Page 79 of Stick It
“Seriously?”Griffin barks a laugh that instantly grates on my nerves. It’s humorless and razor-sharp. “You haveno idea who did this?”
I frown, slowly rounding on him as I cross my arms over my chest, hiding the clenching of my fists. After tonight, I’m one argument away from losing my shit.
“Can’t think of a single person who would want to do her harm? Who wouldbenefitfrom her being unable to play?” Sneering, he shakes his head like I’m an idiot.
My gaze narrows on him, teeth grinding. I choose my next words very carefully. “What exactly are you insinuating, Griffin?”
His gaze turns sharp, calculating. “You mean other than the fact that you’re a shitty captain?”
His words land like a punch—exactly like he intends. My whole body locks up, blood boiling. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” Griffin’s voice is low, brimming with uncontained fury now that Dylan isn’t here to temper it. “How the fuck did you miss this?Yourteam.Yourplayers.You’resupposed to know what’s going on.”
I step forward. “Don’t you dare?—”
“Don’t I dare what? Call you out on the fact that you’ve been ignoring Dylan’s existence all season?” He scoffs, eyes burning into me. “First, it was because she might not make the team, so she wasn’t a concern, but what’s your excuse been for the past two weeks?” He tilts his head to the side, a malicious glint in his eye.
My teeth grind. No fucking way am I about to admit the truth to him. Hell, I can barely admit it to myself. Why I never spare Dylan more than a passing glance when we’re on the ice. Why I make a point of not seeking her out unless I have to.
Because I’m terrified I won’t be able to look away.
“I get it,” he drawls. “You don’t want to admit what she does to you. You think if you pretend she’s not there, it’ll make a difference. But while you’ve been busy playing fucking make-believe, Fletcher and Monroe have been targeting her. They’ve been going after her harder than they should, and they’ve been getting away with it. Because you’re wearing fucking blinders!”
His words cut deep. Too deep.
I shake my head. “That’s bullshit.” Sure, they’ve gone after her a time or two, but that’s just part of the game. We all get caught up in the need to win, even when it’s against teammates. “There’s no way. I’d have seen it.”
“It’s not.” Jax steps forward, face set in a grim line. I hadn’t realized he’d returned from sorting Dylan out. His voice isn’t angry, just tired. “I’ve seen it too. Stepped in when I could.”
I drag a hand down my face, trying to process this. To stomach my failure, all because I was intent on being the best captain possible and saw Dylan as a distraction.
“You’re saying Fletcher and Monroe are the ones who attacked her tonight?” I ask, needing to focus on that instead of the twisted, sick feeling of failure threatening to eat me alive.
“They’re the weapons. The puppets. Someone else is pulling their strings.”
My focus narrows, putting the pieces together.
“Kyle.” My gaze snaps to Griffin’s. “You think Kyle is the one behind it all.”
“Damn right I do.”
Finn scoffs from where he’s collapsed onto the sofa. “Come on. Kyle wouldn’t do that.”
Griffin turns on him. “Wouldn’t he?”
“Kyle’s got his issues,” I admit, willing to believe he’d get some third-liners to do his dirty work on the ice. Especially after I told him he’d be out of here if he didn’t stop going after Dylan. “But to accuse him of attacking Dylan?” I shake my head, refusing to believe it. To believe the guy I’ve known since we were freshmen, lived with for over three years, would go to such violent extremes.
Griffin simply arches an eyebrow. “Then where is he?”
We all fall silent.
Finn glances around the room as if expecting him to come down the stairs at any moment. I lick my dry lips. “He went out a while ago. Didn’t say where he was going.”
I notice Finn on his phone, and we all watch as he dials Kyle’s number, putting it on speakerphone. Seconds pass. The only sound is the ringing of Kyle’s phone. With every unanswered ring, my chest squeezes tighter, and Finn’s expression grows shadowed. “He’s not answering,” he eventually admits, hanging up.
Griffin just looks at me. “Huh, I wonder why? Perhaps because he’s out gloating with his new buddies.”
I shake my head. “That doesn’t prove anything.”
