I storm out of the locker room, almost crashing into Beth as I round the corner. I’m about to push past her, but she puts both of her tiny hands on my chest and shoves me back into the locker room.
“Move out of the way, Beth. Now’s not the right damn time to be playing games.”
“I imagine it’s not.” She pouts, then raises an eyebrow before pulling my missing skates from under her sweater.
“What the-”
“Not now,” she snaps, cutting me off.
“Where the hell-”
“Put on the damn skates, Maverick,” she says, softer now, but in her eyes, I see the kind of rage that I felt only moments ago. “And when you’re done go make a mockery of your enemies and wipe the floor with your fake as fuck friends.” If anything, her words serve to confuse me even more.
“Why do you have these, Beth?” I ask, a crease forming in my forehead. Her taking my skates when she of all people knows what’s on the line makes no sense. But still, it is her who came storming in with my skates in her hands.
She sighs and shakes her head before hugging herself.
“I am not your enemy here. Trust me. I may be the only one who is actually looking out for you. Before the night is over you’ll know exactly what I mean.” With that cryptic nonsense she turns to walk out of the locker room, but I hang onto her wrist, and spin her around so she has no choice but to face me.
“I need to know.” It’s less of a growl and more of a whisper, but somewhere in the midst of it I can feel a slight trace of something else. Something poorly timed and completely out of place.
She lets out a breath, loud and exaggerated. Shaking her head, she looks up at me, something akin to pain in her eyes as she parts her lips. “Jared and some plastic bitch cracked your skates so you’d do whatever hockey players do when skates break.”
My jaw tenses and I glance down at the skates in my hand.
“Then why are you giving them to me?” The crease in my brow deepens.
She smirks up at me and the deviousness lingering behind her eyes shouldn’t cause my balls to tighten the way they do.
“Who said they’re yours?” she whispers and a slow smirk spreads across my face as I realize what she’s done for me.
With that, she frees her wrists and exits the room, leaving me with a cocktail of emotions and on the verge of a rock solid erection.
32
“How kind of you to join us.” Coach isn’t happy, but there’s no mistaking the relief in his voice either.
The anthem is about to be played and the guys have just lined up on the ice. I quickly tighten the laces on my feet before skating out to join them.
As the music blares through the speakers and the crowd sings about the land of the free and the home of the brave, I quietly scan the crowd for her.
My wife.
Something about thinking those words makes me feel invincible and when I finally find her, standing with her right hand across her heart I find myself imagining that she isn’t singing the anthem but, saying a pledge. Something to the tune of “I am not your enemy here. Trust me. I may be the only one who is actually looking out for you.”
Yeah, I’m definitely going to have a great game.
Her eyes lock on mine and she nods before looking down the line from me.
I follow her gaze and chuckle when I see Jared smirking to himself. He’s more of a snake than I realized. I don’t plan on underestimating him again.
“Have a good game,” he mumbles to me as he passes to take up his position.
“You too, man,” I give back, before thinking better of letting those be the only words I say to him. “Hey,” I call after him and he glances back at me, “break a leg.” I smirk, ready to watch his world crumble.
If I was pumped to kick ass on the ice before, I’m even more pumped now. This game will be for the recruiters as much as it’ll be for Beth. Afterall, it’s because of her that all crises have been averted on my end. I just need to follow through.
Adrenaline laces my veins as the crowd cheers. And then, silence. The kind of silence that precedes the storm. I take a moment to steady my breath and take in my opponents. They look nervous, but determined, something I’m sure is reflected on the faces of all the men on my side. It’s only a short moment later that the world is no longer still and bodies move, flashing through the ice, marking its surface with our blades.
Even with all the chaos, my heart doesn’t go on a rampage. No matter how worked up or how nervous I am before a game, the minute the puck is in play, I find my peace. Swerving past one opponent and then the other and not even second guessing my reluctance to let Jared collect a pass, I charge toward the goal, sweeping the puck in with practiced precision.
Chaos rains down on us as the crowd goes wild, but I don’t go wild with them. Don’t join in on their chaos either. Instead, I’m right back at it. Planning my next move. The first goal was greedy, the second will show that despite my skills I am a team player.
After a half an hour, the score is at 9-5 and Coach’s condition keeps ringing in my head. I need to score 3 more goals to even get onto the recruiter’s radar.
Jared’s skates don’t fit like mine do. Even though they’re the same size, they’re laced tighter and therefore a little snug on my feet. My pinky toe is starting to feel raw from the friction, but I’m determined to finish strong.
“I’m open,” Ethan calls and I swipe the puck over to him, skating furiously to help block the defense from the other team. I get there just in time to sink the next goal.
Just two more.
I glance up at the stands, my eyes searching out Beth. If someone had asked me a week ago, what the most important thing in a game is, I would have said winning. Right now, as I look at her, beaming with pride, I know that today, my answer is not the same. The most important thing, is having someone to celebrate my wins with.
Phone in her hand, she snaps shot after shot and a part of me knows that she’s not doing it simply to fulfil the requirements of our agreement. It’s also not the reason she’s here.
I pull my eyes away from Beth and zone back into the game.
The puck is in play and we’re chasing after it with all we’ve got, only coming to a stop when the sound of the ref’s whistle rings through the air. I scan the ice, realizing quickly that Marco is out of bounds. Jared’s cursing like a sailor caught in a thunderstorm. No one’s surprised. No one gives a damn either. Jared’s always been the kinda guy to put another man down in order to feel like he’s on top.
The game carries on and, in my veins, I can feel that this will be a win for me. But it’s not an easy one. The other team is right on our tails, shaking a little as Connor sinks the next goal deep in the back of the net.
The crowd goes wild. My adrenaline pumps even wilder. We’re so close to bringing the game home. Just a few more minutes.
Another goal and I’m one point away from making the holy grail of lists.
We’re powering down the ice and I’m about to shoot when out of the corner of my eye I see Jared take a dramatic tumble. A choral gasp shocks the air. The boys in the rink and everyone in the crowd is silent as we hear what sounds like bone snap and Jared hits the ground. Not even a millisecond later, a cry of sheer anguish paints the arena in red hot fear. A shadow of guilt falls over me, only to be removed by the light of memory, facts and realization that exactly what happened to him was what he’d planned for me.
When I look at him, it’s not really him I see, but myself. The thought angers me, so much so that I skate up to him in a show of concern, but when I stoop down beside him, I can’t help the vileness that streams from my lips.
“Jesus Jared, I didn’t think you’d take me so seriously. I thought it was a well-known figure of speech in this side of the world. Such a shame.” I pat his shoulder and stand as the medical crew comes rushing in with a stretcher. There’s a special place in hell for Beth, having pulled what she pulled. But when the devil comes knocking, I won�
��t hesitate to take her place. After all, she did this for me.
Eric, the school commentator gives the crowd a rundown of what’s going on, his voice the only thing cutting through the silence that has fallen over everyone.
I look up in time to see Selina storming off and Jessica close behind her. A small voice in my head reminds me that they’re not my problem anymore.
Beth is still sitting in the crowd, looking very much like someone who’s as far from guilty as they come. Chances are, she didn’t know Jared would get hurt as bad as he did. That’s the only thing I feel sorry for right now – that I’m part of the reason she has that look on her face.
33
There’s a part of me that keeps insisting I should feel badly about what I did to Jared. It’s silently stewing in the corner of my mind, robed in righteous indignation while the rest of me is cheering loudly for Maverick.
Even as I leave the stadium early to avoid the rush of the crowd, I can’t seem to wipe this silly grin off my face.
‘You’ve changed.’ Little Miss self-righteous chides me and I pause a step to consider the truth behind her words.
Have I really, though?
I glance down at my faded jeans and my favorite hoodie and decide that she’s wrong. I’m still the same person I was yesterday. Still the same person I was the day before that, too.
‘Maybe on the outside.’ The voice claps back and I pause again.
I feel the same on the inside.
‘You care about him.’
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” I snap, not noticing, for a short second, that I’ve said the words out loud. I glance around to see if anyone is here to bear witness to me arguing with myself like I’m full on looney.
As I approach the bus stop, luck rushes my way. Instead of waiting for that luck to roll by, I quicken my steps making sure the bus doesn’t have the chance to miss me. I hop on without so much as a backwards glance.
Inside, I take one of the seats closest to the window, turning my back to the other as I watch the world roll by. My mind trips over Maverick. He scored his ten goals. That means he’s one step closer to getting drafted.
I’m excited beyond my pay cheque and when my phone buzzes and ‘pain in the ass’ pops up on the screen my heart betrays me and I have to confess that yes, maybe I have changed just a little bit on the inside.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?” His words come in short, as does his breath.
“On a bus heading back to the flat.”
There’s a pause on the other end, followed by bellowing and cheering in the background.
“First round on the superstar!” I hear someone shout and Maverick chuckles, the depth of his tone causing warmth to spread through my chest.
For a while, he says nothing, but the celebration in the background continues. Just as it should.
“Are you still there?” his voice comes again, louder this time and I cringe at the impact it has on my eardrums.
“I may be deaf now, but yeah, I’m still here.”
“What?” He yells and I remember the first time he ever called my phone. We’ve come quite a long way since then, despite the fact that his voice is still a few octaves higher than it needs to be.
“Go celebrate with your friends!” I shout back and the lady beside me stirs as a sour look of disapproval scrunches her face.
“Sorry,” I mumble to her quickly, then turn my attention back to Maverick. “I’m hanging up now,” I say, though I don’t imagine he can hear me.
After disconnecting the call, I shoot him a quick message:
To: Pain in the ass
‘What I was trying to say, was go have a good time with your friends. It was a great game. Glad you scored your goals.’
Before stowing the phone away, I open the message again and send out another text. Patrick has all the reasons in the world to celebrate tonight. And I know exactly what that can mean.
To: Pain in the ass
‘Text me the address of wherever you’re going to celebrate and all the other possibilities so I at least know where to find you if you decide to go crazy tonight.’
I wait a few minutes for him to respond. When nothing comes, I push the cell phone back into my jeans and try not to irritate the lady beside me any more than I already have.
After a few stops, the bus pulls up to Maverick’s building and I bounce down the steps, humming a carol in the middle of October.
I wave my goodbyes to the driver who smiles at me before shutting the door.
Bouncing on the pads of my feet like a maniac, I’m through the front doors in no time. The entire world seems to have fallen into a silence, save for the chaos that erupts behind me as the door clicks shut. I turn around and lo and behold, cast my eyes upon the last thing I expect to see, Maverick’s headlights. His car rounds the corner and slides into his parking space before coming to a screeching halt. I pull open the door, and step an inch into the open.
“What in the actual heck?” My jaw, poor little thing, is no more than an inch from hitting the ground.
When Maverick steps out of the vehicle, my heart feels as though it’s keen on dropping out of my chest and taking a spot beside my jaw. The grin on Maverick’s face and the playful look in his eyes is enough to disarm just about any girl, boy, or undecided. Hell, not even Mother Teresa would stand a chance against him now.
“Hey Beth!” he calls out to me and I raise an eyebrow before turning my back to him and stepping into the lobby.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he chuckles and the child inside me screams ‘run’. Because I know I’d be a fool not to listen to that little voice in my head, I do exactly as it tells me. I dash for the elevator just as Maveick pushes his way into the lobby.
“Beth wait!” he calls out. That wicked smile still has control of his face and I’m not sure I’m adequately equipped for the kind of trouble Maverick undoubtedly wants to get into. My heart doesn’t know what to think about the fact that he’s here and not out partying with his friends. Maverick is confusing. I’m confused. This whole situation is confusion.
I step into the elevator and watch as the doors slide closed, missing him by no more than a millisecond. As it ascends, Maverick comes into sight. With a smile, I watch as he rampantly crashes his finger against the ‘call’ button.
Bubbles pop against my rib cage and, like a harp, each bone has a different sound as the giggles escape me.
Playful Maverick has a pretty damn great smile.
Playful Maverick makes it hard not to want to be around him.
Playful Maverick is just as dangerous as brooding Maverick.
If I’m not careful…
If I’m not careful, I’ll become the loser in this game.
When the elevator doors open, I rush out. In a matter of seconds, I hear another ding and Maverick steps off the elevator just a little bit down the hall. There’s a smirk on his face as he approaches.
“Where are you gonna run to now?” he asks, mischief deeply denting the furrow of his brows.
I make a dash for the door, not getting nearly far enough to avoid the sound of his heavy footfalls behind me. I’m nowhere near quick enough, however, and he catches up to me in no time. Instead of coming to a stop like I do, he crashes himself right against me.
My entire body goes rigid instantly.
I look up at him.
He looks down at me.
For the first time, I’m one hundred percent sure that his eyes see the very same things my eyes do. Lust. Bare and raw and open.
“Maverick,” I whisper, and watch as he slowly sucks a breath into his lungs.
“How wrong would it be to kiss you right now?” he asks, but I don’t get the chance to answer and it’s not because all the desires I shouldn’t have are being fulfilled right now. No, in this particular situation, thanks are given to the security team who comes barreling toward us. Everything about the looks on their faces scream trouble.
Maverick moves around me and the guards enter his suite without so much as having to swipe a card or pull down the door handle. My eyes are wide as saucers, my brain glitching as it tries to figure out what on earth is going on.
Maverick starts to go in after the security guys, but I grab his elbow and shake my head, telling him not to go. “You don’t know what’s going on,” I say.
A small, forced smile creeps onto his face and he squeezes my hand reassuringly before peeling my fingers away from his elbow and stepping inside.
“Wait out here,” he instructs and then he’s gone, vanished into the darkness, dragging my calm right along with him.
I can hear the commotion. The shoving of a chair, a high pitched scream. Muffled voices slip through the walls, only working to escalate my panic. And then, “Don’t shoot,” comes Maverick’s voice and any cool I might have been left with falls to the bottom of the earth.
Slowly, because all logic fails me, I inch my way into the apartment, my knees vibrating and my fingers firmly clasping opposing elbows.
“I know her,” Maverick says and somehow, even without seeing her, everything inside me knows who it is. “Put that down,” Maverick’s voice continues, as I slowly come around the corner. My legs stop moving when I finally see her.
There are mascara streaks running down her face and her nose is red from all the crying she must have been doing. Maverick’s iPad is face up on the table before her and our wedding photo illuminates the room in all its glamor and glory.
But not a single one of those things matter to me even half as much as what she’s holding in her hands. The trembling fingers of her left hand are tightly wrapped around my bow while she carelessly handles Eloise in her right hand.
“You lied to me,” she hisses, her head turned in my direction, almost robotic in its movements. “You. Lied. To. Me,” she yells again. With each word, her grip on the violin’s bow grows tighter and tighter. She’s holding it out to me now, and my heart cringes at the careless way she’s waving it around.
Vile Intentions: A Dark Sports Bully Romance Page 16
