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Jack waved a hand, dismissing her question. “We need to keep hitting those economic impact numbers, and I also recommend you reach out to mayors from some other large cities in states without a pro hockey team. I guarantee they’ll roll out the red carpet.”
Mila considered his proposal. “You know, you’re right. If Denver doesn’t want us, we can go somewhere else.”
What the actual fuck? After all the team had been through, surely Mila wouldn’t move the entire organization to another state.
Coach stepped in. “Who said Denver doesn’t want us? The fans here are incredible.”
“Then they’d better talk to their city council members,” Mila said.
Jack nodded. “And they will, as soon as the news leaks that other cities are interested in the team.”
Mila grinned at him. “You’re brilliant.”
“This is Crisis Communications 101,” he said, looking pleased by her compliment. “We’re going to shift the narrative so we’re on offense instead of defense.”
This guy was going to create a brand-new crisis by playing games with a lot of people’s careers, and Mila was blindly following his advice.
“What if it works?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” Mila said. “We’re hoping it will.”
“No, I mean what if some other city offers more incentive than Denver is willing to? We just leave?”
She shrugged. “If the deal is right…yeah. We’re talking about a lot of money here.”
I caught Coach’s gaze for a split second, and he looked as wary as I felt.
“We’re also talking about something more important than money,” I said, emotion welling in my chest. “Twenty-two people died that day, and twenty of them worked for this organization.”
Mila cut in. “You don’t need to remind me about the numbers, Ford. I was there that day. I spoke to one of the ushers who died less than five minutes before the explosion. I was fortunate to be able to evacuate.”
Everyone who worked for the Coyotes knew that Mila had done more than just evacuate that day. She’d come back into the arena, over and over, to help rescue people who were trapped. When the rescuers arrived on scene, they had to physically hold her back from running back in again, telling her to let them handle the situation.
She was stubborn as hell, but she was also tough. And she seemed to be the least emotional woman I’d ever met, unless the emotion was volatile anger.
“How do you just leave a city after that?” I asked, appalled. “There were fans who were injured, businesses that had to close because of collateral damage, rescue crews who risked their lives going back inside to save people. Our temporary arena is completely full every game. There are fans who wait outside and watch the games on their phones because they can’t get seats in such a small arena.”
Mila glared at me. “I agree with you. This is Denver’s team. But the council members have to step up in order to keep it. I’m not asking for anything unreasonable. Other cities do this all the time because a pro sports team is a boon for their city.”
I gave Coach a helpless look, knowing he agreed with me.
“Let’s give it a few days,” he said. “This is what Jack does for a living; we have to trust his advice.”
I shook my head, frustrated. I knew my teammates who had been here on the day of the explosion would be devastated to know Mila was reaching out to other cities about moving our team.
“The goal is to stay in Denver, right?” I asked. “At least tell me that’s the goal.”
“It absolutely is,” Jack said. “We just need some leverage to show city council members why they need to approve this financial package.”
I nodded, wishing for a stiff drink and a couple of hours in bed with Elle. But unfortunately, I had a call with my agent after this, followed by a workout and a visit to the local children’s hospital, and tonight I had a team dinner.
Should I tell the team about the plan to create leverage by reaching out to other cities? It would cause stress and hard feelings but leaving them in the dark didn’t feel right.
“What was said in this room stays in this room,” Mila said. “We have to play this just right. I trust every person in here, and we need to be unified. If you need to vent,” she said, looking directly at me, “come see me privately.”
Well shit. There went that decision. As captain, I was sometimes privy to information the whole team didn’t get, and I had to respect Mila’s request not to say anything.
It would be hard, though. If Jack’s plan backfired, I could end up having to move away right after meeting a woman who made me want things I’d never wanted before.
