CHAPTER 12 LINCOLN
Players have the next day off, and it also happens to be the same day as the product launch. I bring a suit with me to the office so I can change and go from here this evening.
I spend my morning meeting with Mike and Andy as we talk about the game plan ahead of this Sunday, and I admit to Mike that I'm considering benching Brandon Fletcher for our QB3.
"Give the kid another chance," he begs. "I see something there. He just hasn't let it out yet."
I'm wary to do it, but I agree. Maybe I agree because of the words Mike said to me the other day, or maybe I agree because I'm still coming to terms with a lot of my own shit. Either way. I agree. "Fine. For one quarter. But if he doesn't let it out and prove himself in that one quarter, he's out."
It's shortly before I need to get changed for the event when I call my private investigator to check in on what he's found on Jeremy.
"Nothing yet," he tells me. "No record, hasn't missed a single child support payment. The only thing I can really find is that he's married to his job. He's at FDB late every night, only leaving early when he's got a company happy hour."
"There has to be something. Money laundering? Insider trading? Bar fight? Anything?"
"Sorry, man," he says. "He's squeaky clean. There's a possibility he's staying late for nefarious reasons, which I'm investigating now. He sometimes walks out with the same female at the same time. Could be a work project, could be something else, and given that he cheated on his ex, it wouldn't surprise me. But apart from occasionally taking an Uber home after drinking too much at happy hour, I'm coming up empty. I'll text along some photos we've gotten, though."
That just seems…impossible. I've seen how this guy treats his son, and I've seen how he treats his ex. He's a dick.
But maybe he's just a dick who's married to his job. He prioritizes work instead of giving his family the attention they deserve.
Would I be like that if I had kids?
It's a different situation, I think. I have to be married to my job, but that dedication comes with perks, too. I think back to my own childhood, and apart from my late teenage years, being the son of someone who played the game wasn't all bad.
Or maybe it has nothing to do with work at all, and Jeremy is just a dick who made some bad choices in the past when he cheated on Jolene or when he drank too much one night and came home and got into a fight with his wife.
Either way, I want to help. I've listened to Jolene as she cried about the weekends when Jonah is over there. I saw the panic on her face when her son called her to pick him up early. If I can just find something on the guy, knowing it's what both she and Jonah want…I guess then I could use it. And I'm banking on it being the thing that helps me win her back.
"Thanks anyway. Keep digging. There has to be something," I say, and I cut the call. The pictures come through, and he's right. There's nothing here.
I head into my private bathroom and change into my suit, and when I emerge, Jack is sitting in one of the chairs by my desk waiting for me.
"Ready?" he asks.
I nod.
"How are things going with Bailey?" he asks as he stands.
I shake my head. "Not great. We talked last night for the podcast, but she's pissed. She kept it professional. I told her I hired a private investigator to look into her ex."
"Did he find anything?"
We head down the hall toward the elevators. "Not yet. The guy's squeaky clean."
"But we don't know what happens behind closed doors," he says.
"Exactly. I was with her one night when she had to leave to pick her kid up from the guy's place because he and his wife were fighting and the kid got scared." I press the button to call the elevator. "It's not a great situation, and Jolene's been trying to get him out of the picture."
"Does he want anything to do with his kid?" Jack asks.
"It's hard to tell. He pulls last-minute shit on Jo all the time." I shrug. "He's not a good guy, but he's good enough to skate under the radar."
"I feel like that's the worst kind." He twists his lips as we step onto the elevator. "But I have an idea."
I raise my brows. "Oh?"
He shrugs. "His boss is a buddy of mine, and I'll talk to him tonight. I'll let you know if anything comes of it."
I narrow my eyes at him as I consider whether to tell him to stay out of it. Jack Dalton is a powerful man. He was a powerful quarterback when he was on the field, but now he's not just a former player. He's the majority owner of the Vegas Aces. He owns Dalton Developments, a real estate development firm worth a hell of a lot of money—enough that he was able to fork over enough cash to purchase the majority stake in the Aces. He's a family man now with a wife and two kids, and he's become a pillar of the Vegas community.
If there's anyone who has pull to help me protect Jolene from her ex, it's Jack.
So instead of requesting he stay out of it, I nod. "Thanks, man."
He offers a friendly punch on the shoulder. "You got it. I need you firing on all cylinders, so I'll do what I can to help."
"I appreciate that more than you know," I murmur.
We take a car together to the event. It's located at a swanky hotel on the Strip, and we head for the banquet room where the launch is being hosted.
Jack is immediately called away the moment he walks into the room, and a man offers a smile as he walks up to me. "Welcome. I'm Ryan Becker—the B in FDB Tech Corp. We are thrilled to have you here, Coach Nash. Let me show you a little more about our new SmartSports system after we grab a drink at the bar."
I wonder if he's the boss Jack knows.
He leads me to the bar first, where we each get the same kind of whiskey, and then he leads me through his individualized presentation. We stop in front of a laptop as he gives me the opening summary. "FDB partnered with a global sports analytics company to bring you the latest technology in sports analysis. As a coach, this tool will revolutionize how you do your job. Our predictive analytics system processes large amounts of data to help you evaluate injury risk, strengths and weaknesses in both your players and your opponents, and even fan behavior for your marketing team. You'll be able to put together an entire game plan with the information SmartSports can generate for you. We've created a comprehensive system for the entire organization, and you'll be on the cutting edge of technology to plow right through the competition."
I raise my brows. "That's quite the introduction. Show me how it works."
He pulls up the program on a laptop, and he starts with Brandon Fletcher. "This system would've been able to tell you everything you needed to know last week as you prepared to face the Packers." He shows me some data and taps around, and it's actually quite impressive. "And this week, as you're preparing to face Detroit, you can look at specific player matchups and game scenarios to determine which techniques will most benefit you this week. You can even drop in your playbook and the system will analyze which plays to run in any given scenario."
He shows me an example, and to be honest, I'm sort of blown away.
"And one final thing. Most of these types of systems are front office friendly, but we've built a system for players, too." He shows me what he means, using Brandon Fletcher as an example again. "Basically the system analyzes film and pulls up the exact footage players need to review to learn what they need to learn to be successful."
I wonder if Jack is getting the same sales pitch and what he thinks of it. We already have a tool similar to this in our arsenal, but this is that system on steroids. It's got everything, including that tool for players. We'd add it directly to their tablets, and they'd have their upcoming game analysis ready to go as soon as our last match ends.
He wraps up his demonstration, and then he takes me over to the bar for a refill. I chat with some acquaintances along the way, and at one point, he nods a greeting at a man. "Jeremy," he says, and my head whips over as I spot him. I've never met him in person, but this is definitely him based on the photos the investigator sent me.
Jonah looks a lot like Jolene, so it's not that I see Jonah in him, but I still recognize this guy as the man whose ass I'd like to kick. He exudes that sort of charm that women fall for every time but that men can spot from a mile away.
"Coach Nash," the man says to me, and I clench my jaw as I act like I don't know who he is. "I hear you've been spending some time with my kid. Well, maybe not anymore." He holds up his hands and cringes a little as if he may have overstepped with what he just said, but it's all an act. He's using his kid to bait me, and that's some bullshit.
My fingers tingle as I clench my fist. I would love nothing more than to fuck up this man's face.
But I can't.
If he works for this company, I want nothing to do with it. I had my reservations coming into this night, but this just confirms it.
"You must be Jeremy," I say tightly, and Ryan looks between us.
"Oh, you two know each other?" he asks.
"I've not had the pleasure of meeting him in person, but I've heard plenty about him." I keep my gaze on Jeremy when I say the words, and I turn back to Ryan to deliver the final blow. "And if you employ people like him, I'm not sure your system is right for the Aces."
With those words, I turn to walk away.
"Wait," Ryan says, keeping stride with me. "What do you mean?"
"It's complicated, but I won't be doing business with you as long as he's in your office."
"Then we'll fire him," Ryan says, and I laugh.
"On what grounds?"
"On the grounds that he cost us a huge potential client. We designed this entire system with the Vegas Aces in mind, Coach. If you don't want this one…I'm sure your competition would."
"Is that a threat?" I ask. "Because you can be damn sure I won't be bullied into partnering with anyone who does business that way."
He shakes his head. "No. It's not a threat. It's facts. If you partner with us, we're prepared to offer you exclusive use of our full system. We'd sell only pieces of it to other teams, and with the trademarks we have in place along with the copyrights on our software, it'll be years before we have any real competition for this product."
I sigh. "It's a fantastic argument, Mr. Becker, and something I'll need to consider. But I refuse to work with you if I have to see Jeremy Landry's face in your office." I glance around the room for Jack, and I spot him laughing with someone he seems to know. I turn back to Ryan. "It was nice meeting you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go."
I beeline across the room for Jack, and he grins as he spots me approaching. "Brian, I'd like you to meet Lincoln Nash. And Coach, this is my friend Brian Fox."
"Nice to meet you," I say, and he echoes it while we shake hands.
"He's one of the owners for FDB Tech Corp and he's had a huge hand in designing the SmartSports system," Jack says. "And he just loves when people lead with the fact that his brother is the lead singer for the band Vail, so I suppose I should mention that."
Brian glowers at Jack, and I laugh as I observe the easy friendship between them.
"Did Ryan fill you in on everything this system can do for you?" he asks.
"That he did," I say. "And speaking of sports analytics, I have more film I need to review, so I should head out."
"Why don't you take one of our tablets and play around with it tonight?" Brian offers. "I know I learn better by experimenting, so I'd love for you to test it out, too. See if it'll give you what you need in real time."
I'm about to decline when Jack answers for me. "Sure. We'd each love to test one out."
Brian sets us up with tablets, and we head out.
"So what did you think?" Jack asks as we head back to the office.
"I met the ex, and I have to be honest…I don't think I can hire FDB knowing what I know about him."
"I may have good news on that front," he says.
My brows dip together. "Are you going to expand on that?"
He shakes his head. "Just test out the tablet. See if you like it. We'll go from there."
I sigh. He's being mysterious, but I guess he's got a plan. And I'm starting to know him well enough that I trust him and his plans.
So now I wait.