I flip on the light and settle into Jenna’s desk chair to wait. I leave the door three-quarters of the way open so I can easily see Brienne’s office door. Keller will see me sitting in here if he cranes his neck all the way around after passing, but hopefully, he’ll keep walking.
It doesn’t take long before Keller arrives, and he walks right past Jenna’s office with his shoulders thrown back and his chin lifted defiantly. He knows why he’s being called in, and I have no clue what he’ll say to justify his comments.
Callum greets him at the door silently. Keller enters, and the door closes.
I note the time on my phone and settle back to wait. I shoot off a text to Baden, Stone, and Jenna. I told Callum and Brienne what happened. Keller is in with them now.
Jenna texts back immediately. We’re in the lounge waiting for you. I’m sorry this happened.
Sweet woman. Worried about me and not herself. She’s so upset about possible repercussions, I don’t think she’s had time to process the hurtfulness of Keller’s words.
Don’t you dare be sorry. That asshole had it coming.
Jenna doesn’t respond, but Baden does. He absolutely had it coming.
Stone pipes in. Honestly, we weren’t even really trying to pull you off him.
I laugh and type that exact emoji in response. Then I text. Hang tight. I’ll be down soon.
Raised voices from within Brienne’s office catch my attention, and I strain to hear specifics but cannot. Keller is the loudest as he rants and rails about something, and I hear him mention my name as well as Coen’s. Not sure what he has to do with any of this, but then it goes very quiet.
Several minutes pass and then to my surprise, two men walk by Jenna’s office. Two big, burly men dressed in dark suits.
Security.
Oh, shit.
They knock on Brienne’s door, and I lean to the right to see clearer. Callum opens it wide, and Keller is standing right there.
“Gentlemen,” Brienne says as she stands from her desk. “If you’ll escort Mr. Keller to his vehicle. He’s no longer welcome at this arena.”
Holy fuck.
The men step to the side as Keller walks out of the office. His face is pinched in anger, his cheeks tinged cherry red. The security guards don’t touch Keller but step in closer as they start walking my way. I don’t even try to hide, instead staring at the coach.
Well, ex-coach, it seems.
Keller’s eyes come to mine, and he growls as he walks by, “Fuck you, Heyward.”
I don’t respond and actually jolt when Callum calls me. “Gage… if you’ll come back in.”
Brienne moves around her desk and meets me just inside the doorway to her office. Arms folded over her chest, she says, “I’ve terminated Keller’s contract. I’ve also agreed to pay the full contract price to him in exchange for him signing a confidentiality agreement not to talk about this incident nor disparage the team in any way. I know Jenna would be extremely uncomfortable if he were to run his mouth so I’m sure the money and confidentiality agreement will keep her protected. We’ve agreed that the press release will cite he’s leaving by mutual agreement, to keep disruption at a minimum. Keller has also agreed not to press criminal charges against you. Do you have any problem with the way this was handled?”
“Absolutely not,” I reply without hesitation. I’m shocked. I thought I might be fired, but never did I think they’d cut Keller loose over this. I’m relieved he won’t involve the police because as it stands, I assaulted him. I want to feel guilty about that—outside of a legitimate fight on the ice, I’ve never been moved to violence before. But I’m grateful Brienne negotiated with him not to press charges.
My respect and admiration for Brienne—quite high to begin with—soars for her quick and decisive action. Although Coach Keller has done many things that have rubbed people wrong, it was his comments about Jenna that prompted Brienne to action.
Callum nods at the door. “Go get your head ready for the game.”
“Thank you both,” I say, not sure if that’s appropriate. I have no desire to talk about this further, and it seems I’m getting a pass for now. I turn on my heel and leave.
Jenna, Baden, and Stone are in the lounge, standing in the corner talking with worried expressions on their faces. It’s Jenna who sees me first as I approach. “What happened?”
“I told Callum, and he got Brienne involved. They called Keller up and fired him.”
“Oh, shit,” Baden mutters. “I better see what’s going on.”
Lots and lots of fallout, I suspect, but what it means is anyone’s guess.
As Baden walks away, Jenna’s phone rings, and she fishes it out of her back pocket. “That’s Brienne.”
She connects the call and listens for a few seconds before saying, “I’ll handle it.”
Jenna’s eyes come to me. “She wants me to cancel the filming with Keller. Said to send the film crew up to the owner’s box.” She moves before me, rises on her tiptoes, and gives me a quick kiss. “Again… I’m sorry this happened.”
My hand goes to the back of her neck. “Not your fault. This is all on Keller, and then me.”
“It’s on Keller,” she corrects. She kisses me again and walks away, my eyes following her until she’s out of sight.
“So,” Stone drawls lazily, “you and Jenna… clearly together.”
“What gave you that impression?” I ask dryly.
Stone laughs, which is totally inappropriate. “Oh, the fact you attacked our coach over her. Also, the kissing part.” He claps his hand on my shoulder. “Would have done the same fucking thing if that had been Harlow.”
Our phones chime with texts, the simultaneous nature indicating they’re probably the same message for both of us.
We pull out our phones, and I see it’s a team text thread used to communicate important info. Team meeting now. Locker room ASAP.
Stone murmurs as he looks up at me. “It’s going down.”
“Jesus, this all happened so fast.” Like so fucking fast, my head is spinning.
♦
Because players are scattered throughout the arena, it takes a few minutes for everyone to congregate. Callum walks in with the other coaches on his heels—Baden, assistant coach Bill Perry, and the two associate coaches, Maurice Dupont and Sam Thatcher. The coaches all stay by the door, but Callum walks to the edge of the half circle formed by the team cubbies. It’s where a coach would normally stand to deliver a pregame talk.
“Effective immediately, Matt Keller has been released from the organization. I’ve named Bill Perry as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. I know this is a shock, and while I won’t share details, just know it had to be done as expeditiously as possible. Brienne wanted me to convey to you all her confidence that you’ll handle this as the professional and tenacious players she knows you to be, and asks that you treat this situation as a chance for the team to bond even closer. I know I speak on behalf of Brienne when I tell you that we both want you to go out there and hand Brooklyn their asses.”
The men collectively roar their approval, and I wonder how much of that excitement has to do with the fact that Keller—who has rubbed everyone the wrong way since day one—is gone.