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And suddenly, the world is quiet. I try to strain my ears to listen for anything that would tell me he is still out there waiting for me, but all I hear is the front door to the house whose boat I’m in shut.
I just need to sit here for a little bit, and then I can find my way out of this mess. I have no idea where I will go, but living on the street is better than living with a monster.
A monster who uses my body, who beats me relentlessly. A monster who will take everything from me, including my last breath.
Closing my eyes, I give myself a few minutes to rest and try to calm myself. I just need to find enough strength to keep going, so a few minutes of rest should help.
Except the minute I close my eyes, darkness takes over me.
Chapter Two
DREW
Nickelback blaststhrough my headphones as I sit in front of my locker in the locker room of the Midnight Phoenix Field.
Yes, the field is owned by one of my best friends and her husbands. Phoenix and her men, Daxon, Mason, and Colton. And yes, husbands, plural. They are all madly in love with her, and it works for them.
And all I ever wanted was for Phoenix to be happy.
But back to the field.
A couple years ago, after Phoenix had Raven, her daughter, the owners of this fine establishment and team decided they wanted out of the Las Vegas Valley and put the stadium up for sale. Phoenix took that opportunity to come in and sweep it up. So now, technically, Phoenix is my boss. I let out a chuckle.
Never thought I would utter those words. But she has always been a boss babe, so I guess it was inevitable that she would lead one day. Just never thought I would be under her.
My eyes widen at the thought. Note to self: don’t let the guys hear my thoughts. I’m sure they will kill me. No, Iknowthey will.
Since my days at Darkwood Academy, Phoenix and the Kings, as they were called back then, have been a huge part of my life. I got lucky and was drafted here to the Las Vegas Mavericks. Been with this team for the last four years.
And I don’t plan on going anywhere else.
I just signed on for another five years with the Mavericks. And I couldn’t be happier. I get to be with my Darkwood family. And I get to play the game I love.
Speaking of the game I love,Burning It To The Groundby Nickelback is blasting through my headphones. This has been my routine since high school, listening to music before I go onto the field. Nothing but Nickelback pumps through these headphones.
Why? I don’t know why. But I know that they were what I was listening prior to when I pitched the best game of my life, and I’m superstitious as fuck.
So, Nickelback it is. Every fucking game day.
If Today Was Your Last Daycomes on, and I close my eyes. There was a point in my life when I thought I wouldn’t see tomorrow. From the moment that car was following Phoenix and I, and hit us, to when I was in that basement of that club with Phoenix. I had lost so much blood from a gash on my leg from the accident.
The fear of burning alive down there, dying, and not being able to save Phoenix… I had never felt so helpless as I did that day.
I shiver at the memory.
It has taken years of therapy to get through it all. In the process, baseball ended up being more than just a game I loved to play; it saved me. It gave me focus and a reason to keep pushing to get better. Baseball is my release.
Eventually, the nightmares stopped coming every night. My fear of driving went away, and the scars faded.
So, now I live like today is my last chance to pitch in a game, my last chance to love what I do. I live like it could be my last day, because nothing lasts forever.
A hand wraps around my shoulder, bringing me out of my thoughts. I pull back my headphones and see it’s my catcher, Cameron Davis, standing next to me.
Standing at a little over six feet tall and built like a brick house, he looks like a beast behind the plate. His throw is so accurate, I trust him to whiz a ball right past my head to catch a runner trying to steal second. I can literally hear the ball break through the air as it sails past me. There is trust and a bond between us.
“Hey, Spencer, you ready?” Davis looks behind him, and I see the coach waiting for me to join our pre-game meeting. I glance back at Davis as he runs a hand through his dark hair before throwing on his cap. “Come on, Pitch.”
I take off my headphones and toss them on the shelf of my locker. “Yeah, let’s do this.” Grabbing my glove, I head toward the center of the locker room where the rest of the team is.