“You’re not sure? You mean I might be one-night-stand material? After last night, how can you be not sure? You want to be one and done?”
I caught the teasing glint in her eyes and realized she was messing with me.
“Brat.” I flipped her onto her back and showed her how sure I was about the two of us dating. By the time I was done with her, she was crying out my name, yanking on tufts of my hair, and pleading for more.
“Are you sure now?”
“I’m positive.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me like she wanted us to have a tomorrow. I sure did. Oh, hell yeah, I did.
I held her, and we both lay in content silence until a knock sounded on the door.
“Hey? You in there, Axe?” Steele called from the other side of the door. He sounded distressed, and we both sat up in alarm.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Kaden didn’t come home last night, and he’s not answering his phone.”
I sighed and swung my legs off the side of the bed. I began pulling on my clothes, while Geneva allowed herself the luxury of watching me get dressed.
“Steele is a worrier. You’d think he was our mother.” He liked to know where everyone was and what they were doing. Kaden rarely told him, so I didn’t know why Steele was upset about this. “Get dressed and come out. I’ll make breakfast.”
“Steele will know I’m in here.”
“He already knows after seeing the pile of clothes on the living room floor. Are you worried about your rep, tough girl?”
“Not really.” She laughed, and her laughter was truly music to my ears. “I haven’t worried about my reputation since I was thirteen.”
I winked at her. After throwing on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, I bestowed one last kiss on Geneva and went out the bedroom door.
I padded in my bare feet out to the kitchen, where Steele was trying to figure out how to cook breakfast. Kaden was the cook in the group and a Food Channel junkie. Steel and I could barely boil water. Our idea of cooking was a frozen pizza or Top Ramen.
“Who’s in there with you?” Steele stared at the uncooked bacon and eggs sitting on the counter as if hoping they might cook themselves.
“Do you really have to ask me that question?”
“No, I guess not. So, you finally wore her down?”
“You could say that. I’m stubborn as hell. What’s this about Kaden?”
“We were out last night, and he got wasted drunk. I mean really wasted. I tried to get him to leave when I did, but he wouldn’t. He was hanging with Ziggy and Cave and several women. This morning he’s not answering his phone. His bed hasn’t been slept in.”
“And that’s a problem? I’m not sure what’s unusual about that. He rarely tells us what he’s up to. And if he’s with his secret girlfriend, he never answers his phone. What’s changed?”
“He wasn’t texting her or anything, and he was in a weird mood.”
“Weird how?” I was puzzled but not necessarily concerned. Kaden was capable of handling himself.
“He was quiet. Almost sullen. Usually, he’s the life of the party. A jokester. He was irritable and cruising for a fight.”
“He’s been odd for a while now, ever since he stopped disappearing to see his girlfriend. He’ll get over it. Sounds like he had a good time last night and hasn’t gotten out of bed yet to come home.”
“I’m worried.”
“Call Cave or Ziggy.”
“I did. They don’t answer either.”
My brow shot up as I regarded my friend. Steele was naïve at times. How he managed to play hockey all these years and not be more streetwise, I’d never know. “They’re probably having an orgy. He’ll come home when he’s good and ready.”
“Kaden’s missing?” Geneva asked from behind us. We both turned to look at her. To his credit, Steele didn’t comment on how mussed up she was or the obvious hickey on her neck.
“No, he stayed out all night. He’s not missing. Steele’s overreacting.”
Geneva walked up to me, and I gave her a hug and kiss. The kiss was meant to be brief, but I got lost in the moment and didn’t stop until Geneva pressed her palms against my chest and pushed me away. She smiled up at me, her lips swollen from all the kisses we’d shared. Her hair was mussed and her face flushed. She looked like a woman who’d been well fucked all night long.
She inclined her head toward Steele, who wordlessly watched us.
“Voyeur,” I shot at him. “Find your own girl.”
He grimaced and rolled his eyes. “Asshole.”
Before he could volley further insults my way, the front door opened, and Kaden entered. He looked like a man who’d been out all night partying. He half staggered to the kitchen and struggled to climb onto a stool without tipping it and him over.
All heads turned to stare at him.
He looked worse than shit. His face was bruised. He had a black eye. His clothes were torn. His lower lip was swollen. Not only did he appear to be hungover but he’d been fighting.
He leaned his elbows on the counter and put his head in his hands and groaned.
“Looking good, K. I hope the other guy looks worse than you.” I had to dig the knife in a little deeper because that’s what friends did. He didn’t care enough to shoot back a retort or even glare at me. He groaned again.
“Where’ve you been?” Steele crossed his arms over his chest and regarded Kaden much like a father sternly regarded his rebellious teenage son.
Kaden merely grunted. I poured him a cup of coffee and pushed it across the counter to him. He wrapped both hands around the mug as if it were his lifeline and sipped deeply.
We all watched and waited—for what, we weren’t sure.
“If you really must know, I’ve been in jail.”
I hadn’t expected that, nor, by the look on Steele’s face, had he. Only Geneva appeared unaffected by this news. Maybe with her biker background, being jailed wasn’t a shocking thing to hear.
Kaden blinked a few times, rubbed his one good eye, and blinked again. “What are you doing here, Geneva?”
“I’m dating Axel,” she answered simply, and my heart bumped in my chest, happy to be out in the public about our relationship or whatever it was.
Kaden grunted something unintelligible. Dragged his sorry ass to his feet and poured another cup of coffee. “I’m going to bed.”
“You aren’t going to tell us why you were in jail?”
“Fuck no.” Kaden half staggered, half limped down the hallway and into his room. “You can read about it online. The whole fucking mess,” he shouted at us as he slammed the door.
“That’s not good,” Geneva remarked with a grimace. Steele and I nodded our agreement.
“Do you think the team knows something?” Steele said.
“Hard to say.”
“We need him.” Steele was in full worry mode.
“I bet it was a bar fight. Isn’t the first time he’s been in one.”
“I wonder if Ziggy and Cave were in on it too?” Geneva asked.
“Shit, if they’re all suspended…” My head hurt at the possibility. The loss of those three players would signal a death sentence to our team’s playoff chances.
Geneva and Steele both nodded grimly.
“I should get going. I need to get to work.” Geneva moved toward the door. I sprang into action, following her out.
“Let me know if you hear anything.”
“I will.” She leaned up to kiss my mouth but didn’t linger. A second later, the elevator doors shut behind her.
I stared at those doors for a very long time. Her absence left me empty and alone yet hopeful for the future. I’d see her in a few hours at practice, and I was already looking forward to it.
~~Geneva~~
The building security guard stood nearby when I exited the elevator. He nodded briskly.
“Do you need me to escort you to your bike?” he asked.
“No, I’m fine.”
I excused him and exited the building.
Thank God my Harley was still in one piece in the parking spot where I’d abandoned it last night. I never left my bike unprotected like that, which showed how much Axel had thrown me off my game.
I wasn’t paying much attention to my surroundings, as my mind churned over all the things that’d happened in the past twenty-four hours. Dating and sleeping with Axel. The guys making the playoffs. A possible issue with one to three team members getting arrested.
Lots to think about.
I jumped when someone grabbed my arm and spun me around. Assuming my assailant was Axel wanting another kiss, I had a big smile on my face as I did my one-eighty.
Bria stood before me, her once beautiful face splotchy and sunken. Her glossy hair hung in limp, greasy strands over her face. Her clothes were frumpy and wrinkled, as if she’d slept in them. Immediately, I wondered how obvious it was that I’d recently rolled out of bed with Axel, not that my being with anyone should matter to her.
“You have to help me. I want to see my kids. I want my husband back.” She was pleading and tears ran down her face. I caught a whiff of whiskey on her breath. By the looks of her, she hadn’t yet sobered up from the night before.
“How did you know I was here?” I spoke calmly and schooled my face to be devoid of emotion. She expected a reaction, and she wouldn’t get one from me. Besides, I was a little rattled by her appearance. How long had she been waiting for me?
I pushed on her arms to move her out of the way. Much to my surprise, the woman was stronger than she appeared. Maybe that bit of crazy gave her strength.
“Get out of my way.” I narrowed my eyes and gave her the full force of my indignation. I shook a finger at her. “Don’t you ever touch me again.”
“You have to help me.” Her voice held a hint of threat that disturbed me more than I cared to admit. I might be tough, and I might’ve experienced a lot in my twenty-three years, but I don’t think I’d ever encountered anyone, man or woman, who sent bone-deep fear curling through me.
Except one man.
Weasel.
The guy who’d taken away my sense of self, my belief I would always defeat any demons, and my confidence I was a strong, independent woman. He made me dependent on him. He made me doubt myself. He made me cower when he walked in the room. He beat me down mentally, emotionally, and physically until only a shell of my former self remained.
I’d worked so hard to get that woman back, and I wasn’t about to lose her again, especially not to the likes of his woman.
Then why did she scare me so much?
“Get out of my way.” I cringed at the slight tremor in my voice. Her slow smile indicated she heard it too. I’d shown weakness to a predator, unwittingly given her the tools to defeat me, and I fought the urge to run for the condo lobby and the safety of the security guard.
I chanced a glance toward the condo entrance, and Bria’s shrewd gaze followed mine.
“Stand aside,” I ordered, my voice more demanding than before.
She backed up a few steps, still crying, but her eyes burned with malevolence and something deeper and more sinister. I’d always considered her a sociopath or psychopath. Not sure which. I never studied psychology, but she was without conscience. I saw what she was lacking so clearly now.
I feared for my brother, his children, Axel, and myself.
“You’re a selfish bitch. You’ll regret not helping me.”
With carefully controlled movements, I put on my helmet and mounted my bike, ever aware of her watching me. I started and pulled away from the curb. In my side mirror, I saw her standing on the sidewalk watching me. I shuddered at the pure evil reflected on her face, no sign of the tears that’d been free-flowing only a minute ago.
Once I turned the corner, I roared down the street. I hurried home to Jock’s to shower and change clothes. By the time I pulled into Jock’s driveway, I’d somewhat dismissed Bria’s actions as the last attempts of a desperate woman. I also decided not to tell Jock about the encounter. He had enough to worry about right now. I’d deal with the woman on my own terms. She didn’t know who she was messing with. I was overconfident based on my exposure to a seedier side of life. Surely I’d be able to handle one narcissistic, spoiled woman, no matter how unhinged, without adding to my brother’s burdens.
Speaking of Jock, he was waiting for me when I pulled in, standing on the porch like he was my fucking father or something.
I shut down my Harley and walked up the steps. “Hi, bro,” I said casually.
“Where the fuck have you been?”
“None of your fucking business. I don’t answer to you.”
“You’ve been with him all night, haven’t you?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” My snotty attitude didn’t do anything to dampen his high-handedness, but I didn’t have enough fucks left to play nice. I was weary, disconcerted, and battling conflicting feelings of euphoria and dread.
“Geneva…” His tone changed from angry to pleading. “He’s not good for you.”
“Why?” I turned on him, tired of people telling me what was best for me. Perhaps I hadn’t made great choices in the past, but they were my choices to make and my mistakes to live with.
He blinked, surprised by my question.
“Why?” I repeated. “Because he slept with your wife? Is that the only reason you can come up with to hate him so much?”
“I—I don’t exactly hate him,” he stammered.
“But he’s not good for me? Exactly who, dear brother, would you find good enough for me? How about Ziggy? Or Caveman? Or maybe Kaden?”
“Uh, Steele seems like a nice, quiet guy.”
I snorted. “Steele has demons. Trust me, I can tell. Regardless, I don’t need a babysitter. If I want to stay out all night, I’ll stay out all night.”
“I was worried about you,” he said contritely.
My irritation dissipated to be replaced by a gnawing in my stomach that had to be guilt. Jock was a worrier. He didn’t know where I was or why I didn’t come home. Out of common courtesy, I should’ve told him I was okay and wouldn’t be home last night. I’d been selfish.
“I’m sorry. I went on a date with Axel, and afterward we went to his place.”
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to sleep with a guy on the first date?” he joked, though half-serious.
“My mother didn’t tell me shit any more than yours did.”
“Probably to our advantage as I doubt the woman would’ve given good advice.”
We both had a laugh over that, even as sad as our mother’s lack of morals might be.
“In all seriousness, Gen, I know you think I’m controlling, but I am concerned about you. Axel is a hockey player, with emphasis on the word player.”
“I appreciate your concern. I can take care of myself.”
“Like you did with Weasel?”
His comment was a low blow, and he knew it, but he was also correct. I was worried myself about my inability to see through Weasel and how easily he’d manipulated me by gradually cutting me off from friends and family, eroding my self-confidence, and destroying my self-worth. The times he’d hit me, I’d taken him back after he’d apologized. All these things raised serious doubt about my abilities to judge whether a man was a good man or a devil in disguise.
Jock moved toward me and put an arm around me. He wasn’t a very demonstrative man, so the gesture meant a lot. “I’m sorry. I’m worried about you, but that was out of line. Axel’s no abuser.”
“How do you know? How do any of us know? I didn’t think Weasel was. You didn’t think your wife was emotionally abusive.”
Jock sighed and shrugged. He didn’t have any answers and neither did I.
“It’ll be a long time, if ever, before I lower my guard with anyone.”
“I know the feeling. I really do, Jock. I protected myself by not getting emotionally involved, but that’s a lonely life to live. Sometimes you have to take a
chance, a leap of faith over that gaping ravine, and hope you land in one piece on the other side.”
“I’m not there yet.”
“I didn’t think I was either, but now I might be.”
“I’m not even divorced.” He backed away from me and raked his hands through his hair, staring over my shoulder at something unseen in the distance.
“You’ve been divorced from her for a few years. The legal part is a formality, but you need to be the judge. It’s not too early for me. I want to try again, Jock, and your support would mean the world to me.”
“Even if I don’t approve of the man you’re trying with?”
“Even if.”
He nodded grimly, dragging his gaze back to mine. “I won’t give you shit about Axel, even if I don’t approve.”
“Thank you.” Now back to the other serious business at hand. “Did you hear about Kaden?”
Jock’s gaze narrowed and concern flashed across his face. “Did something happen to him?”
“He spent the night in jail. Not sure what happened. Last Axel knew, he was out with Ziggy and Cave. He dragged his ass in this morning with a black eye and in bad shape.”
“Oh, fuck.”
That pretty much summed it up. Heaven only knew what kind of trouble those three might have gotten into.
Chapter 23—Trouble Brewing
~~Axel~~
I showered and dressed for morning practice. Tomorrow we’d fly out to Vegas for our playoff game the day after. My very first playoff game. I was giddy with excitement over my future in hockey and personally. I focused on the good things and ignored that black storm cloud looming on the horizon.
Only I wasn’t able to ignore the impending storm for long.
I walked into the living room to find Steele waiting for me. We usually drove to practice together.
“Where’s Kaden? Praying to the porcelain god?”
Steele’s concerned frown said more than words. He shook his head.
“What’s going on?”
“He got a text message while you were in the shower and got the hell out of here fast.”
“Any idea who it was from?”
“Yeah. Mr. Parker.”
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