Page 49 of Hutch (Minnesota Raptors #2)

Daisy

“You did what?” I shout.

He winces and looks more than a little guilty. As he should. It took him two days to admit what he’d done, which only pissed me off more.

He went through my phone.

I’m changing the pass code.

“Look, I’m sorry, but I’m glad I did it. You don’t need to listen or read a single one of those messages or voicemails. I wish I could get them out of my head.”

“Then you shouldn’t have gone through my phone!”

“I’m sorry, but I was protecting you!”

“Don’t yell at me!”

“You’re yelling at me!”

“What happened to you promising not to yell at me?”

His face goes white. “Fuck me, Red. I’m so sorry.”

I take a deep breathe. “I’m sorry. It’s stupid to think we’ll never yell at each other. We’re going to yell.”

“I can control myself better than this.”

“You yelling doesn’t make me afraid. I know you won’t hurt me. I feel safe.”

He lets out a long sigh and hugs me tight. “Promise to not get really, really angry with me with what I’m going to tell you next.”

What did he do?

“I’m not promising anything.”

“I won’t let her maim you before tonight’s game,” Collin promises.

It has to be bad.

“I called Cherese and told her about everything on your phone. She downloaded it all.”

“What?” I jerk away from him. What the hell did he do?

“You don’t understand. He admitted what he did to you in a voicemail. He can’t get out of it.”

He let her download my phone? Without telling me?

“He also said exactly what he was going to do to you and I’m not letting him by with that shit.”

He admitted everything?

Wait…what he’s going to do to me?

My knees go week and I fall, the sofa catching me.

“I swear he’s not getting near you. Cherese is handling it.”

He just made this so much worse.

“It’s going to be fine. I promise.”

That’s what Christa said. It was a lie then and it’s a lie now. Even if he doesn’t know it.

“Red?” Collin squats down in front of me, his dark eyes worried. “You good?”

“No, no I’m not.” I drop my head into my hands, suddenly exhausted. What did he do?

“Has he called or texted anymore?” Collin asks.

“No. There hasn’t been any other messages from him.”

“Then maybe the threat of jail scared him off.”

“Maybe.” I don’t think so, though. I can’t get the look in his eyes that day out of my head when he told me I was his. He meant it.

“I had Mitch call his friends down in Texas. Asswipe has been at every practice. He’s not coming here, sweetheart. I think the threat of jail worked. He has so much to lose if he doesn’t stop this shit.”

I have a feeling he’d burn everything down to get what he wants because he never learned the meaning of the word no growing up.

He was given anything he wanted. Hell, even the cops let him have his way.

I doubt the football kings down in Texas will do anything really.

They might talk to him, but they’re not going to extradite him here over some voicemails and text messages. I have no faith in the cops.

At least he’s still in Texas. That’s something.

“How mad are you on a scale of one to ten?” Collin asks.

“One hundred.”

“That’s loco, chica .” He shakes his head. “We are only trying to protect you.”

“I know,” I tell him, feeling miserable, but trying my best not to show it. I know they were only trying to protect me and I can’t stay mad at them for that. Robbie would welcome Hutch into the family and adopt Collin as an honorary brother because of how much they’re looking out for me.

“Are you to mad to come to our first game tonight?” he asks, grinning.

“Maybe.”

“Now, Red, don’t be like that. My family can’t be here. You’re repping the Mendoza family for me.”

“What?”

“We’re besties and we’re family now. You gotta come.”

“She’s not wearing your jersey.”

“She can alternate between our jersey’s,” Collin argues.

My phone pings and I gasp, jumping up, knocking Collin backwards into the coffee table.

“Is it asswipe?” Hutch snarls. “Give me the phone.”

“No, it’s Lucy!” I tune them out and answer the phone. “Lucy, you here yet?”

“Just checked into the hotel. You need to come get me.”

“Like I know where I’m going.” I look over at Hutch. “Can you take me to pick her up?”

He nods, looking relieved.

“I’m still mad at you.”

“Who are we mad at? Do I need to throw hands?”

“Hutch went through my phone.”

“He did what?” she screeched. Both Collin and Hutch wince at her tone. Yeah, they both know they screwed up.

“Text me the address and you can scream at him in person.” I’m bouncing I’m so excited and happy to have Lucy here.

She’s the one person who really understands what I went through because she was right there with me through all of it.

She almost lost her scholarship because she refused to go back to school until I was home and able to at least walk to the bathroom without passing out.

“Get here soon. I’m starving.”

“I found someone who can out eat you.”

“Who?”

“You’re gonna meet him when we pull up.”

“Cool. I’m gonna go take a quick shower and find some decent clothes. Hurry.”

She hangs up and I laugh. I have missed Lucy so much.

Hutch yells at me when I turn and run up the stairs.

“Where are you going?”

“To change! We are going out to have fun. No more talk of Joe or anything else tonight. Let’s just have fun for a change.”

“We can do that.”

Ignoring whatever else he said, I fly up the stairs and rip through my closet until I find my nice jeans and a gorgeous emerald green top I’ve been saving for a night out.

It only takes me ten minutes to do my hair and makeup and I’m back downstairs rushing the guys outside.

Collin decided to drive his own car in case he finds other accommodations for the night.

The hotel is in the heart of downtown Minneapolis.

It’s not fancy, but its decent. Which means its clean and the staff are nice.

I text Lucy to let her know we’re here and wait impatiently in the lobby for her to come down.

Hutch is standing a little to the side on his phone and Collin has wondered into the snack shop off to the left of the front desk.

Why is he even in there? His diet is not going to allow him to eat any kind of sugary sweetness like candy bars and other delicious things.

Hutch has the same thoughts because when Collin comes out carrying a bag, he says, “You can’t eat that shit.”

“It’s not for me.” He puts a hand on his heart. “I bought it for the ladies.”

Uh huh. I hold out my hand for the bag. “Then give it over.”

Collin frowns and looks at his bag. After a minute, he hands it to me with a painful expression.

Inside there are half a dozen candy bars. Things that I know Lucy won’t eat because of the strict diet her team has, but that just means more for me.

I spot her before she sees me. Lucy isn’t mammoth tall. She’s six foot one, but even if she were five-five, she’d still be the star player she is. She gets her skill not from her father, but her mother who played high school basketball before she entered the military. Her dad is a mechanic.

She and I are completely different. She’s tall, blonde, and her rich chocolate eyes, the only physical attribute she inherited from her father, is perpetually devilish.

Me? I’m not short, but I’m not six foot either.

My red hair is always flying away and needs taming on the daily, but I think my green eyes are just as nice as her dark ones.

Hutch looks over to where I’m staring and he smiles, realizing this must be Lucy.

He doesn’t check her out as most guys do, but simply waits for me to make the first move.

Collin on the other hand has stopped everything and is staring like he’s dumbstruck.

Lucy has that effect on men. She’s beautiful.

“Lucy!”

Her head snaps to where I am and she grins, running over to hug me. God, I missed her.

“Alright, bitches, where are we going?” she asks. “And introduce your man. I’ve been waiting days to meet him.”

Hutch nudges Collin and he seems to come out of his stupor and waltzes over to introduce himself.

“ Hola, chica . I’m Collin Mendoza.”

“Good for you,” she says and turns her attention to Hutch. “You must be the potential new boyfriend that has to pass the best friend test.”

Poor Collin looks flabbergasted that she blew him off. Collin is a bit of a player and women don’t normally ignore him. It’s a new experience for him much as it was for Hutch when I did the same to him.

“I’m Jonathan Hutchinson. Everyone calls me Hutch.” He holds out his hand for her to shake, which she does. He actually winces a bit. Lucy is a lot stronger than she looks thanks to all the workouts she has to do for basketball.

“Careful there, Lucy. He has to have his hand to play hockey.”

“He’ll be fine. Are you a cheater?” she asks outright.

“No, I’m not. I’ve only had two girlfriends in my life and I’ve broken up with both of them before I started dating again. I have more respect for women than that.”

“His mother seemed to raise him right,” I put in, wanting Lucy to like him.

“Apparently not if he’s going through other people’s phones.”

Boy has the good grace to blush.

“So where are we going? I’m starving.”

“I looked up a place that’s around the corner from here that the guys will be able to eat at. It’s called Duley’s. I’ve never been there, but they have good reviews.”

“Then lead on before I get hangry and really light into your boy.”

We all go outside and pile into Hutch’s Jeep, Collin leaving his car in the parking lot of the hotel. He did grumble about having to pay to park there, but what did he expect? Parking in any big city is precious.

“I got tickets for you and Lucy to tonight’s game,” Hutch says. “Not sure either of us will get to play, but I’m hoping you’ll both be there.”

“How did practice go?” I ask.

“We finally got to meet the team, but we didn’t get to practice with them. I worked with the coach for my position most of the day and then we hit the weight room.”