Page 28 of 40-Yard Line

“I think he had an idea it was coming,” said Ian. “That’s a solid young man, and he’s not stupid. Too bad Lara will figure that out too late. We haven’t been able to get access to the training rooms, but according to Trevon, there aren’t any cameras. A few years ago, the guys bitched about it because they felt like Glenda was watching them. Naked.”

“That woman has got to go,” said Gaspar, shaking his head.

“We’re sending Angel and Trak to the stadium tonight to do a little digging and see if they can find anything in the tub or one of the lockers,” said Nine.

“Who will be on the outside?” asked Ian.

“Pork and Kegger. There’s no night security at the stadium, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“The more we’re learning about this, the more I can’t help but feel this is just some janky low-budget league that someone is playing with,” said Ghost. “What else has Georgie found?”

“Nothing else yet, but she’s like a dog with a bone once she gets started. She knows that there’s something strange happening, and she’ll find it.”

Trevon walked into the cafeteria with Zeke and Noelle, smiling with a wave at the table of seniors.

“Hey, I got an e-mail from Carigan,” said Trevon. “I guess her mother told her that I wouldn’t be coming around any longer, and she just wanted to tell me that she’d miss me.”

“I’m sorry, man,” said Nine.

“Me too. I think she’s angry about Butch not being there more often, but she’s a good kid. She’ll figure it all out. Anyway, she sent me the last few e-mails from her father. I gave them to Miss Georgie, but I think they sound like someone saying goodbye.”

Ian took the sheets that he handed to him and set them on the table so everyone could read them.

“I know it’s been hard not having me there all the time, Carigan. But I hope you know that I love you more than anyone or anything else in the world. I want to retire and be a bigger part of your life, but I have to do this with some finesse. Not exactly something I’m known for. I know you won’t understand this, but the timing has to be perfect for me.”

“Rather cryptic, don’t you think?” frowned Ian.

“I guess. But the second one is more so,” said Trevon.

“I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here, honey. Know that you have been my greatest accomplishment, my greatest achievement, and you always will be. No matter what is said about me in the beginning, don’t believe them. Believe what you know. Believe what Trevon and your mother tell you. Believe in what teammates tell you. Nothing else matters to me.

“I’ve made a lot of money in my career, and I’ve made sure that it’s been invested wisely so that you can do whatever you want in this life. Don’t judge me, Carigan. Please don’t judge me, but things have to happen this way. One day, I hope you’ll understand.”

“Jesus, what the fuck?” muttered Nine.

“I can’t figure it out,” said Trevon. “It felt like he was saying goodbye to her long before he was actually leaving.”

“I think he was, son. We just have to figure out if he was willingly saying goodbye or if someone was after him.”

“How do we do that?” he asked.

“You let us figure that out. Is there anyone we should try to speak with on the team?”

“Everyone that I told you about,” he said, shaking his head. “You’ll have a hard time getting to them right now because of the playoffs, but I know they’ll talk to you when you’re ready.”

“Then I guess we wait until the playoffs are done,” said Nine.

Trevon nodded, then excused himself, taking a seat with a few of the younger men. He was fast becoming one of the team whether he recognized it or not. The big man always had a smile on his face and a skip in his step. No matter what. No matter how he was feeling inside, he was always cheerful.

Angel, Trak, Kegger, and Pork parked their vehicle down the street from the Fire’s facility. Just as Trevon had said, there were no guards, no cameras, and no security whatsoever. Either the Pinken family were the cheapest business owners known to man, or they didn’t give a shit about their property. Either way, they were about to have a rude surprise.

“We’ll tap comms if we see anything, but it doesn’t look like you guys will be interrupted,” said Pork. Trak just nodded, walking toward the facility. He touched the door and then searched around it, looking for anything that could be hidden.

“Nothing,” he said to Angel. “It’s only the lock on the door.”

“Well, this should be fast.”

Trak knelt in front of the door, and in less than sixty seconds, he had picked the lock, and the door opened. They entered the building, locking it behind them just in case. Slowly, they made their way down the halls, looking for any hidden cameras or security devices.

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