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)
Jean stared at her, waiting for her words to make sense, but the best he managed was, “Vodka.”
“Genuinely impressive how fast it went down,” Cat said. “I think you were getting dressed when—oh?” She scrambled to catch the glass he pushed at her hands, and Laila almost didn’t make it out of Jean’s way in time as he stormed out of the bathroom. Jean made it halfway to Kevin before Andrew appeared in his path. Jean moved to shove him out of the way, but Andrew gave his arm a brutal wrench that almost took him off his feet.
“Hey,” Jeremy said, coming off the couch in alarm. “What’s going on?”
Jean scowled at Andrew. “Get your hands off me, Doe.”
“Still the best you have to offer?” Andrew asked. “Boring.”
Kevin was closest, so he caught hold of Andrew’s wrist. “Don’t. He’s not going to hurt me. He doesn’t know how.” Kevin ignored the scathing look Jean flicked him, intent on staring down his tiny teammate. The tilt of Andrew’s head said he was considering it, but his iron grip didn’t waver. Kevin’s knuckles went white as he squeezed. “I need him today, and I can’t put him in front of a camera if you break him.”
Andrew let go and stepped aside, and Jean immediately shoved Kevin. Kevin leveled a vicious look at him, unimpressed with his attitude after Kevin had intervened on his behalf, and Jean lit into him in furious French:
“You’re drinking? You? What is wrong with you?”
“You of all people don’t get to ask me that.”
Jean went to shove him again, but Kevin caught a fistful of his shirt. He slammed Jean into the wall almost hard enough to knock the breath out of him. Jean was dimly aware of the Trojans standing still as stone, startled by the sudden violence and an argument they couldn’t understand.
“I’m the one who’s going to get us through this,” Kevin warned him. “How I do it is up to me.”
“Kevin.” That was Jeremy, pushing past Andrew like he didn’t even see him. He caught hold of Kevin’s elbow and dug his fingers in when Kevin wouldn’t be pulled. Jeremy’s tone was every inch a warning when he said, “Kevin, back off. Right now.” He waited for Kevin to let go and step back, then planted a firm hand against Jean’s chest when Jean moved to follow. “No. We are not doing this, not now and not like this. You two can talk it out like civilized adults when we get back from the studio.”
“You let him drink,” Jean accused Jeremy.
Jeremy returned his frustrated glare with a calm look. “He’s not driving. If he says he can handle it, that’s his decision to make.”
“He’s not handling it.”
“And you are?” Kevin demanded.
“Enough,” Jeremy said, snapping his fingers in their faces until they both looked at him. “We don’t have time for this. Pack up your differences and put them away for now. We need to get moving. Go on,” he said, motioning for Kevin to put more space between them. “You know where my keys are. Take Andrew out to the car, and we’ll be out in just a sec.”
“Kevin,” Andrew said, and started for the door. Kevin flicked one last cool look at Jean before following.
Jeremy waited until the front door closed before dropping his hand from Jean’s chest. The look he turned on Jean was serious, but his tone was careful when he said, “You’ve got to get through this interview, Jean. Forgive and forget or whatever it takes; you can’t bring this fight into the studio with you. They don’t know anything about you outside of what the Ravens have been saying. This is your best and only chance to set the story straight. Okay?”
A dozen furious rebuttals chewed at his throat. Jean worked his jaw and said nothing. Jeremy only gave him a minute before insisting, “Jean.”
“It’s in my contract,” Jean finally said, because what else could he do but bite his tongue and bow his head? “I agreed I wouldn’t misrepresent the Trojans in public. I will behave.”
“Thank you,” Jeremy said, moving out of his space at last. “Just get through this, and then you and Kevin can sit down and try to make things right.”
It was so optimistic, so naïve, to think such thing was possible, but Jeremy was right: this was not the time to get into it. Jean closed his eyes and counted his breaths until he felt a little calmer.
Jeremy waited until he opened his eyes before asking, “Good?”
“No,” Jean said. “Let’s go.”
Cat met him halfway to the door to fix his shirt and give him a tight hug. “One question at a time, okay?”
“Yes,” Jean said, and followed Jeremy out to the car.
Andrew and Kevin were in the back, so Jean took the passenger seat. The twenty-minute drive to the news station passed in uncomfortable silence, as even Jeremy wasn’t interested in idle chatter. There was a row of parking spaces for studio guests, and Jeremy held the front door to let them all precede him inside. Kevin went to chat up the receptionist, his pleasant persona already locked in place, and Jean studied the lobby with growing unease.