Page 80 of Hat Trick Daddies

The tension in the room is suffocating, the sound of the buzzing phone like a clock ticking down to an explosion.

All I can do is wait, the knot in my stomach tightening with every passing second. The phone call connects, and Brooks taps the speaker button. Ally’s voice floods the room, trembling and panicked.

“Did you guys see it?” she blurts out, her words tumbling over one another. “The email? What am I going to do? I’m going to have to resign. This will ruin me. I have a baby to take care of. What am I supposed to do?”

My stomach twists painfully at her words. The despair in her voice is gut-wrenching. Tyler and I exchange a worried glance, both of us frozen, unsure of how to respond.

Brooks, however, stays calm. His voice is steady as he says, “Ally, you’re not going to resign. We’ll figure this out.”

“But how?” she cries. “Did you see who else is on the email thread? Coach Walker. No one else, but still. He’s going to fire me. I know it.”

Brooks leans forward, his elbows resting on the counter. “You need to talk to Coach tomorrow,” he says firmly. “Explainthe situation before he jumps to conclusions. As for the person behind this, I’ll handle it.”

“Don’t,” Ally pleads. “Please, don’t do anything. I need time to think about this.”

There’s a pause. Brooks hesitates before saying, “All right. I won’t do anything for now.”

The call ends, and the silence that follows feels suffocating. Tyler and I hold our breaths, waiting for what happens next.

The moment Brooks sets the phone down, Tyler and I spring into action.

“You can’t just sit back and let her figure this out on her own!” Tyler exclaims, his voice rising with urgency.

“She’s panicking, Brooks,” I add, my words spilling out fast. “This isn’t something she can handle by herself. We need to step in.”

Brooks runs a hand over his face, the lines of exhaustion etched deep into his features. “I’m not going to ignore it,” he snaps, his tone sharp enough to silence us for a moment. “But Ally said she needs time. I can’t just bulldoze over what she wants.”

“That’s not what we’re saying,” Tyler counters, crossing his arms. “But she’s scared out of her mind. We can’t let her drown in this.”

I nod in agreement, my chest tightening with frustration. “We got her into this mess, Brooks. It’s not just her problem, it’s ours too.”

Brooks slams his hand down on the counter, making the coffee mugs rattle. “It’s always up to me to fix everything, isn’t it?” His voice is loud, brimming with frustration. “I’m the one who has to figure out the money, the fallout, everything.”

Tyler and I step back, startled by the outburst, but we quickly recover.

“We don’t want you to do this alone,” Tyler says, his voice softer now. “We want to help. Just let us.”

“Exactly,” I add, taking a step closer. “We’re in this together, Brooks. Don’t shut us out.”

Brooks stares at us for a long moment, the tension in his shoulders slowly easing. He exhales deeply, his posture relaxing just a fraction. “All right,” he says gruffly. “Let’s look at the email again.”

We all crowd around his phone, scanning the message with renewed focus. The sender’s demand is clear: money in exchange for silence.

Brooks straightens up, a determined look settling on his face. “I’ll deal with the money. I can handle it.”

“Brooks—” I start to protest, but he cuts me off.

“It’s fine,” he says firmly. “I’m not hurting for cash, and this needs to be handled quickly.”

I glance at Tyler, who looks just as uneasy as I feel, but neither of us argues further. Brooks types out a reply, the soft taps of his fingers against the screen the only sound in the room. When he’s done, he sets the phone down, his expression unreadable.

A moment later, my phone buzzes.

Tyler’s does the same.

We both pull them out and see the email thread updated. Brooks’ response is short and chillingly direct:Fine. Meet me tonight at Pete’s at 7.

Pete’s. The dingy dive bar on the outskirts of the city. It’s the kind of place where shady deals could go unnoticed.

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