“How did you know she was going to Mum’s? Since when do you and Anna chinwag?” I asked.
Alan ran a hand through his damp hair. “She mentioned it when I was at your place the other day. I’m just making conversation, mate. Chill out.” He chuckled and I relaxed.
It was no secret I was incredibly protective of Anna. I didn’t care if Alan was my best friend, I’d take him out at the kneecaps if I thought he was moving in on my sister. No one was good enough for her. Particularly a hard partying footballer with more money than sense.
“Yes, she’s going to Dorset this weekend and no, she won’t be going to the pub with me. I don’t make it a habit of being social with my sister.” I laced up my white trainers and found my car keys in my bag. “So you want to give the clubs a rest for the night? Remember what it’s like to be around regular people?”
Alan grinned. “Sure. Why not? Just give me ten to get dressed.”
I left the dressing room and went to stand by the side gate to wait for Alan. I watched as my teammates filed out to the car park, a few of them calling goodbye to me on their way.
I noticed one in particular stopping then turning and heading my way. I suppressed a groan. Only just barely.
“Hi Bradley, I thought you had already left,” Nolan Dubois commented once he had reached me.
The Frenchman got on my tits. He was obnoxious and conceited and everything I hated in a person. He was lucky he was such a great football player; otherwise I’d have to knock him for six.
When he had first started with Athletic we had gotten into a pretty nasty round of fisticuffs after a club dinner at Millwood’s house. We were both given stern warnings by Jack and the owners to cool it or we’d be finding other clubs to play for, no matter how good we were.
Nolan and I had entered into an uneasy truce. So far it had served us well. We were on fire on the pitch. Our mutual animosity somehow made it so we played flawlessly together. It made absolutely no sense.
But just because we played well in the game didn’t mean I wanted to talk to him outside of it.
“Keeping track of my whereabouts, Dubois?” I sneered, looking over his shoulder, not even bothering to give him my attention.
Nolan leaned against the chain link fence and crossed his arms over his chest. He was a scrawny guy, not a lot of muscle, but he was fast, I’d give him that.
“My agent sent a link to my email,” he went on. His English was okay—much better than my French—but he spoke in stunted sentences as if he were thinking carefully before he spoke.
“Fascinating.” I checked my phone. Alan was taking an awfully long time to get dressed.
“It was about you being offered to play for Liverpool. And Manchester City. It seems you are a wanted man,” Nolan continued. He was watching me closely. Shrewdly. I didn’t quite know what he was getting at. It was no real secret that several of the players, him included, had been approached by other teams. It wasn’t something we talked to each other about. As far as I knew, none of us were planning to leave.
“What’s your point?” I let out a long and pointed yawn. Nolan was tedious at the best of times.
“Are you going to leave Chester? The money would be hard to turn down.” Nolan raised his eyebrows.
“What money?” Alan came up behind me, his hair still wet and slicked back from his face.
“Our friend Lucas has been offered a lot of money to play for Liverpool. I believe his agent is pushing him to accept it,” Nolan filled in and I felt my face get hot. Where the hell was he getting his information?
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Don’t start wagging your tongue about shit that doesn’t concern you,” I warned.
“You leavin’ us, Gov?” Alan asked, a smile on his face, but his voice tight.
This is why I didn’t talk money with my teammates. Things got misconstrued. Information got mixed up. Fuck Nolan and his big fucking mouth.
“No way. I wouldn’t do that to you guys,” I assured him. Because it was true.
“That’s not how I hear it,” Nolan pressed.
I glared at him. “Like I said, Frenchie, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Nolan had an angle. To drive a wedge between the team and me with rumors of transfer? Who knew? What I did know was he needed to shut up.
“Back off, Dubois. Don’t start shit,” Alan said, still sounding tense.
Nolan held his hands up in mock surrender. “I just wanted to see where things stood. Whether we’d be in the market for a new striker. It’s good to know if our captain is thinking of abandoning ship.”
“The captain isn’t going anywhere,” I remarked through gritted teeth.
