Page 124 of All Your Reasons Why

“How in the heck did you find out—”

“Don’t ask,” he interrupts me. “It may not have been entirely legal. Money may have crossed palms. Pressure may have been applied.”

“Wow, remind me not to get on your bad side.” I glance at the door. I can hear Tasha and Shelby booing on the other side. Sounds like Mason is having a very bad night.

“You could never get on my bad side. You’re one of the good ones.”

“Wait a minute,” I protest. “What does any of that have to do with Mason?”

He sighs. “The two spoke and Talman was under the impression they were on the same page and things were amicable. He even gave Coach Hartley permission to speak to other teams for employment.”

“That all sounds favorable... but again, what does that have to do with Mason?”

“Patience, child. I’m getting there.” He chuckles. “Hartley is a stubborn ass with pride that works against him. It’s half the reason he was being let go to begin with. Organizations don’t get rid of coaches with Hartley’s record without major friction.” I nod, but remain quiet, hoping he’ll get to the point. “Hartley is vindictive, and what better way to go out?” He waits, and when it’s clear I don’t intend to answer, he goes on. “Swinging. He planned to do as much damage to the organization as possible.”

“Which would mean going after the players,” I say, mostly to myself.

“Bingo. If he could cause division among the teammates and ultimately ruin the reputations of the star players, the organization would fall apart. Mason’s a free agent. If he wants to leave at the end of the season, he can.”

“Mason would never leave the Rovers. He loves them. He’s a New York City die-hard.”

“Exactly. He wouldn’t leave them, but he could have his reputation so tarnished that the fans turn on him,” he says.

“They wouldn’t. The fans love him.”

“It happens all the time in professional sports. It could be made to look like he was trying to leave. Seeds of doubt can be planted so easily, and you’d be surprised how quickly a fan’s loyalty can switch.”

I sit there stunned. I drain the rest of the wine cooler. “Holy guacamole. All this was so his coach could go pursue his dream job?”

“Yep, and if Mason was desperate, Hartley thought he’d be able to negotiate a pretty sweet deal with whichever team he landed at. They’d get a star player at a bargain basement price. I mean, Mason doesn’t have many years left in the game, so this would be his last shot with one of the professional teams.”

“What a piece of ...” I trail off. “So Coach Hartley is behind all of this? Mason’s mother, Amanda, and Lexi?”

“Yep, from what I gather, he recruited everyone he could to help him apply pressure from all sides.”

“Okay. He’s not getting away with it. What can I do to help?”

“I can’t tell Mason. You’re going to have to.”

“What?” I yelp. “I ... I can’t. He’s playing.”

Mr. Raker lets out a huff of impatience. “Obviously. Tell him first thing tomorrow.”

“I don’t understand. Why can’t you tell him?”

“Oh, a million different reasons. He will listen to you when he won’t listen to me. He’s kind of annoyed at me right now, a little on the defensive, and he won’t necessarily even believe me. He might think that I’m exaggerating to get him to quit.”

“But ...”

“Nope. It’s got to come from you.”

He hangs up the phone.

“What?” I squeal.

But there’s no one there.

I hurry into the other room to find Shelby and Tasha shaking their heads. “They’re going to lose,” Shelby informs me. “Everything okay? Was that some kind of emergency call?”

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