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Andrea hugged her elbows. “We have to be careful. If Gerry knows we’re on to him, he might blame everything on Otto.”
Troy frowned. “Then what are we going to do?”
Jaclyn tapped her pen on the surface of her desk. “We’ll have to catch Gerry in the act.”
Troy shook his head. “That would be next to impossible. He’s too cautious.”
Jaclyn’s smile was slow. “No, it’s not. We’re going to set up a sting.”
He straightened in his chair. “I like the idea. How do we pull it off?”
Jaclyn crossed her arms. “I’ll work out the details.”
Troy nodded. “Should we have someone from the commissioner’s office there?”
Andrea shook her head. “No. If Gerry doesn’t offer Otto a bribe or try to blackmail him, we’ll have wasted the commissioner’s time. It will seem as though we’re trying to cause trouble for Gerry rather than trying to protect the league and the franchise from more scandal.”
Jaclyn touched the Monarchs lapel pin fastened to her bright green blouse. “We’ll also make ourselves look stupid or paranoid—or both. But I wish we could have an independent party there to verify our story.”
Andrea turned to Jaclyn. “I’d like to cover the sting for Sports.”
Jaclyn inclined her head. “Of course. I appreciate your bringing this problem to my attention. Once again, you’ve given us advance warning of a potentially damaging situation.”
Troy took Andrea’s hand, entwining her fingers with his own. “Yes, thanks again.” He smiled as her cheeks flushed from his gratitude.
Andrea looked to Jaclyn. “Telling you about this rumor is giving me a better story. Besides, I’m helping Mario Nunez, who was a friend when I didn’t have many.”
Troy pulled his attention from Andrea to Jaclyn. “What can I do to help?”
Jaclyn drew her hand through her hair. “Right now, nothing. I’ll update you as things progress.”
Troy stood. “Then we’ll get going.”
Andrea collected her purse as she rose. “Thanks for letting us interrupt your morning.”
Jaclyn escorted them to her office door. “No, thank you for telling us what Mario told you. The Monarchs name will be associated with this scandal. There’s no way around that if Gerry’s trying to blackmail Otto. But at least this way we can minimize the damage.”
Andrea said good-bye to Jaclyn, then waited while Troy took a few minutes to ask Jaclyn for an update on the team’s “The Monarchs Return” campaign. His expression hardened as Jaclyn explained Gerald had put the project on hold.
When they reached his silver Lexus parked in the arena’s lot, Troy held the passenger door open for Andrea. She thanked him, then watched as he settled his long, lean body behind the steering wheel.
Troy turned the ignition and the engine started with a purr. Andrea sighed with envy. Why didn’t her car’s engine start like that? With more than twenty years and almost two hundred thousand miles on it, she was happy when her car started at all.
Troy checked his car mirrors before merging into traffic. The silence in the luxury vehicle was thick but comfortable as he drove them from the Empire Arena to her apartment building in the Williamsburg area. Andrea mentally developed story angles and leads for this update on Gerald’s activities. She imagined Troy was planning how to spin this event to minimize the long-term fallout for the Monarchs.
His voice startled her. “It’s probably going to take a while for Jackie to arrange the sting.”
Andrea studied his profile. His eyes were glued to the traffic. A frown knitted his brow. Was he regretting their decision to let Jaclyn take the lead on their response? “It’s better to take our time with this problem. There’s a lot at stake, for the franchise, for Otto, and for Gerry.”
He navigated the Lexus around a double-parked car. “I realize that. But I want to be there whenever she’s able to pull it off.”
Relief eased her muscles. “That’s a good idea.”
His shrug was self-deprecating. “I’m finally learning the value of having a plan.”
“You’re exerting impulse control. Impressive.”
“With some things.” He stopped at a red light before giving her a sexy wink.
