Page 4

T he sun has only just started to peek out as I pull into the arena parking lot, about an hour early for practice.

Tripp is early, too, which is nothing new.

I’m not sure if the dude lives here or what.

But I don’t think I’ve ever been here when he wasn’t, and that’s saying something because I’m here a lot.

After all, it’s not like I have a wife, girlfriend, or kid to hang out with, like some of my teammates do.

Killing the truck’s engine, I push the door open and slam it shut before grabbing my shit out of the back.

Just as I close the door and head toward the entrance, Tripp is jogging up behind me.

“Yo, man, wait up a second,” he calls, making me stop and swing around toward him.

“What’s up? Here early again, I see.”

“So are you, wiseass,” he mutters, shifting around uncomfortably.

“Dude … this is rough as fuck for me, but I need to ask you something, and I need for you to keep it to yourself. I know you’re close with Smith and all the others, but what I’m about to say has to stay between us.” He widens his eyes.

“Understood?”

I’m confused as hell, but I shrug.

“You’re weirding me the fuck out, but, yes, your secret—whatever it may be—is safe with me.”

He looks around, clearly sketched out, before stepping closer.

“Obviously, I know you took off with Saylor Sawyer last night. And it seemed pretty clear the two of you weren’t going to just sit and hold hands and talk. I feel like I know you better than this, but tell me … you didn’t go there last night because you could take advantage of her while she was drunk and fragile and hurting, did you?”

“How the hell would I have known she was going to be there?” I practically snap.

“And do I seem like the fucking guy who takes advantage of girls who are fragile, Talmage? What the fuck kind of question is that?”

His expression is pained, and he’s clearly ashamed.

“I’m sorry, man,” he sighs.

“But after the shit Rowan pulled, I just … I don’t know who knew about it. Meaning I don’t know who is trying to get with Saylor for the wrong reasons either.”

I scowl, growing more puzzled by the second.

“You mean Rowan dumping her and talking a bunch of shit to disrespect her? What the fuck would that have to do with me?”

His face pales, and he exhales quickly.

“You didn’t, uh, hear the rest?”

“What’s the rest?” I snap.

“I don’t have a fucking clue what you’re trying to tell me, Tripp.”

He looks down for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose before lifting his eyes to mine.

It’s obvious that whatever he’s about to say, he’d rather not.

“Remember the other day, when we walked into the locker room and it was just Rowan and a few others watching his phone?”

Right away, I know he’s talking about the video Rowan showed a couple of his closest teammates.

It was of him fucking some girl.

I only saw a few seconds of the video, and once I realized what they were watching—him fucking some girl from behind, who probably hadn’t even known she was being recorded—I looked away.

Same with Tripp. Even if it was a full-blown porno and the girl knew, I wouldn’t want to watch.

Before I can connect the dots, he sighs.

“That was Saylor, man. That sick fuck recorded him having sex with Sawyer’s little sister and then showed his buddies the footage.” There’s no hiding the disgust in his voice.

“I told her about it yesterday. I met her for coffee and then dropped that massive fucking bomb on her before she took off.”

Instantly, my stomach turns at the same time anger floods through my veins.

My scalp prickles, and my veins begin to bulge.

“ Fuck . I had no idea,” I utter through gritted teeth.

“That’s probably why she was out getting drunk last night.”

Tripp waves toward the edge of the parking lot, and there sits Rowan’s blacked-out SUV.

“Apparently, Rowan did something else—something that breached his contract and gave the team the ability to terminate it. I don’t know what it was, but it must have been something pretty bad for that kind of consequence.” He cringes.

“There’s no way in hell Smith has heard about the video. If he did, Rowan would be in a hearse right now. It needs to stay that way because Smith really will fucking murder him and go to jail if he finds out.” He swallows.

“Not to mention how embarrassed Saylor would be.”

My fists ball up at my sides.

Smith is like a brother to me, and I’ve had a thing for Saylor for years now.

I can’t let Rowan get away with this shit.

My shoulders tense, and even though Tripp sees it coming and attempts to clutch my shoulder to stop me, I pull away from him and stalk toward the door.

I rush into the locker room, my eyes finding Rowan immediately, and I can say, hands down, I’ve never been this fucking mad.

My hand is around Rowan’s throat, pushing him hard against the wall.

“You fucking recorded you and Saylor having sex and you showed your fucking friends?” Anger threatens to send me into a blackout, and my veins ache from popping out of my neck so fucking hard.

“Who fucking cares? She’s a whore.” He chokes the words out as best he can under my hold.

He’s lucky he’s still alive.

Between Smith and me, he’s fucked.

That only pisses me off further, and I reach back before landing a punch right to his fucking nose.

Who the hell does this stupid motherfucker think he is?

First, he somehow got one of the world’s nicest, funniest, and prettiest girls to date him—the same girl who typically doesn’t even date.

And now, he’s calling her a whore.

Saylor Sawyer is a free spirit.

She fucks who she feels like, and even though I hate it because I wish it were me she was fucking exclusively, she hasn’t done anything wrong.

I step back, my chest heaving as I stare at him, seeing what he’ll do next.

If he’s smart, he’ll fucking turn and walk away.

“You motherfucker,” he growls, looking at the blood pumping from his nose, dripping onto his hands.

He attempts to come at me, but I’m too fucking mad to let that happen.

Gripping his throat again, I shove him up against the wall and continue to rain punches down on him until his face is a bloody fucking mess.

“Cambridge, what the fuck?” Tripp roars, coming to my side.

“Cut the shit!”

That only has me tightening my grip, but I know it’s just a matter of time before more of my teammates rush into the room.

“If you ever show that fucking video to anyone again, I will end you. Your career will be over, and you’ll be lucky to ever skate again.” Dropping my hand, I bring my nose close to his.

“And if you so much as look at Saylor Sawyer, consider yourself dead. Do you understand, motherfucker?”

Tripp pulls me away from him, and because it’s Tripp and I respect him, I don’t fight him off of me.

But I keep my glare on Rowan, watching him spit out a mouthful of blood onto the floor.

“Fuck you, Cambridge,” he growls before smirking.

His teeth are covered in blood, but he’s unaffected.

“You forget, you watched the video. So, if you try to take me down, I’ll bring you right along with me.”

I run back toward him, but Tripp catches me, yanking me backward with so much aggression that I feel it fucking everywhere.

“You stay away from Saylor, Ryder. If you don’t, she’ll find out you aren’t the good guy you’ve tried so hard to make her think you are.”

My mind spins, knowing that even though I didn’t purposely watch the video of Saylor, I did see a few seconds of it, not knowing it was her.

She won’t believe that though.

Not after all this shit.

What’s worse is … I’ve already hooked up with her.

And now, he’s going to make her think she can’t trust me.

Sitting in the nurses’ lounge, I bring my Alani to my lips and chug down the rest of it.

The worst part about these delicious drinks is that I feel like I’ve just started drinking it and—poof—it’s gone.

I’d go for a second one, but I don’t think giving myself a heart attack is a good idea today.

I stare down at the unanswered message I sent Gemma hours ago, not surprised at all that she’s not responding, yet still somehow hurt at the same time.

Gemma has been my best friend since we were kids, but years ago, she met her fiancé, and little by little, she’s frosted me out of her life.

I can feel it in my gut—something isn’t right.

I don’t know what I could have done to make her so distant, but I keep going back to my brother breaking her heart nearly six years ago, even though that seems like a stretch.

Right now … I just really need my friend.

I don’t even know if I’d tell her the truth about the sex video.

I honestly don’t think I would.

Still, I want to hear her voice.

Even that would be comforting right now.

I have friends from the hospital I work at.

Lots of them. But none of them know me on the excruciatingly deep level that Gem does.

And since just yesterday, when I learned the truth about what Rowan did, I’ve never felt more alone in my life.

I also haven’t made the best decisions.

I mean, last night, I got drunk and turned into a puck bunny with my brother’s best friend, Ryder Cambridge.

Yeah, not my finest moment.

What can I say though?

I saw Ryder. This hot, muscular, attractive man.

I knew he was friends with Rowan, and as childish as it might seem, I wanted to fuck his friend.

In hindsight, I understand that it didn’t fix anything.

But what can I say? It felt good at the time.

And I don’t regret it because, drunk as I might have been …

I had a nice time.

I had a nice time multiple times.

Full disclosure, I’m not sure I’ve ever come that fast in my life.

But no matter what, it can’t happen again.

I’ve already caused enough issues in my brother’s life—from dating friends of his in high school and then …

teammates. It never ends well, and yet Smith always takes my side.

I can’t keep putting him in those situations.

It’s time for me to grow the hell up.

Bringing my texts with Smith up, I send him a message that on his birthday in a few days, I’m going to take him to dinner.

I don’t ask. I just tell and give him the address.

Who else would he want to hang out with on his birthday besides his sister?

Exactly. No one.

I tuck my phone into my pocket and push my chair back.

As I stand, I chuck the empty Alani can in the garbage and glance at the clock.

I can’t help but scrunch my nose up when I take in the fact that I still have over three hours left on this shift.

I shouldn’t have gotten drunk last night.

My dumbass knew I had to work today, and yet there I was, drunk off my ass anyway.