Playing for Keeps - Book 1

Chapter 10

Theo frowned when I clicked off the video from my computer screen.

"What am I supposed to do about this, Quinn? I've got our affiliate team from the National Hockey League questioning me on why the President's daughter and newest employee of the AHL is the cause of a brawl between Cash Brooks and Peter Kirkland. Do you understand the type of damage control I'm going to have to do here to protect your father and stop the media from having a field day with this?"

"I'm sorry. I was only trying to help."

He shakes his head and runs his fingers through his hair. "Why didn't you come and get me?"

"It all happened so fast—"

"Fucking Brooks knows how to ruin everything." He paces back and forth, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Cash didn't do anything wrong. Kirkland was being a complete jackass."

"Listen, Quinn, when Brooks was sent down to the Bruisers, our job was to clean him up. Fighting on the ice is one thing, but attacking another player and having it caught on video and publicized on the web is another. The affiliates are questioning whether or not he's abusing substances again, and I don't fucking appreciate heat under my ass from your father, who thinks I've put his little girl in danger. This isn't good, Quinn."

"What do you mean abusing substances?" I feel an overwhelming trickle of forgotten emotion as I suck a sharp breath.

He turns his head towards me, letting out a sigh. "After Brooks' brother died in the crash, he lost it, including his NHL contract. How do you think a guy with his talent ended up playing for the Bruisers?"

My heart twists at Cash's loss, and an aching pain spreads throughout my chest. "What kind of crash?"

Theo tucks his cell into his pocket and sits at the edge of my desk. "After Brooks was drafted, the story is that he and his brother went out celebrating with a bunch of their buddies. They started racing down a dirt road, driving quickly against a pick-up truck. A deer jumped out in front of Brooks; he swerved out of the way and lost control of the vehicle. He flipped off the road and into the bush. The vehicle was totaled, and his brother died instantly. Brooks is lucky to be alive."

My heart pounds painfully as I let the breath I've been holding between my lips slowly seep out. "That's horrible."

"Yeah, his career was nearly ruined because of it." Theo grabs his phone from his pocket, taps out a text, and then looks down at me. "But you know what's horrible right now? The league is holding me responsible for Cash's outburst, and your father is trapped in Texas dealing with questions from the media about your relationship with Brooks."

I avoid Theo's eyes, reluctant even to comment. I power off my computer and bend down to retrieve my purse, but when I pop back up, his tapping foot tells me I am not off the hook.

"I've already called Cash's agent. We're meeting with them right now in the boardroom. It isn't going to be easy, but we need Brooks to agree to a statement and press release. The affiliates want him to publicly ensure his fans and the organization that he is not struggling with substances again. He is the National League's number one prospect, and they must protect him. What happened between him and Kirkland needs to be portrayed as a fight that started on the ice and carried its way to the party. If the media uses this brawl to claim that Brooks is back on the wagon or fucking the newest President's daughter, it won't just be the league's reputation on the line." He pauses, meeting my eyes, his voice faltering as he begins to speak again. "I can't afford to lose you as an employee because of this outburst from Brooks."

My face heats, and I begin to lose my patience. "None of this is his fault. Kirkland was being a complete dick, and Cash stepped in to protect me."

He leans in, his eyes connecting with mine. "Then tell me I have nothing to worry about."