Page 47 of Heartless Game

“It never should’ve been closed in the first place,” Isaac said, and although his voice was calm and easy, the flash of anger in his eyes and his fisted hands were not.

“Tovah, maybe when you write your piece on the hockey team, you can talk about how they must all be taking drugs that have turned them into roid-ridden psychopaths,” Toby said, clearly not caring or aware that he’d just taken his life in his hands.

Because at the mention of drugs, Isaac, Judah, and Levi all went solid. Isaac’s dark, accusatory gaze searched mine, like he thought I’d been talking about the team’s control of Vice and Vixen to Toby, or worse, had made up something about them using performance-enhancing drugs. I shook my head, once. Isaac relaxed somewhat, but the suspicion was still in his eyes.

“Toby, steroid use isn’t really a thing in hockey,” I said. “That’s more football and?—”

He waved a hand in the air. “I don’t really care.”

Isaac crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Are you this disrespectful to all your editorial board? Or is it only Tovah who gets to experience your dickishness?”

My jaw dropped.

Was Isaac defending me?

There were murmurs around the bull pen. Toby’s cheeks flamed.

Veronica cleared her throat. “Tovah’sveryfamiliar with Toby’s dick,” she said, giggling.

Jesus fucking Christ, was everyone trying to destroy my life today? What had I done to deserve this?

I was stressed, and annoyed, and tired, and just wanted my bed and a bag of Flamin’ Hots and a whole season ofHouse Hunters Internationalto watch. I was so done with all of this, including the way that Veronica was eyeing Isaac like he was a tree she wanted to climb.

“I amnotfamiliar with Toby’s dick,” I said to her, too pissed off to watch my tongue anymore. “Game’s getting old, Veronica. Don’t you have anything better to do than to spread rumors about me? Like, I don’t know, learn how to be a better journalist?”

Laughter broke out in the bullpen, and I couldn’t even tell who the other editors were laughing at anymore.

Isaac glanced at me.

“Rumors?” he asked. “What rumors?”

Damn it.I wasn’t supposed to care what he thought of me, or what anyone thought of me.

“How dare you!” Veronica cried, rising to her feet and sticking a hand on her hip. “And you should talk. You wouldn’t even be an editor if you hadn’t sucked Toby’s dick.”

Violent images—ones I usually ignored—came to me, including the urge to rip Veronica’s hair right out of her head. Before I could act on them, or, hopefully, shove the image away, Isaac had crossed the room to her and was picking up her hand in his.

My heart dropped like a lead balloon.

I shouldn’t feel so disappointed and betrayed, but for Isaac to turn to her so quickly, especially after the ways she’d insulted me…well, it showed just how little I mattered to him. And the knowledge stung like a million papercuts.

“Veronica, right?” Isaac said. “That’s a pretty name.”

“Oh,” she blushed, fluttering her eyelashes at him. “That’s so sweet of you, Isaac. We know each other, by the way. I used to be the reporter in the front row on the left after games, remember? You always said you liked my questions.”

He smiled, a dimple showing. “I try to be sweet. You know what isn’t sweet, Veronica? When you’re so pathetically jealous of my brilliant girlfriend?—”

Girlfriend? Since when was I his girlfriend, even his fake girlfriend?

“—that you make up rumors to undermine her talent and authority on campus, even though you know rumors about a woman’s sexual history, especially with her boss and coworkers, can have far-reaching consequences. That’s not a good example of journalistic integrity or honesty, is it, Veronica? I didn’t know who you were then, but I do, now—and I promise, in this instance, you don’t want me to.”

Veronica’s lips pinched, her eyes got big, and she tried to tug her hand out of Isaac’s, but he didn’t release her. He didn’t squeeze tight, or hurt her, but the threat was there.

“Got it,” she sniffed.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he said calmly.

“I—” she seemed confused.

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