Page 95 of Renegade Rift

Yeah. I could get used to that.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

FORD

I’ve won division championships, had my name announced for prestigious awards, and played with some of the biggest names in baseball, and yet none of them has made me as happy as seeing Juliet sit at my table, surrounded by my closest friends, playing a game I’ve come to love.

What can I say?Dungeons and Dragons brings people together in the best possible way.

I take my time rolling up the grid mat and putting away all the miniature figures. Usually, I’d leave this shit till tomorrow morning—or even the next morning if I wanted to ride the high from the end of the session. But tonight, it’s a ploy, so I’m not caught outright staring as Juliet chats with Jo and Kiefer by the door. Stone was the first one to dip, our resident old man, while Smitty and Espinoza flew out of here like bats out of hell, hoping to hit their favorite bar up the street before last call.

“Juliet’s something, huh?” Dax asks. I follow his gaze to the woman in question, and while I know damn well Dax prefers men, I still don’t like the way he’s looking at her.

“And she’s off limits,” I growl.

Dax might be Stone’s best friend, the Renegades unofficial tattoo artist, and one of the few people in New York aside from my teammates I’d trust to be my emergency contact, but he is known to be a matchmaker at heart. I’m not about to let Juliet slip into his clutches.

His eyes wrinkle with a laugh. “Oh, I’m aware she’s all yours. I just—I wanted to ask about your friend Mercer.”

I cock a brow and search Dax’s face, as he avoids eye contact and rubs his tattooed fingers over the back of his neck.

Is he…flustered?

It’s a contradiction for the usually outspoken and shameless man.

Gaze narrowed, I prod, “What about him?”

“He came into my shop for a consultation, but we—uh—had a bit of a miscommunication on the time and he sort of walked in on me?—”

“Wait. Back up. Mercer was here? In the city?”

Dax frowns. “Yeah.”

“When?”

“A few weeks ago?”

A knife slices through my chest. “That fucking bastard.”

He’s been ignoring Soph and me for months, and he has the fucking audacity to be in the same city and say nothing? After I’ve been busting my ass to get him reinstated?

“Listen.” Dax throws up his hands as if to say don’t shoot the messenger. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I thought you knew.”

“I didn’t.” My hands ball into fists, and I remind myself none of this is Dax’s fault.

“Shit, man—maybe I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”

“No, it’s fine.” I sigh, even though hurt still rages under the surface. “This is between Mercer and I.”

“If you hear from him, can you tell him I—just tell him I have a slot for him when he’s ready?” He lingers next to me, shifting his weight, almost like there’s something more he’d like to say.

“Was there something else?”

“Nah.” He exhales a long, slow breath. “I’ll see ya next session. Unless you’re finally going to let me tattoo that virgin skin of yours.”

“Not a chance,” I mutter with a laugh. “Me and needles are a no go.”

Juliet slides up next to me as Dax heads for the door. It’s only then I notice that Kiefer and Jo have left too, and it’s just the two of us.

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