Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 163209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 816(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 816(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
Raven drills were still on hold, so Jeremy was able to drive all three of his friends home after practice. Someone was waiting on the steps for them, idly tapping a pen to his notepad, but he perked up as Jeremy pulled up behind Laila’s car. Jeremy motioned for Jean to stay put but got out and approached the stranger with an easygoing smile.
“Evening,” he said. “Can I help you?”
“Jeremy Knox,” the man said, pointing his pencil up at Jeremy in recognition. “Hoping to have a couple words with your teammate. You told my colleague to come back at a more reasonable time, so here I am.”
“I asked him to arrange something with Coach,” Jeremy clarified as he settled in at the man’s side. “I don’t begrudge you trying to do your job, but I’ve got to put the safety of my teammates first. Having unknown faces show up at their home at all hours is a little off-putting, don’t you think?”
“The sooner he talks, the sooner I’ll be on my way,” the man said.
Jeremy followed the man’s gaze to his car. Jean wasn’t even looking at them; he was looking over his left shoulder toward the backseat. Cat’s hands were moving as she talked, and Laila had her phone at her ear. Laila hadn’t trusted the police since high school, so he assumed she was talking to her family. Jeremy offered the reporter a conspiratorial smile as he tried to get his attention back.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you even know he was here? We really thought we were sneaky.”
“Don’t ask me. Came through as an anonymous tip.”
“Oh? That’s interesting.” Jeremy got only a shrug in response. “But I really do have to ask you to leave. First day of school’s always a bit of an adjustment, yeah? Everyone’s tired and hungry; we haven’t even been able to have a proper dinner yet. I can give you Coach Rhemann’s number if you want to try and contact him tomorrow for a possible interview slot.”
“It’s three questions,” the man said. “It’ll be faster if he cooperates.”
“Perhaps,” Jeremy allowed, “but you’re not going to talk to him tonight.”
The man shrugged and pointed his pen at Jeremy. “How do you see this working out? If you keep asking me to leave, and I keep saying no, then what? I don’t imagine you’ll call your uncle on me, Knox.”
“I’ve been rude,” Jeremy said. “I never asked your name and association.”
It earned him a cheeky grin. “No offense, but I’m not that stupid.”
Laila got out of the car and came to stand in front of them. She clasped her hands together in front of her and offered the reporter her politest smile as she said, “Good evening. I’m afraid I’m not comfortable with unfamiliar men loitering outside of my house, so I’m going to ask you to leave. Preferably before my security team arrives in the neighborhood.”
“Ah, Miss Dermott. One or two questions for the road?”
“Do you need Coach Rhemann’s contact information?” Laila asked.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
He got to his feet, dusted off his pants, and went to where he’d parked halfway down the street. Jeremy watched for him to leave before accepting Laila’s hand up. He answered her questioning stare with a helpless shrug and, “Said the address was an anonymous tip. Wouldn’t give up his employer but works with at least one of this morning’s guests. Security a real thing?”
“Gary installed the cameras and alarms around lunch,” Laila confirmed, glancing past him toward her front door. “And yes, he hired some private security to sit on the house overnight for a week. Hopefully once the press realizes we’re serious about not sharing our time they’ll give up and we can go back to normal.”
She motioned an all-clear to the others, and Cat and Jean finally got out of the car. Jeremy tweaked Laila’s hair and asked, “Do you want me to stay a while just in case?”
“I want you to stay,” Laila said, with a meaningful look. “Good night, Jeremy.”
He waited until they were all inside, then got back in his car alone and started the long drive home alone.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jean
Jean’s first week at USC was a bit of a mess, but at least it was an eye-opening experience. Laila had secured them a pair of private security guards to watch the house and escort them to class in the morning, but there was always one or two reporters following along. They couldn’t approach, but they snapped nonstop pictures just to be aggravating and called their intrusive questions over to Jean the whole walk.
By Tuesday the hungry press had figured out campus was where they were most vulnerable, and they started camping outside of Lyon to follow the Trojans to class. Rhemann immediately filed a complaint with the university. By the following morning half of the campus entry points were barricaded and security desks guarded the rest. Anyone needing entry to campus needed a written invitation from the faculty or a student ID. It successfully locked the reporters out, but the extra steps for access were unpopular with Jean’s teammates.