Page 158 of Home Game

“Ryan, please.”

I stopped, but I didn’t turn around. “Not a good time, Rory.”

“We need to talk.”

“I’m not in the mood.”

She caught up and stared up at me. “Wow, you look like hell.”

“Thanks. Can I go now?”

“The GM can be blunt.”

“You think?”

“He likes you.”

“Were we in the same meeting?”

“You’re the third highest goal scorer in the entire league. Trust me. He thinks highly of you.”

“I’d hate to see how he acts when he doesn’t like me.”

“You should ask Max about that.”

I couldn’t imagine trying to date the GM’s daughter. “Max must have balls of steel.”

She smiled. “The GM doesn’t care what happens in the locker room as long as it doesn’t impact what happens on the ice.”

“It doesn’t.”

“How many times have you passed to Jensen?”

“No clue.”

“When he’s in your lineup, you statistically pass to him 50% less than you do when you are playing with any other player.”

“Bullshit.”

“It’s true.”

I stared at her. “He’s a dick.”

“Can I give you some advice?”

“Can I stop you?”

She seemed unfazed by my asshole ways. “Jensen is chippy, and he sometimes gets himself into trouble he can’t get himself out of.”

She meant, he liked to take dirty shots at players but sometimes couldn’t handle it when they came back at him. “So?”

“I want you to defend him.”

“No fucking way.”

“When someone goes after him, you go after them.”

“Half the time he deserves it.”

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