Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 87395 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87395 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
"I can't tell Riko no!"
"Then don't say a word," Wymack said. "Keep your mouth shut and let me and Andrew do the talking. Yes, Andrew. Don't tell me you forgot about that psycho. I've got Betsy's number on speed dial. Want me to put you through to her office so you can talk to him? Want to tell him you're thinking about going back?"
Silence followed that. Neil waited, holding his breath, until Wymack spoke again. He was quieter this time, but concern made his voice more gruff than comforting.
"I'm not letting you go back there," Wymack said. "Nothing says I have to. Your contract says you belong to me. He can send us all the money he wants, but you have to sign off on it before it means anything, and you're not going to. Okay? You let me and Andrew worry about Riko fuck-face. You worry about getting your game and team where they need to be. You promised me you could get us past the fourth match this year."
"That was before," Kevin said, miserable. "This is now."
"The ERC is giving us until June before they break the news. They saw how many security issues we had over your transfer, so they're waiting until everyone's here where I can keep an eye on them. I told you because you need to know, but I need you to keep it from Andrew until then. Tell me you can see Andrew today and not completely freak out."
"Andrew will figure it out. He's not stupid."
"Then you have to be the better liar," Wymack said in a hard voice. "The ERC is looking for a reason to take him away from us, and you know they won't give him back. Then where will you be?"
They were quiet for so long Neil thought they might be done. Finally Kevin said, "Give me your phone."
"If you think I'm going to let you use my phone to call him, you—"
"Jean," Kevin cut in. "I have to call Jean. I have to hear him say it."
Apparently that was an acceptable compromise, because Wymack stopped arguing. Neil looked over his shoulder, wondering if he should make a break for it. He didn't know what was going on, but it had to be awful if it'd brought Kevin this far off his condescending perch. He was debating how quietly he could slip out the door when Kevin spoke. Kevin's bleak tone brought Neil up short, as did the French Kevin was speaking.
"Tell me it isn't true," Kevin said. "Tell me he didn't."
Neil couldn't hear the answer, but the sharp slap of the phone snapping shut again said it wasn't the one Kevin wanted. The couch creaked under someone's body weight and Neil imagined Kevin sinking onto the cushion in despair.
"Wait here," Wymack said, and a few seconds later he stepped into the hallway. He started a little when he spotted Neil at the end of the hallway but said nothing. Neil watched as he disappeared into the kitchen. He recognized the sound of Wymack's liquor cabinet by now, the click of the lock and the soft clink of the glass doors. Wymack returned with a handle of vodka and dropped it off with Kevin.
"Drink," he said from out of sight. "I'll be right back."
Wymack came back to the hallway. Neil pointed over his shoulder at the door in a question. Wymack followed Neil out of his apartment and closed the door behind him. Neil looked down the hall for stray eavesdroppers, but the other doors were closed.
"I wasn't going to tell anyone else until June," Wymack said. "How much did you hear?"
"Kevin's having a nervous breakdown," Neil said. "I don't know why."
"Edgar Allen put in a transfer request with the ERC and it was approved this morning. They're part of the southeastern district effective June 1st."
It took a minute for Wymack's words to make sense. When it clicked, Neil's stomach bottomed out. It'd been hard enough facing Kevin in Arizona. How could Neil risk meeting Riko too? Just because Kevin didn't remember Neil didn't mean Riko wouldn't either. Neil didn't want to find out the hard way if Riko had the better memory of the two.
"That's impossible," Neil said.
"Not really. They're the only NCAA Exy team in West Virginia, so it was as easy as a vote and a couple signatures."
"That's impossible," Neil said again. "We can't play the Ravens. What sane board pits the best and worst teams against each other?"
"One that knows there's a lot to gain from it," Wymack said. "Kevin's transfer created a lot of backlash, but it also generated a lot of new interest in Exy. The ERC wants to follow it through to the natural conclusion: Kevin and Riko's reunion on the court, but this time as rivals for the first time ever. It doesn't matter who wins. They know what publicity and funding they can score with such a move."
"I can't play against Riko," Neil said. "I'm not ready."
"Riko isn't your problem," Wymack said. "Leave him to Matt. Your problem is getting around his backliners and goalkeeper."
"Can't you protest?" Neil said. "They're setting us up for a match everyone knows we can't win."
"I could, but it won't do any good," Wymack said. "The ERC doesn't do take-backs, especially when it means spurning a Moriyama. There's something you need to know about the Moriyamas, but I didn't want to have this conversation with you yet. I wanted you settled a bit more, or at least hoped you'd get to know the team better before I dropped this on you. Now that the ERC is forcing my hand, I don't have a lot of choices.
"What I'm going to tell you is an open secret. That is, we know it," he waved a finger in a circle, likely meaning the Foxes, "but no one outside our team does. It has to stay that way no matter what, do you understand? People could get hurt if this gets out. People could die."
Neil waved over his shoulder at the apartment doors. "What about them?"