‹ Prequel: Beta
Gamma
09
Tyler walked into the Dallas DEA office, earning looks from several people as he made his way to Savannah’s office. He passed by Liam, giving him a friendly nod. Tyler still wasn’t Liam’s biggest fan, knowing Liam had a crush on Savannah when she first started working in Dallas. But, Tyler at least tolerated him now.
He was surprised to find Savannah’s office empty, and he sat down in the chair across from her desk, making himself comfy.
A few minutes later, Savannah walked in. “Hey thanks for coming by,” she told him. He looked at her. She looked tired, not that he was surprised. She hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and he doubted she slept much in Chicago while working on the Sonny Diego case.
“What do you need my help with?” Tyler asked her.
“I already talked to Jamie, but what do you know about Tommy Conway?” she asked him directly.
Tyler frowned, wondering what she was asking about Conway for. “He’s one of our scouts. Why?”
“What do you know about him?” she continued pushing for information.
“I mean I’ve met him a few times but don’t really know the guy,” Tyler admitted.
“I need to find him,” Savannah stated.
“Well I can tell you where he’s at. I can take you if you want,” Tyler told her.
Her eyes widened. “You know where he’s at?”
Tyler nodded. “Yeah. There’s this pick up summer league. He’s at all those games to look at some of the up and comers or guys that haven’t really gotten a look at before,” he explained. “They have a game tonight if you want to go.”
She groaned. “I’m supposed to go to dinner with Shea and Alex. What time is the game?” she asked him.
“Six,” he answered. He wondered if she would cancel her plans in order to go after Conway. He really wished she would tell him what was going on with the scout.
“That may work. We could go there at six and then I could meet them for dinner at seven,” she spoke aloud, trying to coordinate her evening.
“We?” Tyler raised an eyebrow. She never let him in on anything that had to do with work. This must be bigger than Tyler had thought.
“Well you don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” she shrugged.
“Yeah right!” Tyler exclaimed. “I’ll take you there and make sure you don’t get into any trouble,” he told her, earning a glare. “What’s going on with Conway?” he asked again. When he realized she wasn’t going to answer him, he added, “Savannah, I’m in this far, I’m taking you to him. Don’t you think you owe me letting me in?”
She bit her lip, thinking it over. “Your team scout is related to the one for the Blackhawks. The one that’s dealing drugs for Sonny Diego. The one that got their first round draft pick in the hospital,” she said in a low voice so no one else could overhear.
Tyler’s eyes widened as he realized how serious this was. “What the fuck?” he muttered. “So this shit is real.”
Savannah nodded her head. “Yes. This shit is real. And I’m trying to figure out if your team scout is involved,” she explained to him. “Maren is looking more into the kid that’s in the hospital and what exactly transpired to get him there. I think Toews is helping her out,” she told him. “But I don’t want you involved,” she added emphatically.
Tyler glared at her. “You can’t drop all this on me and expect me to not get involved. Hell, you’ve got the captain of the Hawks helping you, and you won’t let your own boyfriend help?” he questioned, raising his voice.
Savannah put her hands on her desk. “No. Because I love you and I’m not letting anything happen to you,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“Welcome to my life every day,” he muttered. Savannah frowned at him. “Look, you need me. I’m taking you to Conway tonight,” he reminded her.
Savannah stared at him for several moments for finally conceding. “Fine. But don’t say anything or do anything.”
Tyler thought about arguing. Telling her that he would do something if it meant protecting her. But then decided against it. “Yes, ma’am,” he agreed. He’d just have to wait and see how things went that night.
***
Tyler walked ahead of Savannah into the rink. “Yo, Segs!” he heard a voice call out to him. He turned around to see Jordan Wilde walking towards him. Jordan had gotten drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets a few years ago, but he still came back to Dallas to train every summer. “You playing tonight!?” Jordan asked.
Tyler laughed. “Not this week. Maybe next though,” he said. “Jordan, have you met Savannah, my girlfriend?” he introduced her.
He could tell she was preoccupied, looking around the rink, but she focused as Jordan held out his hand. She shook it, smiling at him. “Nice to meet you,” she told him.
“You, too. I gotta go get ready. Enjoy the game,” he said before heading to change into game gear.
Tyler said goodbye before turning towards Savannah. “Could you be more obvious that you’re a cop?” he asked her. She spun her head to frown at him, and he laughed. “You’re looking for Conway and not even trying to hide it,” he told her.
“Or maybe I’m looking for a hotter hockey player to go home with,” she countered.
He leaned in close, making sure his voice was low enough so only she could hear. “You know no one is giving you hotter sex than me,” he stated.
“Guess I’ll have to test that theory out,” she rebounded quickly.
“Not a chance,” he told her. He looked around the nearly empty rink. There were a few major fans there to watch some of the players, and a few of the guys’ families, but otherwise there wasn’t many people there. Tyler glanced around the rink, a couple of people sitting three quarters of the way up in the stands. “Conway is over there,” Tyler nodded his head in that direction.
As if he knew he was being watched, Conway looked in their direction, locking eyes with Tyler. “Guess we’re caught,” he mumbled.
“Come on, let’s say hi,” Savannah told him. He wondered what she was up to but decided against questioning her.
He walked towards Conway and another stars scout he was with. They climbed the stairs until they reached them. “Seguin, how you doing?” Conway asked.
“Good,” Tyler shook his hand. He recognized the other man as Dennis Leroy. He’d only met Dennis a couple of times as well, but he greeted him as well.
They turned their attention towards Savannah, who was standing next to Tyler. “Savannah Decker,” she introduced herself. Conway did a double take when she said her name, but quickly recovered, though Tyler took note of his reaction.
“You watching anyone in particular?” Tyler made conversation.
“Nah, just kinda watching in general. You planning on playing this summer?” Dennis asked.
Tyler shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll get bored enough and want to play one of these days. Maybe I’ll get Jamie out here, too,” he said.
“You’d draw a bigger crowd for them,” Dennis chuckled.
“You know these leagues aren’t for the crowds,” Tyler commented.
Dennis nodded his head. “That’s true,” he agreed.
Tyler glanced at Conway, who had been relatively quiet since Savannah introduced herself. “Well we’re gonna go grab a hot dog before watching the game,” Tyler said, keeping his eye on Conway. It was the first time he’d realized how slimy he looked. He wasn’t sure if it was because Savannah told him he was connected to a drug dealer or because of his slicked back hair.
“See you later,” Dennis said, while Conway mumbled a goodbye.
As they walked away, Savannah asked, “Is he always like that?”
“You mean acting weird as hell? No, not that I’ve seen in the past. It’s like he recognized your name,” Tyler pointed out.
“You noticed that, too?” Savannah asked as she followed Tyler into the line to get a hot dogs. She glanced back towards Conway, and the scout suddenly looked away and then started typing on his phone.
“He keeps looking at you,” Tyler said, not keeping his eye off of Conway.
Savannah pushed him gently in the back when the people in front of him had gotten their food. Tyler ordered a hot dog for himself and two bottles of water and then turned back towards Conway. “He’s definitely got an eye on you.”
“He must be talking to Nelson,” Savannah mumbled as they were given their food.
“What do you mean?”
“Drug dealers are smart. Sonny knows everything that’s going on and is in constant communication with his people. It’s how he keeps a step ahead. He knows I’m back after him. I’m sure he’s told Nelson. And I would bet money that Conway is talking to his cousin about me right now,” she explained, keeping her voice low.
Conway continued to stare at her until he looked at his phone. The next thing they knew, he was suddenly rushing out of the arena, leaving Dennis there alone. “He definitely knows who I am,” Savannah muttered.
Tyler looked over at her. “Should I be worried?” he asked.
“Nah,” she lied. “C’mon, let’s watch a period before I need to go meet Alex and Shea.”
Tyler stared at her but followed her to the stands. He didn’t care what she said. He was worried about her. And never did he think his own organization would be the one putting her in danger.
He was surprised to find Savannah’s office empty, and he sat down in the chair across from her desk, making himself comfy.
A few minutes later, Savannah walked in. “Hey thanks for coming by,” she told him. He looked at her. She looked tired, not that he was surprised. She hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and he doubted she slept much in Chicago while working on the Sonny Diego case.
“What do you need my help with?” Tyler asked her.
“I already talked to Jamie, but what do you know about Tommy Conway?” she asked him directly.
Tyler frowned, wondering what she was asking about Conway for. “He’s one of our scouts. Why?”
“What do you know about him?” she continued pushing for information.
“I mean I’ve met him a few times but don’t really know the guy,” Tyler admitted.
“I need to find him,” Savannah stated.
“Well I can tell you where he’s at. I can take you if you want,” Tyler told her.
Her eyes widened. “You know where he’s at?”
Tyler nodded. “Yeah. There’s this pick up summer league. He’s at all those games to look at some of the up and comers or guys that haven’t really gotten a look at before,” he explained. “They have a game tonight if you want to go.”
She groaned. “I’m supposed to go to dinner with Shea and Alex. What time is the game?” she asked him.
“Six,” he answered. He wondered if she would cancel her plans in order to go after Conway. He really wished she would tell him what was going on with the scout.
“That may work. We could go there at six and then I could meet them for dinner at seven,” she spoke aloud, trying to coordinate her evening.
“We?” Tyler raised an eyebrow. She never let him in on anything that had to do with work. This must be bigger than Tyler had thought.
“Well you don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” she shrugged.
“Yeah right!” Tyler exclaimed. “I’ll take you there and make sure you don’t get into any trouble,” he told her, earning a glare. “What’s going on with Conway?” he asked again. When he realized she wasn’t going to answer him, he added, “Savannah, I’m in this far, I’m taking you to him. Don’t you think you owe me letting me in?”
She bit her lip, thinking it over. “Your team scout is related to the one for the Blackhawks. The one that’s dealing drugs for Sonny Diego. The one that got their first round draft pick in the hospital,” she said in a low voice so no one else could overhear.
Tyler’s eyes widened as he realized how serious this was. “What the fuck?” he muttered. “So this shit is real.”
Savannah nodded her head. “Yes. This shit is real. And I’m trying to figure out if your team scout is involved,” she explained to him. “Maren is looking more into the kid that’s in the hospital and what exactly transpired to get him there. I think Toews is helping her out,” she told him. “But I don’t want you involved,” she added emphatically.
Tyler glared at her. “You can’t drop all this on me and expect me to not get involved. Hell, you’ve got the captain of the Hawks helping you, and you won’t let your own boyfriend help?” he questioned, raising his voice.
Savannah put her hands on her desk. “No. Because I love you and I’m not letting anything happen to you,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“Welcome to my life every day,” he muttered. Savannah frowned at him. “Look, you need me. I’m taking you to Conway tonight,” he reminded her.
Savannah stared at him for several moments for finally conceding. “Fine. But don’t say anything or do anything.”
Tyler thought about arguing. Telling her that he would do something if it meant protecting her. But then decided against it. “Yes, ma’am,” he agreed. He’d just have to wait and see how things went that night.
***
Tyler walked ahead of Savannah into the rink. “Yo, Segs!” he heard a voice call out to him. He turned around to see Jordan Wilde walking towards him. Jordan had gotten drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets a few years ago, but he still came back to Dallas to train every summer. “You playing tonight!?” Jordan asked.
Tyler laughed. “Not this week. Maybe next though,” he said. “Jordan, have you met Savannah, my girlfriend?” he introduced her.
He could tell she was preoccupied, looking around the rink, but she focused as Jordan held out his hand. She shook it, smiling at him. “Nice to meet you,” she told him.
“You, too. I gotta go get ready. Enjoy the game,” he said before heading to change into game gear.
Tyler said goodbye before turning towards Savannah. “Could you be more obvious that you’re a cop?” he asked her. She spun her head to frown at him, and he laughed. “You’re looking for Conway and not even trying to hide it,” he told her.
“Or maybe I’m looking for a hotter hockey player to go home with,” she countered.
He leaned in close, making sure his voice was low enough so only she could hear. “You know no one is giving you hotter sex than me,” he stated.
“Guess I’ll have to test that theory out,” she rebounded quickly.
“Not a chance,” he told her. He looked around the nearly empty rink. There were a few major fans there to watch some of the players, and a few of the guys’ families, but otherwise there wasn’t many people there. Tyler glanced around the rink, a couple of people sitting three quarters of the way up in the stands. “Conway is over there,” Tyler nodded his head in that direction.
As if he knew he was being watched, Conway looked in their direction, locking eyes with Tyler. “Guess we’re caught,” he mumbled.
“Come on, let’s say hi,” Savannah told him. He wondered what she was up to but decided against questioning her.
He walked towards Conway and another stars scout he was with. They climbed the stairs until they reached them. “Seguin, how you doing?” Conway asked.
“Good,” Tyler shook his hand. He recognized the other man as Dennis Leroy. He’d only met Dennis a couple of times as well, but he greeted him as well.
They turned their attention towards Savannah, who was standing next to Tyler. “Savannah Decker,” she introduced herself. Conway did a double take when she said her name, but quickly recovered, though Tyler took note of his reaction.
“You watching anyone in particular?” Tyler made conversation.
“Nah, just kinda watching in general. You planning on playing this summer?” Dennis asked.
Tyler shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll get bored enough and want to play one of these days. Maybe I’ll get Jamie out here, too,” he said.
“You’d draw a bigger crowd for them,” Dennis chuckled.
“You know these leagues aren’t for the crowds,” Tyler commented.
Dennis nodded his head. “That’s true,” he agreed.
Tyler glanced at Conway, who had been relatively quiet since Savannah introduced herself. “Well we’re gonna go grab a hot dog before watching the game,” Tyler said, keeping his eye on Conway. It was the first time he’d realized how slimy he looked. He wasn’t sure if it was because Savannah told him he was connected to a drug dealer or because of his slicked back hair.
“See you later,” Dennis said, while Conway mumbled a goodbye.
As they walked away, Savannah asked, “Is he always like that?”
“You mean acting weird as hell? No, not that I’ve seen in the past. It’s like he recognized your name,” Tyler pointed out.
“You noticed that, too?” Savannah asked as she followed Tyler into the line to get a hot dogs. She glanced back towards Conway, and the scout suddenly looked away and then started typing on his phone.
“He keeps looking at you,” Tyler said, not keeping his eye off of Conway.
Savannah pushed him gently in the back when the people in front of him had gotten their food. Tyler ordered a hot dog for himself and two bottles of water and then turned back towards Conway. “He’s definitely got an eye on you.”
“He must be talking to Nelson,” Savannah mumbled as they were given their food.
“What do you mean?”
“Drug dealers are smart. Sonny knows everything that’s going on and is in constant communication with his people. It’s how he keeps a step ahead. He knows I’m back after him. I’m sure he’s told Nelson. And I would bet money that Conway is talking to his cousin about me right now,” she explained, keeping her voice low.
Conway continued to stare at her until he looked at his phone. The next thing they knew, he was suddenly rushing out of the arena, leaving Dennis there alone. “He definitely knows who I am,” Savannah muttered.
Tyler looked over at her. “Should I be worried?” he asked.
“Nah,” she lied. “C’mon, let’s watch a period before I need to go meet Alex and Shea.”
Tyler stared at her but followed her to the stands. He didn’t care what she said. He was worried about her. And never did he think his own organization would be the one putting her in danger.