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“What? No—”
“You do realize that the Admirals have painted a target on his back. And he’s fighting back. While you seem to be picking daisies out there in the backfield.”
“I’m not…sir. I just…it’s all borderline.”
Yannick’s mouth tightened to a grim, angry line. Blew out a breath. “Don’t let your feelings for him keep you from doing your job.”
She opened her mouth.
He held up a hand.
“And you, Zach. Two offside calls you missed.”
Zach opened his mouth.
“It’s sloppy. And embarrassing. And more people are going to get hurt if you don’t do your job. So.” He leaned down, his gaze on her. “Do your job.”
“Yes, sir,” Iris said and got up.
She walked out of the room into the hallway. Their water bottles were gone, the entire basket in the hands of the trainer. She spotted a woman in a pair of black pants, a Vikings jersey, a towel over her shoulder, black hair spilling out of her cap, dark tattoo up her neck. She filled water bottles from a nearby cooler.
“Will you bring those to the field when they’re full?”
“Yes.”
The Vikings were just coming back on the field when she arrived. She spotted Shae, taking shots on her phone, and not far away, Ned, wearing a field pass around his neck. She walked up to him.
“You angry at Hud for some reason?” he said.
“No. Just…”
“Breathe, Iris. Just breathe and do your job. Stop overthinking it. It’s not training, it’s game time. You know what you’re doing. Godoit.”
She glanced at him. He smiled.
Felt a little like respect.
She ran out onto the field.
Hudson didn’t play the entire third quarter, but it gave Felix plenty of time to drop three beautiful passes. The Admirals got the ball and got it down to the twenty after a surprise fifteen-yard run.
Three points as the ball sailed through the uprights, and Iris was on the line for the kickoff.
The new guy, Berker, was back in the game as receiver. He nabbed the ball and took off, spinning and dodging, and suddenly he’d crossed the fifty. She’d started to backpedal as the field ran toward her, defenders trying to grab him.
Suddenly, Berker cut toward her side of the field, running hard. She sped up, heading for the sidelines, but Berker did too, along with the pack.
Oh no, oh—
Berker leaped for the sideline, and she was right there in his way—
Then, just like that, she wasn’t. Someone just picked her up, danced her out of the way as the pack crashed at her feet. If she hadn’t been moved, she’d have been at the bottom of said pack.
Her rescuer put her down, and she turned.
“Hud?”
He winked and turned away.
