“I guess we’d better see what he wants.”
They made their way across the pitch. It reminded Steven of the rare occasions he’d been sent to the headmaster’s office as a kid.
“Who do you think told him about my outburst?”
“Fuck knows. Stick to your guns and pass it off as loyalty to the club. Let me do the talking, yeah?”
Steven nodded. If Jamie got wind of what was really going on, he and Udo were done for.
Neither of them spoke the rest of the way. Worry lines were etched on Javier’s face. Steven hated the guilt that he’d caused his boss and his friend such grief. Even if Riggs had started it.
They reached the management suite. Jamie’s personal assistant, Veronica, gave them a sympathetic smile. That wasn’t a good sign.
“Hi, guys,” she said.
Veronica was in her mid-twenties and very popular with the squad. She also proved to be a tremendous source of information for Javier and Steven.
“Is it bad?” Javier asked.
“He’s pissed off big-time. Howard’s in there.”
“The terrible twosome,” Steven said. “Why did I get out of bed this morning?”
He ignored the pointed stare from Javier. Veronica opened the door to Jamie’s lair.
“Best of luck.”
The condemned men walked into the office.
Jamie sat behind his desk. Howard stood by the window that overlooked the training pitch.
“Sit,” Jamie commanded.
They both obeyed and took the two seats in front of the desk.
Howard turned. “Okay, guys. The bad news is?—”
“Shouldn’t there be good news first?” Javier interjected.
“Humour is not required here, thank you, Javier,” Jamie replied. “Howard.”
“The mainstream media has got hold of it and are running with it. We’ve been asked for comment by most of them.”
Unease swept over Steven. He didn’t want Udo getting exposed in the press. Things were getting too hot for comfort.
“What do we do?” Steven asked.
He couldn’t meet Jamie’s icy glare.
“Once again, Holtmann has put us in the spotlight.”
Every fibre of Steven’s being wanted to argue with him. To say that the blame lay squarely at Shaun’s feet.
“I don’t think that’s entirely fair,” Javier said.
“Sorry?”
“Riggs did the interview. So what if Steven gave Udo one-on-one coaching? We do that all the time. Riggs has an axe to grind and that is the real issue here.”
