Page 69 of Puck Me Secretly

Dad studied the floor and made a noise. “So, when you knocked my daughter into a crowd of drunk, angry men, and they dragged her body over a fence wanting to tear her from limb to limb, you’d consider that a small incident?”

Baxter’s eyes flitted to mine. “I consider that everyone got away safe and there were no major injuries, so it was resolved.”

Dad nodded again. “Twenty-three of my most valuable employees, whom I pay over $96 million dollars’ worth of wages to per year, had to step in and engage in a full-on brawl over that incident.”

Baxter held my gaze. Hatred sparked in his eyes. “Yes, they did.”

“Did I not talk to you about getting extra security to escort our team out of the building?”

“We had it.”

“Yet, you were the catalyst who pushed Rory into the crowd.”

“This is Logan’s fault.”

Dad tilted his head, his face a mask of calm. I knew Dad. The cooler he appeared on the outside, the more volatile his emotions ran beneath the surface. “From what I could see on the tape, Logan is the one who stepped forward and saved Rory.”

“I meant, none of this would have transpired if it wasn’t for his sordid past in Minnesota. He’s the reason the fans were so angry and worked up. And furthermore, I think it might warrant adding that we’ve never had a female accompany our team. Historically, we’ve had men who can handle those kinds of situations.”

The bastard!

Dad nodded. “I see. So, you believe that perhaps Rory’s job would be better suited for a man?”

Baxter flushed. “I’m saying that this world is rough. And no fault of her own, but because of her gender, she’s an easy target.”

“An easy target.” Dad measured each word out.

“I’m not saying this is my opinion,” Baxter protested. “I’m only voicing the common concern everyone has about this situation. Imean, there is even a twitter account tweeting about Rory and these issues. These are going concerns.”

Dad ignored his comment about the social media. “I will not stop Rory from traveling with the team. So, if you’re unable to protect her, then find someone on the fucking team that will.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Dad,” I protested, finding myself siding with Baxter on this one. I was way over my head. I didn’t belong in this world, no matter how much Dad wanted me to belong.

Dad turned his attention towards me. “Make this work, Rory, or I will hire a personal security team to accompany you on all these trips.”

Which would be worse than hiring a babysitter.

I nodded.

Dad leaned onto the table and stared down at Baxter. “If you can’t make this work, I’ll find someone who can make this work.”

Baxter sat frozen, staring up at Dad. “I’ll make it work.”

Dad straightened up. “Good. Good talk.”

His phone rang. “I have to take this.”

He stepped out of the room.

I stood there, clutching my papers to my chest, like a school girl. Baxter turned on me.

“Couldn’t help but go running to Daddy, hey?”

“I didn’t talk to him about Minnesota.”

He rolled his eyes. “Do us all a fucking favor and walk. No one wants you here. Not the players. Not the coaching staff. No one.”

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