Page 38 of Hutch (Minnesota Raptors #2)

Hutch

The entire front of the house has been transformed into a spooky graveyard complete with eerie fog.

I’ve been to the parties here for the last two years and they’ve never gone all out like this for any holiday.

It’s fucking sick. I bet it was Daisy. She did say she loves Halloween and not just because it’s her birthday.

I park my Jeep across the street, grab Daisy’s gift, and then high tail it to the house, barely remembering to hit the button to lock the Jeep.

The music is blaring and I look around for my girl, but the bodies are pressed so tight together, it’s hard to move.

No way she’d be in here, so I force my way through the crowd to the kitchen, but no Daisy. Where the fuck is she?

I hear my name go up in the crowd and groan inwardly. I can’t not turn around and face the sudden chanting. Maybe she’ll hear it and find me. Putting on my patented grin, I turn and wave at the crowd screaming my name. Everyone and their mother knows I had that meeting with the Raptors today.

It settles down and they wait for me to say something.

I really wanted to tell Daisy first, but I don’t see her anywhere.

But I can’t let the fans down either. Fans make a career in any major sport.

“You’re looking at the newest center for the Minnesota Raptors!”

The whole place explodes in cheers and I’m rushed with people hugging and pulling me this way and that. A beer is shoved in my hand and another is poured over my head in celebration.

“You’re starting without me?” Collin roars from the doorway and the attention is turned to him as he announces he’s also signed his contract with the Raptors. The place is so loud I think I blew out an eardrum.

And still no Daisy. Where the fuck is she?

Jenny taps on my shoulder and crooks her finger. I waste no time in following her. She pulls out her keychain from her pocket and unlocks the door leading up to the attic stairs.

“She didn’t want the noise,” Jenny yells into my ear.

“But her birthday…”

“She doesn’t want to think about it. It’s making her sad.”

Of course it is. Why did I not think about that?

“Yo! Jenny!”

We both turn to look to see one of the baseball guys pushing his way through the back door. He’s carrying a large bag and what looks like a full dozen orange and purple roses.

“Found this on the back porch. It’s addressed to some chick named Daisy.”

Jenny smiles. “Maybe her brother had them sent to her. She was telling me he’s in the military and she didn’t think he’d get to call her today.”

That would definitely cheer her up if she’s sad.

“I’ll take them upstairs to her.” I take everything from the guy and Jenny unlocks the door so I can go up the stairs. I hear the lock turn as I go up. At least she’s making sure the assholes can’t get up here. They still have access to the basement, but not the attic.

I knock on her door. “Red, it’s Hutch. You awake?”

After a full minute, I start to think she is asleep. You can’t really hear the noise from up here. It’s muted to a tolerable level and if she went to sleep with headphones in, she’d never hear me knocking let alone the party downstairs.

It’s only when the lock turns and she opens the door, I let out a sigh of relief. I didn’t want to go back to the party. I wanted to spend time with Daisy and share the biggest accomplishment of my life with her. Her smile is all I’ll ever need.

“So do I say congrats or are we frustrated with no contract yet?” Her eyes land on the roses I’m carrying and they go wide. She starts backing up until the backs of her legs hit the bottom of her bed and she falls backward onto it, scrambling to get as far away from me as she can.

“Daisy?”

“Why do you have those?”

“What?” I look down and remember I’m carrying the roses. “These?”

She nods.

“All of this was left on the back porch with your name on them. Someone said your brother sent them.”

“Robbie would never,” she hisses out. “He knows what those mean.”

I carefully set them down on the table and turn my attention to her. “What do they mean?”

“Joseph got me that exact bouquet every year for my birthday.”

“Asswipe?” I look for a card and find one in the gift bag. It has her name on it. “Can I?”

She nods again.

I open it and my blood pressure boils over.

Happy birthday, beautiful.

Remember what I said, you’re always going to be mine.

These are from asswipe even if the card isn’t signed.

I look into the bag and find a hoodie with his name and number on it.

I should have looked in the damn bag before I came up here.

“Wait here.” I take the roses and the bag and go back downstairs. Collin sees me and makes a beeline.

“Shit, I forgot to get Red flowers. Good thing you did.”

“These are from asswipe.”

“You sure?”

“She said it’s the exact bouquet he always got her and the bag has a hoodie with his name and number on it.”

“Fucker.”

“Just take this shit and get rid of it. Go burn it all in the fire pit in the backyard.”

“Can’t we use this as evidence or something?”

“Evidence of what? There are no threats. It would mean nothing in a court of law. Just burn the shit, okay?”

“With pleasure.” He takes it all gingerly, like it’s coated in filth and disease. “I’m still taking a photo, though. You never know.”

“What’s wrong?” Jenny asks when she sees me and Collin huddled together by the door leading to the attic.

“These are from asswipe and now she’s upset. I told Collin to burn the shit in the fire pit.”

“I didn’t know…”

“It’s okay, Jen. I didn’t look either.”

“This means he knows where she is.” Collin stares out at the crowd in the living room. “Someone ratted her out to him.”

“It could have been anyone.” Jenny bites her lower lip. “Maybe it wasn’t someone we know.”

“Maybe.” I doubt it, though. People are stupid when it comes to getting close to athletes.

It doesn’t even have to be a football player really.

It could be a girl who recognized Daisy from one of her classes and passed the information along or it was one of the guys on the team.

Hell, maybe even one of the coaches. It’s hard to say.

But Collin’s right. He knows where she is now.

“I’m going back upstairs before she freaks out worse than she already is. Please lock the door behind me with the key.”

Jenny does as I ask and I run back upstairs. She’s sitting on her bed staring off into space with a blank expression. That scares me more than her freaking out.

“Daisy?” I ask softly as I walk over to the bed.

“He knows I live here.”

“Yeah, baby, he does.” No point in lying.

“I have to go, to hide…”

I sit down and pull her into my lap. “No. There are people here who will keep you safe. If you run, then you’re on your own with no backup. If he finds you alone, then you have no shot at help. Here you do.”

“I almost died last time. He’ll kill me if he gets his hands on me.”

Her words are hollow, wooden.

I tip her head up so she’s looking at me. “I’m not going to let him.”

“You’re not going to be here.”

That hit like a punch to the gut. I know that, but it doesn’t mean I’m leaving her defenseless. The team will protect her. Everyone in this house will protect her.

“You’re right, I’ll be gone a lot, but that doesn’t mean you’re alone. Like I said, everyone here will protect you and I’m only a phone call away. If he shows up, you call me and I’ll make sure he goes away.”

She shakes her head and I’m at a loss for how to reassure her. Actions speak louder than words and in this, I can’t give her actions until asswipe shows up. I have no doubt he’ll try, but when he does, I’ll have things put into place.

“Do you trust me?” I whisper.

She nods.

“I need to hear you say the words, sweetheart. Do you trust me?”

“I shouldn’t, but I do.”

“Good girl.” I kiss the top of her head. “Then trust me when I say I have a plan if he ever shows up here and it’ll be put into place before I leave for my first away game which isn’t for two weeks.”

“So you signed the contract?”

“Sure did. Called Mom and then high tailed it over here.”

“You’re not leaving for two weeks?”

“Nope. I have practice starting Monday. There are three games scheduled this week.”

“Three? Are they going to let you play?”

“I don’t know. We’re new. We need to learn to gel with the team, so they may not let us on the ice unless there’s no other choice.”

“You’ll be fine. I’ve seen you and Collin play.”

“You’ll be fine, too.” I can still feel how tense she is and I know she’s talking about me to not focus on what’s rambling around in her head.

“I hope so.”

“You’re stronger than you think, Daisy, and this time, you have people behind you. We won’t let you stand alone.”

“Promise?”

“I swear on my mother’s life.”

“Don’t do that. Something bad might happen to her and then you’ll always wonder if it was tied back to those words.”

“Alright. I swear by my hockey career you’re not alone in this. I’m right there with you. I’ll call my lawyer in the morning and have a restraining order drawn up and Mom said she’d talk to her friend whose husband is a cop to see what else you can do.”

“She’d do that?”

“Once I told her what happened, she was completely outraged. She’s on a mission to make sure asswipe doesn’t get near you ever again. My mom adores you.”

“She’s only met me once.”

“You’re the kind of girl who leaves an impression even when you do everything in your power to push someone away. Thankfully, I’m just as determined to not be pushed away.”

“You’re a pain in the ass.”

“You love me.”

She humphs.

“Well, you will eventually. Right now, I know you really, really like me. I have a very charming smile.”

“Is that right?”

“Yes, my Granny told me so. She said it was going to get me into trouble one day.”

“Did it?”

“Um…can I plead the fifth?”

“No. I call birthday rights. No pleading the fifth.”