Page 125 of Shots Fired

Sawyer watches him leave. “Time. He just needs time.”

I nod in my center’s direction. “And you think he’s ready for the captaincy next year?”

He shrugs. “Yeah, I do. He hasn’t taken any of this out onto the ice. The guy’s hurt for personal reasons, and the next time you talk to him, it has to be in private.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, this is all I need,” I say as Tommy grabs his training shirt, throws it over his shoulder, and waltzes toward us.

I’ll give him something—the guy does not give a shit about anything.

“When I got traded, I was under the impression that this team was tight.” Tommy looks around the room, tipping hishead from side to side. “Apparently, it was a far cry from the shit show my dad played for.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the team,” Sawyer grits out. “It’s a disagreement between friends that will pass.”

Tommy scratches at his chest. A motherfucking smirk I’d love to wipe clean from his face is still there. “You fucked his sister and got her pregnant, right? Then you married her, all before he found out.” He puffs out a laugh. “Fuck me, I don’t have a sister, but if my best friend did that behind my back, he’d never see the light of day.” He keeps grinning, only wider this time.

“Drop it, Schneider,” Sawyer demands.

His eyes rove around the gym. “Speaking of girls. That one with dark hair. She plays soccer and is a real fucking firecracker.” He rubs his temple. “I swear I heard someone mention her name in the postgame bar.”

“Jenna?” I say.

He snaps his fingers. “Yes, that’s the chick. Hot as fuck,” he purrs. “She have a boyfriend, or is she fair game?”

“Neither,” I reply. “She’s way out of your league.”

He laughs, loving the heated exchange. This guy feeds off tension and controversy. “Says the guy who could only bag his girl by sneaking around behind her brother’s back, getting her knocked up and then eloping. I mean, do you even plan on announcing to the world that you’re together? You don’t need to sneak around anymore now that you’ve been caught.”

My anger, which has been simmering beneath the surface since Jack stalked off, spills over.

Big time.

Sawyer steps forward, ready to intercept any punches as I square up to Tommy. The guy is huge. With tattoos covering his entire upper half and hands, some even on his neck, he’s an intimidating figure.

Not that he intimidates me.

“If you spent more time concentrating on your game and less on getting into other people’s business and fights on the ice, it’s possible people around here might actually like you.”

He sneers, and I smile sweetly.

“Touched a nerve?” I continue. “You don’t know shit about me, my wife, or my marriage, and that’s how I intend to keep it. You walked into this team a few days ago, and all you’ve done is exactly what we predicted—stir shit. That kind of behavior isn’t welcome here.”

He motions behind him to where Jack’s working out. “Your assistant captain doesn’t seem to agree. He’s next-level pissed with you, and it shows. Maybe he can see something in you the others can’t?”

Hands curling into fists by my sides, I glance at Sawyer for a modicum of control.

I can’t punch this guy.

“However Jack feels about me right now is inconsequential. He’s a good man, and in the foreseeable future, he will likely be your captain. He’s pissed at me right now, but I know our friendship runs way deeper than the bullshit you’re spewing.” I drop my eyes down his body. “So, why don’t you head back over to the leg press and start working on your quads?”

I’m surprised when he does just that, but not before he turns over his shoulder, throwing me the usual shit-eating grin.

I ignore it and focus my attention back on Jack, who’s still pounding the treadmill.

“He’s just like his dad,” Sawyer says about Tommy on a headshake. “The GM made a mistake, bringing him into the team.”

Reaching across to the Olympic bar, I grab my towel and water bottle, ready to get out of here and back to my girl when she’s finished work.

“What’s done is done. He’s here now, and we need to try and make the best of it.”