“What do you think so far?” Harry Burns asked, coming to sit by Harper in the box seat, cocking his head to the side. “Ryan’s not a bad fit with Underwood.”
Harper nodded. “You know what, Burns?” she said. “Surprisingly enough, I agree with you. The exhibition games have really showed how talented the guy is, if a little cocky.”
Burns nodded. “I think it’s just a good thing he finally got away from the scandal back in Toronto,” he said. “I don’t know if the guys will trust him alone with their wives anytime soon, but God, the guy is one hell of a player.”
Harper bit her tongue to keep from making a smart retort. Burns didn’t know the story and Zach wasn’t planning on sharing it anytime soon. She could respect that, and she definitely wouldn’t reveal that to the world. It didn’t stop her blood from heating at the judgment, didn’t stop her teeth from clamping down together to keep a smart retort from jumping out of her mouth.
“He is,” she forced out.
She turned back to her notebook and opened it, tilting her head down so a curtain of hair prevented him from seeing her face. Harper didn’t want to talk to him anymore; in fact, she wanted to focus on practice, on what she was going to write for the blog. She needed to make sure she didn’t gush about Zach, especially now that they were together, but she didn’t want to leave him out either, when he was an integral part of the new team.
It wasn’t long before the buzzer blew overhead and the players started skating out in their practice jerseys. Each line had a specific color. Because Zach was on the first line, he, Underwood, and Matthew Darcy wore red. The second line wore orange, the third line wore green, and the fourth line wore blue.
Zach didn’t even look at the media, didn’t even acknowledge Harper with a casual look or a secret smile. He spoke to Underwood, and judging by the way they were laughing, it seemed like the two were already close friends. Harper felt herself smile. That was great. If they could develop a chemistry between them that extended in their personal life, the two would be unstoppable. The team would be thrust to the next level. Whoever was the third player on their line – right now, it was a veteran player that had two full years in the NHL, Matthew Darcy – would need to understand that they wouldn’t get as much attention as Zach and Underwood, and they would have to be okay with that. For the betterment of the team.
Currently, the players were all lined up at the blue line. One of Cherney’s assistant coaches, Soto, was explaining a passing drill. Brandon Thorpe, all decked out in his goalie gear, was currently in net. His backup, Jimmy Stafford was just off to the side.
“What the hell are the police doing here?” Burns muttered from beside Harper.
Harper immediately turned to look. Sure enough, two uniformed police officers headed to rink with Seraphina in between them, a disgruntled look on her pretty face. She looked like she was trying to explain something to them, but by the stoic looks on their faces, they were either ignoring her and didn’t care what she had to say.
Something sunk in Harper’s gut as they made their way to the rink. Seraphina pushed on the metal level and opened the side door to the ice before leaning inside and trying to get Cherney’s attention. Cherney immediately skated over to Seraphina and tilted his head down so he could talk to her. When Seraphina finished, Cherney turned to look at his players.
Harper’s heart stopped. She knew what was going to happen before it did. Sure enough, Cherney skated over to Zach and whispered something to him. Zach furrowed his brow, confused. She could read his emotions clearly on his face as though she were right there on the ice with him. And she wished she was.
Zach glided over to where the police were and he started talking to them as he stepped off the ice. The media started muttering under their breaths. Some even whipped out their phones to start recording. Harper watched as Zach pressed his lips together in a grim line as he listened to one of the men speak to him. He didn’t look happy.
And then, Zach slid his eyes over to Harper. There it was. The tell. Somehow, this was tied to what happened last night with Bryan. Bryan had gotten the cops involved and now Zach was being arrested. Seraphina was running her fingers through her hair. Cherney continued on with practice. And the media was having a field day.
Harper sunk into her seat, keeping her eyes to herself. She needed to find a way to help Zach.
Chapter 20
Harper couldn’t sleep that night. She stayed up, pacing her apartment, her hands either clutched behind her back or yanking at her hair. She needed to stop or she would pull out a chunk of her scalp. She couldn’t think logically anymore. She couldn’t sit down and write her article without Zach’s face flashing in her head. She knew a little bit about the law and knew there wasn’t sufficient evidence that she knew of keep him in jail. He would have the opportunity to bail out, but the hours passed and he still hadn’t shown.
She was going to kill Bryan. How dare he go to the police! She was going to go down to the police department herself to issue a statement about how Zach was simply defending her but stopped. She didn’t want to make it worse, and she had a job and the team to think about. Zach could afford a good lawyer, he could afford bail, he could…
She shook her head. She wished she had friends she could to talk to about this. Harper was tempted to call her grandmother, but she knew the old woman would go on a tirade about how awful Bryan was, and she didn’t particularly want to talk about Bryan right now when the mere thought of him infuriated her to no end.
Harper knew he was bad news. She knew he was trouble. She just didn’t think he would ever do something as crazy as this. Which was stupid on her part. She should have known better.
And Zach… She hoped Zach would still want to be with her, but that was a stretch now, considering. And she couldn’t blame him. Why the hell would he want to be with a girl whose ex literally got into a physical altercation with him and then got him arrested for assault? Probably not any sane person, that much she knew for sure. Which meant this new, fragile beautiful thing she had with Zach could be threatened because of a stupid choice she made when she was younger.
Maybe she could fix this. She had no idea how, exactly, but maybe there was something she could do to get Bryan to change his mind and drop the charges. Maybe there was a detective assigned to the case she could give her statement to.
She hated not being able to do anything. She felt helpless, and while pacing helped her burn some calories, it did nothing for her nerves.
At that moment, there was a knock on her door. She jumped at the sound of it, hoping, praying that it was Zach. She all but dashed to the door and sprung up on her toes in order to look out of the peephole.
Bryan.
Harper frowned. Definitely not who she expected to see. But maybe this was a good thing. She took a breath and opened the door. She would not cower when she saw Bryan face to face. She would not be afraid. She would demand he drop the charges and then get out of her life, once and for all.
“Yes?” she asked. Her entire body was tense – not because she was afraid but because she wanted to brace herself in case he attempted to push through the door as he had before.
“Is that how you greet an old friend?” he asked, cocking his head to the side and giving her what had once been a charming smile. Before he choked her. Before he had Zach arrested.
“No.” She paused, waiting for him to say something. Her eyes burned with frustration, anger, and she felt those emotions that she used to be so afraid of gave her confidence and faith in herself. She felt stronger simply by experiencing these emotions and not backing down.
Harper wouldn’t lie. She was still afraid of Bryan. There was a small part of her that might always be afraid of him. But that part was small and ignorant. This new woman used that fear as a strength rather than a weakness.
Bryan gave her a flat look. “We should talk,” he said.
Harper pushed her brows up. “I agree,” she said with a nod of her head. “So talk.”
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” he asked.
“No.”
He clenched his jaw. “I would prefer not to talk about this in public,” he told her. “You’re lucky I’m even talking to you at all. I could just walk away, let the law implement its justice.” He turned his head so Harper had a clear view of the black eye on Bryan’s face and she bit back a smile.
“Oh, please, Bryan,” she said. “You know one of my friends works for Newport PD, right?” She looked at him like he was a moron. Which he was. “What happened after what you did to me? Even though I had bruises on my neck from when you choked me, did charges ever get filed? Or did they drop charges because there was insufficient evidence against you, despite the bruises on my face? The only good that came out of it was the restraining order.”
“That expired, by the way,” he said.
“Something I’m going to remedy very soon,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Actually,” Bryan said, extending his pointer finger, “I don’t think you want to do that anytime soon. You want me to drop the charges? I have a deal for you.”
“Why would I want to take you up on a deal when charges are going to get dropped anyway?” Harper asked.
“Are you absolutely sure they will?” Bryan asked, tapping his chin and tilting his head to the side. “Are you sure his case won’t get sent to the young, hotshot LA fan, looking to throw the book at some Newport Beach hockey player in order to prove a point about violence in athletic settings – even on a professional level – and make a name for himself? Can you really guarantee that?”
Harper clenched her teeth together. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears. She couldn’t guarantee that this wouldn’t go to trial. Yes, Zach would bail out. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t go to trial. It didn’t mean the young, hotshot assistant district attorney wouldn’t push for more investigation. That could bring up stuff Zach didn’t want to get out, stuff about what happened in Toronto. It would put his family drama in the spotlight. It would ridicule Seraphina – again – for taking a chance on a problem player. The team itself would be ridiculed, perhaps even the sport due to its violent nature.
As much as she hated to admit it, Bryan was right. She couldn’t guarantee anything.
“What do you want?” she all but spat. Her eyes were still burning, and there was a part of her – a small part of her – that hated him. It was the same size as the part of her that feared him, and even though the majority of her was indifferent to Bryan, the part that hated him was at the forefront of her body right now, taking over her emotions and causing her temper to flare.
He smirked because he knew he had her. She wanted nothing more than to slap that smirk off of his face. Her fingers twitched and she had to shove them behind her back in order to keep herself from actually indulging in temptation.
“I want to be given the opportunity to start over,” he told her, his voice as smooth as silk. It didn’t seem that he cared about their past, about the effect he had on her now and how his actions caused life-long repercussions. Because Bryan didn’t care about her or her feelings for him. As long as they were together, that was all he cared about. “I want us to reconnect. I want us to have a second chance.”
“That will never happen,” Harper told him. “You said it yourself: I’m with Zach.”
Bryan flicked his wrist dismissively. “Trivial matters that can be rectified with time, patience, and forgiveness,” he told her. “Maybe you’ve shared a couple of dates with the guy, but you and I have a history. That counts for something.”
“Not when the history between us is filled with yelling, fighting, and abuse,” Harper pointed out.
“I didn’t abuse you,” Bryan snapped, his entire body contorting into a defensive hunch. “I lost control of myself. It was a mistake, a mistake that will never happen again.”
“That’s what they all say,” Harper quipped before she could stop herself.
Bryan narrowed his eyes. “I don’t have to give you this chance,” he pointed out. “Zach can rot in the courtroom for all I care. You think I don’t know he’s going to bail out? Of course I know that. I’m not an idiot. He’ll be out for a few weeks until the prosecutor pushes for a quick court date and he’s forced to go to trial. Then, they’ll bring in character witnesses. You know what those are, right? They portray him a certain way. You know the first place they’ll go, right? Everything and everybody will be dragged in the mud. But you can prevent that.”
Harper looked at him skeptically. “So all I would need to do is go on one date with you?” she asked. “I don’t have to be with you. I don’t have to go on a second date. Just one date?”
Harper didn’t want to agree. She wanted to be far away from him at all costs. But she knew that what he told her still had some truth sprinkled in. It wouldn’t surprise her if they tracked down Gordon Brewer’s wife and she spewed her lies on the stand, despite being under oath, just to get back at his rejection.
Bryan nodded. “I can’t guarantee you that there won’t be more than that, should your old feelings start to resurface,” he said. “But yes. I will drop all charges if you agree to go on one date with me.”
Harper clenched his jaw. “Once the charges get dropped,” she said finally, “I will agree to one date mid-afternoon in a public place.”
“One date at night where you have to dress up,” Bryan pushed, “and then I’ll drop the charges.”
Harper shook her head. “Charges get dropped first,” she insisted. “You don’t think I know that it’s at the DA’s discretion whether or not they prosecute a case? What happens if you go ask for the charges to be dropped, and your friend, the hotshot ADA refuses to drop them? You make good on your word and I’ll go on a date with you.”
“At night,” Bryan put in.
Harper’s nostrils flared. “At night,” she agreed, though she did not want to. “I will dress up.”
He stuck out his hand. “You have a deal,” he told her. “Expect a phone call in the next couple of days.”
Harper dropped her gaze to Bryan’s outstretched hand before looking back at his face. There was no way in hell she was going to touch him in any capacity, not even to make their deal official.
He dropped his hand when he finally realized she wasn’t going to shake it and nodded his head. “I’ll see you soon, Harper,” he murmured as he turned around to leave. “Very, very soon.”
Harper all but slammed the door shut, taking extra care to lock it. She leaned against it, sliding down until she was sitting on the floor. She pulled at the roots of her hair gently, but just enough to feel a pull of pain. She had no idea what she had gotten herself into, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
All that mattered was getting Zach out and keeping him there.
Chapter 21
Zach showed up at Harper’s apartment well into the evening. It took a few hours to book him, and since Newport Beach didn’t actually hold those they arrested unless they were stuck in a sober cell, he was transported to Orange County Sheriffs in Santa Ana. He was interrogated at Newport and the cops while firm were polite and cordial. He wasn’t even arrested save for the transportation process. At county, he was booked, and once that was all over with, he was finally able to post bail, catch a cab, and get dropped off at the Ice Palace where he could pick up his car and meet with Seraphina.
“How did that go?” Harper asked, gently chewing on the tip of her thumbnail. She couldn’t sit still while Zach was explaining everything so she paced up and down the the tiny living room that made up her apartment.
Zach, much to Harper’s disbelief, was completely calm about the entire situation. He sat on the couch, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his wrists hanging between his legs. He had that lazy smile on his lips and the mischievous sparkle in his crystal blue eyes. She wanted to throttle him, to be honest. How could he be so calm? How could he be okay with all that went on, with everything that he had to go through?
“It went as well as expected,” he said with a shrug. He looked up at her and leaned back, resting his ankle on his knee. “She was pretty pissed at the whole thing, but not because of me, because of Bryan and everything that went down.”
“So,” Harper said slowly, “she’s not angry with you?”
“Of course not,” he said with a crooked grin. “I didn’t tell her your history with Bryan. I didn’t think it was my place to say anything. But I did let her know he’s been harassing you for a while and I just lost it. Seraphina was very supportive in every aspect.”
Harper glanced at the hockey player sharply. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, quirking her brow.
“I’m not going to lie, Harp,” Zach said, tracing circles on the inside of her wrist. It didn’t even appear as though he was aware he was even doing it. “I told her about us. At least, I told her how I feel for you.”
Harper felt her lips tug up but she managed to suppress it. For now. “And how is that?” she asked.
He grinned down at her. “I told her I was crazy about you, despite my best efforts,” he said. “I told her that I loved you, and what we have is still early and new, but I’m going to see where it goes, for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Despite your best efforts?” Harper asked, perking her brow. “Who are you? Mr. Darcy?”
Zach furrowed his brow at the reference but quickly brushed aside her concern. “Listen, Harp,” he said, sounding like an expert who just knew things most people didn’t. She contained a smirk but couldn’t keep the look of disbelief off of her face as she allowed him to explain his poor choice in words. “The whole love thing doesn’t come easily for me. Especially after what happened in Toronto. The fact that I can admit that to you is a big deal.”
“Admit what?” she asked. “I don’t ever remember you telling me you loved me. You’ve said you liked me and that you care about me, yes, but love never came up. And I would definitely remember it if it had.”
Exes and Goals: A Slapshot Novel (Slapshot Series Book 1) Page 12
