Page 7 of Skating Towards Danger

I was eleven, and he knew my stance on wanting to train that early. He knew I just wanted to play hockey and be a kid for a little while.

Fuck, I didn't even stay home for a month after that, preferring to remain at Rhett's place, and it gutted Mama, but Dad pulled out a monster I wanted to keep away, a monster I struggled to keep under control, and now the only way to stop him from coming out is by either killing someone – something I don’t really want to do – or playing hockey.

Slamming someone into the boards is a good fucking feeling and settles the urge to kill someone. The more I killed for Dad during my training, the more I became bloodthirsty, and hockey silences that thirst. That's why I don't think I'll give it up anytime soon.

“Alright, fine, it'll take me an hour to get there though,” I answer him as I slip my boots on while Amy saunters up to me in the mini black dress that she wore to the rink this evening to get my attention, which in hindsight didn't work. She could have been wearing a baggy top and jeans, and I still would have brought her here because bitch is easy and none of the other puck bunnies hold my interest.

Don't get me wrong, she's a pretty woman and everything, but the plastic surgery work she keeps getting, it's too fucking much.

Her lips were not this big when I saw her two weeks ago.

“Thank you, Dante,” he sighs with relief. I grunt out a 'whatever' and then hang up as Amy goes to kiss me, pushing up on her tiptoes.

I quickly turn my head so she gets my cheek, then I glare at her and snap, “For that shit, don't bother coming to see me for the next fucking month!”

Her dark green eyes widen in shock, and I shake my head and walk to the nightstand and grab my shit, then turn to see her still standing there staring at me and I can’t stop my actions. I snarlat her and storm over, grab her forearm in a tight grip, and drag her over to the door, unable to control my anger.

“Ouch, D-Dante, please,” She gasps, but I ignore her and open the door. Then, I pull her out before shutting the door behind me and locking it without giving her another glance. I walk away, buttoning up my shirt.

“Dante!” she snaps but I continue my stride.

I definitely need to look into finding a new fuck buddy. Amy was good while she lasted, but breaking her promise not to get attached to me was her ending for us, she's becoming possessive and is acting like my girlfriend. I don't do girlfriends, and with the demon building every day, I never will have one.

Just over an hour later, I pull up in front of Mag's diner and sigh when I look through the window towards our normal table since college and see not only my brother but also our father who he swore wouldn't come.

“Fuck's sake,” I mumble.

I spent years being the mediator between them, fucking years, putting my feelings for him on the back burner. The least Roman could have done was given me the same fucking gratitude now instead of teaming up with him.

A big part of me is tempted to reverse back out of my spot and drive off, my fingers itching to get the fuck out of here, but of course, they both look outside the window and notice me because this is just my fucking luck.

Roman tilts his head and raises a brow while Dad sits back in his seat and crosses his arms over his chest, daring me to pull out, both not moving from there seats waiting on me.

Fine. If the old man wants me to go against him, then I will.

Raising a brow at him, I put my car in reverse and turn to look out of the back window, but I groan when Dad's guards park right behind my car.

“Fucker!” I snap and quickly take my car out of reverse, climb out of it, slam my door behind me, and then walk toward the diner with a permanent scowl.

If I didn’t like my car so much I would have just reversed into the SUVs.

“So much for it just being you and I, big brother,” I say as I enter the diner, eyeing the waitress behind the counter for a moment when I can feel her staring at me.

I narrow my eyes at her when she bites her plump bottom lip with a shy smile like I’d fall for that kind of innocent act because well bitch is definitely not innocent, the hickeys on her neck are proof of that and continue my stride to the back table. I haven't been here much lately, hockey taking up a lot of my time, but the woman behind the counter, I haven't seen her before, so she must be new, otherwise, she wouldn't be eyeing me like a piece of meat.

The staff here know I'm off-limits, Morgan's words, not mine. Something about not shitting where you eat.

“You barely ever come home, son. Even your mother is worried,” Dad says, and I snort as I take a seat opposite him and Roman.

My big brother is in a suit, which I still find weird. He's taken over from Dad and is playing the part, that is for sure.

“I've never hidden my feelings Dad and Mama knows that. I wasn't ready for the life, and you forced it on me all because you wanted to teach me a lesson, well, well done, lesson learned,” I look at Roman and demand, “Why don't you tell me why I'm here then Roman because we both know this isn't for a catch-up, if it were Dad wouldn't be here.”

He swallows, and Dad looks away, and I smirk.

I fucking knew it. As soon as I saw Dad, I knew what this was about, and they can fuck right off.

“It's not happening,” I growl and Roman flinches.

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