Page 42 of The Play

The NFL hated players who broke the rules. But there was nothing they hated more than players who broke any of the many rules about gambling.

Though really, only one mattered: that you couldn’t do it, not at all, not ever.

And Rex had.

Grant had done what he could to mitigate the damage. He’d covered Rex’s medical expenses but kicked him off the team. Convinced the NFL that he’d already taken care of it—though he’d been this close to telling Cheryl to fuck off, for real this time.

But they’d gotten through it. They’d traded for Micah Rose, from the Piranhas, reuniting him with his college teammate, Beckett West, and not only had their on-field relationship flourished, solidifying the Condors’ secondary, but they’d finally sorted out all their personal issues. Culminating, of course, in something else Cheryl hadn’t liked: their impromptu Vegas marriage.

“I’m assuming,” Grant said, “that anything he has to say ranges from likely suspect to completely fabricated.”

“I’m sure of it. You did more for Rex and his family than you were certainly required to do. He couldn’t have any complaint about that, not when he was breaking the rules. But we’ll know more when his interview comes out.”

Darcy made a strange noise next to him, half-shock, half-panic, and he glanced up at the TV. There was Rex, his handsome face creased in concerned lines, as he no doubt unloaded a whole bunch of lies about the Condors organization.

Just what he fucking needed, now that things had finally evened out, and they were not only winning, but contending for a playoff berth.

“He’s on now,” Grant said with resignation as he glanced up at the TV.

Darcy unmuted the sound, and Grant put Nicole on speakerphone.

They listened to Rex rant and rave about how he’d been shoved under the bus to hide all of Grant’s “indiscretions.”

Darcy sighed, heavily, as the interview went to a commercial break. It was all lies, of course, and even the other announcers hadn’t seemed particularly convinced by Rex’s assertions, but the point was that they were out there now.

This was all anyone was going to be talking about.

“Find out more,” Grant told Nicole. “I want to know what else he’s going to say. Whatever it is, we need to get ahead of it.”

“Got it,” Nicole said.

“And I’m sure I’m going to be fielding a call from Cheryl, any time now.”

Darcy lifted her phone, buzzing in her hand, and yep, there was Cheryl’s name on the screen.

“Scratch that. She’s calling now,” Grant said, shifting automatically into disaster-control mode. “Do you have any objections to me taking drastic measures to control this with the commissioner’s office?”

Nicole hesitated for a moment. “What kind of drastic measures?”

“Like sending them all hard drives from the admin side of the team. My drives. Darcy’s drives. Everyone who’s involved business-wise. Let them dig around, if they want. I don’t have anything to hide, and I’m tired of having to defend ourselves every month. Let’s just get everything out in the open. Let them read every single damn thing, if they want.”

“If you’ve got nothing to hide, then I don’t see the harm,” Nicole said. “I’ll put it out, too, that you’re taking that step. It’ll go a long way to proving that there’s no more skeletons in the Condors’ closet. A guilty man wouldn’t give someone the noose to hang him.”

“Exactly,” Grant said, glad they were on the same page.

“Be in touch,” Nicole said and hung up.

Grant picked up the remote to mute the TV, but then changed his mind. Listening to Rex lie made him sick to his stomach, but he hadn’t gotten to where he was by ignoring what he didn’t want to hear.

“You’d really do that?” Darcy asked as they listened to the interviewer question Rex about his gambling addiction.

Addiction, my ass, Grant thought with heat. Rex hadn’t been addicted to gambling, and it was insulting to everyone who was to spout that as an excuse.

“I would,” Grant said, nodding.

The interview wrapped up, but clearly Rex was holding a few things back because he insinuated there was more and a tell-all book coming later this year.

“I know you’ve got nothing to worry about, but do you really think opening up all our files is going to stop the commissioner from opening a full-blown investigation?” Darcy sounded concerned.

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