Page 20 of The Off Limits Captain
Just enough.
His gaze hits my notebook, then my face, then the line of my mouth like he remembers the hallway and has decided to be annoyed about it all over again.
I keep writing because dignity is a muscle and mine needs exercise.
Ryan turns back to the drill.
Colt notices anyway.
Of course, Colt notices.
He coasts by Ryan with a grin I can see from the rail. “Press box, Cap. Your favorite constitutional violation is watching.”
“Skate,” Ryan says.
“That was not a denial.”
“It was a warning.”
“Same tone.”
Ryan shoves him lightly with one glove. Colt laughs and accelerates into the next rep.
I write: Riley chirps him about me. Ryan does not deny it. Possible ego issue? Possible my ego issue.
The last note is not for publication.
Unfortunately, it is true.
After practice, Jennifer walks me toward the elevator with the alert cheer of a woman escorting a lit match through a fireworks warehouse.
“You’ll have ten minutes with Ryan after media,” Jennifer says. “Questions on the profile, leadership, team culture. Nothing medical, nothing family without prior clearance.”
“You say prior clearance like I brought a shovel.”
“You wore boots.”
I look down. “These are professional boots.”
“Those boots have trespassed.”
“Allegedly.”
Jennifer’s smile suggests she admires the boots and would still confiscate them if necessary.
The elevator doors open.
Ryan is inside.
He would be.
Base layer under a team quarter-zip, hair damp at the edges, tape still around two fingers. He looks from Jennifer to me, then back to Jennifer.
“This is not subtle,” he says.
Jennifer steps in anyway. “Neither are you.”
The three of us ride down two floors in a silence that has legal implications.
