Linebacker's Second Chance (Bad Boy Ballers) Read Online Free Page A

thought of me too, if she’s looked me up, if she knows what I’m doing for Carolina with each game I play. And, as I pull into the stadium, I have the fleeting thought that it might not be bad if she and I had another chance. Not that she’d grant me one. No sir.
    When we start practice, I have the woozy, unsteady feeling that comes with trying to stave off a hangover, and my plays are shit. And what do you know—Eddie Davidson, the damn owner of the team—has decided to show up for practice this morning. There’s some girl with him who looks vaguely familiar. Like I’ve seen her on TV, or a commercial. Maybe the cover of an album on iTunes. Some celebrity chick—she’s not half-bad looking, and I see her looking over at me every once in a while.  
    For that matter, so does Eddie. Hell.
    I keep up with practice, but there’s a feeling that this is bad . I know there are dark circles under my eyes. I know that this man watches his players for weaknesses, that he wants to craft the best team in the NFL, that he looks for weak links to get rid of. I remind myself over and over that I’m no weak link. I’m the strongest defensive player on the team, and I’m beyond reproach when it comes to playing. There are a few times I fumble with the ball, a few times where I forget to pass when I should, a few sprints where I’m slower than I should be. But he wouldn’t get rid of a player like me, wouldn’t believe the rumors circulating about me and the parties I throw.  
    No, he wouldn’t.  
    Macklin Pride owns the NFL, for real, with our without the woman he was supposed to marry. With or without sobriety. And no one is getting in the way of that. Not Eddie Davidson. Not the coach. Not the damn women following me around, no one. I keep repeating the thoughts circling around in my head. The wooziness takes me again at the end of practice, though, and I slip, falling among the lineup of other players. When I look up, Eddie Davidson is staring right at me, and the girl with him is whispering something in his ear. A sinking feeling takes over my gut, and I know that Wingate will have plenty to say about all this.
    I look over to the seat where Wingate usually is and see him on the phone, scowling and staring right at me. As I get up, my friend Darius helping me to my feet, I feel like I can almost read the words on Wingate’s lips. What is he saying? But, then he hangs up the phone and slides it in his pocket.  
    Before the game, I shake it all off.  
    I can win this game, and that’s all that matters.
    I’m Macklin Pride, and I can deal with anything that gets thrown at me.
    No more sadness, no more fuck-ups, no more slips or falls. I got this.  
    The only thing is I don’t have this. We win the game, but just barely, and there’s no question I had nothing to do with that win. There’s no way Eddie didn’t notice. But maybe he’ll forget before the next season begins…  
    And there’s no way he doesn’t notice that I kick us right the hell out of the playoffs and ruin our chances for the Super Bowl. Goddammit.
    There are always more parties, more women, more fun to be had. I can ramp that up now that our team is moving along to the next round.  
    And maybe I’ll blend into the background.  
    And forget, finally, about Renata.

CHAPTER FOUR

    “You can’t expect me to work with Macklin Pride.” I try to keep my face calm as I look at my boss Rich, the man at the head of the agency. I’ve never refused to work with a client before, but the moment this one came across my desk, I started practicing my rejection speech.  
    Rich just looks at me like I have a horn growing directly from the center of my forehead.  
    It’s confusing, I admit. I’m sure a job working on the league’s most notorious linebacker would look good on my roster, not to mention my bank account.  
    Even if I’ve never shown my line to Rich before, well, I’ve got one. Its name is Macklin Pride. And I’ll be damned if I’m