Page 99 of Cole

Annie:Okay. Hope your next game goes better.

I’ve been benched for the next game.

There was a pause before her response.

Annie:I’m sorry.

Don’t be. Coach is right—my head’s not in the game. Hasn’t been since…

Since her father had threatened him? Since he’d broken both their hearts?

He couldn’t finish the thought, so he just hit send.

Since us, she completed for him.

Yeah.

Cole glanced around the now-empty locker room. His teammates had cleared out, leaving him alone with his thoughts and this fragile reconnection with Annie.

I should go. Team bus is waiting. But Annie?

Annie:Yes?

I never wanted to end things. I just didn’t see another way.

Her response was immediate.

Annie:I know. But maybe together we can find one.

A spark of hope flickered to life in Cole’s chest. He stared at her message, a sense of possibility warming him for the first time in days.

Maybe we can. I’ll call you tomorrow when I’m home.

Cole pocketed his phone and grabbed his bag, not wanting to give Coach another reason to lecture him for holding up the team bus.

The chilly December air hit him as he stepped outside the arena, but he barely felt it. His mind was already racing ahead, considering options he’d previously dismissed. Maybe Annie was right. Maybe there was another way.

As he climbed onto the bus, Marcus caught his eye with a questioning look. Cole gave him a slight nod—not exactly a smile, but something close to it. For the first time since Duncan Burke had walked into his life, Cole felt like he could breathe again.

Cole couldn’t sleep on the flight home. While his teammates dozed around him, he stared out the window at the darkness, his mind churning with possibilities and problems.

Duncan Burke’s threat hung over him like a shadow. The man hadn’t been bluffing—Cole was certain of that. If he resumed his relationship with Annie, her father would follow through.

But what if there was a way to neutralize that threat? What if Cole could convince Duncan that his daughter’s happiness and safety weren’t mutually exclusive?

He pulled out his phone, careful not to disturb Marcus, who was sleeping in the seat beside him. Opening a browser window, Cole began researching security firms that specialized in protecting high-profile individuals. If Duncan’s primary concern was Annie’s safety, perhaps Cole could address that directly.

By the time the plane began its descent, Cole had a rough outline of a plan. It wasn’t perfect, and Annie might hate parts of it, but it was something. A starting point for their conversation.

The team landed just after midnight, and they all took the bus back to the practice facility where they’d left their vehicles.

“I expect you at practice, even if you’re not playing,” Coach said as Cole exited the bus. “But you have tomorrow… well, today, now… off. Put it to good use.”

“I will,” Cole promised.

“The next time you set foot on the court, I want your head in the game. If it’s not, you’re going to be seeing the team therapist.”

Cole winced. He had nothing against the man, but he wasn’t convinced that what he shared with the therapist wouldn’t be passed on. That simply couldn’t happen considering the situation he was currently facing.

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