Bigger Than Beckham (45 page)

“From your mouth to God’s ears.” She brushed
some non-existent wrinkles out of her skirt before looking at him.
“Now, my friend, we must get on with the hard part. I have to
assume you’re ready to put a concrete offer on the table since I’m
sure you didn’t bring Rex across five time zones just to make your
dinner reservations.”

With the abrupt shift in the conversation,
Martha was obviously trying to put up a cool, business-like front.
But the wariness in her eyes and her rigid posture screamed
discomfort, even dread. Conflicting emotions battled inside Tony,
too. While he was excited about wrapping up a deal for the Thunder
as soon as he could, at the same time he feared a disaster could be
waiting just outside his view and beyond his control. What if Steam
Train put up a huge bid and she accepted? How would that affect him
and her? As much as he wanted her to favor his offer, could he
really expect her to put their relationship, for whatever it was
worth, ahead of an obvious business decision? Would he do the same
for her?

He was about to get some answers to those
questions, and he’d never felt less confident going into the home
stretch of a business deal. He sure as hell didn’t like the
feeling.

“Okay, then, let’s get down to it,” he said,
putting down his bourbon. He looked at her hard for a good ten
seconds. “Let me start with an assumption. Am I right that you’d
rather sell the Thunder to me than to a brewery, Martha? Especially
a brewery that yanked its sponsorship deal out from under you?”

Martha wagged a finger at him. “Hey, hey,
pal. That’s not exactly a fair question, is it? Try again.”

Tony almost rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’m
going to assume it, anyway.”

She tried for a casual shrug, but Tony had
never seen her look quite as jittery. The index finger of her right
hand beat an unconscious tattoo against the sofa cushion.

“I figure Steam Train is out to screw you
over,” he continued, “because they think they’ve got you on the
ropes. So, I’d be surprised if they’re looking even as high as ten
million for the Thunder, assuming Rex’s estimate of the accumulated
debt of about three and a half is correct.” He paused. “How am I
doing so far?”

Martha screwed up her mouth, as if
contemplating a thorny problem. “Up until a few hours ago, I’d have
said reasonably well. You and Rex are real smart guys, and you
certainly do your homework, though we’d best not get into that
thorny subject again. And, yes, Rex is pretty much right on about
the debt.” She paused, averting her gaze. “But things changed late
this morning, Tony. Rance Malone called, and this time he was a
whole lot more serious in terms of numbers.”

Bollocks
. Tony’s gut clenched at her
words. “He tabled a new offer?”

He knew from the way Martha had phrased her
response that the initial Steam Train offer that Geoffrey had
leaked to the media had just been upped by a lot more than chump
change.

Martha met his gaze and pressed her lips
together hard. Then she blew out a loud, exasperated breath and
leaned forward, hands clasped in her lap. “Oh, this is nuts, Tony.
Screw the damn negotiations. Why don’t I just tell you straight out
what Malone put on the table? I’m sure he’d go postal on me if he
found out, but that’s just too damn bad.” She grimaced. “After all,
I do owe you a lot for Ginny.”

Tony was shocked that she would bring Ginny
into it. “You don’t owe me a bloody thing,” he said instantly.
“Ginny has nothing to do with this.”

She looked taken aback by his sharp tone.
After eying him for several seconds, she gave a slow nod. “I hear
you, and I’m sorry if what I said offended you. I think I’ll take a
little of that bourbon now, if you don’t mind.”

Tony got up and poured her a generous
measure. “How much was the offer, then?” he said gently as he
handed her the glass. “How high did Steam Train go?”

Martha took a drink before answering.
“Thirteen and a half million dollars high. Hell, Malone wants it,
Tony. He wants it really bad.”

Tony thumped back down into his chair,
amazed. Deflated. Pissed off.

“I told him it wasn’t enough,” Martha said
calmly.

“Not enough!” he snapped, wondering if she’d
lost her mind. “Martha, that’s a hell of a lot more than the team’s
worth these days, and you know it.”

“I don’t agree, Tony. Unless we’re talking
metaphysically, a thing is worth whatever somebody is willing to
pay for it,” Martha said, meeting his outburst with a measured
response.

What the fuck did that mean? “Yeah, that’s
one way of looking at it. The wrong way,” he growled.

When her delicate blond brows pulled together
in a disapproving frown, he took a deep, calming breath. This was
not
the way he’d wanted things to go. “Did you give him a
counter?”

“No.” Her eyes went to half-mast as she shook
her head. “It’s really not about money, you know. It never has
been. Ten million or thirteen or whatever—the difference won’t have
any effect on how I intend to live my life. What I care most about,
and I told you this before but I’m not sure you believed me, is
taking care of the people who trust me. The good people who stuck
with the team and supported me after my father died.”

“I believed you,” he said in all sincerity.
He had, too. It was one the things he loved about her—that she was
so fiercely loyal to the people who depended on her.

She gave him a wistful half-smile. “I told
Malone that if he wanted my signature on a deal, he had to
guarantee job security for
everyone
. Well, that sent the man
for a loop, let me tell you. I’m waiting to hear back from him, but
I can’t say I’m brimming with confidence.” She tilted her head,
studying him. “And unless I’m reading you wrong, your reaction
tells me that you’re not about to match Steam Train. Plus, you’ve
already told me I was crazy to think any buyer would keep my people
on. You and Malone seem to be in perfect agreement on that point at
least.”

The trace of bitterness in her voice clearly
signaled her unhappiness, and Tony had to squash the sudden impulse
to back down on the issue of the team’s staff. That would be a
stupid business decision, one based only on emotion.

But in the end, no matter what happened
regarding job security, there was no way he could afford to match
Steam Train’s staggering 13.5 million dollar offer. He still had
every confidence he could turn the Thunder around, but his capacity
to borrow was far from infinite. Even the 11.5 million he and Rex
had finally agreed they could safely offer would have stretched
him, putting a bit too much debt on his books for comfort. In fact,
Rex had wanted to draw a hard and fast line at eleven million.

“Matching Steam Train’s bid would kill me,
Martha,” he finally said. “I’m being completely honest with
you.”

Martha flinched hard enough to make her long
hair ripple, before pulling herself together. “I understand. I
thought that would be the case.” She managed a woeful half-smile.
“I guess that’s it, then, isn’t it? I’m stuck with Steam Train.
But, damn, I can’t stand the thought of those bastards taking over,
especially after all their bullshit tactics.”

The despair in her tone cut through him like
a blade. No, he definitely wasn’t ready to throw the towel in just
yet.

Moving slowly, he rose from his chair and
eased down close to her on the sofa. Though Martha flinched again,
startled, she didn’t move away, nor resist when he took her hand in
his. Her fingers were cold and she clutched at him, as if grateful
for the warmth.

“Look, love,” he said. “I don’t see anybody
holding a gun to your head to force you take what Steam Train’s put
on the table. You said it wasn’t about money, and I believe you.”
He gave her hand a squeeze. “Martha, if I were able to come
decently close to their offer, what’s to stop you from taking my
bid over theirs?”

She stared straight ahead with eyes narrowed,
but didn’t pull her hand away. “Just out of curiosity, exactly what
do you mean by ‘decently close’?”

“Twelve million,” Tony said.

Rex would want to kill him for the wildly
impulsive move, but in the end he was the one who called the shots,
and he was the one who would bear the brunt of any setback. Rex
would sulk, but the man was a total pro and he’d get over.

Martha jerked away and pushed herself up off
the sofa. “Tony, how can I? If I were to accept a million and a
half less than what Steam Train’s already offered, exactly how
would I explain
that
to enquiring minds?” She waved her arms
in a dramatic arc. “For starters, Geoffrey would have my bloody
guts for garters, to use his pithy expression. Plus, you can bet
your ass that both he and Steam Train would go nuts in the media.
Within hours I’d be a laughing-stock everywhere, not just here at
home, and wouldn’t that just do wonders for my career?” She gave
her head a shake. “I’ll be completely honest with you, Tony. I
actually thought about that possibility myself a little while ago.
The possibility of letting you have the team for less than what
Steam Train would offer. But I couldn’t see how that could possibly
work then, and I still don’t.”

When he didn’t answer, she swallowed hard and
looked away. “You can understand that, can’t you?” she asked, in a
quiet, almost plaintive voice.

Of course I can, love
.

Tony’s mind worked furiously to buy more
time. There was only one conceivable way out of the box now, and
that was to offer Martha something that Steam Train wouldn’t.
Something that she cared about above all else—keeping her people in
place. As much as the thought of having to concede that demand
repelled him, Tony saw it as his last remaining lifeboat, and one
that was already being lowered down the side of the badly listing
ship.

The idea of being saddled with her
incompetent staff made him crazy. With rare exceptions, any new
owner simply had to clean house at the top. To bring in his own
people, the people he trusted and who thought like him. In this
case, the consequences of retaining Kieran McLeod and Sam Brockton
were staggering. He could put up with McLeod for a bit longer, if
necessary, but keeping Brockton as the team’s field manager was a
nightmare. Not only had Tony already offered Owen Clark the post,
he’d also promised Kavanagh—and through him the rest of the
squad—that both Brockton and McLeod would be gone once he took
control of the team.

Whatever he was going to do, he had to do it
fast because Martha looked fidgety and ready to bolt. If that
happened, within hours Steam Train would have clinched the
deal.

“I do understand,” he said, coming to his
feet. “Absolutely I do. But I have one request of you, Martha. Just
one, and I hope you’ll see fit to grant it.” He paused for a couple
of beats. “After…London.” He didn’t think he needed to say
more.

Her eyes widened, but she quickly nodded. “Of
course. If I can, Tony, I will.”

He moved to her, placing his hands lightly on
her slim shoulders. She held still, her arms by her sides. His
fingertips picked up a little shudder.

“What I’m asking is that you give me a little
more time,” he said. “At least a few hours. I need to talk to Rex,
and I need some time to think.” He pressed a soft, quick kiss to
her forehead. “Without the distraction of the sweetest, most
gorgeous woman I’ve ever known.”

Martha barely reacted to the compliment, ever
though he’d made it with total sincerity. Her smile was tentative,
even fragile.

“I don’t know how long I can keep Malone on a
string, Tony,” she said, leaning into him. He relished the feel of
her lithe body against him. “It feels like it’s all spiraling out
of my control. More so every minute.”

“But you’re waiting to hear again from
Malone. When he gets back to you, tell him you need a bit more time
to work through the details.”

When Martha simply gave a tiny shrug, Tony’s
alarm system triggered. Had she already agreed to accept Steam
Train’s offer if they came back with job security?

“And if you don’t want to do that, then maybe
you could turn off your phone for a few hours,” he said, trying not
to sound too grim or too desperate. “Discover it has a temporary
malfunction. Anything that’ll give me a few hours. That’s all I
ask, Martha.”

When her lips curved into the mischievous
little grin he’d grown to love, he almost staggered with
relief.

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time this
darn phone has given me trouble,” she said, giving him a mock
pout.

He brushed his lips against her cheek.
“Thanks. That means a hell of a lot, babe.”

She pulled away—reluctantly, he thought.

“Okay, Tony, I’d best leave you to your
thinking. By the way, Nate Carter is in town overnight. He told me
you two are sort of buds. He said he’d like to see you if you can
swing a beer, or maybe even dinner. Here’s his cell number.” She
opened her bag and pulled out a little slip of yellow paper.

Tony raised his eyebrows as she slipped the
note into his hand. “You know Nate? And you saw him today?” Martha
hadn’t mentioned before that she and Carter knew each other. What
was that all about?

“Right on both counts,” she tossed over her
shoulder as she headed for the door.

Tony bit back all the questions on his tongue
as he followed her. “I’ll call you tonight, one way or the other,”
he said.

She gazed up at him, her expression as
serious as he’d ever seen it. “Please make it fast, Tony. For both
our sakes.”