Greg and Cassidy both nodded. David could see he was going to have to do all the talking.
“What can I do for you?” David asked.
“We’re going to talk until we come to an understanding.”
“About?”
“What am I supposed to do with this Oliver Shaw? I received some vague instructions that he was supposed to cry and mean it. How am I supposed to know if he means it?”
He had a good point, so David turned to Cassidy.
“This is your rodeo. Explain what you want.”
“I was drunk at a party, and Oliver offered to drive me home. I pointed out that he was also drunk and shouldn’t be driving. Still, he said that Australian men have a higher tolerance to alcohol, so he could drive,” Cassidy said.
Paddy looked at her, held up his thumb and index fingers, and moved them closer together to indicate she needed to shorten the story.
“Get to the point,” Greg said in a panicked whisper.
“I … uh … well … we wrecked, and I went to the hospital with multiple injuries that I’m still recovering from. His
drunk ass,” Cassidy said, heating up, “walked away and fled the country. I want him to pay.”
“Money?” Paddy asked.
Cassidy looked at David hopefully. One thing his little ninja was into was making an extra buck.
“He’s a college student on the lam,” David said.
“That doesn’t mean his family doesn’t have cash. After all, he is staying at his uncle’s place in the Kuta district of Bali, one of the hottest vacation spots for Australians. I could grab him and send them body parts until they pay up,” Paddy suggested.
David could see that Paddy would actually do that.
Before Cassidy got any ideas, David said, “She wants to meet him face-to-face and have a chance to explain how the accident has affected her life. Cassidy wants a genuine apology. If you need to break his arm to get it, that’s as far as the violence should go with Knackers.”
“Why not just hire some Aussie muscle and have them do it?” Paddy asked.
“Because you’re a professional and know how far to take it. I also don’t want this to come back to bite me in the ass,” David said.
“Fair enough. I’ll make sure he isn’t a problem,” Paddy said. “I only have one other condition. This one has to come too and handle the money. I don’t completely trust that one.”
It looked like Greg was getting a trip out of this. Paddy was probably right; Cassidy shouldn’t be left alone with that much cash. Not that she would take it … unless she could somehow justify it was hers.
“Fine,” David agreed.
“Then book the flights. We’ll leave tonight,” Paddy said and walked out of the room.
The tension level dropped about fifty notches. Paddy had a way of making your lizard brain start to scream ‘Danger!’
and your fight, flight, or freeze instincts kick in.
Greg was the first to complain.
“How am I going to explain going to Bali?”
“Tell Joey that David’s sending you there to arrange a trip for your parents. She’ll tell your mom, and there won’t be any questions asked,” Cassidy suggested, showing what an evil genius she was.
“Why would Cassidy go?” Greg asked, getting a nasty look from her in return.
“Because she’s been a pain lately, and I want her out of town in the hope she’ll come back more relaxed,” David said.
“You’re both about to feel some pain,” Cassidy threatened.
“I rest my case. Now I have to shower and get to class.
So get out of my dorm room,” David said to shoo them out.
After they left, Alex stuck his head out of his door.
“Who was that?”
“Someone you never, ever want to meet,” David said as he went into his room to shower.
◊◊◊
David wasn’t surprised to see Fritz, his head of security, waiting for him when he was ready to leave for class.
“Walk with me,” David said so he wouldn’t be late.
“What the hell was Paddy O’Malley doing in your room?”
David explained everything. While Fritz wasn’t happy, he had enough professional respect for the fixer to trust him to do the job without any collateral damage. His parting shot was that in the future, David had to run stuff like that past him before doing it.
David crossed his fingers behind his back and promised he would. He knew if he didn’t say the words, his dad would be called, leading to his mother finding out. If it came to that, he wanted the job done instead of hand-
wringing while everyone waited like the last time David had used Paddy.
◊◊◊
There are certain teams that you just own. The Cal Bears were that for USC, having won 14 straight going into today’s game. Even though USC had the best winning percentage in the conference, their average record in conference play over the last nine years was 6–3. But 14
straight was absurd when every member of the Pac-12 had at least two wins over the Trojans over that same period, with two exceptions. Those two were Colorado, who’d only joined the league eight years ago, and Cal.
It wasn’t like Cal was terrible, either. They’d averaged just under four wins a season and had only two less than Oregon State—tied with Arizona and Washington—and twelve better than Washington State. It seemed that every time they played USC, none of the breaks or calls went their way.
By game time, the Trojans were a confident bunch.
David joined his teammates on the sideline to start the game. Everyone was joking around and loose. This was the win that would make them bowl-eligible.
The first quarter went back and forth as the two teams felt each other out. At the start of the second quarter, USC
had driven the ball down to the three-yard line. Matt was under center when Bill went in motion. The ball was snapped as Bill cleared the linemen, and it was a simple pitch and catch as he walked into the end zone to take the lead.
Ten minutes later, USC was driving the ball. This time, from the twenty-three, it was first and ten. Matt was in the shotgun, and Bill was lined up wide left of the formation.
Bill turned his hips like he was going up the sideline, and the defensive back bit. Bill took an inside route straight up
the field with the defensive back behind him. This gave Matt a clear target to throw to, which he did easily. Bill outran his defender to give USC a 14–0 lead.
At halftime, the mood in the locker room was sky-high.
David was glad they looked to be on their way to an easy victory.
The Trojans came out in the second half and were driving for another touchdown. The crowd was rocking, and you could see the game going out of the Bears.
Matt lined them up at the Cal twelve-yard line and handed the ball off to Marcus for a run up the middle that would make it first and goal inside the five. The ball popped loose, and a Cal player was given a gift, stopping the Trojans from scoring.
Cal had to punt on the next drive, which gave USC the ball at their own twenty-five. Matt checked the defense on the first play and pointed to Bill to show him they were in man coverage. Willy snapped the ball before Matt looked back. If it had been a typical snap, Matt would have been hit by the ball and could have fallen on it. Instead, it went over his head and rolled into the end zone. Matt tried to pick it up but was knocked away. The ball bounced off the defender toward the field of play. Marcus scooped it up and was immediately tackled for a safety, making the score 14–