Page 46 of Hart Breaker

“You prepped and ready for tomorrow?”

“Yeah, mostly. Been watching film on Jones and Hobbs. I think I’ll be all right.”

Boone chuckles. “Always thinking about the deep routes, huh?”

I nod because that’s true. I play to my strengths with our QB.

“Don’t discount Facyson. He may have spent a lot of time out due to injury, but when he’s on the field, he is all the fuck over it.”

“I remember him from last year,” I admit. “Vegas has some strong linebackers,” I remind him.

“Perryman,” he shutters.

“Remember Deablo’s transitioning from safety to linebacker?”

“Never gonna forget him, or Brown, who’s got experience and plays a solid role on their D line.”

“I’m not worried about you; you got those quick feet. You just gotta trust your instincts.”

“Always playing the hype guy, and I’m not gonna lie, Hart, I live for that shit. I need it. The team needs it.”

“Not gonna lie to you, Boone,”—I laugh—“this football shit doesn’t work out, I’m auditioning for the Dallas Cowgirl cheerleaders.” After a good laugh, I take us back to the serious route. “We gotta be smart. We need to beat these sons of bitches.”

“You know what’s messed up?” he asks.

“Do tell.”

“I never root for anybody to lose except the team playing against us on any given game day. And I’m no fan of the fucking Cowboys. What I really hope for is that they wipe their asses with Philadelphia on Sunday.”

“Totally agree. Totally fucking agree.”

He smiles and nods.

“You considering asking to be on the returning team at the beginning of the game again?”

“Fuck no, I was just showing off for my girls.” He points his finger up in the air. “And he showed up.”

“Beautiful play … beautiful fucking play.” I can’t help but smile. “I’ve seen your ass on highlights all week. You’re getting credit for the team winning the game. Come on; I ain’t even hating on it. You set the tone on Sunday, and you set it perfectly.”

“This isn’t a one-man operation. Teamwork makes the dream work, motherfucker.”

We tap knuckles.

“That’s what I like to hear. All right, let’s get through this flight, stay loose, and handle business Thursday night. We got this.”

Another knuckle tap, and then Boone taps his wheel, and Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff” blasts through the vehicle.

“For me?” I hold my hand to my chest and bat my lashes.

“You know I got you, boo.” He winks. Then his smile drops, along with his whole face. “Fuck, man, we forgot Grimes.”

I don’t point out to him that I had no idea we were supposed to pick up Grimes. That was all him. But I’m in team mode, so, yeah, we forgot to pick up fucking Grimes.

“I will never get sick of boarding this beast,” Grimes groans. “She’s fucking sexy.”

“It’s a beautiful plane, man, but you need to get laid if this is doing it for you.” Boone chuckles as we find our seats.

Once we’ve all boarded and taken our seats on the private plane, the staff begins to shuffle in. As the coaches walk onto the plane, I expect the same routine we always get, which always starts with Coach Cox’s pep talk. But he just passes us, heading to the back of the plane, followed by the rest of the coaching staff, and I’m a bit thrown off. And that’s when I see Lucas Links, the CFO of the Knights organization, step onto the plane, his usual smile replaced by a much harsher look than we’re used to seeing.

---