Page 32 of Playing the Neutral Zone

I quickly averted my gaze back to the envelope on the desk, praying she would not mention what I thought she was going to mention.

“What about his past?”I questioned, clearing my throat.

“I want to know about his daughter.”

Alarm bells rang inside of me.I knew Levi was completely protective of Mia and that there would be no way he’d answer questions regarding her.

“He has a daughter?”I asked, trying hard to fake what I already knew.

“He does.Not only do I want an article on him, but I want the dirt on where this child came from.He isn’t married, in fact that man has never even been seen in the public eye with a significant other.So, I want you to hunt down the mother of his child, get an interview with her, find out what the hell happened between them.”

“What?Why would I do something like that?Isn’t this article supposed to be a highlight on him?On his career and how good of a player he is.”

“Are you saying you won’t do it?”

I sat there, not really knowing how to respond.

“Scarlett?Is that what you are telling me?Are you refusing to do this?”

“No, but when you are supposed to be highlighting a man’s career, this isn’t the way to go about it.I feel like it’s sabotaging.”

“All we are doing here is showing the fans what this man is about.The inability to commit.If you want to look at it from a different angle, he was with the Predators for how long, then moved to the Dominators, and now there is talk that he may move to the Enforcers.See, inability to commit.”

I frowned.I’d heard no such thing about him being in talks with him leaving Vancouver, and I kept my ear close to the ground when it came to switches and moves with all players.In fact, he seemed happy and settled here.

“So, can I count on you to have the article to me in a month?I want it published for his one year with them.”

I reached for the envelope in the centre of the desk and shoved it into my bag without saying another word.

“I won’t ask you again.Can I count on you?If not, I’ll take the tickets back and I’ll send John.”

“You will get what you ask for,” I said, my voice low.

“Good, your flight leaves at five.Don’t be late.”

I looked over my shoulder at Carol before I walked out of her office and made my way down to mine.I closed my door and leaned up against it.Instantly I began second-guessing my decision to come here.What the hell had I gotten myself into??

My flight gotin late last night, and I’d crashed immediately.Now, I sat in the New York arena doing research while watching the team practice.

I was knee deep into finding out who this girl was that had brought Mia to Levi.The one good thing was that I had her name.It was a name I’d never forget, and without that I’d have been dead in the water.

Skylar Payne had been an intern in public relations for the New York team when Levi played for them.They’d shared a one-night stand while at an away game, and one year and five months later, she appeared on his doorstep, jobless, with Mia.She was no longer in that profession after being caught sleeping with another player on the same team by his wife.Looked like times were hard for her now, being forced out of the career she’d loved.

I was so buried in reading information about her I didn’t hear anyone come up behind me until I heard Levi clearing his throat.

“Well, well, aren’t you up early?”He chuckled.

I slammed my computer shut and turned to look up at him.He stood there, two coffees in his hands, smiling down at me.

“Hey,” I answered back, turning around, praying he hadn’t seen what I’d been reading.

“You were pretty lost in whatever you were looking up,” he said, sitting down beside me.“Trying to get some sort of scoop on a player or something?”

“Yeah, something like that.I get like that when I’m doing research,” I said, shoving my laptop into my bag at my feet.“How was practice?”

“It was practice, same as usual, grueling and painful.”He chuckled.

“Where’s the rest of the team?”

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