Chapter 42

As Quinn tucked him into bed in an area of the loft that served as the guest room, Nero grabbed his hand and pleaded, “Please, I don’t want to go to prison. They’ll kill me. I don’t want to die.”

How young he was, Quinn thought as he soothed him—even though he was only two years younger than Quinn—and how foolish young men were with their little boy-macho posturing. But then, who was he to talk or judge?

The next day, Smalley gave Quinn another of his irrational tongue lashings: “The QB is responsible for everything—everything, do you hear me? Once again, you’ve let down the team, this time by failing to mentor Nero.” Smalley pronounced the word “men-tor” dumbly, with equal emphasis on each syllable.

Afterward, Quinn asked to address the players alone without any coaches present.