Sacking the Quarterback by Samantha Towle Page B

him the most—“you give up names of the main players in the cartel who you work for, and you testify against them—”
    “No,” Grayson says, cutting me off.
    “Gray…” Tyler says his name in a gentle warning.
    “No, Ty. You take this deal, you know what that means? If you testify in a trial, your life will be in danger. You—”
    “It’s already in danger,” Tyler cuts him off. “The second I got involved with these people I was putting my life on the line. I got involved and now I have to face the consequences by myself. I can’t let my big brother face them for me.” Tyler turns to me and says, “I’ll be protected, right? By the DEA?”
    “Yes. Full protection. Then…” I bite my lip, pausing, because I can guess how Grayson will react to this piece of information. “After the trial, you’ll go into witness protection and be given a new identity.”
    “Hell, no,” Grayson says, getting off the couch. “Tyler, you’re not going into witness protection. If you go, I’ll never see you again.”
    Tyler gets to his feet, turning to Grayson. “I have to do this. There’s no other choice.”
    “I’ll take the rap on the drug charge,” Grayson says, turning to me. I can see the panic in his eyes. “I’ll go to jail. Call Daughtry, tell him that’s the way it’ll be.”
    “No,” Tyler says in a firm voice. “I’m not letting you mess up your life for me. I should have never let you take those drugs from me in the first place. This is on me. I screwed up. You have a life and a great career—I saw how hard you worked, all your life, to get into the NFL. And now you have Mel. I won’t have you lose that because of me.”
    He puts his hands on Grayson’s upper arms, looking him in the face. His voice drops lower and turns more serious. “Even if I was selfish enough to let you do that, it won’t make any difference anyway, Gray. The cartel knows I was arrested—they left me my first warning when they came to my apartment. Once they realize that there are charges against you that match mine and that I stole those drugs from their stash, they’ll put everything together and I’ll be as good as dead. You too, man. I won’t let that happen.”
    Tyler swivels his head toward me and says, “This offer from the DEA is the best chance I have. Right?”
    I see fear in his eyes and a desperate need for support, so I give it to him. I push up to my feet and say, “He’s right, Grayson.”
    Grayson looks at me and I see the moment he accepts the plan. Hurt fills his eyes and defeat slumps his shoulders. He pulls his eyes from me and back to Tyler. He takes Tyler’s face in his hands, looking him in the eye. “I’ll be there for you the whole way. I won’t let you down.”
    “I know, Gray. I know. You never have.”
    Then Grayson wraps his arms around his younger brother, and I turn away to look out the window and give them their moment. It also gives me the chance to discreetly wipe away the tear that decided to show up and escape from my eye.
    I hear Tyler clear his throat. Then he says, “So what now?”
    I turn back to the brothers. “Now we go see Matt Daughtry.”

Chapter 24
    The three of us go to the police station. Grayson and I go in first, so he can give Matt his statement about what happened the night he was arrested. Next, it’s Tyler’s turn to give his statement. Then Matt brings Grayson back in and tells him that the charges against him are officially dropped.
    I’ve got to say, even though I knew it was coming, it’s still a relief to hear. Matt tells Tyler that he should expect a call from Paulo Dresden within the hour, since the DEA agent will now be in charge of Tyler’s case.
    Since Tyler is advised not to go back to his apartment, we decide that he’ll go to a safe house until the DEA gets in touch regarding the next step. That’s when they’ll collect the names of the key cartel players that they need, and then they can start making plans for their