Page 14

hawke

. . .

Five-thirty in the morning and my phone finally pings with the information I requested from Falcon last night. My fingers tap the screen and I open the file.

Jaxson Kellen.

Goes by Jax.

Born and raised in the state of Michigan.

Has been in the starting lineup on the men’s hockey team since his freshman year, he’s a junior, same as me.

Right Wing position.

Usually hangs out with his teammates and up until five months ago had been living the single life. Notorious for not having girlfriends but casually dating.

The next clip is an image of the guy who is currently claiming my girl and when I open it, my jaw clenches.

Objectively as a man I can say he’s a good-looking guy.

Clean-cut, dark hair, dark eyes, and you can tell he grew up in the Midwest with his skin tone missing the same bronzed tan that I’m used to when living in the southern states.

He’s also 6’0”, which makes him four inches shorter than me, and I know my girl likes that I still tower over her when she wears her skates or on the random times she’s worn high heels.

My fingers fly over the screen on my phone and I text my brother back.

ME: Is this all you got?

Three seconds later, a new text arrives to the group chat that includes Falcon, Riggs and me.

FALCON: Ok stalker much. I got all the basic deets I could get. What more did you want?

RIGGS: Who?

FALCON: Who? The guy my brother is making me dig up info on.

ME: I asked for dirt that I can use on him, not for his Snapchat bio.

FALCON:

RIGGS: Which guy?

FALCON: Keep up, Big-Rig. You need to get this one calmed down.

ME: Emmarys is seeing someone. I need dirt on him to convince her to break up with him.

RIGGS: She’s dating someone?

FALCON: Do you not go to the same university?

RIGGS: Excuse me. We just moved in and I spent most of the day figuring out my classes. How the hell have you had time to track your girl down already, Hawke?

ME: I couldn’t waste more time. Too much time has already gone by.

FALCON: Maybe this is the sign that you aren’t meant to be with her.

RIGGS: They’re meant to be. We just need an angle to work against this guy.

FALCON: Good luck. He’s a superstar hockey player.

ME: He’s the exact opposite of me.

FALCON: Exactly. Which means you aren’t what she’s looking for.

RIGGS: No, it means she’s trying her hardest to get over him.

ME: Rig gets it.

FALCON: You both are nuts.

ME: I need dirt. I told her she has a week to dump him or else.

FALCON: Or else what? You sound like an obsessive ex.

RIGGS: Obsessed and possessive. You need a counter attack instead of forcing her hand.

ME: I sound in love. And I already have a plan. I need that dirt though, Fal.

FALCON: I am a thousand miles away. I have very limited resources, but I’ll scour his socials one more time.

RIGGS: I’ll hit up my girl. She's on the hockey team with your girl so she probably has an inside scoop.

ME: I thought it was your friend’s cousin?

RIGGS: Tomato, Potato.

FALCON: That doesn’t even make sense.

FALCON: Just keep your stalker energy to a minimum for now.

ME: …

Throwing my phone on the bed, I ignore the few more texts that come in.

I have a plan for today and at least I can start putting things into action while I wait for Riggs to get ahold of his friend.

Falcon is right about only being able to do so much, but I trust his dive into social media.

He’s like a private detective sometimes.

Plus, I let him run my social pages and rarely if ever do I touch my own accounts.

The fan accounts became too much after my freshman year in Texas and I let Falcon take over as soon as he could.

Feeling restless and needing to burn some energy, I throw on a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt before grabbing my running shoes and air pods. The campus is just coming to life by the time I’m done with my three miles and I make it back to the apartment right as Riggs is heading out for class.

“Hey, I’m meeting with Isla before class. She said she could help us,” he tells me as he grabs his bag.

My brow lifts. “She's just willing to help?”

His shoulders shrug. “She went to high school with your girl’s bestie. And she plays hockey with her now. Plus, she knows a few of the other players on the men’s team from high school.”

I nod, hoping he isn’t putting too much trust in this girl. I know he talks to her because he’s close to her cousin, but I’ve never met her. As if sensing my thoughts, Riggs closes the front door so no one can hear us.

“Remember at prom and the friend I called to get that Carter kid to get the jet ready?”

“Yeah.” I nod and my mind goes back to the morning after Emmarys's prom when I barely escaped before my grandfather found out.

“Isla was that friend. She knows Carter and was able to get him to help. She’s good people. And she has the knowledge about your girl,” he assures me, and I feel some of the tension leave my shoulders.

“I trust you,” I acknowledge, and Riggs reaches over to bump my fist before he heads out the door.

After a quick glance at my phone, I jump in the shower and wash away my run before dressing for class.

I never take the eight in the morning classes, deciding not to set myself up for failure, so I have time to grab breakfast before my first class.

Conveniently, the room is across the quad where a few of the guys from the hockey team are hanging out.

I keep my eye on them for the majority of the class and when he shows up and sits down next to them, the next part of my plan just became so much easier.

I’m the first out of my seat when the lecture ends, my eyes staying on the prize the entire time.

Thankfully I’ll have time to drop the seeds before he gets a chance to see Emmarys.

She has class for the next two hours, a fun fact that I know after swiping her class schedule from the very chatty and easily persuaded girl at the front desk.

I hope she isn’t majoring in a career that requires their employees to practice HIPPA since she just blatantly went around the rules.

Maybe I should feel bad but I don’t. I should know everything about Emmarys and having her class schedule just makes it all the more easier for me to know how I can best support her and be there for her during hockey season.

I’ve already planned to have her favorite breakfast sandwiches and omelets delivered to her off-campus housing on game days.

My girl will want for nothing and I plan to show her exactly how well I can take care of her.

She may think she likes her boyfriend, but no one will ever love her harder than I do.

I have to walk past Jax Kellan and all his buddies on my way to the coffee shop, and thankfully, I’ve made a name for myself enough that one of his friends notices me right away. I watch out of the corner of my eye as he nods his head at me and they all turn to look.

“Sheppard,” one of the guys yells, and I turn, keeping my face in the same mask I used to wear in Texas.

“Hey, man.” I nod my head at the guy and my eyes shift among the group of hockey players and women who look to be their girlfriends.

“Thought that was you,” the same guy says, “we’re stoked to have you here, QB. I’m Neil and this is Alex, Striker and Jax.”

I nod my head in the same greeting at them all. “I’m happy to be here,” I tell them.

Jax tilts his head at me thoughtfully and his lips turn up in a smirk. “What did bring you here? No offense but our team is not as highly ranked as what you’re used to.”

I turn my eyes to his and run my fingers along my jaw. “Some unfinished business actually.”

His friend, Alex, whistles low. “That sounds ominous. Must be about a chick.”

Striker scoffs and shakes his head. “No way. No offense, ladies.” He gestures to the women around him. “But greatness doesn’t just drop and change plans because of one girl.”

I don’t answer and a slip of silence falls among us before Jax asks the million-dollar question. “Where are you from again?”

“The Midwest. Ever hear of a town called Crimson Bay?” My lips tip up in a smirk when I answer.

“Oh shit, so you must know Reign Thorn and those guys. I think Carter and Leif are all from the same town too,” Striker says.

“Yeah, there’s a few people from the Bay that go to school here.” I nod my head and my smile grows when Jax shifts slightly, his eyes narrowing. I notice the way his hand fists in his lap but I’m not sure if his buddies do.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean they all went to the same high school. There was a private school and a public school in that town, right?” he asks, practically asking if I knew Emmarys.

“All Saints Academy is the private school, that's where I went and played ball. Didn’t really see many of the kids from public school unless there was a party,” I divulge and watch as he relaxes some.

Good. I want him to think he’s winning before I topple the queen from his empire and make her mine.

“Nice meeting you guys.” I stick out my hand and shake every one of theirs. “I got to run before my next lecture. The football team is hosting a party this weekend after the game, maybe I’ll see you there.”

“Yeah, man.” Neil holds out his phone. “We’ll be sure to be there. Have to celebrate our new QB.”

He gives me his number and I shoot him a text with the football house party information as an invite. “Sounds good. See you later.”

One more flick of my hand and I feel confident enough leaving their little group that I’ve planted the right seeds.

Jax Kellan doesn’t stand a chance. If Emmarys tries to defy me, she’ll learn how dirty I’m willing to play in order to get what I want.

I am still livid at my ex-girlfriend for deciding to give the guy a chance and actually date him.

Jealousy rages through me to the point it makes it hard to breathe.

I don’t even want to think about all the things she’s given him that should be for me only.

Her eyes, her smiles, her mouth. My throat constricts with despair imagining his hands on any part of her body to the point it is soul crushing.

Not that I blame him entirely, Emmarys is beautiful inside and out.

Any man with eyes and a brain would want to make her theirs.

Which is why I can’t let him have her. No matter what has happened between them, I’ll forgive her, I’ll get past it if it means I’m the only and last man for her from here on out.

I just have to get her there first. Unfortunately for Jax, that makes him collateral damage.

He seems like an okay guy, someone maybe I could have been friends with in another life or on another timeline, yet I feel zero guilt knowing I am going to blow up his world and crush him. All is fair in love and war.