Page 124 of The Goat in the Bedroom
“We go nuclear,” Gryff said. “Full press release. Social media blast. Everything.”
“They'll cave,” Bridger said confidently. “No company wants this kind of scandal.”
I looked around our living room—at Bridger who'd stayed to help, at Penelope with her color-coded spreadsheets, or what was left of them after Holly's snack, at Sean and Ren who'd become our strategic advisors, at Flynn and Tempest ready for war, at Gryff who'd become the unofficial leader of a coalition of closeted athletes.
This was what family looked like. Not just blood, but choice. Not just acceptance, but protection.
“We're really doing this,” I said.
“Together,” Gryff confirmed, pulling me against his side.
Vincent chose that moment to hop onto the coffee table and knock over Penelope's carefully reorganized papers, because even in crisis mode, goats were gonna goat.
“Your children are agents of chaos,” Penelope informed us again.
“They learned from the best,” I said, looking at my beautiful, chaotic, protective family.
Friday couldn't come fast enough.
Sloane Mitchell was about to learn what happened when you came for the Kingmans.
LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO
GRYFF
Friday. Deadline day.
I'd been awake since four in the morning, running through everything that was about to happen. In a few hours, Sloane Mitchell would walk into the Bandits practice facility thinking she held all the cards. She had no idea we'd stacked the entire deck against her.
My phone buzzed with another text from one of the guys she'd been blackmailing.
JAMIE
You're sure this is going to work?
Trust me. After today, she'll never bother any of us again.
I can't thank you enough man. I haven't slept in weeks.
Just hang tight. I'll text you when it's done.
Three more similar texts came in while I was getting dressed. Seven players across teams nationwide, all rookies, all queer, allchosen specifically by Sloane for maximum drama potential. She thought she was so clever, so untouchable.
She was about to learn what happened when you came for a Kingman.
Flynn was already at the facility when I arrived, tossing a ball back and forth with the Tyson.
“You ready for this?” he asked, jogging over.
“Ready to end it,” I said. “Coach knows?”
“Coach, the owners, PR, legal. Everyone's on board. They're as pissed as we are. Apparently, Mr. Bandelman's nephew is gay, and when he heard what Sloane was doing...” Flynn shook his head. “Let's just say she picked the wrong team to mess with.”
Whoa. It was pretty damn big to have the owner behind us too. “Any word from Parker?”
“She's with Artie and your dad. They'll be here at nine-thirty, right when Sloane usually shows up to film Friday practice segments.”
Parker was our secret weapon and a certified genius. Her job in the FlixNChill IT department had not only helped her get the goods on Sloane, but it had all been done legally. Cybersecurity for the win. What she'd found in two days of digging made Sloane's blackmail attempts look like child's play.
