Collin looks to me and we both think of asswipe.
“What is it?” Gretchen asks. “I know that look.”
“My girl’s ex. He’s beat the shit out of her and now he’s calling again.”
“Did she press charges? Is there a police report? Who’s her ex?”
“Her ex is Joseph Ayers.”
She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “The same Ayers who just declared for the draft?”
I nod.
“Tell me what happened.”
“She found out he cheated and broke up with him. He didn’t want to accept it and beat her to within an inch of her life. She was in the hospital for weeks. His uncle was the town sheriff and between him and others, convinced her not to press charges and ruin asswipe’s life.”
“Excuse me?” Her eyes go hard.
“And there was the threat from Joseph himself. He told her if she didn’t drop it, he’d do to her sick and dying grandmother what he did to her and he’d get away with it. Given that everyone was pressuring her, she believed him, so no charges were filed. He was supposed to stay away from her, but since declaring for the draft, he’s started calling.”
“Is there any way to prove what happened to her if there’s no police report?”
“She has the photos the hospital took.”
“That’s something at least. I’ll make a note of it and look into Ayers. I want you to stay the hell away from him and let me handle it if something comes up. You call me right away and I’d like to meet Daisy before I go back to LA to deal with the mess out there.”
“Do you live in LA?” I ask. “I didn’t pay attention to where the business was located. Too nervous.”
“I’m based here in Minnesota. It’s my home, but I fly all over the country. I don’t need to be in LA or New York to get the same job done as others.”
“I respect that. My dream team was the Raptors so I could stay in my hometown near my mom.” I glance over to where she’s kneading bread. “She sacrificed everything for me. Worked three jobs to cover my gear and get me into the best hockey camps in the country. The one thing I am going to do is buy my mother a new house. Not some grand mansion. That’s not her. Just something small in a better neighborhood.”
“You sound like a good son and good man, Jonathan.”
“What about me?” Collin pouts.
“Wanting to invest your money in getting your family back makes you a good man too. If you both agree to sign with me, I’ll do my best to help you achieve your goals and for you Collin, I’ll do my research and help with your family.”
“You’d do that?” He rears back, shocked.
“An agent’s job is to handle everything for her client. Your needs are our needs. Your family is what you need, so it’s my job to do everything I can to facilitate that.”
We both sit there, stunned. We didn’t expect that.
“Do we have a deal, gentlemen?”
Coach glares, daring us to say no.
I reach out my hand. “We have a deal, Miss Morris.”
Collin does the same and soon she’s giving us a stack of paperwork.
“These are my standard representation agreements. I take ten percent of what you earn. It sounds like a lot, but that’s the standard in the industry and I will earn my money. I don’t just sit back and collect checks. I actively look for ways to earn you more money, which in turn earns me more money. Have your lawyer look over this and fax back the signed copy or any changes he or she wants made to them. We need to get thisdone quickly since you are set to meet with the team on Friday. Quick does not mean you just sign blindly, however. Never sign anything without an attorney looking at it first.”
She hands us a sheet of paper. “These are very good attorneys. They charge a hefty fee, but they’re worth it. You’ll need to pay their retainer the day you get your first check and hope you never need them for anything outside of contracts. The firms they work for handle a variety of cases, from criminal to civil, as well as contract law. This way if you should ever need something that’s not contract related, you’ll have a firm who can pull in someone else. They’re expensive, but exceptional. I give this list to all my clients.”
Coach looks over C’s shoulder and taps on one name. “This woman. Her firm handled my lawsuit against my old accountant so they’ve been around a long while.”
