Imaginary Lines (New York Leopards 3)

I knew who the uniform police were. Players could get fined for having the wrong socks or any brand advertised that wasn’t the NFL’s official sponsor. If players wore a college cap instead of an NFL-approved one, they were out the equivalent of a semester’s tuition. “Why’s he get written up?”

TJ shrugged again. “He wears a bracelet.”

Funny sparks lit up the back of my neck. “Where from?”

“Dunno.”

He’d mentioned that before. A bracelet. He said he kissed it before the game.

That was so unlike him.

I cleared my mind and smiled at TJ. “Cool. Hey, so I noticed you wear a Loft 2530 helmet. Why’s that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, been wearing one since college.”

“Yeah? You remember who started you on it?”

“I think my coach?”

From behind me, a voice like polished wood sounded. “You’re not still going on about helmets, are you?”

Tingles shot straight through me, and my stomach clenched in anticipation. I was both absolutely terrified and absolutely delighted to see Abe again, and I held my breath as I turned to include him in my view. “Hi.”

But instead of smiling, he wore a slight frown on his face and a crease between his brows. “TJ, beat it.”

TJ, for whatever reason, bought it and left.

My mouth actually fell open as I watched him go, and then I swung around to face Abraham. “Abraham! I was talking to him.”

He rubbed his jaw. “I don’t suppose you’ll just drop the Loft stuff?”

“And you realize you just made me fifty times more interested by saying that?”

He shrugged. “I just don’t think that’s a story.”

“Abe—you haven’t forgotten I’m a reporter, right? You can’t keep interrupting me.”

“Maybe I’m trying to keep you safe.”

“Maybe that’s not your job.”

“For God’s sake, Tammy, don’t be so stubborn. Can’t you trust that I know what I’m talking about?”

I didn’t actually have a clue what he was talking about, only that I didn’t like his overbearing tone and that he seemed to think that feeling me up gave him the right to order me around and mess with my job. “Don’t call me a fool.”

“Then don’t act like one!”

My face scrunched up and I had to tighten the muscles around my eyes to keep the hurt in. “You’re being a jerk.”

“And you’re being pushy.”

Part of me wanted to back down, but a larger part didn’t want Abe to get the right of it. “I told you. Sports Today is doing real news, not just fluff lists and flattering managers and coaches. So I report. And that means being a little bit pushy. You have a problem with that?”

A hand landed on my arm and gave a quick squeeze; I glanced over to see Mduduzi had pushed through the crowd of press and players to my side, and Jin had followed in his wake. Apparently just in time to hear my defensive tone. Now he countered it with a soothing one. “Of course, Sports Today is also extremely interested in keeping our relationship with the team healthy.”

Abe looked at the hand on my arm, and despite feeling like he was trying to impose on my career, I also felt a strange satisfaction at the displeasure on Abe’s face. He fought it off and looked back and forth between the guys. “Jin and Mduduzi, right?”