Page 183 of Until We Burn
Then it’s warm again.
A door creaks open.
“Aiya!”Hands shove me down. Soft leather catches my fall. I scramble upright and find myself on a couch in the stadium’s private suite. It’s as shamelessly decadent as the others. Wall sconces illuminate the crystal shelves that bear too many liquor bottles; they glow with the flickering flames of the electric fireplace burning nearby.
Kai sprawls out beside me. His hand instantly comes around mine as we confront Matthias, bàba, Gregory, and Jonathan standing before us.
Disgust and smug satisfaction warps their faces.
“If you wanted to talk to me, you could’ve just asked,” I snap.
Kai scoffs as he glares at them. “Let’s be real here, Di. They’d have to be normal for once in their lives to do something like that.”
Bàba’s eyes go black with fury as they sharpen on Kai.
“It was you,” he snarls.“Youwere the one who made her this way.”
His hand twitches at his side. Jonathan and Gregory brace his shoulders, subtly restraining him back.
Gregory sneers at me. “Better that you find out how easy it is for her to become a whore now rather than later.”
Kai snaps to his feet. His shadow swallows up Gregory as he towers over him.
“Don’t you fucking dare talk about her that way.”
“Or what?” Gregory challenges.
“We’re not on the ice anymore,” Kai threatens. “There’s no rule stopping me from making you bleed over this floor.”
Gregory’s eye ticks. Kai’s hand flexes. Tension chokes the air, daring one of them to break it.
Absolutely not.
I quickly wedge myself between them and ease Kai back. Kai doesn’t stop glaring at Gregory, yet his hand softly squeezes mine.
It gives me the strength to face Gregory and Jonathan.
“So, you were the ones who found out and exposed our relationship to everyone.”
Jonathan rolls his eyes, his lips curling disdainfully. “I knew you were lying about who helped you and Stella wipe the dirt off Sophia’s name. That’s when I hired a few men to watch you.” He cocks his head and tsks. “You know, you really shouldn’t be kissing in public if you wanted to keep this a secret. You never know who could be watching. Not only has he made you soft, but he’s also made you lose your common sense, too.”
“If you’ve dragged us up here to tell me how disappointing I’ve become, you can save your breath because I’m not going to make it my problem. This is who I am, and I admire the woman I am becoming.” I sound so sure of myself, yet deep down, their words lash at my self-esteem, the shame cutting in so deep I don’t know if I will ever heal from it.
Matthias huffs like a bored student sitting in lecture. “As nice as itis to hear that, I’m afraid this version of yourself will cost both you and Kai.”
Kai stiffens. His arm wraps around my hips before he shifts me behind him. “What the hell do you mean?”
“While you were preparing for the game, I did some rearranging in the NHL,” Matthias says.
He snaps his fingers. One of the guards hands him a contract. Matthias waves it with a pleased smile.
“Tom Makas, the general manager of the Vancouver Phoenix, wanted to give you an entry-level contract after tonight’s game. He’s been eyeing you for a while and thinks you’re good enough to replace Benigno when he retires.”
Matthias tosses the document into the fireplace behind him.
“Well, I had him fired. John Ivers takes his place now.” He chuckles. “You know better than anyone that he and I bond over our opinion of you.”
Kai doesn’t react. But I can feel him tense against me, see his eyes straining to keep his tears at bay as he watches his dreams die in front of him.
