Page 133 of Quarterback Sneak

The door to my room is thrown open, and Reid enters. He joins the fray in an instant. Quint’s there a second later. Together, the three of them pin Slate to the ground. “Stop fighting us,” Zane orders him, his voice terse.

“Get off me,” Slate says in a voice I barely recognize.

“Not until you calm down,” Zane says in a voice that leaks authority. Zane’s muscles are bulging, and I try not to appreciate them in this moment because it’s really not the time. He meets my eyes.Get Tessa out of the building. Now.

I stare at him with wide eyes.Is she his mate?

He drops his gaze back to Slate, who’s barely contained.Yeah.

I swallow hard and jump to my feet. Slate’s head jerks up, and he glares at me. “Evie, don’t you dare take my mate away.” Hiswords are so low and fierce, and I jerk at the hostility in his eyes. I’m pretty sure he’s going to murder me. I pause, unsure what to do.

It’s okay, Baby. We’ve got him. He’s not going anywhere, and he’s not going to hurt you.I watch as Zane pushes his knee into Slate’s back. “You threaten my mate again, and we’re going to have a problem.” His words are not nearly as gentle as they were in my head. Zane’s head lifts, and he smiles at me. Smiles, like he’s not pinning his friend to the floor.Go, Baby. I’ll catch up to you soon.

I nod and hurry to the door that leads to the bathroom. I hear a fierce growl behind me, but I ignore it. “It’s okay, Evie. We’ve got him,” Quint calls out behind me, but he grunts a second later. I don’t bother to look back. I hurry into Tessa’s room. She whirls around to stare at me with wide eyes.

“What was that?” she nearly shrieks.

I take a deep breath and grab her arm, pulling her towards the door. “I’m hungry. Are you hungry? Let’s go get lunch.”

She pulls her arm from mine and looks at me like I’m crazy. “Lunch? It’s nine.”

“Breakfast. Coffee,” I correct. “Come on.”

Tessa crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what that was all about? Why did Slater Thorne look like he was seconds from murdering me? What did I do to him?”

I try to play it cool. “That’s how he always looks. That’s just his look. He’s really intense.” The wall shudders as if somebody slammed into it hard. Her eyes widen.

“Coffee?” I offer again.

This time she nods. “Let’s go.”

The door from the bathroom crashes open and slams against the wall. I don’t even look back. I shove her from behind, out into the hallway. “Go!” She doesn’t hesitate, and we run out into thehallway. We run all the way until we’re outside. “Keep going,” I urge.

Are you out, Love?

I respond to Zane instantly.We’re out of the building. Are you okay?

Yes. Get her away from the building. Go where there are lots of people, so he can lose her scent. I’ll keep him here until you do.

I spot a large group coming out of one of the workout buildings. I steer her that way. “Let’s go this way.”

Tessa eyes me. “What was that?”

My mind scrambles for a possible answer. “Oh, you know athletes. They’re difficult on their best days. Slate’s just working through some stuff.” I hold my breath, hoping she believes me. “Want to go get breakfast?”

She gives a little shake of her head. “Yes. I’m starving.”

We walk to the dining hall, and I chance a glance over my shoulder. I don’t see them.We’re in the dining hall now.

Good. I’ll join you soon.

I force a smile to my face when Tessa turns to me. “These FMU boys. Am I right?”