Dead Shot by Jack Patterson (adventure books to read .TXT) 📕

Son, you do remember that I’m playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday? And you want to go seen an empty soccer stadium?”

“Aww, dad. Soccer is cool, too. Maybe if you win, the Seahawks can have a parade just like the Sounders did when they won the Cup.”

Noah tried not to let his son’s remark bother him. Jake loved soccer and preferred using his dad’s celebrity status to rub shoulders with the city’s star soccer players rather than NFL locker room access. What gnawed at Noah the most was the fact that Seattle threw a parade befitting of royalty when the city’s pro soccer team won the championship the previous fall. The cash-strapped city never dreamed another title might come so soon. But if the Seahawks won, forget budget restraints. Seattle had a champion and it was going to celebrate it.

But Noah knew the city was going to have to go into debt in six days to throw a matching parade. He cared less about competing with the city’s other pro sports teams but more about the overall sense of despair hovering over their fans’ mentality. Doom and gloom held season tickets for the Seahawks – all 67,000 of them. Noah was going to change all that, maybe even turning his son into a die-hard football fan in the process.

“Don’t worry, son. You can ride with me in the parade next week after we come back home with a trophy.”

“Go, Seahawks! Beat the Dolphins!”

Without reservation, Jake sprinted across the kitchen to give his dad a high-five. They both laughed as Noah picked up Jake and spun him around once. They shared a hug that ended with a tight squeeze.

“Don’t forget your rain coat, buddy. It looks like you’re going to need it.”

“Thanks, dad.”

“Better hurry before you miss your bus.”

“Dad, you’re beginning to sound like mom.”

On cue, Ellen Larson wobbled down the stairs, trying to stay upright in her four-inch stiletto heels. Her naturally blonde hair clung smoothly to her head as her usually flowing locks were pinned tightly to the back of her head in a bun, held in place with a diamond-studded hair stick. She wore the shimmering red dress well, which outlined the contours of her curvaceous figure. The silk shawl draped over her shoulders toned down a vision of a woman that would put most men’s head on a swivel.

Noah drew out a long whistle and shook his head in delight as he watched his wife of eight years come down the staircase. Who cared if she wasn’t the most graceful woman in the moment? Noah certainly didn’t. And neither did Jake.

“Jake, don’t think you’re going to school without giving mommy a kiss.”

Jake didn’t wait for his mother to make it to the front door.

“I love you, mommy,” Jake said.

“I’ll pick you up from school today and then we’re going shopping. We need to get some warm clothes for our trip.”

“OK, mom. See you then.”

Ellen went to plant a kiss on Jake’s cheek, but he dodged and resisted. If there was one thing that was sure to get a first-grade boy laughed at, it was having bright red lipstick on your cheek. Instead of getting her way, Ellen withdrew and blew him a kiss instead. Jake’s face lit up with a toothy grin before he put on his raincoat, grabbed his book bag, and headed out the door for his short one-block walk to the bus stop.

The large concentration of students living in the Larsons’ neighborhood who attended Westminster Prep necessitated a school bus. Jake’s walk to the bus stop for the city’s most prestigious prep school was less than a block. Noah and Ellen had no reservations about letting their son walk alone to the corner of this quiet, tree-lined street. Even on a day that registered as extra blustery and rainy by Seattle’s sopping wet standards.

Jake pulled the door shut and hustled down the steps. Once he reached the sidewalk, he began tossing his Sounders soccer ball in the air as he skipped toward the bus stop. Jake quickly disappeared from Noah’s view of the front yard through the windows flanking the front door.

“Don’t you look nice,” Noah said as he spun around and turned his gaze toward Ellen.

“Thanks, honey. I am going to miss you. I can’t wait for Sunday to get here and this season to get over with. It’s so much better when you lose and don’t make the playoffs.”

Noah moved closer to Ellen. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

“I don’t know how to respond to that. Wouldn’t you rather be married to a Super Bowl champion quarterback to impress all your socialite friends?”

“I don’t care about that – I just want you to be done with football so we can enjoy life together again. This football stuff just gets in the way all the time.”

“Well, we’ll see.”

Ellen suddenly grabbed Noah’s arms.

“Seriously? Are you thinking about quitting?”

“Maybe. I’ve been playing football for a long time, living up to a lot of people’s expectations and doing what everyone else thinks I should do with my life. I’m kind of tired of it. Besides, what better way to go out than on top and be the king of this city?”

Ellen began shaking Noah, giddy with excitement. She was careful not to jump up and down in her unstable shoes.

“I can’t believe this!”

“Don’t get too excited just yet. I’m only going to seriously consider retiring if we win—don’t think I’m about to lose the last football game that I play.”

Ellen smiled.

“You’re not just going to win,” she said, poking Noah in the chest, “you’re going to destroy the Dolphins!”

She turned and headed back upstairs to finish primping for her shopping outing.

Noah glanced at his bags packed by the door. He then walked back to the kitchen so he could watch the raindrops on the window again. Noah stared out the window, grappling with the fact that he had uttered aloud the thought that had been tormenting him for