Chapter 21 #2
With a hop, Manning caught the ball, tucked and ran a few feet before being tackled.
So far, so good. I took my time walking to the next line up, keeping my eye on the play clock. Along the way, I up-nodded at Malik, who gave me a wicked grin. He knew he was next.
We lined up. I made my calls and grabbed the ball from our center.
Malik raced forward, swiveled and hightailed it toward me.
I tossed him the ball, and he took off like a shot, barreling past U of A’s defense, getting about ten more yards before a lineman dragged him to the ground.
Lining up along the ten-yard line, I could almost taste a damn touchdown.
I had one more play with Malik before we’d bring out our kicker to win it.
Glancing at the clock, I crouched to prepare for the snap.
I’d played it perfectly, and we had forty seconds left.
I’d give Malik the ball, and he’d run toward the sideline to stop the play. A field goal was within our sight.
I made my calls. The center snapped the ball. I drew back, watching for Malik to break free.
Three defensemen surrounded him, chasing his every move.
Fuck, I couldn’t give it to him. Who else was open? From the corner of my eye, I caught a U of A lineman rushing at me. I couldn’t get sacked, not now. I sprinted to the side, tucking the ball into my arm. “Fuck.” I took a last glance at Malik and then at the field.
Tex appeared out of nowhere, stormed the man coming at me, and threw him to the ground. “Go, Carter. Get the fucking touchdown.”
As a hole opened, I sped through it, sliding on my ass into the end zone. As I lay on my back, I stared into the bright lights of the stadium and the dark sky beyond, mumbling, “Holy fuck, I did it.”
Blaring over the speakers, the announcer said, “Touchdown ASU!”
The band played the fight song, and the stands thundered.
As Malik jogged to me, he stretched a hand out. “Are you okay? Why are you lying there? Get the fuck up.”
“I’m fine. Just basking in the moment.” What a fucking few days it had been. Grabbing his hand, I let him haul me up, and I tossed the ball to the ref. “How much time?”
“Like ten seconds. There’s only time for the extra point, and the kickoff and we’ve won.” He strode with me to our sideline.
“Unless the bastards run all the way for a touchdown after the kickoff.” It wasn’t over yet. The odds were small, but not zero. Planting my hands on my hips, I strolled to the Gatorade jug and filled a plastic glass.
“Good job, Carter.” Coach gave me a pointed look. “I was sure we’d be putting Dickens out for the field goal.”
“Yeah…” I shook my head and sipped my drink. “There was a hole the size of Montana.”
Dickens kicked the extra point, and then special teams ran out over the grass.
With a chuckle, I turned to the field as the ball left our punter’s foot and flew high through the stadium.
Our guys scrambled downfield, and as a U of A player caught the ball, they sprang on him, stopping him. The timer horn blew, and the ref whistled, signaling the end of the game.
As the stands erupted in cheering again and the guys jumped and hugged around me, I locked my gaze on Ryker and Wes, beaming down at me. All I wanted was to be alone with Ryker. He was all that mattered. But I had a press conference first.
After a quick shower and changing into my team sweats, I met Malik, Tex and Eli in the hallway leading to the stadium’s press conference room.
Coach Reid stood by the door with his hand on the doorknob. “Ready?”
“Hell yes.” I glanced at Tex. I hadn’t thanked him for preventing me from being pummeled to the grass on the last play. “Hey, man, thanks for hitting that defenseman.” I held my fist at him.
With a fist bump, he said, “All in a day’s work.”
We entered, taking seats behind a large table on a platform, in front of a backdrop featuring ASU logos in maroon and gold. After the formalities of introducing everyone and Coach saying a few words about the game, the questions about yesterday started.
“Carter, can you summarize in your own words what happened yesterday?” A reporter called out.
With a glance at Eli, I said, “Yeah, it was pretty simple. An escaped convict was holding my boyfriend’s family hostage, so me and the boys here went into action.
We knew the back door was open, so we created a surprise attack using a mix of counter and flea flicker plays.
” I chuckled along with everyone in the room.
“Who took the convict to the ground?” Another reporter asked.
“He did.” With a smirk, Eli pointed his thumb at me. “But me and Rowlings were close seconds.”
“It was my job to protect the family, so I put myself between them and the convict.” Malik grinned.
“And then I grabbed his gun after he’d been subdued,” Tex said.
“Was there any gunfire?” The first reporter asked.
Shifting in my chair, I said, “Yeah, the ceiling took a bullet. Do you know anyone who can repair that for free?” It would be a stark reminder of what had happened until we fixed it. I ticked my brows and twisted the cap off a Gatorade someone had set on the table.
A reporter held up his hand. “I know a guy who’d love to help. I’ll send the info to Coach Reid.”
He’d taken me seriously? “Yeah, okay. Thanks.” With a sip of my drink, I relaxed my tense shoulders. I just wanted to go home. How many more questions would they ask?
“Coach, what do you think about your players here?” A new reporter asked.
With a glance at us, Coach said, “I’m proud to have men on my team who’d step up and save lives.” He smirked. “But I’m happy as hell none of them were injured.”
I snorted. “Naw, we save injuries for games.”
Arching a brow at me, Coach said, “No injuries. We have bowl games coming up.”