Page 123 of Shots Fired

“We do,” I say quietly, emotion clogging my throat as I remember our exchange in the bathroom. “But I’ll always put the woman I love first. And that woman is Darcy.”

I watch his shoulders deflate, and I fucking hate it. I hate this for us.

“I’ll always be there for my sister, and I’ll always show up for my team.” He pushes back his chair, clearly done with the conversation.

Coach doesn’t stop his center as he makes for the door, pulling it open quickly.

Jack pauses, looking straight into the hallway. “But when it comes to you, Archer, I really think I’m done.”

My head finds my hands as I drop my face down into them, voice muffled as I speak. “It wasn’t supposed to work out this way. When we flew in from Miami, we planned to go and see him the next day, after this practice. He can’t hear what I’m trying to tell him because he’s so blinded by betrayal, and I don’t know how to fix this.”

For a few seconds, I wonder if Coach left the room with Jack. You could hear a pin drop; it’s that quiet.

Finally, I hear him sit back in his seat.

“I have to admit, Archer, when Felicity told me last night, I spent the first hour with my jaw firmly glued to the floor. The next hour was spent trying to temper my rage. Now, in the cold light of day, I can see more clearly why you held off from saying anything. But that doesn’t mean your reputation forfucking women around suddenly disappeared overnight. Darcy might be a grown-ass woman, but she also just got out of a toxic relationship, and I’m concerned to think she’s potentially in another. You married her for visa purposes and because she was pregnant, and she had gotten pregnant because you were messing around in secret. And why were you messing around in secret?” His question is a rhetorical one as I lift my head to catch his raised brow. “Because you didn’t want to get caught.”

“That’s not true.” I shake my head at him. “I married your stepdaughter because I love her.”

“Liam told Darcy he loved her too. Felicity’s ex-husband, Elliott, told her he loved her. Both were absolute fuckers.”

I’m back to squeezing the bars on my chair. “I’m not in their category. I pursued Darcy because I wanted her for more than just sex. She wanted fun. I was desperate for more.”

He nods like he already knows this. Maybe Darcy told Felicity how it all went down. “I get your frustration, and that’s why I’m not going off at the deep end on you. All I’m doing is setting out how others will see this. I was a guy with a reputation when I met my wife. I spent a lot of time convincing her I was the one, but what I didn’t do was lie. Your biggest error here wasn’t going after Darcy because you’re right—you can choose to tell who you want and when; it was trying to cover up your actions with lies. That’s what’s eating at Jack and, to be really fucking honest, me too. You’re my player, and I need to know I can trust every single guy on my team. I’ve told the GM he has nothing to worry about, both from the image leaked online and with the strained relationship between you and Jack. Donotprove me wrong, Moore.”

I think he’s finished when he leans forward again, his eyes locked straight on me.

“But more important than that, donotbreak my beautiful stepdaughter’s heart. You fuck with her or your baby girl, andI swear to God, no trade or appearance on the farm team will compare to the way I will come down on you. You hurt them, you hurt my family.”

I roll my lips together and lean forward, matching his determined stance inch for inch. “I’m happy you got that off your chest because you clearly needed to, Jon. However, allow me to participate in your cathartic exercise for just a second.”

I offer him a warm smile that doubles as a warning of my own. “You don’t need to concern yourself with thoughts of my two girls getting hurt because let me tell you this: if anyone—and I mean, anyone—lays a finger, passes a questionable glance, or fucks them over in any way while my feet are still on this earth, they’ll wish they never took their first breath.”

I push back my chair and stand, knocking my knuckles on the table twice. “And if you’re looking for evidence of my promise, I’d suggest you give Liam a call.”

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

ARCHER

Four days, multiple unread texts, and one unanswered phone call later, and I’m still public enemy number one.

This morning, when I pulled Darcy into my arms, she asked me how I was feeling. She could tell this whole thing with Jack was getting to me.

She’s right.

All I want to do is talk, but he won’t let me in. The game against the Pittsburgh Flames was angsty. Not because of the score—we rolled them over four to one, narrowly missing out on another shutout. It was the tension that flowed from my center. When I asked if he had any of the stick tape we both used, the cold shoulder he gave me was palpable. I didn’t need any, and I knew the kit guy would fix me up; I was just thinking of an excuse to engage him in a conversation.

Any kind of conversation.

It didn’t work. All he did was shrug and turn toward his bench.

“Can you spot me?” Sawyer approaches from behind as I wipe the perspiration from above my brow.

Throwing my towel down, I try not to think about how I’d rather be anywhere else but here. If Darcy wasn’t at work, finalizing the details of her maternity leave with Janine, I would for sure be thinking up reasons to split early and avoid another second of Jack’s wrath.

“Sure thing,” I blow out.

He drops a hand onto my shoulder, scanning the room for eavesdroppers. Tommy Schneider sits a few machines down, using the leg press. Wearing earbuds during any group session is Coach’s pet peeve, so he went to town with full-on headphones.