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I didn’t let either of them out of my sight for a week. Nova was putting up a good front, but she’d whimper and cry out in her sleep. We all ended up sleeping in the media room, and Rigby had dragged Huey’s crib in there too.
The press had a field day with the story. We were already newsworthy, so throw in a psycho stalker and a hostage situation, and we were nationally syndicated news. I heard from Ludo, whose sister was a marine biologist in Australia, that we’d even made the news over there.
We weren’t just an attention-grabbing headline, though; we were people. What they’d found in Andrea’s apartment had been terrifying. Pictures of me everywhere, like a fucking shrine. She had a body pillow with my damn player photo on it. Old condoms and sweat-covered towels. Jerseys and photoshopped pictures of us together. Compromising photos of her with me, but my face photoshopped on.
I had no idea what she’d been planning to do with those ones, but they scared the hell out of me.
She wasn’t granted bail and was put in a psychiatric treatment facility while she awaited trial for attempted murder. I hated that Nova would have to go through that. Hated that she’d have to relive those moments again.
And through all this, we were expected to play as normal. Nova had promised she was okay, and Devan was working from home, putting his VP in charge of anything that didn’t need his direct input. That made it partially better, but I hated that I couldn’t be there for her, and I knew Rigby felt the same.
We had a meeting with Monderra, and honestly, if I didn’t like what was said in the meeting, I was this close to telling him to fuck right off. I had no patience for his money-making bullshit when my girlfriend had almost died at the hands of a fucking sports reporter.
Turns out ASPN had received multiple complaints from cameramen and photographers assigned to her, about her obsessiveness about the IceCaps and me in particular. They’d ignored the complaints because she was pretty and the viewers liked her.
Ted, her cameraman, had personally come and apologized to me. The guy looked rough, his face etched with guilt. “I’m sorry, man. I knew she was off, and I reported her to HR, but I should have warned you specifically. I didn’t think she’d do that shit, you know?”
Yeah, I got it. Destroy my career in the media, sure, but no one expected her to be a gun-wielding maniac. I didn’t blame Ted, but I sure as shit blamed ASPN. Devan was having his lawyer sue the company on Nova’s behalf. It wouldn’t make up for the mental damage, but it would give those fuckers a bit of accountability.
I met Rigby in front of the elevators. We’d both been summoned, apparently.
“You think he’s gonna trade us?”
I shrugged. “He’d be a fool to do it now that we’re in with a chance at the playoffs. He’d wait and spring it on us after the season was done.” He wouldn’t want us to put in a half-assed effort, like we ever would. I loved my team too much to punish them for Monderra’s bureaucratic bullshit.
We were led into the conference room by the receptionist, and Monderra was already there with the team lawyers, as well as Monderra’s daughter. I’d heard he was training her to take over, but she looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here. The lawyers all looked stony-faced.
Ah shit.This wasn’t good. My agent, Tony, was there too, and I raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged, like he didn’t know what was going on either.
Didn’t matter. Even with the mess that my private life had been, I’d played fucking well this season. There was no doubt I was an asset to a team, and if it wasn’t the IceCaps, I’d find someone else who’d take us. Me and Rigby. It would be tough, but we were good enough that someone would commit to us both, even if we had to take a bit of a pay cut. It was worth it to keep our family together.
“Thanks for coming, boys. I know you weren’t expecting this, and I appreciate you taking the time.”
Well, I hadn’t expected polite Monderra. That shit made me even more suspicious.
He continued, “My daughter has informed me that I have handled this situation all wrong.” The girl in question raised an eyebrow at us. “She tells me that my expectation for the relationships of my players is… What is it you said?”
“Archaic and out of touch with most of today’s societal expectations, unless you’re a middle-aged white man who has all the benefits of society and expects everyone to conform to your belief system since you hold a position of power over others.”
Rigby sucked in a breath, and Tony snort-laughed, then badly tried to cover it up.
Monderra gave baby Monderra a haughty look. “Indeed. So I apologize, personally. What happened to your girlfriend is horrifying to me, as a father and a husband.” He gave the girl a soft look, before turning back to us, now all business. “As such, I’d like to extend your contracts for another year and promise you the full support of the team in your unconventional relationship.” Baby Monderra sighed and rolled her eyes, but I just grinned.
“We appreciate the offer, Mr. Monderra. We’ll have our agent and the lawyers look over the contracts,” Rigby answered, and I nodded.
I stared Monderra down. “I love the IceCaps. But I love my family more.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
The lawyers and Tony went over the specifics of the deal, negotiating among themselves, while I zoned out. I liked our agent, and it benefited him to get the best deal possible for us. I would have kept the same deal as always just to stay in this place, with my friends and a home where Nova and Huey were settled, but I didn’t tell him that.
Once we were finally free of the meeting, Rigby and I got the hell out of there.
“What do you think? Is Monderra giving us blood money so we don’t out him after this disaster?” Rigby asked as I negotiated the traffic.
I shrugged. “Probably. But I’d prefer Nova to be secure and happy where she is then take revenge on the fucking old bastard for the way he handled shit.”
Rigby grinned. “Did you see the way Tony was eyeing the tiny Monderra? I can’t even remember her name.”
