Page 5 of Watcher

I walk outside and see a long line waiting to get in. Attendance has been on the upswing the last three games, putting a smile on Father’s face when discussing the Memphis Macabre. He wants to know he made the right decision, signing the team over to me.

Several young girls hold out jerseys for me to sign, and I do so without hesitation. They want to be me—how could I not give them my autograph? Several are wearing my jerseys. I’m a brat to everyone but my fans. Them, I appreciate.

Near the end of the line, I see two bikers watching me like cops watching a criminal. The younger of the two men, a guy with a beard and lots of ink, holds out his arm and a pen.

“You want me to sign your arm?” I ask.

“I’d pull out my dick for you to sign, but too many kids in line,” he says.

“Don’t bother. Probably not big enough for all the letters in my name.”

“Then just write down your number.”

“What the fuck, Watcher?” the other biker says. “Sorry, Miss Stallone. He doesn’t get out much, but the zoo knows he’s missing.”

I take the biker’s pen and sign my name, emphasizing the “I” in my first name. The biker doesn’t flinch. He smiles and rubs his beard as if I should be impressed with the mangy strings of hair hanging down to his chest. We make eye contact for way longer than I should allow.

I move on down the line and return to the rink, hoping to find Kim sobered. The other girls are sitting around the locker room, dressing. “Where’s Kim?”

“She went home,” Kat says. “Her mother came to get her.”

“Fuck. We needed her.” Tonight’s lineup will be shit if Diablo still can’t play. The locker room door opens, and the light from the other room dims. Standing in the doorway is one of the largest women we’ve ever had on the team. “You sure about this?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Diablo walks in, carrying her skates. She sits at her locker about the time Emily returns with her uniform. Diablo holds up the shirt and shorts and looks at me.

“Your special order hasn’t arrived yet,” I say and shrug. “I didn’t think you’d be back this soon.”

She puts her skates on the floor and looks around, nodding at the other girls, who are downright terrified of the woman. Fortunately, the Cannibals don’t have a player over five-nine. Diablo is six-three.

“You jamming today?” Diablo asks. I grin, and she nods with a killer’s instinct in her eyes. “Good. I think we’ll set a record today.’

“I’m the first jammer. Emily is jammer number two. Sometimes, she’ll act as the pivot. You, Kat, Rosemary, Patty, and Heather are my blockers tonight.” Talking to her is much easier when she’s sitting. At five-seven, I’d almost have to break my neck to look up at her.

Diablo leans to the left to get a look at the other girls. She snarls and lets out a breath full of garlic. “They’ll be in my way.” She winks at the others, and they let a faint chuckle escape.

Nobody says anything else. I’d heard a quote somewhere that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. I doubted the validity of such a statement. People should be afraid of Diablo Collins.

Once everyone is dressed, we leave the locker room and head down the hall toward the rink. I stop the girls before leaving the hall. Diablo, standing in the back, towers over everyone.

“They’re going to want to play dirty. It’s up to us to get dirtier. Let’s kick some ass!” I say and lead the girls toward the rink entrance.

When I put together the team, I went after the meanest bitches in Memphis. I wanted girls with police records. Girls who knew how to handle themselves and fight when a fight warranted. My last requirement was not an easy one—no sex the night before or the day of a bout.

“What’s on your mind, Jessica?” Emily pulls me back from the group. She knows me better than anyone else, including my father. She was there for me when Mom died. She listened to my bitching when my father married his latest whore. I’ve yet to tell her about the man I killed.

I turn and look down the hallway. “I want more for these women.”

“I know you do. I know you care about us.”

“Like sisters.”

Emily nods. “You’re not going to find the happiness you’re looking for here, Jess.” Emily holds my hand. “Don’t keep letting your father’s whore get you down.”

“It’s not just that, Em.”

“That fucking Jeremy guy?” Emily rolls her eyes and sighs. “Let that asshole go. The right guy is out there. He’ll probably surprise you and pop up when you least expect it.”

“Dad’s not doing well. He called me when they landed in Memphis.”

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