“That way!” Jock pointed excitedly to the exit the car took. Axel turned off the main highway onto a two-lane country road. He followed the car, driving as fast as he dared. The flashing lights were visible down a logging road off to one side. Axel slowed the car, and we knew we were in the right place. The area was swarming with cops. Almost a hundred yards away was a rustic cabin surrounded by towering fir trees.
“Let’s leave the car right here,” Axel said as he parked on the shoulder of the road. He turned to my brother and said in a stern, no-nonsense voice, “Don’t be an idiot. Don’t interfere. Stay back.”
Jock hung his head like a child who’d been scolded. “I won’t.”
“If you do, I’m going to tackle your ass and drag you back to the car.”
Jock managed a smile. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Let’s not go there.” Axel gave Jock a pat on the arm.
We got out of the SUV and walked toward the group gathered nearby. I spotted the detective we’d been in touch with and motioned him over.
“What’s going on?” Jock said anxiously. “Did you find Teagan?”
The detective’s troubled gaze flicked from me to Jock and back. He ignored Axel. “No, but we found Bria down this dirt road in a small cabin. They’re bringing her out now. Teagan wasn’t in the cabin. We’ll be organizing search parties. We have tracking dogs on their way.”
We heard angry screaming from a distance, and all eyes pivoted to watch as two hulking cops escorted Bria from the cabin in handcuffs. When she saw us, her shouting morphed into harsh laughter that echoed through the dense woods.
Her eyes were unfocused, and she weaved unsteadily. She was drunk or high. I wasn’t sure which.
“Bring her over here,” Jock said tersely. “Maybe I can reason with her.”
The detective’s expression was skeptical. “You have to remain calm and agreeable. You cannot upset her more than she already is.” He included Jock and me in his instructions.
“I understand. This is for Teagan. I’ll do it for her.”
Bria was allowed within ten feet of us. Several officers stood poised nearby to prevent any kind of altercation. Jock blew out a breath and closed his eyes for a moment. I saw his lips move. He was counting to ten, refocusing himself, doing those things he did to get in the zone before a game.
“Bria, honey, are you okay?” He was a better actor than I’d ever given him credit for. I was certain he wanted to wrap his fingers around her neck and strangle her. I know I did. I glanced at Axel. His face was impassive and void of emotion.
“Do I look okay? I’m in handcuffs. All I wanted was for us to be a family again.”
“I’m so sorry, honey. I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding. Just tell us where Teagan is, and we’ll forget this ever happened.”
“I don’t know where she is. We had this planned so that we’d be a family again. We just wanted to scare you. I went to get some groceries and when I got back, she…she was gone.” Bria sniffed and began to sob, putting on quite a performance, but I saw it for what it was. She didn’t care about anyone but herself.
“Bria, I’ve been looking for you. I’ve missed you. I want us to have a chance, but you have to help us find Teagan. We all know this wasn’t your fault. Help us.”
“I don’t know where she is. I’m telling you the truth.” Her full attention lasered on my brother, sizing him up, as if assessing the level of the bullshit meter. She blinked several times, and her face transformed from maniacal to seductive.
“Jock,” she purred, attempting to step forward. The uniforms held her tightly, but she wasn’t deterred.
“Let’s start over. Be a family again. The kids miss you.”
Bria’s gaze slipped to me and that beautiful face of hers changed again like a switch turning on and off. “You! This is your fault.” She swung her gaze to Axel. “You did this. You ruined my life. All of you ruined my life. You’ll never find her. Never!” she shouted and began to kick and struggle. Her shouts were unintelligible rants and obscenities.
“Take her away,” the detective ordered.
They pushed Bria into the back seat of a police cruiser, still raging over all the injustices Jock, Axel, and I had done to her.
The grim-faced detective watched the passenger door close, drowning out the bulk of her histrionics. The car navigated down the logging road and onto the paved county road, disappearing from sight.
“We’re doing everything we can to find your daughter. I’ll be interrogating Bria closely to see what we can find out from her.”
Jock nodded. His face was pale but determined. “I want to help. What can I do?”
“We’re organizing search teams to scour these woods in the hope she’s out there somewhere.”
“We want to join.” Axel stepped forward, ready to go to work.
“What do we do?” Jock said.
The detective studied the three of us and nodded. He’d figured out pretty quickly that arguing with us would get him nowhere. “Check in with Sherry in the red coat over there. She’ll put you to work.”
Jock sprinted for the search coordinator and Axel and I followed closely behind.
We waited impatiently for our assignments. Jock wanted to go out there and blindly start searching, but Axel and I managed to talk sense into him.
“She has to be out there somewhere, and we’ll find her, Jock,” I said.
“There are a ton of good people here who are experts at finding lost people,” Axel added.
“She has to be out there somewhere, but why wasn’t she with Bria?”
Jock had just echoed my thoughts and most likely Axel’s too.
~~Axel~~
The search party congregated in a meadow on the edge of the tree line. There were a few hundred people milling around, waiting for their grid assignments. I was one of them. My inclination was to tromp off into the woods as Jock had wanted to do, but that wasn’t the best course of action. The search had to be done slowly and methodically in a grid so nothing was missed.
I’d never felt so helpless in my life. Jock had regained his stride and was in take-action mode in the middle of the conversations regarding the searches. I stood off to the side, at a loss as to what to do next. At least Jock wasn’t interfering but listening intently.
Geneva stood near her brother, and I was suddenly overwhelmed by a surge of loneliness, being on the outside looking in. I needed her, but I knew Jock needed her more.
When had this shift happened? When had she become the one I turned to when I needed comfort? When had she become as important to me as breathing? These foreign emotions had snuck up on me without warning over the past week or so and accelerated the last two days. I’d been too caught up in what was going on to notice my own feelings.
Geneva glanced over her shoulder and caught me staring. She patted Jock on the shoulder and walked back to join me. Jock didn’t notice she was gone. He was too intent on the search plans.
“Hey,” she said, grabbing my hand. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“We’ve been leaning on you for so long I forgot you might need someone to lean on once in a while too.”
I gave her a smile. “I’m good. I have broad shoulders.”
“A minute ago, you didn’t look so good. You looked like a little boy who’d just lost his last, best friend.”
“I’m great now because you’re here. As much as I can be under the circumstances.” I bent my head closer to hers, compelled to say more. “I know this isn’t the time or place, but I need you. In my life. In my future. In all my todays and tomorrows.”
Her expression was thoughtful, and I held my breath. “I need you too, Axel. More than you can imagine.”
I’d planned on saying more, but an excited shout came from across the meadow. Every head turned toward where the commotion was. Three people ran toward the woods and disappeared into the darkness of the trees. A few seconds later, they emerged, helping a slight f
igure, who was bent over and staggering.
Teagan.
It was Teagan.
Jock must’ve figured it out at the same time I did. He sprinted toward his daughter and engulfed her in his arms.
I turned to Geneva, and she had the biggest, brightest smile on her face. I wrapped my arms around her and spun her around in celebration. I held her tight, and she held me with her arms wrapped around my neck.
“You’re my heart and soul, Geneva.” The words hadn’t been planned, but they were honest and deep from my heart.
“You’re mine too, Axel.”
And my life would never be the same from that point forward—in the best way possible.
Chapter 33—Spring Sunshine
~~Geneva~~
Teagan spent a day in the hospital and was released the next day. She’d been dehydrated and had scratches and bruises on her legs. When her mother left to get groceries and hadn’t returned after several hours, she’d left, deciding she wanted to go home. She’d gotten lost at a Y in the logging road and had eventually doubled back.
She came home and was resting peacefully. Jock hovered near her side, and the other kids came in and out often to make sure she was okay. Teagan was exhausted but in good spirits. She’d had a hell of an ordeal, but she was my brother’s daughter. She was strong, and she’d get through this.
“Hey, I’m going to head to the condo for a while, take a shower, relax a little, let you guys have some family time together,” Axel said softly from the doorway of Teagan’s room. Jock glanced up from his vigil beside his daughter’s bed. He rose and came over to the doorway. I followed him.
“I want to thank you for all your help,” Jock said and reached out to shake Axel’s hand. “But don’t think this means anything has changed between us. I tolerate your presence, and that’s it.”
“Fair enough.” Axel grinned at my brother and Jock grinned back.
“I’ll walk you out,” I said. We both turned to head downstairs.
“One more thing,” Jock called from the doorway.
Axel and I turned as one and waited for my brother to continue.
“If you tell anyone on the team how I fell apart, I’ll kick your ass all the way to the Yukon Territory.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Axel said.
“Thanks, again.” Jock’s face softened slightly before he went back to Teagan’s bedside.
Axel and I walked hand in hand to his car.
“I think your brother’s warming up to me.”
“You think?”
“He hasn’t given me a black eye in a long time.”
“Well, there is that.”
After some pretty intense kisses, Axel drove away, and I went back inside.
I joined him at Axel’s condo a few hours later. Steele and he were sitting in front of the television watching Vegas in the playoffs.
My boyfriend—God, I loved the sound of that—welcomed me with open arms, and we shared a soul-deep kiss. Things had shifted so much between us in the past few days, and I was secure in my relationship with him. I loved him. He loved me. He’d seen me through the worst of times, and God forbid, if the situation was reversed, I’d do the same for him. We had each other’s backs, and we would make this relationship not only work but flourish.
Steele offered me a beer, which I gladly accepted and flopped down on the couch next to Axel.
“So what’s the news with Bria?” Steele asked.
“She’s been charged with kidnapping and child endangerment. She also robbed a liquor store. She may be looking at prison time.” I didn’t feel any joy in knowing my nieces and nephews might be motherless, but I did feel relief.
“It’s for the best. Maybe she’ll get some help,” Steele said.
“What’s the latest with Kaden?” I asked.
“He texted me. Told me not to worry. He’s fine, just getting his head on straight.”
“That’s good. I was worried about him.”
“We all were.” Axel put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed. His smile was full of hope and promise and love. Yeah, he loved me. And I loved him.
Steele watched us and laughed. “So much for the Puck Brothers pact. Another one bites the dust.”
“Dole out any punishment you want. I love this woman.”
“You do?” Of course, I knew that, but I liked hearing it.
“Yes, I love you as much as you love me.”
“You’re pretty sure of yourself, mister.”
“Positive.”
“In that case, I guess I do love you.”
“You guess?” He put his hands to his heart. “You wound me.”
“I love you.”
“Better.” Axel’s grin was wider than the Columbia and so was mine.
“About that punishment,” Steele interrupted. “We’re going to have to wait until all the bros are back together again, then I’m sure we can come up with something appropriate.”
“I’m sure you can.”
All three of us laughed, tipped our beers together, and drank to the spring sunshine and new beginnings.
Chapter 34—Sockeye Tattoos
~~Axel~~
I grimaced as the needle moved across my bicep, but I stayed strong. I would not be a wuss. I’d never been thrilled about the process of getting ink, but I did like my ink. Across from me, Geneva sat back, relaxed, as if she were at a fucking spa, not a tattoo parlor.
The two artists worked efficiently on the twin tattoos. Hers was on her hip. The Sockeye salmon with the Space Needle was a tradition for Sockeye players since the team had been formed almost five years ago.
Geneva’s and mine had one addition. Under the salmon’s tail was a heart with each other’s name on it.
Outside the parlor, glittering in the afternoon sun, was my new Harley parked next to hers. Next week, we were taking a road trip up Vancouver Island to the Canadian Gulf Islands. I could not be happier. While most of my buddies headed to Hawaii, we wanted to get away from it all and spend our time navigating the beauty of the island we’d both grown up on but hadn’t spent much time exploring.
Our first stop would be at Geneva’s dad’s shop. I was a little nervous about meeting him, but I’d get through it. On our way back, we’d meet up with my family for a camping weekend.
I’d never imagined finding that one special woman would feel like this. We both hoped Jock would someday find the same love we’d found, but in the meantime, we were there for him, even if he wouldn’t admit to liking me—much.
I glanced over at Geneva, who was watching me.
“Looking good,” I said, indicating her tattoo.
“So is yours, even though you’ve been grimacing the entire time like a pansy-ass. Wait until the guys hear about this.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I wouldn’t? Stop me.”
“I will. I’ll keep you with me and never let you go.”
“Is that a promise?”
“You can bet your gorgeous ass on it.”
I leaned over, to the dismay of the tattoo artist, and kissed her. She buried her fingers in the hair at the back of my neck and returned the kiss.
I loved my biker chick, and she loved her puck boy.
~ THE END ~
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Complete Booklist
The following Jami Davenport titles are available in digital and many are available as trade paperbacks. These books can be read as standalones.
Scoring Series—Introducing the Puck Brothers
Shutout
Blocked
Playm
aker (Summer 2020)
Icing (Fall 2020)
Seattle Sockeyes Hockey
Skating on Thin Ice
Crashing the Net
Love at First Snow
Melting Ice
Hearts on Ice
Bodychecking
Goaltending
Penalty Play
Shutdown Player
Shot on Goal
Deflected
Seattle Skookums Baseball
Bottom of the Ninth
Men of Tyee
Sacked in Seattle
Tackled in Seattle
Seattle Steelheads
Kickoff (The Originals)
Snap Decision (The Originals)
Offsides (The Originals)
Draw Play (The Originals—Spring 2020)
Hot Read (The Originals—Summer 2020)
Comeback Route (The Originals—Fall 2020)
Blindsided
Game Changer
Fumble Recovery
Gone Missing Investigations
Gone Missing
Evergreen Nights Series
Save the Last Dance
Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?
The Gift Horse
Standalone Books
Madrona Sunset
About the Author
Subscribe to my newsletter to receive free digital books and be notified of new releases, special sales, and contests: https://eepurl.com/LpfaL
USA Today bestselling author Jami Davenport writes sexy contemporary, new adult, and sports romances, and has recently dived into Romantic Suspense with her new series, Gone Missing.
Jami lives on a small farm in the woods near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland drool monster, and a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat.
Jami worked in IT for years and is a former high school business teacher but recently achieved her life-long dream and is now a full-time author. A horse lover since birth, Jami showed dressage horses for over thirty years. Now she gardens and goes RVing in her green Winnebago Minnie, along with other travelling adventures. She's a lifetime Seahawks and Mariners fan and is impatiently waiting for the day professional hockey comes to Seattle. Jami still misses her SuperSonics. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, a common setting in her books. In her opinion, it's the most beautiful place on earth.
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