Page 134 of I'm Your Guy
“Eh.” I chalk up my hands for my next set. “My life has been complicated, and I don’t like explaining it.”
“Thanksgiving must be really awkward.”
I laugh. “It would be if I were still in Jersey. So thanks for that.”
Powers rubs his forehead. “Is this Trenton game gonna be a brawl?”
“Maybe? I can’t guarantee you that I won’t fight him. If he’s a danger to others, I’ll have to shut that shit down.”
“Don’t challenge him. And don’t throw—”
“—the first punch. Yeah, I understand. And I will deescalate the situation if I can, because I don’t want another picture of me punching my cousin on the internet. But I will not let that team go after one of our own.”
“But here’s the thing—Marco has to realize that attacking Newgate would draw a lot of extra attention at this moment in time,” Coach says, thinking out loud. “He’d get a lot of scrutiny from the league.”
“Yeah, but subtlety is not a DiCosta family value. And he’s not prone to thinking things through.”
“Hear you.” He taps a foot nervously. “I’ll be vigilant. If I don’t like what I see, I’ll have the trainer pull Newgate.”
“He won’t like it,” I say.
“What won’t I like?” Newgate appears at Coach’s shoulder. “I heard my name.”
Coach’s mouth forms a grim line. “We’re strategizing for the Trenton game. DiCosta says to treat his cousin like a bomb with a wire loose.”
Newgate scowls. “I know how bullies work. I won’t give him an opening.”
“Would be nice if we could focus on the actual game,” I grumble. “Although I’m used to this. I’ve been watching my back since childhood.”
Newgate blanches. “Jesus Christ. No wonder you’re such a capable defenseman.”
I snort. “Never thought of it that way before. Thanks, man. Happy to be of service.”
Newgate steps closer and drops his voice. “Look, I got a weird question. Hope I’m not putting my foot in my mouth.” He glances at Coach Powers. “When I joined this team, Coach said there might be other players with secrets.” He clears his throat, and glances at me. “Coach, did you mean DiCosta?”
Wait, what?
Powers lets out a startled laugh, and slaps both our backs quickly. “Nope. No way. I remember that conversation, though. I wanted you to know that you could have a positive impact on the sport and on this organization. And obviously you have.”
“So it was someone else?” Newgate asks, his expression skeptical.
Coach suddenly looks sheepish. “Yeah, well. It’s hard to admit this, but the only struggling Cougar I could name at the time was me.” He gives an embarrassed shrug.
Then he turns and walks out of the gym, leaving Newgate and me standing there with twin expressions of shock on our faces.
“And here I thought I was special,” I say.
Newgate laughs.
FORTY-NINE
Carter
I wake up in an empty bed, daylight leaking in around the Belgian Linen curtains.
Sitting up, I look at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It’s already past nine, and I didn’t even hear Tommaso leave. His gym bag is missing from the corner of the room.
A radio weather report is playing from somewhere in the house. And I smell bacon. That ought to be an enticement to go downstairs, but I’ve never really done this before—the whole “meet the parents” thing. I don’t relish the idea of trotting down the stairs with bedhead and wearing yesterday’s clothes.
