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THREE

LEXI

I should go home, but home is too far away.

And way too fucking lonely.

My friends left an hour and a half ago, holding hands with their husbands on their way to celebrate the end of the season more privately.

I watched them go, plastered on a smile when they asked if I wanted to spend the night at their place, and told them I was fine.

Fine, fine, fine.

I love being alone. I always have. I crave freedom and the independence to do what I want, when I want. But sitting at the bar and wondering how much longer I can stay while simultaneously dreading going home to an empty apartment sounds miserable.

And I don’t want to be miserable.

“Another round?” the bartender asks, snapping me out of my sad thoughts.

I eye him. He’s the same one who laughed at my joke earlier. Cute, with an arm covered in tattoos and dark, shaggy hair… he definitely has my attention.

“No.” I smile. “I’m all set.”

“Haven’t seen that blond guy again.” He grins. “He looked like a tool bag, didn’t he?”

“Such a tool bag. The polo? I mean, come on, dude.”

“His name is probably Chad.”

“It’s Bryce, actually, and it’s a horrible fucking name.”

“Hey. My name is Bryce.”

“Oh, shit. Is it really?”

“Nah.” The bartender smirks and uses the dish towel slung over his shoulder to wipe up a ring on the counter. “It’s Seth.”

“Wow. That was smooth. What are you doing after this, Seth?”

“Seeing if I can find your clit better than that guy could.”

I throw my head back and laugh. I like his energy. I bet he likes to have a good time in the bedroom, and I love when a guy is both hot and funny. “How long until you get off?”

“With you, it’ll probably only take me a few minutes.”

I smile at the compliment. “You have a lot of game, Seth.”

“Figured I might as well shoot my shot. Couldn’t stop looking at you all night. My shift is over in thirty minutes.”

“I’ll wait for you to finish.” I cross my legs, glad when his eyes flick to my bare thighs. “If you want.”

“I do want. Sure I can’t get you another drink?” Seth points at the half-full glass I haven’t felt like finishing. “Women aren’t usually so sober when they flirt with me.”

“Uh-oh. Should I be worried about a tiny dick? Is that why you’re trying to ply me with alcohol?”

“Nothing to worry about in that department.” He chuckles. “I showed you mine, are you going to show me yours? What’s your name?”

“Lexi,” I say, not bothering to come up with a fake alter ego to get him off my back. I can tell we’re going to have a good time together. “And I’ll be right here when you’re finished.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Seth goes back to the lingering patrons waiting to close out their tabs. I pull out my cell phone for the first time in a few hours to distract myself, frowning when I see two dozen missed calls from Piper. There’s another from Hudson. Four from Emmy, and panic rises in my chest.

My friends know I hate talking on the phone. If you need to get a hold of me, texting is always best, but the fact that my inbox is empty while my call log is full makes alarm bells ring in my head.

I hit Piper’s name first.

“Hello?” she answers on the fourth ring. I hear a door open on her end. A handful of voices and deep breathing. “Lex?”

“Piper? What the hell is going on?”

“Oh, thank god.” A sob escapes her, and I sit up straight. I climb off the barstool and grab my purse, running for the door. Something is very, very wrong. “There was an accident.”

“An accident? What kind of accident?”

“A car accident.”

“A car—you didn’t drive to the club. Are you safe?”

“It’s not me. It’s”—she gulps down another breath while I’m not sure I’m even breathing—“Riley. I’m at the hospital. They aren’t sure if he’s going to make it, Lex.”

The world stops spinning when I burst outside.

I tilt sideways, close to falling over, and I brace myself on a light post.

Riley.

Not going to make it.

This can’t be happening. He’s too young.

Too talented.

Too much of a nice fucking guy.

I just saw him. I laughed with him. I made him smile.

What the fuck ?

“Which hospital?” I ask. My tongue is heavy in my mouth. My hands shake. I’m close to throwing up. “Where are you?”

“MedStar.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I’m not sure there’s?—”

“I said I’ll be there,” I almost yell, as if the louder I talk, the more of a chance he has. “Call me the second anything changes.”

I hang up with Piper, not listening to what else she says. My fingers tremble. I try to pull up my Uber app but accidentally click on a food delivery service instead. Tears blur my vision. I look up at the sky and the millions of stars above me.

“Don’t do it,” I whisper to whoever— whatever —might be listening. I’ve never been religious. I’ve never prayed to anyone or anything before tonight, but right now seems like a damn good time to start believing. “He’s not… let him be okay. Please let him be okay. I’ll help him get better. Just… let him be okay. ”

No cars pop up on the app, and I want to scream. I want to break a window, but I can’t stand here and wait for something to magically appear.

Fuck that.

I slip off my heels and head west, sprinting down the sidewalk as fast as I can.

* * *

The whole team is in the emergency room.

Maverick is standing in a corner with his head in his hands while Hudson whispers to him. Grant stares at the wall, a glazed-over look on his face. Ethan is walking in circles, his hands in fists at his side and his cheeks stained with tears. Liam and Coach are crowding the check-in desk, and I make my way over to Emmy and Piper.

“Hi,” I say.

“You’re here.” Piper wraps me in a hug. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“What—” I swallow. I’m not sure I want to ask this question, but I need to know. “What happened?”

“He was in an Uber and their car was T-boned by someone running a red light. The police estimate the driver was going at least seventy miles an hour based on the impact.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I seethe.

“The police also said the driver was impaired and hit the back of the car where Riley was sitting head-on then kept on driving. His Uber driver miraculously walked away unharmed.” Emmy points to a man pacing around the lobby looking dazed. He glances up every few seconds to check the doors that lead to the ER hallway, then puts his head in his hands. “He called 911, found Riley’s phone, then got a hold of Maverick because he was at the top of Riley’s call log. By the time we got here, Riley was already with surgeons. None of us had a chance to see him.”

“Thank you for bringing me up to speed. Has anyone checked on his driver?” I ask.

“No. I think he’s in a state of shock,” Emmy says. “I tried to go up to him, but he ignored me.”

“Okay. I’ll give it a try. I’m a new face.” I squeeze Piper’s hand and kiss the top of Emmy’s head, making my way over to the man. “Hi,” I start. It’s the only word that seems easy to find right now. “Were you?—”

His chin jerks up. He doesn’t look much older than some of the guys, and that makes me even sadder. “I didn’t mean to do it. It happened so fast. My light was green and I?—”

“Hey.” I wipe away my tears. “Of course you didn’t. It’s not your fault.”

“He was a nice guy. He gave me a wad of cash and—” He shakes his head. There’s dried blood on his hands. A dark red stain on his shirt. “I should’ve checked both ways. I always check both ways.”

“He’s a nice guy, isn’t he? His name is Riley. Riley Mitchell.”

“Mitchell. Why does that—” He frowns and looks around the room. Understanding dawns when he spots Maverick, one of the most recognizable guys in the city, then the Stanley Cup sitting on the ground next to an artificial plant. “No. No. No. No. No. He didn’t mention he was?—”

“I’m not surprised. Riley is humble. He doesn’t like attention. Sometimes when I hang out with him, I forget he’s a hockey player.” I laugh like saying these things is going to make everything right in the world. “What’s your name?”

“Lamar. I watched the game before I started driving tonight. Saw the game-winning goal and everything.”

“You don’t have to stay,” I say gently.

“I don’t want to leave. Not until I know…” Lamar trails off. He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “I’m so sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” I give his shoulder a gentle pat. “You’re not responsible for anything, and Riley would tell you the same thing.”

I’ve seen hundreds of injuries over the course of my career, everything from gashes to the head and dislocated shoulders to missing teeth that required emergency dental work.

None of them were ever this severe.

None of them ended with?—

I refuse to finish that thought.

The shock of what’s happened is catching up to me. The rush of adrenaline that helped me sprint my way here is starting to fade, and I’m suddenly left feeling so fucking exhausted. So scared, and the tears start to fall again before I have a chance to stop them.

“Hey.” I’m not surprised Hudson is the one who stands by my side and hands over a hoodie. He has the softest soul of anyone on the team. Kindhearted and always looking out for other people, he’s a natural helper. Someone who soothes and protects, and that’s what we all need right now. “Are you all right?”

“You know the answer to that.” I sniff. “It’s Riley. ”

“I know.” He tips his head back and glares at the ceiling. “I should’ve forced him to come back to my place. I shouldn’t have let him leave. Fuck. I should’ve gone with him.”

“If you hadn’t let him leave, maybe this would’ve happened to both of you. You have Lucy and Madeline, Huddy. Can you imagine what that would’ve done to them if something happened to you? You’re their safe space now.”

“It’s not fair.”

“It’s really fucking not fair.”

“I think?—”

Hudson is cut off by the doors to the emergency room opening. A doctor walks out, and every player rushes toward him.

“I’m guessing you all are here for Riley Mitchell?” he asks, and Maverick shoves his way to the front of the group.

“We’re his teammates. Is he?—”

“He’s breathing,” the doctor tells us, and Hudson squeezes me so tightly I lose feeling in my arm. “That’s the good news.”

“And the bad news?” Coach asks. He’s aged ten years since I saw him on the bench during our game. There are dark circles under his eyes. A red mark on his neck and a shirt that’s on inside out. “Please.”

“He suffered very serious injuries to his right leg with massive blood loss. Surgery to repair the leg… well, it’s impossible. We’re going to have to do a transfemoral amputation, and after, he’ll?—”

“What the fuck does transfemoral mean?” Maverick barks out. “You’re going to have to dumb it the fuck down for us.”

“He’s going to lose his leg above the knee,” I blurt.

“Jesus fuck.” Ethan kicks a wall, and Grant is quick to wrap his arms around his middle before he can do any damage. “This is the best fucking hospital in the city and you can’t fix his fucking leg? What the fuck do they pay you to do?”

“Hey,” Hudson snaps. “Knock it off. Getting mad isn’t going to fix anything.”

“This guy isn’t fucking doing anything.”

“I understand this is upsetting.” The doctor doesn’t bat an eye at Ethan’s outburst, and I wonder what other kinds of behavior he’s seen working in the ER. “However, this is the best outcome given the severity of his injuries.”

“When is the surgery?” I ask.

“We’re prepping him now. We’ll be in the OR for at least a few hours. His residual limb should heal in four to six weeks, but he can be fitted for a prosthetic and start walking with assistance as soon as he’s comfortable. He’ll need to recondition his muscles and relearn things like balance and coordination. It could take up to a year to feel like his old self.”

“Will he be able to skate again?” Maverick asks, voicing what we’re all thinking.

The doctor gives us a sad smile that speaks volumes. “I’ll update you all when I can.”

He leaves us with that, and everyone migrates around the waiting room. A couple of guys sit on a couch. A few others spread out across a handful of chairs. Ethan drops to the floor and Grant sits next to him, putting his head in his lap and softly murmuring to him.

I don’t think anyone is going to leave anytime soon. Not until we know Riley is really okay.

“I’m going to get him skating again,” I whisper to Piper and Emmy.

“Lex, I don’t?—”

“Hockey is his whole life.” I stare at the doors leading to the patient rooms. “I’ll work with him. We’ll do it together.”

I’ve always been a determined bitch. Once I put my mind to something, I don’t stop until it happens, and I’ll be damned if Riley goes down without a fight.