Page 104 of Stick It
Fletcher scoffs, rubbing at his throat. “Since when was hazing against the rules?”
“You know damn fucking well what you’re doing goes beyond hazing,” I snap, glaring at each of them. “Not to mention that it went against my orders to leave her be.”
“She can’t just come in here and take our spots!” Monroe stupidly protests.
“She can and has,” I retort, giving him a less-than-impressed once-over. “And last I checked, you could barely maintain your position on the third line, never mind riding the first.” I glance between them, knowingly. “Or are we specifically talking about Kyle’s spot?”
The crack of Monroe’s jaw snapping shut is audible. Strangely, neither of them has anything to say about that. Their silence says everything I need to know.
“It is not our place to question Coach’s decision. He wants Dylan on the team; it’s our job to include her and ensure wehave the best team possible so we can go all the way this year. From what I’ve seen so far of Dylan’s talent and skill, Coach made the right call. If Kyle has a problem with that, he can bring it to me or to Coach. He shouldnotbe getting you two idiots to carry out his dirty work, and he sure as shit should not be targeting Dylan.” I shake my head, sneering at the two of them. “The fact that you’d go after a defenseless woman and attack her in a dark parking lot is disgusting. You should be locked up in a jail cell.”
“We didn’t—” Fletcher splutters. Panic widens his eyes. Good. He deserves to feel even a minuscule amount of the fear Dylan must have felt that night. If it were up to me, they’d each find out exactly what it feels like to be targeted like that, alone and outnumbered.
“Don’t finish that fucking sentence!” I bellow, jabbing a finger his way. “Don’t finish thatfucking sentenceunless you want to lose some teeth today.” I spare Monroe a glance, ensuring he knows he’s included in my threat. “If I find out you were involved in her attack in any way or that you’ve continued to harass her, you’ll both be done.”
Monroe glares. “You can’t?—”
“Try me,” I snap. “You so much as look at her funny, and you won’t set foot on the ice for the rest of the season.”
Fletcher sneers. “You can’t make that call.”
My hands fist at my sides. “You think Coach won’t back me on this? Go ahead. Test it. See what happens.”
Neither of them speaks. They know I mean every word.
They share an uneasy look, sparing me a final glance before they move toward the door.
I step into their path. My expression is one of pure menace, the threat in my tone very fucking real. “I just want to clarify. When I say you’ll be done, I don’t just mean on the ice. I mean at this university.” I step closer. “On this fucking planet. Youwon’t breathe another breath of fucking air if I find out you’ve laid a single fucking finger on that girl. Disobey my order again and see what fucking happens.”
Wide-eyed, they race out of the room like the hounds of hell are on their asses. Alone, I blow out a harsh breath.
The sound of slow clapping has me whirling toward the door as Griffin steps into view. “That was beautiful,” he taunts with a triumphant smirk. “Didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Fuck off,” I grumble, half-heartedly. “You’ve seen me go after guys on the ice.”
“Sure,” Griffin shrugs. “But I don’t see skates on your feet right now, Mr. Diplomatic.”
Twisting my head, I crack my neck in a bid to relieve some of the tension. “Yeah, well, some people heed action better than words.”
And I have no fucking problem going as far as I need to when it comes to protecting Dylan.
31
DYLAN
Thursday nightand it’s the first night since my attack that I’ve been left by myself. I feel like that kid inHome Alone. The parents are out of town, and there’s so much I could get up to that I don’t even know where to start.
Perhaps that’s why I’ve made plans to go to Wren’s.
Or maybe it’s because I’ve gotten used to sitting on the couch playing video games with Jax or dissecting a game with Ethan before crawling into bed beside Griffin, and with none of them here, the house feels strangely empty.
With the first game of the season tomorrow night, there is a team meeting and final practice this evening, which has them all busy. Since Kyle, Fletcher, and Monroe will all be there, they determined it would besafefor me to stay home alone. Although it was clear Ethan didnotlike the idea. Pretty sure, if it were up to him, he’d have dragged me to the meeting with them. But there’s no need for me to be there. Honestly, it just pisses me off every time I have to sit on that bench and watch Kyle skate by with his smug fucking smirk that I want to slice straight off his face. It’s making me homicidal, which is not agood thing, especially for a hockey player. Our temperaments already run high, I don’t need to add gasoline to the flames.
Dressed in leggings, boots, and an oversized, slouchy sweater, I check myself in the mirror before grabbing my phone and keys off my desk and heading out of my room. I’m careful to lock my bedroom door in case Kyle gets home before me, before leaving the house.
Starting the engine of my car, I’m halfway down the street when my phone starts ringing. The noise comes through the entertainment system, and I check the screen to see it’s Ethan calling me. I frown because he should be in the middle of their meeting right now.
For a second, I consider not answering. I’m still pissed at him for what he said this morning. Although, if I’m being honest, I’m mostly pissed that he wasn’t wrong. His delivery lacked any sort of tact, but, sadly…he wasn’t wrong.
