Two hours and a trip to the police station later, Dad drives Mom and me home. Coach, Alex and Gil are already there, sitting around the kitchen table. They stop talking the moment we come in.
“So?” asks Alex.
I take a deep breath. “I won’t be charged.”
The tension lifts. Questions bubble up.
“What happened to Luka?” Gil asks.
“They arrested him. He’ll probably get off with a fine. I’m not on the hook for the money. But I will have to testify.”
“Just a fine? Won’t he come after you?” asks Alex.
“That’s what I was worried about,” says Mom. “But the police said he’ll back right off.”
“The gambling ring is based in the Ukraine,” Dad explains. “Jack’s account is small potatoes. They’ll write it off as the cost of doing business.”
“Especially Luka,” I add. “The fine’s a slap on the wrist, but coming after me could land him serious jail time. He’ll just go fishing for another gullible player.
“The officer told me I’m lucky I followed my teammates’ good advice. I did the right thing. Eventually.” I mimic the detective’s frown and serious voice. “Using rather unconventional methods. Not something I recommend. But she also said it was creative. And effective.”
“I heard her tell the story twice while we were there,” Dad says. “Using PhoneList got big laughs. Especially getting the police to set their ringtones to sirens.”
“Nice touch, Alex,” says Gil.
They slap their palms together.
“You were right, Gil. What they really wanted was to get their hooks into me.” I swallow hard. “They would never have let me go.”
I fight the burning in my throat. “I just want to say I’m sorry. To all of you. Thanks for sticking by me.”
“And for rescuing you,” says Alex.
“Creatively,” adds Gil.
I give a shaky laugh.
Then I turn to Coach and force myself to look him in the eye. “I don’t know what to say, Coach. It was a really stupid mistake.”
“It was,” he says sternly. He pats me on the shoulder. “But it won’t happen again.”
My chest gets tight. “That’s for sure. They’ll kick me out of the academy for this.”
“Well, lad…that’s up to the club. But I have a few ideas.”