Five

Allison

I’m about to walk into the living room carrying my takeout pizza box that I just paid for when my phone starts ringing. I see that it’s Doug.

“Hello,” I answer, fumbling with the pizza and the phone.

“There has been a situation that has come up. I think we should do damage control before the media gets hold of the story.”

I drop the pizza, running upstairs two at a time, getting ready to change. “Yes, where do you want me to meet you?” I say out of breath.

“I’ll be at your place in one minute with the situation. We just parked.”

Shit, I look down at my outfit. My pants are a light gray, almost a velour kind. With matching tank crop top, I’m wearing a long knitted sweater that I pull together just as the doorbell rings. “Fuck.”

I run downstairs, almost fucking tripping on the long sweater. I open the door and gawk as soon as I see who comes in after Doug. Fucking Max.

“I’m sorry we just came here. We have to handle this fast. It’s been forty-five minutes since it happened, and I think the news is going to run a story in fifteen,” Doug says, walking into the living room, picking up the remote, and turning on SportsCenter. Max doesn’t make eye contact with me as he walks through the door, following Doug. He doesn’t go to sit. Instead, he goes to stand and looks out the big window.

“So what’s the situation that we need to handle?” I ask, walking into the room, standing in the middle of Doug and Max.

“Max just got arrested of sorts,” Doug says, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Of course he did,” I say under my breath, shaking my head while his head snaps up. “Two days. I’ve been on the job two days. What was he sort of arrested for?” I ask, folding my arms now as my sweater opens.

“Aggravated assault.”

“Seriously. How old are you?” I ask him and turn to Doug. “What could I possibly do with this? He assaulted someone.”

“The man was high as a kite,” Doug says. “I don’t know what you need to do, but we have to put it out before the hounds get it and make it worse than it is.”

“Worse than it is, are you serious right now? This is what, his fifth arrest? I’m good, but I’m not that fucking good.”

“I’m out,” Max says, nodding at Doug. “My ride is here. I trust you to do whatever you need to do.”

I watch a car arrive and a girl gets out.

“Seriously, all this for a girl?” I shake my head. “Did you for once just think with your head and not your dick?” I throw my hands up as soon as Doug says my name.

“Told you before, princess, don’t worry about where I put my dick. Now do what you’re paid to do and make me the knight in fucking shining armor.” He slams the door on the way out and I watch him run down the stairs and take the woman in his arms, holding her head, and leaning down to kiss her forehead. I don’t stand here long before I turn around.

“You’re way off base here, Allison,” Doug says, sitting down. “He was arrested for protecting his sister, who was being roughed up by a drugged up man.” He punches in some number on his phone, then puts it to his ear. “What do you have for me?” he asks whoever it is on the phone and my head goes back to the window only to be met with the darkness from outside.

“We do as he says,” I say. “He’s the knight in shining armor. We don’t have to give his sister’s name, but he came to the rescue of a damsel in distress. Paint him as a hero.” I pick up my phone, calling my contact at SportsCenter. “Hey, Erin, do I have a scoop for you,” I say when she answers.

“From word on the street, you got a bad boy showing his stripes again,” she says right away.

“You think I would call you if I knew that he was guilty? Please, how long have we known each other? Since grade school.” I thank my lucky stars that we had sleepovers and I stayed friends with everyone. “He was protecting a woman.”

“Is it someone he’s dating?” She bites right away.

“You know I won’t give you that information.” I laugh and turn around to see Doug. “But she was being manhandled by a man who was not only intoxicated, he was high.”

“Shut up,” she says while she slams her hand on her desk. “You’re lying.”

“Would I lie to you? I swear. Listen, you run this story, I’ll get you first dibs on his interview when he’s able to talk about it.” Fuck, he better fucking agree to this.

“You got yourself a deal. I just saw some video from the bar. Someone sent it. Your bad boy just became a hero,” she says, disconnecting the call.

“That was incredible,” Doug says. “Worth every penny.” He opens the pizza box. “You still owe him an apology.” He grabs a slice, eating it.

“Yeah, yeah, he’s right, it’s my job,” I say with my hand in the air, and we both turn when SportsCenter brings up Max’s name.

“The good deed of the night goes to Max Horton from the New York Stingers. Max Horton stepped in to protect a woman from being assaulted by an inebriated man. We have a video footage, and I have to say”—the reporter turns to her co-anchor, who is a man—“who wouldn’t want to be saved by Max?” She laughs and they switch topics.

I close off the television and Doug gets up.

“Okay, kid, I’m out. You did good tonight. Hard, but good.” He smiles and walks out, slamming the door lightly.

I look at the pizza box, but my stomach feels ill. I jumped the gun and accused him before I had all the details. I shake my head. I have to be neutral.

I pick up my phone and call the only person I know who will somehow understand me—my mom.

“Hey, sweetheart.” She answers right away.

“Hey, Mom,” I say softly while I pick at lint that is on my pants now that I’m curled up on the couch.

“What’s the matter?” Her voice goes tight right away and I hear her walk away from the noise.

“Nothing.” I try to pretend, but a tear sneaks out. “Max was charged with assault today.”

“Okay,” she says, confused.

“I already deemed him guilty and was not a nice person to him.”

“It’s normal, honey. After everything that happened with your brother, you don’t trust him.”

“Mom, that’s the thing; it’s my job to be on his side of sort, but all I did was stand there and shit on him. When in fact he was protecting his sister.”

My mother gasps. “Honey, you had no idea. You can’t blame yourself. Did you do your job in the end?”

I nod. “Yes, but I felt like a bitch, Mom. He brings out the worst in me. It’s been two days and each time I end up wanting to throat punch him. He complained today I shouldn’t work out in the gym because my yoga pants are provocative.”

My mother laughs. “Oh, dear God.”

“Then I told Matthew and he actually fucking agreed with him,” I bark. “Agreed with Douchebag Max.”

“Honey, I don’t know what is going on, but I do know that you aren’t the bitch you think you are. I mean, bitchy yes, but you get that from me.”

I laugh at her.

“But now you know to listen to the story before flying off the handle.”

“I do. I think I’m going to send him an email apologizing.” I sit up, walking to the door, and getting my laptop.

“You do what you need to do,” she says softly. “And if he doesn’t accept it, well, at least you know you tried,” she says right before I hear Cooper in the background.

“What happened?”

I hear her mumbling nothing before coming back to me.

“Now if you’re okay, I need to go and save Zoe.”

“What did she do this time?” I laugh, thinking about my wild twin sisters.

“She slipped some sleeping pills in her tutor’s coffee this morning. Needless to say, we got home to a snoring Mrs. Hendreick.”

“Oh my gosh.” I laugh out. “Okay, Mom, thank you for this.”

“Anytime, sweetheart. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” I say, disconnecting the call.

I pull up my email on my laptop, composing the email.

To: Max Horton

From: Allison Grant

Subject: Tonight

Hey Max,

I just wanted to say I’m sorry about jumping the gun tonight and accusing you before knowing all the facts. I got them to spin the whole knight in shining armor thing. You will have to grant them an exclusive interview when all charges are dropped.

Again, I’m sorry.

Allison

I press send and sit here waiting, for what, I have no idea. I’m expecting him to answer right away. After thirty minutes of me just waiting, I get up, close my laptop, and close up the house. I put on the alarm, a stipulation that Cooper wasn’t willing to take no on. It also came with cameras around the house. I walk upstairs doing my nighttime routine, checking my phone one last time, and seeing nothing come in. Sleep doesn’t come easy for me that night. I keep replaying the scene in my head all night, tossing and turning, and when my alarm finally rings at seven a.m. I look like I just pulled an all-nighter.

I get up, grabbing my black capris, with a white T-shirt, matching it with a pink jacket. I grab my black ballerina shoes, then my phone, checking it again, and seeing nothing from Max.

I make my way to the office, nodding at people when I walk in. I put my things down and go about finding Max. I peek in the gym and find out he’s not there. I check the kitchen, the dressing room, and come up empty. I’m walking back to my office and knock into someone.

I’m expecting to see Max, but it’s not him. It’s Ryder, a first-year rookie.

“Hey there,” he says, smiling. “Looking for something?”

He’s dressed in his workout gear with his name on his shirt.

“Yeah, sorry, I was looking for Matthew or Max?” I smile at him. “Have you seen them?”

“I just left Max in the kitchen and Matthew will be here only this afternoon.”

I nod at him. “Thank you so much, Ryder. See you around.”

I make my way back to the kitchen and walk in when I hear Phil. “Jesus fuck, it’s like bad luck follows you everywhere.” He shakes his head, walking away from Max, who is sitting down eating his heaping plate of breakfast.

“Hey, I was looking for you,” I say to him and his head doesn’t come up. He’s wearing the same baseball hat that he had on yesterday, and he didn’t shave this morning.

“Well, you found me,” he says to his food and not me.

I look around and see that it’s slowly starting to get busy. “I wanted to just say that I’m sorry for jumping the gun yesterday. I should have listened to your side before I said anything.” I trail off because his eyes shoot up, and they are as bloodshot as mine are.

“Forget about it,” he says, his voice gruff. “In the end, you did what you’re paid to do.”

“I think we got off on the wrong foot.” I try to say, but he laughs.

“We aren’t off to anything. How about this? You stay out of my way and make sure we never have to work together.” His tone is hard.

“We work together. We will be traveling together.” I cross my arms.

“We don’t need to be friends,” he says, finishing off his plate. How he could finish that heap in five minutes is beyond me. “You do your thing, let me do mine. I won’t assume you’re always a bitch and you can assume I’m not always an asshole. How’s that?”

I grind my teeth together. “Fine,” I say, storming out. “Not always an asshole. His middle name should be asshole,” I say to myself, walking into my office and closing the door, leaning on the back of it. “I’m going to do my thing and have him do his. I can do this.” I go to my desk and do just that, my job.