Page 105 of Bad Teammate
“Damn,” I grumbled.
“Staff was split fifty-fifty on whether we took Niko with the first overall or someone else. I was the tie-breaking vote. There were red flags, yes, but I had to gamble on his talent—because if we passed on Niko and he panned out on anotherteam? It’d cost me my job, and I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”
“You still might end up regretting it,” Dane replied.
“Yeah,” I said. “He’s been with us for what, two months? You really wanna give up on him that fast?”
“He’s still a kid,” Hath said. “Lots of young guys struggle with the party lifestyle when they’re new. Please, give us a chance to work with him first.”
“I hear you guys. I really do,” Mr. Bowfield said with a sigh. “But I believe that Niko’s trade value is at itsabsolutepeak right now. Teams are willing to pay a premium for what they believe is a world-class talent. And now I’ve got those teams bidding against each other, driving Niko’s price even higher. What they don’t realize is that they’re trading for a rotten apple.” He waved his hand over the sticky notes that covered his desk. “Boys, any of these deals would make this team a legitimate contender for the next decade. But if word starts to spread about his problems, all these trade proposals will evaporate in a moment.”
“But if Niko hits his potential, he’s worthwaymore than any of those bits and pieces,” I said. “With Niko in his prime, we won’t just be a contender, we’ll be a Cup winner.”
“IfNiko hits his prime. Problem is, that’s becoming a very big if,” Mr. Bowfield said, clasping his hands.
“So that’s it, huh?” I asked. “You’re trading him? You won’t give me any time to try to work this out?”
“I won’t give you any extra time, no,” Mr. Bowfield said.
Dane, Hath, and I hung our heads. We were the first three to know that the Niko era in Dallas was coming to an end before it’d even truly started. And while it wasn’ttotallymy fault, I sure as hell hadn’t helped. Sneaking around behind his back with Katerina made him paranoid and extra crazy. He’d been drinking more heavily than normal, and it was all because of my actions.
Would Niko always hate me? Would his career fall apart as he spiraled deeper into alcoholism? Would he blame me for it?
I wondered what this would mean for me and Katerina. Last thing I wanted was to come between a brother and sister. If we always had Niko pulling us apart, could we even last in the long term? Or were we doomed?
“I won’t give you any extra time, no,” Mr. Bowfield repeated. “But Ididtell the other GMs that they’ve got another half hour to get their best offer in.” He glanced at the face of his watch. “So, I suppose you’ve got about thirty minutes to try to convince Niko to permanently dry out. Andthenyou’ll have to convince me he’s serious about it before I’ll change my mind.”
Fuck.
Half an hour to find Niko, convince him to commit to a life of sobriety,andconvince Mr. Bowfield that he was sincere about it?
We were screwed.
But I had to at leasttry.
Time was short. I bolted to my feet and shook his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Bowfield, I’ll do my best.”
He chuckled. “Good luck, Reavo.”
I hurried out of his office, tearing off my hockey equipment as I ran through the long hallway. Dane and Hathaway chased after me, picking up my gear as I shed it.
“What’s your plan, Reavo?” Hath shouted after me.
“My phone’s in the locker room,” I shouted back. “Gonna call him and see if I can’t track him down and go from there.”
“Want us to come with? In case he gets violent again?” Dane asked, squatting down to pick up my shoulder pads.
“I can handle it,” I said, the elevator doors closing.
38
Katerina
After many unanswered calls, Sasha’s phone finally began to ring. He tossed me his phone. “It’s him. Here, you answer.”
I put Sasha’s phone to my ear, my heart skipping a beat at the thought of hearing Derek’s voice again. “Hello?”
“Katerina!” he said, panting. “Are you with Niko right now?”
