Page 125 of Fake Out Hearts

“I told him it was me and that he needed to get lost before we had a problem. Then I blocked his number and I thought that was the last of it.”

“Until he showed up at your doorstep while you were away,” Eric says, filling in the blanks. “That is definitely erratic behavior. Do you think he knew you were home alone, Ms. Summers?”

I nod. “Yeah, probably. He’s in the NHL too, so I bet he figured out Theo would be at practice somehow.”

“Did he knock? Or did he force his way into the property?”

“Both,” I answer, and Theo squeezes my hand. I hear his breathing get heavy.

“It might be easier if we just showed you,” Theo says as he pulls his phone from his pocket. “The whole condo is on camera, mostly for the times when I’m away for games in case of a break-in or something.” Even I didn’t know that until now, but it makes sense, and I’m grateful to have the footage.

Theo taps around on his phone a few times, then rests it on the coffee table between us and Eric. He pulls it closer to himself and taps the play button on the screen. I don’t need or want to watch it again, to relive it, so I look away. Thankfully, Eric keeps the volume low enough that I can’t make out what’s being said in the recording, although I do hear muffled voices.

I stare at Theo instead, watching his jaw clench and unclench while he keeps his eyes on Eric’s face. As upsetting as the footage is for me, it must be just as bad for him. To know that something much worse could’ve happened if he hadn’t come home when he did must be eating at him.

A clattering in the recording grabs my attention, and I see Theo dragging Shawn away from me on the screen as Eric taps to pause it and scribble some more notes. If I had to see any part of the video, I’m glad it was this one because watching Theo charge into the condo like a battering ram makes emotion rise in my chest.

If he hadn’t stopped himself, he probably would’ve beaten Shawn to a bloody pulp. Well, hestillturned Shawn into a bloody mess, but it would’ve been much worse. The last thing I want is for Theo to get into any trouble over this, or to face any repercussions with the NHL.

Eric looks up at us with his brows raised. “Well, since it’s clear from the footage that Mr. Kaplan forced his way into your home, threatened you, and physically assaulted you,Ms. Summers, that’s more than enough evidence to secure a restraining order at the very least. I’ll get that drawn up and served to Mr. Kaplan immediately.”

Theo nods, his jaw clenched. “Is that it?”

“No. The tape also clearly has Mr. Kaplan admitting to doping. I’m sure the NHL would be very interested to know that about one of its star players. I’ll handle that as well, but I’ll need you to send me a copy of this recording so I can forward it to the proper parties.”

“Of course.” Theo takes his phone back to work on it right away.

“What’s going to happen to Shawn?” I ask Eric, who shrugs.

“Well, at the very least, he’ll probably face a suspension for doping, although it’s more likely that a permanent expulsion will come. The NHL has zero tolerance for this kind of thing, and the evidence is coming right from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.”

“Will he go to jail?”

“Possibly. But I can’t say for sure. The courts will have to decide that, assuming you press charges. And I recommend that you do. You did file a police report, I hope?”

“Yes, immediately after,” Theo answers for me, and Eric nods.

“Good. That will help you. Make sure to provide the police a copy of this recording too if you haven’t already.”

“I did.”

I glance at Theo, then back to Eric. “And what about Theo? Will he face any punishment for this?”

Eric’s expression goes blank. “That I can’t answer definitively since it’s ultimately up to the NHL to handle the enforcement of their policies. But given that Theo was protecting you from a violent intruder in your home, Theo hasn’t committed any crimes, so I would guess the NHL wouldn’t have any grounds to discipline him.”

I breathe a sigh of relief because that’s exactly what I needed to hear, and Eric starts packing up his things, signaling he has all he needs from us. Theo turns to me, smiling encouragingly, and although I still feel a little shaky, I’m better now that the adrenaline has passed and I know that something’s going to be done about all of this.

Theo stands with Eric, and they shake hands.

“I’ll be in touch with any updates or if I need anything else from you,” Eric says.

“Thank you. I appreciate it, man.”

Eric nods and sees himself out of the condo, and Theo takes me by the hand to pull me up off the couch.

“What are you doing?” I ask, although I’m too exhausted to refuse.

“You look like you could use some rest and relaxation. Come on, I have an idea,” he says and leads me upstairs to his bedroom, where he has me sit down on the foot of the bed where Milo’s sleeping. He must be wiped out too because he doesn’t stir at all.

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