Maia remained silent because she was frightened of what she might say.She wanted to tell him what he could do with his team position and her views of the management team.She did neither.
“Did you hear me?”Barry asked.
“Yes,” Maia said in a low voice.
“Well,” he said.“We had such high hopes for you.”He hung up, apparently finished with her and wiping his hands of the entire debacle.
“Maia,” Megan said, her blue eyes full of sympathy.“This Barry Curtis is talking a load of bull crap.”
“What did he say?”London asked, her eyes narrowed.“Maia is one of their best players.”
“He told me I was unprofessional and setting a poor example for other players.Also, according to him, there was a problem with the doctors’ reports.”
“Gavin’s friend gave you a copy,” Henry said.“You’re fine.Perfect.”
“I know that.You know that, but they’re pushing me out anyway,” Maia said, not holding back her bitterness.
“The Black Fern selectors are still interested,” Gerard said.“And the guy you spoke to has a contact in Christchurch.This might work out better.”
“The Dunedin management will try to muck that up for me,” Maia said, knowing this instinctively.Someone was protecting Amanda.
“They won’t know straight away,” London said, having caught up with the play despite not having shifter hearing.“Have you played Christchurch?”
“No, not yet,” Maia said.
“Well,” London said brightly.“They’ll know when you run onto the field with the opposition.”
“If everything falls into place.Besides, I’ll have to find somewhere to live in Christchurch.That might not be simple.”
“Ah,” Henry said with a grin at Gerard.“That problem is easy to solve because our best friend lives in Christchurch.I’m sure he and Lisa have room for us to stay with them.We might have to work in exchange, but it should be fun.”
“You’d go with me?”Maia asked.
“Security guard and boyfriend,” Henry said.“Gerard and I have been considering casting a wider net for work.It won’t hurt for me to investigate the possibilities while we’re in Christchurch.”
“Deal,” Maia said, her heart lighter now that she might have a plan B.
One month later.
Maia jogged onto the field with her team, happy and determined to play well.She loped after her teammates—a captain and players who’d welcomed her without reservation.It took her time to relax and settle in because the Dunedin management had lodged a protest saying she couldn’t transfer teams mid-season.
Luckily, the governing body had found in her favor.And since then, she’d focused on training, rugby, and writing.She and Henry had spent their weeks with his friends, Sam and Lisa, and managed two weekends in Middlemarch.They’d talked—a lot—and Maia was more comfortable with what she’d learned about shifters.
Maia and her teammates went through their warm-up routine while waiting for the opposition to arrive.They were finally playing Dunedin, and whoever won would progress to the semi-finals.
Amanda was on the team today, and Maia needed to engage in a sensible game.Stay out of trouble.Her team knew the situation and had promised to protect Maia from dirty play.
She had to do the rest herself and, hopefully, play the best game of her life.No pressure.
After the coin toss, the two teams ran into position.The referee blasted his whistle.Maia ignored Amanda and her furious glower but waved hello to Jan and Rebecca and received friendly greetings in return.
The Dunedin team took the kickoff, and Maia surged into action.One of her teammates caught the ball cleanly and ran forward.A hard tackle took her down, but she passed the ball to Maia, who flicked it onto her backline players.Maia dodged an oncoming player’s tackle and sprinted after her teammates.
“You won’t act so smug when I pulverize you into the ground,” Amanda taunted in a low voice.“Your sugar daddy won’t like you if you’re broken.”
Maia ignored the threat but watched for Amanda.The players on her team were fitter, which showed when they constantly ran the ball, keeping a fast pace.
Maia caught the ball and dashed toward the try line while assessing the opposition’s field position.She ducked and weaved before passing to the halfback.The ball flew with precision along the backline, and their winger ducked inside an opposing player to score.
