Bluegrass Undercover (17 page)

“ ‘
Cause my brother is going to be madder than a bear with a thorn in his paw after this game.”

“
Oh, well, I’m used to men being pissed off. No big deal.”

“
You deal with pissed-off men as a guidance counselor?”

“
Sure. Cade may be able to throw a tantrum, but not nearly as well as a seventeen year old. Then I get the pissed-off parents. So, yeah, I think I can handle Cade in a snit.” Annie turned to look at Paige as she started to laugh.

“
A
snit
?” Paige laughed. “I have never heard the word snit associated with my brother before. That’s priceless.”

Annie zipped her fleece coat up and let Paige have her laughs. She knew the real reason Cade was pissed. It was obvious the team had talent, but S2 was inflating egos and creating tension among teammates.

She cringed when T.H. Morgan scored a touchdown, pushing the lead to seventeen. Cade threw his playbook to the ground and grabbed Austin by the horse collar when he tried to go out onto the field. She couldn’t hear him from where she and Paige sat, but she could read his lips and was pretty sure he just told his quarterback to sit his ass down on the bench for the remaining two minutes of the game.

Austin tore off his helmet and threw it into the table full of water. Cups went flying and water shot through the air as he stormed off towards the locker room. Cade signaled his sophomore quarterback to get out onto the field. The poor boy couldn’t weigh more than a hundred and fifty pounds. But, there was no fear in his eyes as he took his orders and headed out into the huddle.

Annie had always thought of herself as tough, but those last two minutes had aged her ten years. Maternal instincts she never knew she had came out in full force for little Bobby Rudd. She had met with him to go over his grades at mid-term and was astounded by how smart he was. He had a 4.0 and was signing up to take advanced placement classes on the recommendation of his teachers. He was skinnier than a rail and carried a book with him everywhere. He was a nerd and was putting himself in danger out on that field.

Annie watched in horror as the huge, beastly linebackers shoved at the offensive linemen while trying to get to little Bobby. Bobby back pedaled with the ball and looked downfield. Ryan was sprinting down the sideline. Bobby raised the ball and threw it seconds before a linebacker crashed into him, ramming him to the ground.

Annie shot to her feet and gasped. He had to be broken in half. Paige lunged to her feet, unconcerned for little Bobby who was surely dying on the field. “Come on, Ryan!” she screamed, forcing Annie to look downfield.

The ball was spiraling downfield right for the outstretched hands of Ryan Hall. Ryan managed to find another gear and leapt into the air, snagging the ball. He landed, twisted to avoid a defender, and kicked it into high gear again, running for the end zone.

Annie turned back to see little Bobby standing whole and apparently uninjured as Ryan ran in for the touchdown. Bobby smiled and casually headed to the bench as if throwing a forty-yard pass resulting in a touchdown was no big deal. She didn’t think she could like the kid any more than after their meeting, but there were obvious sides to Bobby that she hadn’t even begun to know.

The last seconds of the clock clicked off, but even with Bobby’s heroics, they had lost by ten. “Come on. Let’s go check on Cade. He looks ready to explode.” Paige grabbed her hand and tugged her down the metal stairs of the bleachers to the field. She went straight to her brother and gave him a hug.

“
Bobby!” Annie yelled as the boy started past her towards the locker room. “Are you okay after that hit?”

“
Miss H? Sure I am. That’s what the pads are for. Thanks for coming out to watch the game,” Bobby said in a voice that was still high.

“
You’re welcome, Bobby. That throw was amazing.”

“
Just physics Miss H. Hey, can I stop by Monday to go over that forensic book that you gave me? I finished it already. It was fascinating. I was hoping we could talk about it some more, and if you had any more criminal forensic books, I would love to borrow them.”

“
Sure. I’ll bring a couple of my old textbooks from college, and we can go over some old cases. Do you think it’s a field you would be interested in going into?”

“
It sure is. I love science, but I can’t see myself in a lab. Maybe in the FBI or something where I’m out in the field. That would be cool.”

“
I’ll place a call to Paige’s husband to see if Special Agent Parker can join us. Maybe he would give you some tips. With your smarts you could go into a specialized branch such as behavioral analysis or biochemical terrorism.”

“
Thanks, Miss H! That would be awesome. See you Monday!” She watched as Bobby ran off the field and gave his dad a high five and his mom a hug before heading into the locker room.

Cade said good-night to his sister and walked over to where Annie stood staring after Bobby Rudd. “Do I need to be jealous?” Cade whispered into her ear as he came up behind her.

“
Maybe after he hits puberty. That’s one kid who is going to make a difference in this world. Sorry about the game. And sorry for the frustration.”

“
It’s getting worse. I don’t know how much longer I can turn a blind eye.”

“
I’m hoping it will be over soon. I’m talking to Bobby again on Monday. He’s too smart to not know about what’s going on. Maybe I can find out some more.”

“
I better get going so I can give my post-game breakdown. Justin is spending the night with Marshall and his dog Bob, so I can spend a little time with you tonight if you don’t have other plans.”

She turned to him and smiled. Those emerald eyes sparkled and Cade couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and kissed her right in front of all the players, parents, and staff who had come out to see the game. He tightened his arms around her. He loved the feel of her in his arms, but he also knew she’d be mad. She was not in favor of any touching in public, and he had gone and claimed her as his in front of the whole town. So, he held her close in hope that she couldn’t get off a good punch.

“
Okay, I’ll see you tonight,” he heard her muffled voice say from where he had pressed her head to his chest.

He released her slowly, surprised by the lack of reprimand, and smiled. Oh, yea, she liked him!

“
Be safe going home,” she rolled her eyes as he watched her head for her car.

“
So, that’s what you’ve been busy doing after practice,” Coach Parks chuckled. “What do you think of December? It’s a romantic month, isn’t it?”

“
Ha-ha. Come on, let’s go see if we can salvage this team.” Cade didn’t know if he could or not, but he was going to try.

Cade pulled open the cold steel door to the locker room and walked down the hall to the meeting area where the team met after games. The usual noise of fifty-seven boys talking about the game, girls, and the start to the weekend was absent. Instead only one voice rang out.

Cade stood at the open door and stared into the meeting room where Trey Everett was up by the chalkboard addressing his teammates who were sitting in the blue chairs waiting for the post-game breakdown.

“
I don’t care what your excuse is Austin. You know that you are not playing as part of the team. You want to go to college on a football scholarship – we all do! But you won’t get there by yourself. I know what you are up to. Hell, this whole team knows what you and the others are up to and we’re saying we’re not putting up with it anymore. Everything we do has consequences and if you all continue down this path, I will turn you in myself. Further, if things don’t change right now we will refuse to go on the field with you.”

Austin shot up, his long hair wet from sweat sticking to his head, “You can’t do that to me. I can’t afford to go to college without a scholarship!”

“
We know. So, what’s it going to be? Quit S2 and rejoin the team, or have Bobby here start for you? He sure did a good job tonight, didn’t he?” Trey leveled Austin with a stare and held it. Trey may be one of the nicest guys Cade new, but he was also one of the toughest when pushed, and it looked like Austin had pushed him to his limit tonight.

Austin sat on the chair deflated. “I thought I was helping the team.”

“
You’re tearing it apart,” Ryan said as he stood. “I may only be a freshman, but you all know what I want? I want a championship. I want to see the town plastered with posters announcing the new state champions and our name on the water tower. I know we were given no chance at winning this year, but if we play as a team, we can do it.”

Cade waited, not wanting his presence to be known as the boys murmured their approval. “So, Austin, what do you say? Are you with us?” Trey asked. The room quieted down and all eyes turned to his quarterback.

“
All the way to State,” Austin smiled. The room erupted in a chant of “State! State! State!”

Cade walked into the room after a moment of celebration and waited for the boys to quiet down as they saw him head to the front of the room. “I guess I missed something?”

“
Nothing much Coach. We just made a pledge to work together all the way to State,” Trey said from his seat.

“
Sounds like a good pledge. Before we can make it to State we need to look at what has been working for us and what hasn’t. How about a late night tonight gentlemen, and then some hard practices next week so we can show our opponents we’re not letting anything get in our way. ‘Cause, if we win next weekend, we can finish second in the division and be in a good position to make a play for the championship.”

Cade watched as the same players who last week couldn’t wait to leave, leaned forward in their chairs to get a better view of the breakdown. Not a single person complained at staying late, and not a single person looked at the clock as they went over the game.

Chapter Fourteen

Annie changed out of her jeans and into her black, winter running pants. They were soft, comfortable, and perfect for a crisp night like this. She pulled on her Keeneston High sweatshirt and headed for the kitchen. She opened the small microwave and took a sip of the hot chocolate she had made.

It normally took Cade about an hour to finish up after a game, so she expected him any minute. She grabbed her Florida State fleece blanket and headed for the porch. She would just snuggle up in one of the chairs outside and wait for him.

She took a seat on one of the two chairs and took a deep breath of the clean air. The smell of turning leaves and lit fireplaces was so different from that of the sea air, pollution, and fruit that was Miami. The stars were bright in the dark sky and for once she felt at peace.

Headlights turning into the parking lot drew her gaze from the stars to the speeding black Escalade that squealed to a stop in front of her cottage. Seriously? She was finally feeling peace, dammit!

The doors opened and the three men who had attacked Cade on the sidewalk a couple of months ago jumped out.

“
Can I help you boys?” She was so not in the mood for this. That just went to show how the slower country lifestyle was affecting her. She had always been in the mood for a fight in Miami.

“
You pissed off the wrong person, lady,” the one with the receding curly hair and the Playboy Bunny tattoo on his forearm said. Of course they weren’t wearing coats. They had two hundred and fifty pounds of muscle to keep them warm.

“
Me? I don’t remember pissing anyone off. Hmm, I did cut off old Mr. Lyons the other day, but he was going twenty-five in a fifty-five, and I really didn’t want to drive all the way to Lexington behind him. Are you boys his great-grandsons?”

Clearly not knowing what to say, they paused in their approach and looked at each other. “Um, we got a message for your boyfriend.” Larry tried again. It was hard to take him seriously. He really needed to cut his hair.

“
Oh, should I get you a piece of paper to leave a note on?” she asked sweetly. She took a sip of hot chocolate to hide her smile. She watched over the edge of her mug as the one she called Moe tripped over the Virgin Mary statue and fell face first into the bald one she called Curly.

Annie stood and shifted toward the railing and the small garden gnome dressed as a priest that stood in front of a large fern. Larry had turned and glared at Moe and Curly who were stumbling their way up the stairs towards her.

“
Oh dear. I would take that as a sign.”

“
A sign?” Moe asked

“
Sure. I mean, you were tripped by the Virgin Mary. You may want to go to church or something.” Annie went ahead and crossed herself for good measure. The action caused the men to pause and stare at the statue. She pulled her cell phone out and hit the record function. She set it on the rail and reached out to grab the gnome priest. She had him hiding behind her back before the men turned around.

“
As I was saying, we got a message for your boyfriend that we need to give him.” Larry tried again. This time he was doing a pretty good job at his intimidating scowl, but the clear lack of intelligence in his eyes just made her think of a bad off-off-Broadway actor.