“What could have fucking possessedyou to assault Kennings like that?” Debra says. “We just bailed you out of thatshit with the fucking guy that Bryce knocked over and now this is what youfucking do. I can’t work like this.”
“It got out of hand.”
“I’m tired of things getting outof hand!” she screams, the veins in her neck tense as she scowls.
Kiernan is silent as she goes offon her tantrum. I think he’s enjoying that he’s not the one having to make ascene this time.
“Do you know what public relationsis about?” she asks. “It’s about collaboration. We work together to craft, verycarefully, an image that we can get people behind. That we can get people toinvest in. Invest their time. Invest their energy. Invest their love. Investtheir dollars. You’re a cheater. You’ve given people the clap. You have abodyguard that assaults fans. You lose your shit and get your entire teampenalized. Do you see what I’m getting at?”
“Yes,” I say bitterly.
“Where are you?” Kiernan asks,his tone not angry, but filled with concern. I’m not used to him soundingreasonable, but this isn’t going to make up for all the times he hasn’t beenthere for me.
“I’m sorry. Things got out ofhand. Kennings was being an ass out there, so I needed to show him that Iwasn’t gonna take it.”
“They’re all assholes,” Kiernansays. “That’s all any of you are. The difference is that you lost your shittonight. Now, tell me this is an isolated instance. Tell me that it’s justtonight, and I’ll be fine. But if you’ve got something you need to get out,then you better get it out of your fucking system.”
“Why don’t you ask the fuckingbodyguard?” I ask.
I can tell by Bryce’s expressionthat he thinks I’m about to give him away, but I just wanted to put him on thespot for a moment. Make him think that’s what I’m going to do.
“Someone is out there plotting tokill me, so I think I have a right to be a little distracted right now.”
I dash out of the room. I’ve letthem lay into me too much as it is. That seems to be all anyone’s good forthese days, and I’m tired of it.
Fifteen
Bryce
I enter the bar that Tad walked into after he ran off fromour post-game powwow. After he stormed out of the stadium, I followed the cabhe took here.
His situation reminds me of whenJeff and I would get chewed out by Farley when we weren’t making progress onthe Carolina case. It was one of the reasons Jeff pushed for us to get moreinvolved in the deals—something I was worried might make us look a little tooeager, like we had an ulterior motive.
And I was right.
Tad chats up a few guys at thebar, who shake his hand as he signs napkins for them. I head to the other sideof the bar to order a drink. There’s no reason for me to crowd him right now.He wants space, and maybe if I give him a little, he’ll feel more at ease. Butas the bartender approaches me, Tad turns and spots me. I can tell by thedisappointment in his eyes that he would have preferred to make a cleangetaway. When I get my drink, I head to a table in the corner.
This is why it was a shitty ideato fuck him. Because when I know he wants to be alone, when I’m the last personhe wants to talk to, I have to be here to make sure he’s safe.
I figure if we just pretend theother’s not there, he might be okay, but as soon as the guys leave him alone,he grabs his drink, heads over, and sits in the chair on the other side of thetable. We’re silent. I don’t know what to fucking say. And considering he’s notsaying anything, I guess he doesn’t either.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
“I’d love to hear what you’resorry about. For fucking me? Is that it?”
A few patrons glance our way. Ishe trying to make a scene?
“Yes,” I reply.
“That’s not the fucking rightthing to be sorry about, asshole.”
“I think you’re just frustratedabout the game and—”
His eyes widen as if he’s stunned thatI would even suggest that. “Yeah. It’s the game. Not that you just wanted tofuck and go the other night.”
“We made a mistake. Tad, this ismy job. What I did was totally inappropriate, and you know that. Can’t you tellby today why that kind of shit’s not supposed to happen?”
“I’m not ashamed of what we did.”
