Page 14 of Shots Fired

I go to spin away, but my center’s hand stops me.

“You really have a girl? Like, for real?”

From absolutely nowhere, I find a casual smile, along with a lie I’ll no doubt regret. “Ugh … yeah. It’s early on, but we’re dating, and I just want to see how it goes. I don’t want to fuck it up.”

When he releases my arm, his eyes soften, kicking up my guilt. “Oh, cool. I’m sorry, man. I didn’t mean to?—”

“It’s fine,” I quickly counter, desperate to bring a second conversation to an end in as many minutes. “Like I said, it’s early days, and she’s not keen on taking things to the next level. She likes to keep her life private.”

He nods in understanding. “I get that. Plus, you’re one of the more famous NHL players, I guess.”

I puff out my chest with pride. “Hell yeah, I am.”

He deadpans, “Can I at least know her name?”

Shit.I really didn’t think this through.

“Abbie,” I blurt out. “Her name is Abbie.”

He waggles his brows. “Nice name. Where did you meet her?”

For fuck’s sake.

“On an away series in Dallas. We hooked up a few times in between Destroyers games, and I guess it’s grown from there.”

He looks practically giddy. “Oh, so a physical thing that’s turned into more?”

“Yep, something like that,” I reply, wiping at new perspiration forming above my brow.

He reaches out and pats me on the shoulder, a wry smile pulling at his lips, blue eyes sparkling beneath the gym lighting. “I guess I don’t need to worry about you trying to fuck my sister anymore then.”

I think we both know that despite his jovial tone, there’s nothing lighthearted about my best friend’s statement.

I scratch at my bare chest, feeling like the ultimate douche, but powerless to halt the wheels I’ve set into motion. “Jack Morgan being correct in his observations—I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

CHAPTER FIVE

DARCY

Mum always said I’d be late to my own funeral, and as I push through the doors of a random but very plush cocktail bar in Williamsburg, I once again prove her right.

“Nice of you to join us …” Jenna looks down at her watch, one brow raised, her long, dark hair sleek and styled to perfection. “Nearly a half hour after we planned.”

She passes me a room-temperature cosmopolitan she must’ve ordered a while back, and I take a large sip, downing nearly half of it in one go.

Jenna’s bright blue eyes bug out as she looks between Kendra and Collins. My colleagues might not be all that fussed about us spending time together, but I definitely hit the jackpot with these three girls. They’re my people, and I owe Jack a solid for bringing Kendra and, consequently, Jenna and Collins into my life.

Without a word, Collins takes my glass and sniffs the pink liquid that matches the color of her wavy, shoulder-length hair.“It’s not a mocktail. I’d say our girl Darcy is getting wasted tonight.”

I take the glass back and finish the entire thing, causing Kendra to burst out laughing.

“Stressful day?” she asks.

My shoulders slump as I replace the glass back on the bar we’re all standing next to. “Could say that. My boss is a taskmaster, and I swear she leaves errors in articles just to test my proofreading abilities.”

Collins nods her head in understanding, her perfectly winged eyeliner creasing around the corners when she smiles. I know she can relate to asshole bosses—her last one, before she opened her own Harley-Davidson garage, was a complete prick.

I wouldn’t say Janine, my boss, is a prick or even an asshole. I just feel like she singles me out to do a lot of the heavy lifting while Penelope and Sienna get the easy ride.