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It’s three hours later and nearly three o’clock in the morning by the time we arrive at my house. Roger enters the code, likely waking everyone up now that it will ping an alert to their phones.
Scott walks up to me and asks when they’ll be needed next since our practice for later today was canceled.
“Our next practice isn’t until Wednesday at 11:00 am, but can you come back tonight at six? I’d like to take Anna out to dinner.”
Roger leans in, “Mr. Shaw, I don’t think that will be wise.”
Confused, I ask, “And why not?”
Roger points to Anna, who is standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. “I’d expect a disgruntled look like that from Jerry because that’s just who he is. Anna only does that when there’s been a development—and not the good kind.”
Turning back to Scott, “I guess I’ll see you at ten sharp on Wednesday.”
“Yes, Sir. Ten sharp. Have a good night Mr. Shaw,” Scott says as he departs with his team.
Roger and I go inside, leaving the bags in the trunk for later. Anna turns around, and we follow her into the living room, where everyone but Penny is waiting for us.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“That’s what we’d like you to tell us,” Anna retorts. A video of two men I recognize begins to play on the television screen. “I was asked to deliver a message to you, Aiden. Those two goons said, ‘You better do as they demand, or you’ll pay the price.’ Care to explain?”
Chapter twenty-four
Savannah
Iwait patiently for Aiden to tell me why two men who clearly work for the mafia are threatening him. When Aiden watches the screen, his shoulders slump in resignation. I point to the video that has stopped on the faces of the two men.
“You know who those guys are, don’t you, Aiden?”
“Sort of,” he mutters. “I don’t know their names, but I know who they work for.”
Jerry says, “It didn’t take long to get a hit in the FBI database. The guy on the left with the mole on his neck is Sean O’Sullivan. The guy on the right is his brother, Conor.”
Martha gasps, “Oh, Aiden! Please tell me you are not involved with O’Sullivans. Didn’t you learn anything from your grandparents?”
I address Martha, “You knew who they were?”
“No. I’ve never seen them before in my life,” she says. Her words ring true, but she knows more than she’s letting on.
Aiden sits down, which is never a good sign. He gestures for me to sit as well, but I decline. “I think I’ll stand. Spill it, Aiden.”
“Just before I received my inheritance last season, those two guys approached me. What are their names again? Sean and Conor? Anyway, they said I owed their family a favor and told me to lose the next game but keep a one-point spread. I had no idea what they were talking about, and they didn’t wait for me to answer. They waved their guns at me and left, assuming I would comply.”
Jessie, who is sitting against the wall, asks, “Did you lose the game?”
“Yes, but not because they asked me to. We lost 2-1 against New Hampshire of our own accord because they played better than we did. A month after the encounter, my inheritance arrived, along with a letter from my grandparents. The note detailed how they had been forced to launder money for the local Irish mafia as well as the threats against our family to keep quiet. With that letter, there was a key to a lock box that contains proof of every transaction they made for the O’Sullivans and the account number to access the money they had skimmed off the top,” I explain.
“The two billion dollars,” Anna says, finally understanding. “Why didn’t you turn that information over to the FBI, Aiden?”
“Because, until now, it’s the only thing that has kept my family safe! Sean and Conor approached me several more times for very specific games, and each time, I told them, ‘No.’ I explained that I owed them nothing and that my grandparents’ debt wasn’t mine. They said I would have to pay them back what my grandparents stole or lose the games so they could recoup the loss. That’s when I told them I had proof of their illicit transactions that I’d use against them if they didn’t leave my family alone. They haven’t approached me since. I don’t know why they are making their presence known now.”
Anna finally sits down. “They didn’t approach you this time. They approached me. It’s a subtle threat to you that I’m vulnerable and that they can easily get to me. Aiden, you need to turn the information you have over to the FBI as well as the money. They can put these guys behind bars.”
“I plan to hand over the documents once the season is over and I’m retired, but as far as the money is concerned, that’s not possible.”
Reggie groans, “Aiden, what have you done?”
“I gave it away, every last cent! How do you think the homeless shelter expanded, updated the kitchen, or stocked the pantry? How do you think our church suddenly hired a youth pastor and built a gym for the kids? I didn’t want a dime of the blood money and thought it should be used for good. The money was dispersed to over 200 non-profit organizations in Georgia anonymously.”
