Page 47 of Game Changer

Damn, how long was I in there?

Jeremy: In the bar, Marc and Mike say she’s asking where you are. It’s a good question, where the hell are you?

AJ: Just out of the shower. Cover for me?

Jeremy: Just how dirty are you, man?

AJ: Make sure none of the team blab to her about Britt – not just Marc and Mike!

He got dried, dressed and squared away in the locker room before heading to the bar. As he was pulling into the parking lot Jeremy called him.

“You can’t even live without me for –”

“She’s gone, man.”

“What?” he asked as he got out of the car.

One look at Jeremy’s face and AJ knew that someone had let the wife out of the bag.

Crap. All the flowers in the world aren’t going to get me out of the dog house this time.

This time? Do you hear yourself? How many times are you going to hurt this girl? Let’s be real here, do you really think you can come back from having a secret WIFE?

“What happened?”

“Marc is two sheets to the wind. He let it slip. She just… she took off. I didn’t realize until she was halfway in the car that she knew. Dude, she looks pretty pissed.”

“She has every right to be. I should have told her before now. It’s my own fault. I need to find her and explain. I need to talk to her friends and see where she might have gone.”

“If it was me? I’d go see the wife,” Jeremy shrugged.

“I don’t think she’d be confrontational like that.”

“Probably just as well. I’d also rather be present for that catfight. My money’s totally on Lisa.”

“Jer, this isn’t the time to be playing out girl-on-girl fantasies in your head.”

“Do you have a will, Age? ‘Cause I feel like either one of those women could kill you. Dead.Actuallydead for this.”

AJ groaned; he was going to have to talk to Chelsea. He looked at Jeremy hopefully.

“Nope. Not it. You talk to her. I’ll have your back. From, like, fifteen feet away,” he paused as though contemplating the reach of Chelsea’s wrath, “maybe twenty.”

“I’m glad you find this amusing.”

“I don’t. Though if I don’t get your LP collection when you die, I’m gonna be pissed.”

The boys entered the bar and AJ scanned the crowd for Chelsea. She was sipping on a bright red cocktail and chatting to Mike. Marc was nowhere to be seen.

“Who died?” Chelsea asked. “And why is he,” she nodded at Jeremy, “standing so far away? I don’t bite.”

That’s not what he says.

Focus.

“At least not if they don’t want me to!” She threw an exaggerated wink at Jeremy over AJ’s shoulder.

“Can we talk?” AJ asked seriously.

---