Page 26 of The Hellion and the Captain (Scandals and Scores #2)

Chapter Twenty-Two

R hys was ready to confront their opposition. “You know this is our pub and you have no business here.”

Emmaline’s eyes were wide as she watched him. Circumstance certainly changed him from one man to another. Somehow, seeing him like this, aggressive and yet protective simultaneously, made the tender moments between the two of them that much more special.

“Don’t see your name on the door,” Reeves said, his slow-spreading smile telling them that he didn’t overly care just what Rhys said to him or how much he threatened him. His gaze landed and held on Emmaline.

“Who have we here?”

Emmaline caught Rhys’s eye. He seemed ready to battle with the man, but she stood beside him, placing a hand on his arm, hoping to placate him. Rhys had nothing to worry about. She could take care of herself.

“Emmaline Whitmore,” she said with an exuberance she didn’t actually feel. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” he said, his gaze flicking back and forth between Emmaline and Rhys. It seemed he was ready to take her hand, but Emmaline knew that if he touched her, it would only push Rhys over the edge. “What brings you to a place like The King’s Head?”

“I’m here with the club,” she said, before glancing up at Rhys, noticing the set of his jaw. “Mr. Lockwood in particular.”

“I see,” Reeves said, drawing out the word, his brows raising before he narrowed in on her. “You look familiar.”

“I cannot see when our paths would have crossed,” Emmaline said as her heart picked up to a quicker beat.

“Hmm,” Reeves said, although his eyes were on her as though he knew more than she would have liked. “Well, my business has to do with Mr. Lockwood here. A word, Rhys?”

Rhys looked from Emmaline to the rest of the men watching them. Emmaline guessed that he wanted to say something right here and now but likely suspected that the man could be wanting to expand on his threats against Emmett. Best to do this in private.

“Very well,” he growled, gesturing to the table in the corner that many of his club teammates referred to jokingly as his “office,” for it was where he held private conversations, if he needed to talk to one of the men about their game respectfully, without onlookers.

Emmaline watched them go, wishing she could hear that conversation, but knew there was no way to do so without raising suspicions.

Within moments, Lily occupied Rhys’s seat, her gaze worried as she watched Emmaline, although she couldn’t say much with Tommy and a few others nearby.

“I hope all is well,” she settled on, biting her lip.

“I’m sure Rhys will handle it either way,” Emmaline said with quiet confidence, truly believing it. She trusted him more than she ever had another, and while she knew he was not infallible, when he put his mind to something, he saw it through.

He would find a way to handle Victor Reeves.

She was sure of it.

She was still trying to build that confidence when he returned to their table ten minutes later. He was silent as he sat, despite all of them staring at him.

“Well?” Tommy demanded, and Rhys’s eyes flicked over to Emmaline before returning to Tommy.

“Reeves is a problem,” he said without further expansion.

“In what way?”

“He’s trying to create a scandal regarding Manchester Central when there isn’t one. He’s threatening to go public with rumors. They are bollocks, but they would still cause harm.”

“Unless we do what?” Tommy said, his eyes rounding upon each of them. He was a prankster, usually all smiles and games, but when it came down to it, he was as loyal as they came. They all knew it, and Emmaline wondered whether he could be trusted to hold her secret.

And yet, the more people who knew, the greater the chance there was of it coming out.

“Unless we throw our game against Eton,” Rhys said, his brows furrowed, his voice hard and unrelenting.

Lily gasped, and the usual affable Tommy went silent, although his hands on the table curled into fists. Murmurs resounded around them, and it seemed that those who hadn’t heard directly were now hearing the whispers as the message passed down the table.

“Never,” Tommy said, and the rest of them nodded along with him.

“Agreed,” Rhys said simply.

“What does he think he has on us?” Tommy asked as Colin, who had obviously overheard the last bit, sat down and joined them.

“He thinks one of our players is not who he says he is.”

Rhys reached under the table and placed his hand on Emmaline’s thigh, squeezing slightly, reminding her that she was not alone in this.

“Who?” Tommy demanded. “Do you believe it? We know where we came from, who our families are, where we live, where we work.” He paused. “Well, almost all of us. There is only one person we do not know well… Williams? You think it’s something about Williams?”

Emmaline couldn’t meet his gaze, for she didn’t want to lie to Tommy.

She had a feeling that he could keep the truth to himself, but she wasn’t sure how he would react.

Look at how long it took Rhys to come around.

Besides, she already had Rhys and Colin keeping an extra eye on her.

She didn’t need her other teammates to think she needed an extra hand.

“What are you going to do about it, Rhys?” Tommy asked.

“I’ll make sure his threats are invalid, and then I will convince him that he needs to drop this vendetta.”

“Why does he care so much?”

Rhys sighed. “Two years ago, he tried to play for Manchester Central. He’s a good player, but he was rough, too aggressive, and uncaring toward the rest of the team.

The day he intentionally took out Felix in practice was the day I told him he could find somewhere else to play.

So he did, with the Athletics. He’s been looking for a way to take us down ever since. ”

Well, that explained a lot.

“Do not allow Reeves to ruin this night,” Rhys said, although Hardy, the goaltender, was rising out of his seat, looking like he still wanted to make a few comments about it.

Sensing that Rhys had no wish to discuss it further, Tommy, thankfully, moved on, and Hardy sat down – although Emmaline wasn’t grateful for long when she realized his new topic of conversation.

“So, Emmaline, where ya been?” Tommy asked. “I feel like we haven’t seen you out in forever. And why haven’t you been at the games? You were our biggest supporter.”

“I’m still there,” she said truthfully. “You must not have noticed me.”

“Oh, we always notice you,” he said, his grin widening, and Rhys’s hand on her thigh tightened ever so slightly until Tommy continued, “How could we not, with you hollering at us what we’re supposed to be doing?”

“My parents have suggested that I… take a step back. They’d like to see me married off soon and don’t believe my presence at the football games helps my case.”

Tommy sat back with surprise. “You told me you’d never marry one of the men you grew up with.”

“I would still prefer not to,” she said, wishing he would drop it.

“Have you found someone else, then?” Tommy said as she sensed Rhys leaning even more toward her. If he came any closer, she’d be sitting on his lap.

Tommy looked at Rhys and then back at Emmaline, his expression changing so suddenly and so pronouncedly that Emmaline almost laughed out loud.

“Ooooooh,” he said, looking at Rhys and then back at Emmaline. “Rhys? You’re a good man, Captain, but Emmaline, do you ever hear anything out of him rather than a grunt or a snort?”

Emmaline laughed as Rhys crossed his arms over his chest and stared Tommy down.

“I do, actually.”

“So, the two of you have… an understanding?”

“Something like that,” Emmaline said, wondering why Rhys had made it so obvious when they had agreed to keep it quiet. “But Tommy, we would prefer that this doesn’t get out right now. Can you manage that?”

“Of course,” Tommy said indignantly, sitting back in his chair. “I can handle most anything.”

Colin chuckled as he watched the exchange, his arm around Lily, tugging her in close and kissing her on the top of her head, as though they were there to watch the show in front of them.

“Well, I’m happy for the two of you,” Tommy said. “But Emmaline, I expect to see you around more, you hear?”

“I hear you, Tommy.”

“Say, are you friends with Miss Draper? The one that came out with Williams that one night?”

“I am,” she said, lifting her brows as she felt Rhys stiffen beside her.

“If you see her, and,” he risked a glance over at Rhys, “if she isn’t with Williams, put in a good word for me, you hear?”

Rhys lifted a brow.

“But only if there’s nothing between them,” Tommy repeated hurriedly before slapping his hands on the table, clearly sensing Rhys’s irritation. “Well, I best be going. Good win tonight, lads, and it was as lovely as ever to see the pair of you ladies.”

With a whistle, he took off, meandering through the tables to the bar’s exit.

“Why did you let Tommy know about us?” Emmaline asked, looking at Rhys in surprise.

“Because,” he said, his voice emerging as a growl, “I didn’t like how he was looking at you.”

“I told you,” Emmaline said, rolling her eyes. “Tommy and I tried to see if there was anything between us, and there wasn’t. This has to end any suspicion there, Rhys – please?”

He nodded, but he wasn’t very convincing.

“I should head home as well,” Emmaline said, and the rest of them agreed, the four of them making their way to Lily and Colin’s carriage.

They had become accustomed to a routine where they would travel together, disembark at Colin and Lily’s house, and then Rhys would walk her home.

Emmaline’s heart rate picked up as she knew what was to come – time with Rhys in the gardener’s cottage, time that she looked forward to more than she would like to admit.

Lily gave her a knowing smile as they parted ways. “Enjoy the rest of your night,” she said with a wink, and Emmaline did – very much indeed.