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Tony takes out his phone and goes right back to work.
He goes outside.
I look back and see the glass I never threw.
“Screw it,” I whisper.
I grab the glass and throw it against the wall as hard as I can.
Trey, Ranger, and PJ show up.
Tony called them on his way over.
“You look like shit,” Trey calls out to me.
“Why is there glass on the floor?” PJ asks.
“Why didn’t you tell us about the kid?” Ranger asks.
Tony comes back inside. He tucks his phone into his suit jacket. “Hey, guys. Thanks for showing up.” Tony looks at me. “I’ve got security watching Piper’s house, okay? Nobody will know they’re there. It’s not some zoo over there either. It’s a quiet street. I’ll keep them there as long as you want, Cutter. Okay?”
“That’s the best you’ve got for me?” I ask.
“The best I’ve got for now, Cutter,” Tony says. “We have to agree on how to address this whole thing.”
“It’s not about fucking baseball anymore,” I yell.
“No shit,” PJ says. “It’s about that woman. The one that was here.”
“You met her?” Tony asks.
“Long story,” Trey says.
Ranger walks up to me and gets in my face. He knows the risk of that. He doesn’t care.
“Quit messing around with this, Cutter,” Ranger says. “You want to take care of her? Go take care of her. You love her? Go tell her that. Go figure this all out.”
“I’m going to take relationship advice from you?” I ask.
“No. Don’t. Stand here and throw cups at the wall and yell at your agent. This is your shit, Cutter. You’re right. This isn’t about baseball anymore.”
“Someone’s been blackmailing me,” I say. “Okay? With this story. It’s been happening for a while. Last time we paid the person off and they went away.”
“What the hell, Cutter,” Trey says.
“It was a business move at the time,” Tony says. “Contract year. Had to keep things quiet and clean.”
“Of course,” PJ says. “Fucking agents. Always lining their pockets.”
“Yeah, I was the only one who made money on the deal,” Tony says.
“Just everyone shut up,” I growl. I shut my eyes for a second. “I didn’t come to this town for this. It was supposed to be quiet. I swim for a little bit. Heal up. The story of me pushing the old woman in front of the car goes away. Then I come back to the game.”
“It’s not like life to mess up your plans, huh?” Ranger asks, his voice laced with sarcasm.
“Just go to her, man,” PJ says. “Why act like a pussy right now?”
I lunge for PJ.
