I took a breath. “You… you’re fresh. You can survive a bit of bad press better than him. You’ll take the hit and come out fine. I’ll make sure of it.”
The words struck him like a physical blow. I could see the disbelief flicker across his face. “What? What are you saying?” And when I didn’t answer, acidic laughter spilled out of him. “You’re spinning it so I take the fall? Me? I’ve worked my ass off for years. I’ve earned every ounce of trust I have with this team. And you—you’re going to use me as a sacrificial lamb so the captain doesn’t look bad?”
“I’m not using you, Hunter.” My voice hardened. “I’m protecting the team. Protecting the brand.”
“Fuck the brand. You’re talking about lying to protect Grayson, but I’m your client. Not him.”
“This isn’t about right or wrong. It’s about optics.” I sounded like Bob and it fucking sucked. “It’s about perception. Not what’s fair, but how things look. The story we tell. And yes, in this story, the narrative has to make you appear responsible, but it’s calculated. It’s the only way to contain the damage. You’ll survive it. You’ll get through this.”
He shook his head, stepping back as if distance could shield him from the sting of my words. “You don’t get it. This isn’t surviving. This is betrayal. This is the exact thing I thought you’d understand. All the things we’ve built—trust, teamwork, everything—we’ve worked for months and now…” His voice cracked slightly. “Now you’re telling me it doesn’t matter. That it’s just a story, but I’m not the one who gets to write it.”
I swallowed, the weight of it pressing against my ribs, but I didn’t let it show. My fingers curled around the edge of the desk, knuckles white. “Hunter, I hate that it has to be this way. I hate it. I hate evensayingit. But it’s my job.”
“I’myour job!”
“Exactly,” I replied. “And I’m going to make sure this doesn’t have a lasting effect.”
He stood up now, pacing the small gap between the chair and my office door. “I can’t believe this. You’re always talking to me about not getting into trouble, keeping my nose clean, and now you’re gonna pin this fight on me when I did everything right? What’s the point? Why do I even bother?”
“Please, Hunter, you have to trust m–”
“No,” he cut in. “I’m sick of the excuses, Holly.”
“Excuses?” I scoffed. “I’ve been offered a job at Harper & Keene, a marketing firm in Chicago.”
He froze and stared at me like I’d told him something that was impossible.
“They offered me a position,” I said, “and I haven’t said yes yet. Because this job is important to me.You’reimportant to me.”
That last part was a huge admission, a vulnerability I wasn’t prepared to expose. But it felt like the right time. If not now, then maybe never.
His eyes softened, but only for a moment. Then they went hard and he resumed pacing, saying, “You want to go? Then go. Don’t stay here on my account.”
I felt myself recoil internally. That stung a lot more than I expected it to.
“That doesn’t change what needs to happen,” I said, steeling myself against any more blows that may come my way. “If this isn’t managed properly, if it spreads without context–”
“Made-up context, you mean.” I didn’t say anything to that, and he shook his head, laughing bitterly. “All this time, all the work we’ve done together, and now you’re telling me I’m the fall guy. You’reprotecting everyone else but me.”
“I’m protecting you. You just don’t see it,” I said, voice quieter now, trying to let him hear the truth behind the words. “It’s messy, I know. I hate it, but the alternative is worse. The statement I’m releasing frames you as the one responsible, but also that you tried to de-escalate things. The team can’t have Grayson branded as a troublemaker. This is how it has to be.”
He ran a hand through his hair, looking like he might scream, or cry, or punch something. “I thought you got me. I thought you understood. And now I find out, you’re playing me just like the rest of them. Using me so someone else looks better. God, I trusted you.”
I winced as though I’d been physically struck. I might as well have been. But I couldn’t back down.
“Hunter…” My voice wavered slightly, though I kept my posture tight. “It’s not personal. It’s never personal. I hate doing it, but it’s the only way to contain the fallout. The job doesn’t care about friendship. It doesn’t care about trust. The brand is what matters. And right now, the brand needs you to absorb this. I promise, it’s temporary.”
He stared at me like I’d just ripped the ground from under him. Then he stormed out of the office, slamming the door so hard the frame rattled. “So much for trust. Enjoy Chicago,” he muttered, voice trailing down the hall.
I sank into my chair, shoulders slumping, hands gripping the edge of the desk. My stomach churned. I hated this. Ihatedthat I had to make him the scapegoat, even temporarily. Every fiber of me screamed against it.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard, hesitating for a split second before I submitted the statement. Every word I typed was deliberate, carefully balancing damage control with truth, ensuring Hunter took as little heat as possible while protecting the captain and the team’s image. The cursor blinked, the cursor pulsing like a heartbeat in my chest, and then I hit send.
24
Hunter
I walked into the locker room, half tripping over discarded water bottles. The guys were in various stages of kitting up, wrapping sticks, taping gloves, and pulling on pads with their usual chaotic rhythm. I sat on the bench, pulling my skates tight, but I couldn’t focus on any of it. Not really. My mind kept drifting to Holly or, more accurately, her absence.
