Page 143 of Bad Run

forty-five

Lance

Present

The twinge in my stomach dissolves into a liquid ball of anger as I watch my wife’s car pull away from the curb.

I told Ted not to hurt Gwen, and that fuckhead didn’t listen.

Marching into the stadium, I find my guys waiting for me. Without a word, I walk past them to the elevators that go up to the top floor, where the front offices are located.

I’m too fired up to stop, and there’s only one person who deserves my wrath.

“Don’t do it, Taylor. It’s a bad fucking idea,” Reed shouts at my back.

I raise my middle finger into the air.

It sounds like a herd of wildebeests chasing after me as I hear my teammates’ cleats click on the concrete floors.

“What do you guys want?” My friends crowd around me as I stab the call button.

“To make sure you don’t get fired,” Heath says.

“He won’t get fired, but probably punched. Am I right, Romero?” Cam teases his brother-in-law.

“Shut up before I punch you again,” Nico grumbles as Cam laughs.

Their brotherly antics usually have me laughing, but right now I can’t concentrate on anything but setting Ted straight.

“Guys, chill, okay? I’ve got this.”

This isn’t my first rodeo with a stubborn, single-minded father whose expectations for their children are too high to climb without getting emotionally punched in the stomach on a daily basis.

The elevator opens, and I step in. My teammates push in behind me.

“What the fuck?”

“We’re your backup,” Reed says as the doors slide closed.

“I thought you said this was a bad idea.”

Reed shrugs. “It is.”

Blake punches him in the arm. “Don’t lie. Be honest for once.”

“Shut up, Blake.”

“Nope. You torture me all the damn time, and now it’s my turn. This idiot”—Blake points at Reed—“had a girl, and he never fought for her. He just walked away. Don’t be like Reed. Fight like hell for Gwen.”

“Cam?” Nico asks, confusion written across his thick eyebrows. “Is this true?”

Cam, who is Reed’s best friend, looks away, refusing to answer. Good man.

Reed answers for Cam. “Fuck off. It’s complicated. Did I fight? No, but she also deserves someone who can give her the white picket fence, the kids, and the dog. The fairytale. I’m not that guy.”

“I don’t believe that.” Heath slaps him on the back. “You just weren’t ready.”

Reed scoffs as the elevator dings open. As much as these dummies distracted me, I’m still fuming. Stepping off the elevator, I march in the direction of Ted’s office.