Page 107

It was supposed to be a family affair.

Somehow it got off track.

I’m on the top of the double decker bus carrying the players, and Danny is currently tossing those little shot bottles of Fireball out into the crowd. I don’t even know how he got his hands on them, but he’s tossing them to the most attractive women in the crowd.

“Show me your tits!” he yells to a woman in a sequined bikini top with a matching skirt.

Jesus Christ. It’s sixty-seven degrees out here, but that doesn’t stop the woman from lifting her top, and Danny tosses her a bottle of Fireball.

Rush stands on his other side goading more women out of their shirts, and these two are Vegas’s newest dynamic duo. Or dangerous duo. I’m not really sure yet.

AJ was up here a minute ago, but now I don’t see him, and I watch as Cade climbs down the stairs with Colton Everett and Vince Finley, two more younger men on our forty-man roster who are playing in the minors. These are guys with a lot to lose, but when in Vegas…I guess the goal is to get fucking wasted.

I follow them down the stairs since I’ve lost all control up here, and I close my eyes for a beat at the scene on the first floor of the bus.

AJ is making out with some woman who he must’ve pulled out of the crowd. She’s topless, and his hand is firmly planted on one of her breasts.

A bunch of other women have somehow made their way onto our bus, and I spot some players with women gyrating on top of them while others aren’t quite as raunchy, but by the looks of things, they’ll be getting there soon.

I go back up to the top. It was safer up there.

And that’s when I spot Danny crouching down as he lights up a joint in the middle of the bus. At least he isn’t doing it where the crowd can see him…but that’s about the only positive I can find in this particular situation.

“Put that shit out!” I warn him.

“Why? The big bosses aren’t on our bus.”

“You’re a fucking idiot,” I say, shaking my head and grabbing the joint out of his hand.

“Hey!” he protests as I toss it on the ground and snuff the flame with my shoe.

“Go back to throwing alcohol at the topless women.”

When I woke up this morning, I never thought those words would be leaving my mouth today…or that throwing alcohol at topless women from the top of a double decker bus would be the lesser of two evils.

I move to the opposite side of the bus and wave to the crowd. I’m pretty sure I’m the only player on either bus who’s totally sober, and maybe that’s where I went wrong.

I could’ve had a beer or two. It might’ve taken the edge off since now I’m chasing these dickheads around. Maybe I wouldn’t care as much if I was a little drunk myself, but instead I’m thinking about Gabby and how much work she put in to pull this thing off today. I’m thinking about how upset she might be if these idiot players ruin the parade being thrown in their honor.

And I’m thinking about all the headlines that could potentially come out of this. I’m thinking it’s not going to be pretty.

My brain is already scrambling with ways to fix it, and we haven’t even seen the extent of the damage yet.

A community service day? That might be one solution. Something to bond us together in a wholesome environment instead of each new scandal that seems to be popping up by the minute.

I can’t help but wonder what’s going down on Gabby’s float. It has to be calmer than this shit show.

I watch as some dude from the crowd crosses over the police barricade for our bus and storms onto it.

Fucking hell, what now?

I make my way back downstairs as I watch the rather large man push AJ off the woman he’s making out with, and then I watch as AJ winds up and throws a punch at the guy.

God dammit.

Cade bounces into action first, and he goes to pull AJ away from the large man, and I move into action as well, racing toward them to help fend off the big guy along with Colton and Vince.

The parade literally lasts a half hour, and it feels like a lifetime. By the time we get off the bus, police are waiting to arrest the man who stormed the bus as well as AJ since it was fairly easy to see that he threw the first punch.

I shake my head and blow out a breath as I watch the police shove AJ into the back of the car in the player parking lot where the bus parks once the parade is over. At least it’s in the player lot with no public access versus one of the public lots. That’s the only saving grace here.

I yell to AJ that I’ll be down soon to bail him out as I scramble to figure out who the hell to put in charge while I’m gone.

I really wish Troy was here. He never would’ve let this happen.

I turn to the players gathered in the parking lot. “I’m disappointed in how that went,” I say, not that anybody gives a fuck. “Head back to the clubhouse. You’re free to check out the stadium or fucking sober up until dinner, which will be served at five. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.” I glance around, and I spot Rush and Danny.

Nope.

That’s when Holden Thatcher, one of our pitchers signed during free agency, steps forward. “I’ve got this, man. I’ll keep an eye on things here while you’re gone.”

I look to him gratefully, and I realize he may be the only guy here aside from me who didn’t make a fool out of himself during that parade. “Thank you.”

I hop in my truck and take off for the jail where AJ is being processed wishing this day would just fucking come to an end already.