Page 8 of Tough Call

“Including me.” I chuckled, and I might’ve been mistaken, but I thought his breath stuttered a little. What was that about? And why did his cheeks turn pink as he dropped his gaze to his food?

Before I could think anything of it, Connor cleared his throat and met my gaze again. “Oh, my sister’s getting married!”

“Yeah?” I smiled. “That’s great! Not the same guy she was dating back then, is it?”

Laughing, Connor shook his head, and as he told me about his soon-to-be brother-in-law, I tried to figure out a tactful way to ask if anyone else in the Ellis family was engaged or otherwise coupled. But for some reason, I couldn’t find the words.

What is wrong with me?

Connor sipped his wine. “So what about you? How are you liking Switzerland? Besides the cold, I mean?”

It took longer than I cared to admit for my brain to catch up, but it did. “Oh, it’s, uh… It’s good. It’s nice. The league is good.” I paused, then admitted, “I’d saw off a limb to get another NAL contract, though.”

Connor’s grimace was full of empathy. “I’m sure. I was surprised when they didn’t sign you.”

Sighing, I half-shrugged, suddenly even less interested in my food.

Before I could speak, he waved a hand. “Sorry. I… I didn’t mean to bring up a touchy subject.”

“It’s not. Not really.” I took a gulp of wine. “I’d love to play in North America again, but I’m still playing professionally. I’m here for the Games.” I gave another tight shrug. “I have time—my agent thinks if I can get on a team’s radar before I turn thirty, I might still have a shot.”

At that, Connor smiled, which made my pulse do things it shouldn’t have. “Fingers crossed, then. I know there’s going to be some scouts here this week.” His smile broadened. “Maybe you’ll catch someone’s eye.”

“I hope so.” Just thinking about that was going to make me too anxious to concentrate or sleep for the rest of the week, though, so I quickly shifted gears. Picking up my fork again, I cocked a brow. “I’ve heard some rumors that there’s been a big crackdown on NAL refs. What’s that all about?”

“Oh, God.” Connor groaned and rolled his eyes. “It’s a fucking clown show, that’s what it is.”

“Oh yeah?” I reached for my drink. “Do tell.”

He paused as if to gather his thoughts—maybe deciding where to begin—then took a deep breath. “So, a few seasons ago, there was some really weird officiating going on. Phantom penalties getting called while players were getting away with the most brazen shit.” He tsked and jabbed a piece of meat with his fork. “I saw it firsthand, too, because I was paired up with one of the dirty refs for a bunch of games.”

“Really?” I leaned in a little. “You actually saw it happen?”

He nodded and took a bite. After a swallow of wine, he said, “The first time, I just thought maybe he really didn’t see it. It happens.” He half-shrugged. “We don’t see everything.”

“Right, of course.”

“Right. But then I watched the replay later, and it was blatant boarding. Like, no room for misinterpretation, and it was bad. Kid’s lucky he didn’t come away with a serious neck injury.” Connor huffed sharply and rolled his eyes again. “And there was that dickhead ref, looking right at them from about ten feet away.”

My jaw went slack. “And he let it go?”

“Yep. And shit like that kept happening. He and I almost got into a fistfight after one game because his ridiculous calls had tilted the game in one team’s favor and directly led to two significant injuries.”

I whistled. “So he’s one of the ones getting investigated?”

“I’m pretty sure they’re done investigating him. His career is over. The other officials—some of that’s still up in the air, but they’re suspended while the League figures it out.”

“Were they betting on the games or something?”

“Accepting bribes,” he grumbled. “The whistleblower was apparently on the coaching staff of one of the teams involved in the scandal.”

“Wow. And they’re still investigating?”

“Yep. Combing through hundreds of games over like five or six seasons, interviewing other officials, interviewing players.” He scowled. “To tell you the truth, I think the only reason it turned into such a huge stink was that it pissed off the sports betting companies.”

“You think so?”

Nodding, Connor made a face. “I think everyone involved would’ve been fired either way once it came out, but all the sports betting companies were yanking sponsorships and threatening massive lawsuits. So I think a lot of this is just to appease them. That’s why every last one of us got investigated, and also why we’re all under way more scrutiny than we used to be—the League’s biggest corporate sponsors have everyone walking on eggshells.”