Page 14 of Kicked in the Heart

“Someone doesn’t like me being a Legend. I ignored the notes because I thought it was you,” she admitted, her voice almost a whisper.

“You thought I…”

“Well, you were the one who soaked my clothes in shampoo and conditioner, weren’t you?”

“I’m not proud of that. I just wanted to make you decide it wasn’t worth the hassle but I’d never try to scare you. I wouldn’tbe that cruel.” Why had he admitted what he’d done? She’d have him benched for sure.

“I’ve put up with a lot of hazing. Got to admit taking my clothes and then having someone pound on the door saying Coach needed me immediately, that was original.”

She jingled her keys nervously. “I really need to get…”

“You probably shouldn’t be driving. Let me drive you to the police station to make a report. The cops need to know about this.”

“It’s just some nut, it’ll be fine.”

“Your reaction tells me otherwise. I’ll take you out for a beer afterward,” he said with a small smile. “No strings and no propositions, I promise.”

“At least let me take you to file a report.” He didn’t know why he was being so insistent, butting into other people’s business wasn’t his style.

He breathed a sigh of relief when she said, “Okay.” He watched as she stowed her bag in her car and locked it.

Leading her to his car, he unlocked the doors and motioned for her to get in before he threw his bag in the back seat. The silence in the car was thick as he drove out of the parking lot. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he navigated the traffic. “So, what was it like having James Masterson for a dad?” Maybe if he could get her talking she would relax a little.

“He was so excited when I showed an interest in football. We never missed a Legends home game. He was so supportive when I wanted to play football in high school. Of course my mother blamed that on him, saying he was trying to turn me into a son.”

“That must have made dinner time interesting,” he commented as he pulled into the parking lot at the police station. “You want me to come in with you?”

“Would you? I’m afraid they’ll just think I’m overreacting.”

“Let’s go.” No one deserved what this creep was putting her through.

Chapter Seven

Rocky

The quiet of the empty locker room surrounded her as she let the hot water of the shower beat on her tired muscles. The last of the cheerleaders left as she’d limped toward her locker. After calling out goodbyes to her, the door closed behind them and she was alone. After the day’s practice and its whistle blows and players yelling plays the quiet was heavenly. Practice was over early for a change.Thank God for small favors, she thought as she turned off the shower and grabbed her towel.

After Butch had found out about her stalker he’d stopped his hazing. He could be a nice guy when he wanted to. They’d had a long talk over beer after she’d made the police report and they were, not friends, but not really enemies either.

She’d just pulled on her clean shirt when the lights went out. Well, shit. Security must be closing up the stadium for the night. She didn’t think she’d taken that long in the shower but… the exit sign over the door glowed, giving her just enough light to find her phone. Tapping the flashlight app, she used her otherhand to throw everything in her bag. After checking the shower to verify she had everything, she turned to the door.

The light from her phone dimmed and went out, leaving her in the dark. “Well, shit,” she mumbled when she realized she must have forgotten to charge her phone last night. Slowly, she made her way toward the exit, walking carefully so she didn’t run into any of the benches.

The darkness surrounded her as she stepped into the hallway. Thunder rumbled as she crept toward the end of the hallway. Once she got there, she should be able to see the outer doors.

A sound caught her attention. She stopped and listened, the sound seeming to come from somewhere in front of her. Peering into the darkness, she wondered what was making that sound.

The thunder came closer together, louder and louder, until it sounded like a train running though the building. She could feel the rumble in her chest as a boom shook the building before the air whooshed past her. “What the…?” she screeched as she turned to run toward the outer door.

Strong hands grabbed her arms and held her in place. “This way,” she heard in her ear as she was dragged back toward the locker room.

“Let go,” she screeched, trying to pull away from the unknown assailant. She was surprised to see it was Butch. “What’s going on?” she said as she wrenched herself out of his grip. What the fuck was his problem?

“Quit fighting me! There’s a tornado and we need to get somewhere safe right now.”

The rumbling intensified and seemed to be coming from the walls and the floor. “What?” she yelled to be heard above the noise.

“Move your ass, there’s a tornado headed this way.”