Page 10 of Brooklynaire

It’s so quiet I can hear my playersbreathe.

“You’re not that guy. You’re the kind that says, ‘I’m doing this. I don’t care if Brooklyn isn’t supposed to beat DC. I don’t care if their first line has been skating together since I was in diapers. None of that shit matters because I amhere to change therules.’”

I look down at the emblem in the rug again. That fucker will be splashed all over network television again tomorrow night. And they said it couldn’t be done. When I raise my head, every pair of eyes is still locked onme.

“Say—why not me? Why notnow. If not now, then when? Go and take it from them, boys. Not because some pundits gave you permission. But just because you know youcan.”

“Fuck yeah!” Beacon yells, and then it’s a cacophony. Stomping feet and whistling. A room full of millionaires applauds abillionaire.

It’s an odd little club I’ve got here. And it’s fuckingawesome.

Having said my thing, I turn and leave the room. Lauren is standing in the hallway looking antsy. “Very inspiring,boss.”

“Thankyou.”

She turns toward the exit and starts talking immediately. “The car is waiting to take you to Manhattan. Engineering meeting at noon. Lunch at one. Accountants at two. And Alex needs acall.”

But I tune her out, because the next item on my schedule is something Lauren doesn’t know about. I scan the corridor ahead of us, but it’sempty.

Where is she? Rebecca is neverlate.

Lauren has gotten too far ahead of me in the corridor. Impatient now, she doubles back in her designer spike heels. Tap tap tap. She herds me along toward the passageway that leads to the Bruisers’ office building. Her goal is to get out of here before the players walk out of the dressing room. Before her ex-boyfriend turnsup.

She and I both have private agendas here. But I’m the boss, so she’s just going to have to deal. I’m not a heartless bastard, though. So I lead her to an alcove beside the practice rink. She frowns because it’s the wrong direction, but she doesn’targue.

“Now, who was I supposed to call?” I ask, watching the opposite passageway. Rebecca will have to pass through here to get from the office building to Dr. Herberts’ office. I’ve set up a consultation for her with the team doctor, because she’s still not back at work. It’s been three weeksnow.

And that’s just not right. It’s so unlikeRebecca.

“Nate!” Lauren snaps her fingers in myface.

“Sorry.What?”

“Don’t ask me a question and then zone out! The callis with Alex. She wants to iron out a few last minute details about the benefitparty.”

Whenever I hear the wordsdetailsandpartyin a sentence, flaps go down over my ears. “Don’t we hire people to worry about thatshit?”

Lauren’s eyes roll toward the ceiling, as if she’s praying for patience. “Yes. But Alex just wants to check your schedule. She said something about meeting privately for drinks before the eventbegins.”

“Hmm. Did she say why we’re doingthat?”

“Gosh, Nate!” Lauren is about ready to blow. “Maybe it’s because you’ve been friends since your drunken college days? I didn’t ask. She didn’t offer. Is there a reason you wouldn’t want to see Alex? If so, throwing a party with her was kind of a strangechoice.”

My eyes cut to the passageway again. Still noRebecca.

“Well, but…” I drag my focus back to Lauren, because her bullshit meter is finely tuned, and I don’t want to have to explain myself. “The timing is awkward because my investment bankers are talking to one of Alex’s competitors about my routerdivision.”

Lauren is a really intelligent woman and I can almost see the synapses firing behind her sharp blue eyes. “Ah. You need Alex to be thesecondbidder on that business unit, not thefirst.”

“Exactly.”

“So, I should make you unavailable for drinks?” She chews her lip. “That’s shady, though. And if your flight is delayed, you could miss your ownparty.”

“Nah—it’s okay. Set it up. I can survive an hour with her alone. If she wants to talk shop I’ll just tell her I’m not ready to think aboutit.”

“All right. Or—here’s a novel idea—you could bring a date.” Lauren shrugs. “Alex won’t talk mergers and acquisitions with astranger.”

“Interesting idea, Miss Crafty.Interesting.”