Page 15 of The Players We Hate (Rixton U #2)

Talon

From the moment the puck dropped, it felt different.

There was bite in our play, confidence under the roar of the crowd. Passes snapped, shifts clicked. We weren’t out there for show.

We were playing for each other.

I felt it when Rowdy slapped my pads after a stop. When Kade leveled a winger so hard his helmet slid sideways. When our bench stayed on their feet, yelling through every zone entry and block.

This was what we’d been grinding for since last season.

We barely hit full stride before we were up two. Owen buried a rebound after a battle in front of the crease. Then Kade ripped one from the point that cut through traffic and slammed the back of the net.

The crowd blew up. You could feel it vibrating through the glass.

And we weren’t done.

In the second period, they pushed harder, trying to catch up. We matched them stride for stride. I ate a puck off the hip that dropped me to the ice, pain burning through me, but I got back up. Didn’t matter. The sting would fade, but the win wouldn’t.

Rowdy stood on his head in net, robbing them blind. One breakaway glove save was so quick it looked like the puck vanished. He laughed as he dropped it into the ref’s hand. “Try again, boys.”

By the time we hit the third, you could see the other team breaking down. Their passes got sloppy, their heads dropped, and we didn’t give them room to breathe.

Talon to Kade. Kade to Owen. Goal number three.

We rode that momentum to the finish line. With two minutes left, Owen chipped in one more goal with a backhand off a face-off win.

Four–zero.

And when the final horn blew, the weight of everything we’d built during the preseason finally lifted.

Rowdy was the first to explode, ripping off his mask and firing his gloves into the air as he skated to center ice, grinning like he’d won a championship. I followed with my stick raised, chest pounding with relief and pride.

Because tonight we didn’t just win. We dominated.

We’d been grinding in silence all summer. Before the fans, before the lights. Early morning lifts. Endless drills. Bag skates were so punishing that our legs felt like concrete. Tonight, it was all worth it.

Tonight, it clicked.

Coach didn’t even chew us out in the postgame meeting, which said everything. Just a nod and a rare, “Well done,” before dismissing us. That alone was enough to send guys into stunned laughter .

By the time I hit the showers, the locker room was buzzing. The guys were amped, talking about the big hits, Rowdy’s saves, and the perfect cycle on goal three. One by one, they started peeling off and heading out to celebrate, soaking in the win while it was still fresh.

I barely let the hot water hit my back before I was rinsing off and shutting it down. The ache in my side didn’t matter. Not when I knew who was waiting outside.

That thought alone had me moving faster, heart still racing from the game, something heavier pressing in my chest.

That alone had me taking my time. My heart was steady, my skin still humming from the game, and something deeper was building in my chest.

Wren was here tonight. I saw her in the stands.

And somehow, just knowing she was there made everything hit different.

Out on the ice, I’d picked her out sitting behind the glass. Hood down. Waves falling loose around her face. Her mouth curved in that quiet way that wrecked me. She wasn’t jumping or shouting like some of the others, but her eyes never left the ice. Never left me.

And fuck, it meant more than I was ready to admit.

The high of the win still hadn’t faded when I stepped into the hallway outside the locker room and saw her.

She waited near the exit, coat pulled tight, hair loose around her shoulders. Her eyes searched the crowd until they found me. Without a word, she fell in step, and we headed out to the parking lot together.

By the time we climbed into my truck, the cold still clung to our coats, and for a second, the quiet between us almost felt easy.

I hadn’t even had a chance to say anything to her when my phone buzzed in my hand.

Tatum’s name lit the screen. Before I could react, it buzzed again.

Two calls back-to-back. She’d never do that unless it mattered.

“Sorry,” I said to Wren, giving her a quick nod. “One sec.”

She just nodded, eyes holding on mine.

I turned away and pressed accept. “Tate? Everything okay?”

Her voice came in sharp. “Talon? What the hell? Where are you?”

“Hang on.” I covered the phone and looked at Wren. “I gotta take this. Just give me a minute, all right?”

She didn’t argue, just stayed quiet while I shifted my attention back to the call.

“Sorry, Sis. What’s going on? I saw your texts.”

She let out a shaky breath. “Where are you? Can you get somewhere quiet? I need to tell you something serious.”

I shifted in the driver’s seat, glancing at Wren. She sat silent beside me, eyes locked on the phone like she already knew who it was. I turned slightly toward the window, lowering my voice.

“Yeah, I’m good. What’s going on?”

Her voice dropped. “You remember how Wells called me from an unknown number a few weeks ago?”

My shoulders tensed. “Yeah?”

“I started getting calls this afternoon from a blocked number. It just said ‘unknown caller’ on the caller ID.”

My pulse kicked up. “Did you answer it?”

“No, but I’m pretty sure it was Wells. They called a handful of times.

The first time I sent it to voicemail, but after I didn’t answer, it’s like I pissed him off more.

A few minutes later, I got one of those security codes sent to my phone like someone was trying to log into my InstaPhoto account. ”

“Ah fuck. Are you kidding me?”

“I was able to log in and change my password to my email and InstaPhoto, but when I still didn’t answer, I got a text message from another number I didn’t recognize.”

“What’d they say?”

“Well, they sent a photo and a video.”

I pressed my palm hard into my eye socket. “Okay…”

“The photo is hard to make out because I wasn’t looking at the camera, but it’s very clear to me. You can see the tattoo on my shoulder as clear as day.”

My chest tightened. “What were you doing?”

“Umm… I don’t think you want to know that part.”

My stomach dropped. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me, Tatum?” I snapped. “Who’s in the photo with you?”

“It’s of me and Wells. It’s hard to make out when he took it, but I think it was from when we were staying at his lake house. He took them without me knowing while we were together, doing…”

“You don’t have to tell me, Tate. I think I can figure it out.”

She paused, then sighed. “All right, well, there’s something else I need to tell you.”

My grip tightened on the phone. “What?” I barked.

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye—Wren had shifted closer, curiosity written all over her face. I angled away, lowering my voice again.

“I’ve been seeing someone,” Tatum said.

I didn’t need to guess. “Let me guess, it’s Reed. I thought I told that fucker to stay away from you. ”

Wren tilted her head, watching me carefully. I turned back toward the dash, trying to get my head straight as the line rustled on the other end.

“Can I talk to her when you’re done?” Wren whispered.

I shook my head. “Not now,” I muttered.

Tatum’s voice cut sharper through the line. “Who are you with? Who are you talking to?”

“Huh?” I asked.

“I heard you, Talon. Don’t act like I didn’t,” Tatum snapped.

“Please,” Wren pressed beside me, her voice low but insistent. “I won’t ask where she is. I just want to talk to her.”

Shit.

Tatum sighed on the other end. “If you’re busy, just call me back later.”

“No!” I said too quickly. “Wait, Tate—”

Before I could stop her, Wren slid the phone from my hand and lifted it to her ear. “Tate? Are you still there?”

“I’m here,” Tatum answered cautiously. “Who’s this?”

Wren exhaled. “I’ve been trying to reach you. I sent a few texts, but you must’ve changed your number.”

There was a beat of silence, then Tatum’s voice jumped. “Wren?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” Wren said softly, her gaze flicking to mine.

The tension in the cab spiked.

Tatum didn’t miss a beat. “What the hell are you doing with Talon?”

Wren looked away, lips parting, but nothing came out. Finally, she said, “It’s kind of a long story. One you probably don’t want to hear right now.”

“I didn’t know you and Talon were… friends,” Tatum said, suspicion sharp in her tone.

“It’s not what it sounds like, Tate,” I cut in, frustrated.

The rustling on the line picked up again, then her voice went flat. “Look, I’ve got people here. I need to go. Talon, call me later.”

“Wait, Tate—”

The line went dead before I could get another word out. Wren passed me the phone, and I stared at the screen as Tatum’s name disappeared. She’d hung up.

Of course she did. I couldn’t even blame her.

I dropped the phone to my thigh and let out a long breath, dragging a hand over my jaw and through my hair. My body was still running hot from the game, adrenaline humming, but this was different. This was worse.

Wells wasn’t going to stop.

He didn’t just cross a line. He shattered it.

If he thought he could mess with Tatum again and not deal with me, then he had clearly forgotten who the hell I was.

Beside me, Wren shifted in her seat. I could feel her watching me, even though she didn’t speak right away.

“Talon?” Her voice was soft but steady, and somehow, that made my jaw clench harder.

Even she could feel the pressure building under the surface, ready to split me open. “What are you going to do?”

I looked at her.

She sat angled toward me, hair slipping over her shoulder, the glow from the lot catching her face. Her eyes were on me, filled with worry. I leaned forward, elbows on the steering wheel, shoulders heavy .

“I’m going,” I said, voice low. “Heading to Braysen. First thing in the morning.”

Wren didn’t answer right away. I looked at her, half expecting her to tell me I was overreacting, that Wells wouldn’t actually hurt Tatum, that it wasn’t on me. She didn’t.

She just nodded, slow, her brow pulling tight like she was turning something over in her head.

“I don’t know all the details,” I admitted, running a hand over my thigh, “but Wells is harassing her again. This time, he sent her a photo and a video. Something he took when they were together. She’s rattled.”

Wren’s lips parted. “That’s… God, that’s awful.”

I nodded. “Yeah. She was holding it together on the call, but I could hear it in her voice. She’s scared and upset. And probably blaming herself somehow, knowing her.”

Wren reached across the console, her fingers brushing lightly against my arm before settling there. “Then let me come with you.”

My head snapped toward her. “Wren.”

“I mean it,” she said quickly, her voice gentle but sure. “I want to be there. For her and for you. Please don’t shut me out of this.”

I hesitated, my chest tight. The last thing I wanted was to drag Wren into more of the mess her brother had created, and part of me knew Tatum might not want her anywhere near this. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. She might not—”

Wren shook her head, cutting me off with a quiet conviction. “Tatum was always kind to me, Talon. Even when the rest of my family made me feel invisible, she never did. She saw me. And I never forgot that. If she’s hurting, I want to be there for her too.”

The way she said it reminded me of Tatum—like she knew how to make people who felt alone feel seen.

It hit me harder than I wanted, loosening something inside I’d been trying to hold tight.

“You’re a good brother,” she said, and that hit harder than I expected.

I looked over at her again.

“I’ve always been the one who has to hold it together,” I admitted. “My dad took off before Tatum was out of diapers. My mom loves us, but when things get hard, it’s always been on me to step up.”

The cab of the truck felt smaller suddenly. Quieter.

Wren reached over, fingers brushing against mine where they rested on my knee.

“And now?”

I turned my hand, curling my fingers around hers. “Now’s no different.”

She let out a quiet breath, some of the tension easing from her face.

“She needs me,” I added. “I’m not gonna let her down.”

Wren didn’t try to say more. She didn’t offer empty comfort or argue. She just squeezed my hand, and I knew she understood.

Still, I could see the questions swirling in her eyes.

“What about the team?” she asked gently. “The games… the season?”

I gave a faint grin, one that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Coach will understand. Family comes first. Besides, I’ll make sure I’m back in time for our next game. ”

Wren nodded again, and for a minute we sat there with our hands linked and our hearts steadying in the stillness.

She was here. I had a game in a few days. Everything was still moving like it always did.

But nothing about this felt normal.

And the next time I saw Wells… there wouldn’t be any walking away.