Keeping Score

Troy hesitated. “Andy sent it to me.”

Warrick froze. Andrea Benson, Troy’s girlfriend and the new features writer for The New York Times, was in Brooklyn. He squeezed his eyes shut. “So Mary already knows.”

“Probably.” Troy answered on a sigh of resignation.

Warrick scrubbed his face with his hands. “Son of a—”

“Listen, Rick. I know you need to talk with Mary, but I need a few minutes first.”

He faced his friend. “For what?”

“To try to prepare you.” Troy dropped his arms. “This has spread all over New York. It’s probably followed us to Miami.”

Warrick crossed the room again. “Doesn’t anyone care about the play-offs? Why is my sex life so much more important?”

“Sometimes the media plays to the lowest common denominator.”

Marilyn was right. The media’s criticism of his game was one thing. It wasn’t as easy to shake off their personal attacks.

Warrick hooked his hands on his hips. “First the photos, now this. What’s next?”

“You may not want to ask that.” Troy’s tone was dry. “The media attention was bad before. It’s going to get worse.”

A pulse beat viciously in Warrick’s temple. “The media printed naked pictures of my wife in a newspaper, posted photos of us making love on a Web site, and gave a crazy woman airtime to accuse me of cheating on my wife. How could it possibly get worse?”

“I know you’re frustrated.”

“That’s an understatement.” Warrick dropped onto the bed. He propped his elbows on his knees and gripped his head with his hands. “I want them to leave us alone.”

“So do I.”

He lowered his arms and raised his gaze to Troy’s. “What do you suggest I do? Call a press conference?”

Troy smoothed his goatee. “It would be your word against Jordan Hyatt’s, which would keep this story alive. We need something more so we can kill it.”

“Like what?” Temper propelled Warrick from the bed. He marched back to the window. “Photos of me not having sex with her? How do you prove a negative, Troy?”

“Andy’s investigating Jordan Hyatt’s background, her personal and professional connections. She’s looking for a concrete link we could use to discredit her.”

Warrick turned to consider the other man. “What if she doesn’t find one?”

A confident smile curved Troy’s lips. “She will.”

Warrick rubbed the back of his neck. “Why would she help me? Is she doing this for the story?”

“She’s doing this for me.” Troy’s voice cooled.

Warrick was treading sensitive ground because of Troy’s romantic relationship with the reporter. “My personal and professional lives are on the line. So are Mary’s. I have a right and very good reasons to ask what’s motivating the people who offer to help me.”

Troy narrowed his gaze. “Andy’s proven she’s a fair reporter. She cares about the truth.”

“You’re right. I apologize.” Warrick turned back to the window. “I’d almost forgotten decent reporters existed.” He heard Troy’s approach.

His friend squeezed his shoulder. “They do. Jordan Hyatt has had her fifteen minutes of fame. But we’ll discredit her.”

Warrick wasn’t as confident. There was too much at stake. “What if Andrea doesn’t find anything?”

“Andy’s persistent. She’ll find something. She knows how important this is to the team. And to me.”