Page 100 of Dirty Puck

After practice, and after a couple of rounds of liquid courage, I found myself outside Bree’s apartment complex. Buzzed her door. No answer.

Tried Claudia’s buzzer. “Hello?” she said.

“It’s me, Claudia. Is Bree there?”

“Baker,” she said softly. “No. She’s at work.”

“Where’s she working?” I asked.

“The place she could get in the fastest,” she said, and that gut punch was back with a vengeance.

“Thanks, Claudia.” My selfish actions had forced her back to that place. Spending her evenings working instead of playing with her boy, reading him stories, putting him to bed. The things she wanted to do. I’d be lucky if she ever talked to me again, let alone trust me.

“Don’t hurt her again.” Her softly worded command landed precisely where she meant it to.

Right.Hurting Bree again was the last thing I ever wanted to do.

I climbed back in my truck, heart pounding.

On to Slits.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-TWO

BREE

Ihadn’t even finished my second dance when I saw Dane standing in the middle of the tables with his arms crossed like he owned the place. Maybe a little more dad bod now, yet still handsome. But I knew the ugly inside him. My heart sank. The last thing I needed was for him to see me without my top on, but I had no choice. The pasties came off in the second dance.

When the song finished, I ran offstage for my robe. Tying it around my waist before taking a deep breath, pulling up my big-girl panties and going out front to find a bouncer. If Dane was here, he meant to cause trouble.

Unfortunately, he cornered me near the bar before I got to D’Andre, the closest bouncer to me. His voice low but filled with menace. “Listen, bitch. You gotta stop with this child support shit. I can’t afford it. I mean it—stop going after my money.”

I squared my shoulders, fighting the fear twisting in my gut. “I haven’t gotten a cent from you in three years. I didn’t get myself pregnant. Benny is your son too, Dane. You don’t want to be a dad, fine. But you’re still his father. It’s time to step up.”

His eyes darkened. “Better watch that kid real close, Bree. ’Cause if you’re not careful, he might just disappear. And you won’t find him.”

The words stung like he held me under icy-cold water. I froze for a second, unable to breathe, then managed to choke out, “Are you… threatening my son?”

Dane knew my weaknesses. His grin was cold. “I’m warning you. Don’t push me.”

People nearby were starting to notice. I lowered my voice, desperate. “Please, just leave. Don’t make this worse.”

Before I could get away, a commotion caught my attention at the entrance to the club and you had to be kidding me. Reece. Here. Now. Why? I’d left like he wanted. Did he think I’d stolen from him? I only left with what was mine.

He and I locked eyes for the briefest moment until he took in Dane’s menacing posture next to me and he charged, using the flat part of his forearm against Dane’s neck to shove him backward, only stopping when my ex’s head cracked against the wall.

“Reece,stop. This is Dane, Benny’s father.”

His nostrils flared. My words seemed to set him off more.

“You got a lot of nerve showing up here.” Reece’s low, angry voice even scared me.

Dane clawed at Reece’s arm until D’Andre was able to pull him off.

Finding his big boy balls while coughing and trying to catch his breath Dane, choked out, “I’ll sue!”

“Good. I hope you do so Bree can finally get some money from your deadbeat ass.”

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