Leslie. They offered her the position. She starts practice this week. The way she, Cat and I feel on the ice together, we are fucking going to slay the rest of the year.

Turk: Damn straight you will.

Cat has been on my mind all day. I can’t help but feel something is off with her. I shouldn’t but can’t seem to stop my fingers from asking Tatum.

Turk: Speaking of Cat. I caught Baylor in the tunnel with her. Is he giving her a rough time? Or do they have a side thing going?

Tatum: Not that I know of. In fact, if you asked me, I’d say she’s a little afraid of him. He had something to do with getting her on the team. I think he holds that over her. And…. …. never mind

Turk: God damn it, Tatum. Tell me now!

Tatum: Damn, are you text screaming at me right now?

Turk: Tell me.

Tatum: I thought I heard him tell her she owes him her job.

My gut churns.

Call me. Now!

Tatum: Can’t I’m at work and its peak time for people needing their coffee fix. Baristas rarely get a break. See you at the game.

I text Clark.

I’ll meet you at your office. We need to talk before the game.

Clark: What’s up?

Turk: I’d rather talk in person.

Clark: Anything I should be looking for?

Turk: Yeah. Do you have the player contract copies? Start there.

Clark scowls up at me as I walk into his office later that day. “How the fuck did you know?”

“Know what?”

“These contracts are a mess. All over the damn place with no justification on how they got to the salaries for the players. And fucking Baylor is making almost as much as Coach. The total salary is in line with a team, but the individual contracts are not in line with standards. And not all payroll matches the contracts.

“What made you think of this?”

I sit across from him and adjust my pant leg, debating how much to say.

“I know that look, give it all to me.”

“Last night I was leaving via the tunnel, and I saw Baylor crowding Cat. She looked uncomfortable. I warned him off. I said something to Tatum today and she thinks that Cat is afraid of him. She thinks he had something to do with Cat’s contract. Tatum overheard him say to Cat that she owed him her job.”

I watch him shuffle the files on his desk and open one. I see the tic in his cheek before his stormy gaze meets mine. “She’s not even making the minimum requirement. They have her at twenty-five and the league minimum is thirty-five a year.

I fist my hands on the chair arms. “Well, that explains part of it.”

“Part of what?”

“I could tell she was a little upset, but she wouldn’t let me give her a ride home. She walked away in one direction, but then I saw her get on a bus going the opposite way. I followed the bus to an almost sketchy neighborhood where she got off.

“She’s living above a diner. I watched her go into what I’m guessing is her apartment and come out with an apron on and go to work in the dinner. She worked until midnight and then some guy made sure she got into the apartment before he left.

“The address is not the one you have on file for her. In fact, the whole file you have on her is sketchy.”

“She’s not a fake. She plays too damn well. What are you thinking?” He looks at me.

“I don’t know. I called Tatum again after she got off work. She says they’re friends, but Cat is pretty shut down when it comes to her past and her family. She just says she’s alone. She thinks Cat is struggling because she’s always broke, and her clothes are worn. The nicest thing she has are the team uniforms because those are supplied.

“She’s tried to get her to open up but hasn’t gotten far. The most she’s been able to accomplish is to get her to go for free coffee at the place where Tatum works. Just quiet one on ones. She’s not a ‘girls night out’ kind of girl.

“I’ll make sure I get her salary taken care of tomorrow and I’ll get my personnel department going through all the contracts to make sure there aren’t other issues. We absorbed this acquisition pretty quickly. We would have found most of this eventually, but this lets me know where I need to focus.

“What’s your take on Baylor?” Clark asks.

“Same as always. Watch your back. He’s always got his own agenda.”

“Yeah.” He stands. “Let’s get to the arena. I want us both to keep eyes on him for now. I’ll get guards and more cameras in the tunnel, too.”