“Why’d you trip me?” Ashley pointed at the cameraman. “That’s not okay. Shit. Shit. Shit.” She held her shin. “I think it’s broken.”
“What’s going on over here?” Hans asked, striding into the fray.
So much that Tanner wasn’t sure where to begin.
Hans stepped beside Ashley and gave her a onceover that did not seem platonic. Funny, because Ashley was putting on an excellent performance about her shin.
Unless that crack was the real deal. In which case… Damn. Fuck. Damn.
Tanner knelt next to Sam. Even Greg kneeled, too.
“Let’s, uh, get you to the first aid tent. We’ll get the doctor over there.” Hans didn’t wait for Bax or Tanner or anyone else to offer to do the transfer. He lifted Ashley with extreme care. Tanner could’ve sworn he saw a sly grin just touch the edges of Hans’s mouth before he lifted her. Hans gave a Sam a cue to come along with them.
Once they were out of earshot, Tanner turned to Greg and the photog. “They are my guests. You won’t harass them or take their picture unless either invites you to.” Tanner crossed his arms. “You get me?”
“Tanner,” Courtney said brightly. “You should go check on your guests.” Then her expression turned serious. “I got this.”
She better have it.
He headed to the tent, stepped inside and apparently Ashley was illustrating her ability to play hopscotch with both feet.
“See, I’m good,” she assured.
“I heard a crack,” Tanner said.
“Uh-huh.” Ashley nodded. “I took some lessons from Babushka on making it look more authentic.”
“They found me.” Sam stared into space. “I knew it would happen. But why couldn’t it be tomorrow? Or the next day? Why does it have to be now?”
Mach pushed through the flap that acted as a makeshift door to the tent. “Just heard. How can I help?”
“I don’t know,” Sam said. “I don’t know anything right now.”
“We’re waiting for Courtney to sort things out.” Tanner sat beside Sam, giving her a little space but still there behind her if she needed him.
“Are you okay? ” Courtney asked Ashley, striding through the tent opening.
Ashley was mid-hop dance.
“Clearly she’s fine.” Courtney pressed her fingertips to her temples. “This is shit. Totally shit. They’re running the story. They want to be the ones to scoop it.”
"Okay,” Sam said. She dropped to sit on one of the folding chairs. “It’s okay. We knew this was going to happen.”
“Somebody could deflect the attention,” Courtney continued, doing the bit where she spoke to herself. “Good job on that before, Ashley.” She paused her thought train to give Ashley a good once-over. “They are worried about getting sued, but they’re still going to do the exposé.”
Hans cleared his throat. “This is not good.”
“That’s why I said this is shit.” Courtney lifted her hands in surrender. “I’ll make my calls, but this just screwed with all my initial plans for…well…you.” She gestured to Sam.
“You need somebody to deflect the attention?” Mach asked, like he had an idea for that.
Whatever idea he had, Tanner would guess it wasn’t a good one. Probably not a legal one.
“I need to think up some kind of stunt or something that will get all the attention off Sam. I was thinking of doing this thing with the Red Bull guys when everything came out, but I don’t have time now to make that happen.” Courtney stopped pacing long enough to stare out the window toward the stadium.
“Don’t worry.” Mach clapped Courtney on the shoulder before moseying from the tent. “I got this.”
“He doesn’t have this.” Courtney stared after him. “But you all do need to get on stage. So let’s do that and while you do that, I will figure this.”
