Page 37 of Scoring Slater
Chuckling, Noah shook his head at the two of them. "No one will get anything if we don’t get moving."
"I think someone’s wanting tea…" Slater took a few steps away from Leo. "Showers, change, and we’ll meet up outside."
Mood high and happy, he rushed through the shower, dressed, and waited for Noah in the hall.
A few minutes later, Noah came around the corner. He zipped up his coat and tugged his hat low. "Ready?"
"Sure." He led the way to the doors. Fans waited beyond the wooden barrier set up along the sidewalk.
Cold air slapped his face and stung his cheeks. Slater smiled in spite of it and headed over to greet the kids closest to the door. He signed autographs and posed for selfies. Beside him, Noah followed along, doing the same thing. Further ahead, Leo and Vince signed jerseys and hockey cards. Two members of the security team stationed by the crowd ensured fans didn’t attempt to crawl under the barrier.
Several minutes later, they reached the peace and quiet of the parking garage.
Slater started the car and searched for music to fit his mood. Something loud and fast-paced. As they drove, he sang along to the hard rock song thumping from the car's speakers. The sun shined bright in a cloudless sky, he and Noah had a free evening ahead, their best friends on the team would be joining them at the coffee shop, and a brand new issue of his favorite comic book waited for him at home.
He glanced at Noah in the passenger seat. "Why aren't you playing air drums or guitar? I need something to support my solo."
Noah didn't smile. He craned his neck and looked out the back window. "There's a car following us."
Slater silenced the music. He darted his gaze to the rearview mirror, then to Noah. "Seriously?"
"Yeah. Black SUV with a tennis ball on the antenna. It's been behind us since we left practice. I wasn't sure at first, but every time we've turned, they've turned."
"Hmm." This wouldn't be the first time a fan had tried to follow a player home. Slater jerked the car in a sharp right.
Noah fell against the center console. "Damn it."
"Sorry. I wanted to see if… Whoa, it looks like they are following us. Hang on." He sped down the street, made a few other sharp turns, then cut through a crowded grocery store parking lot.
Noah gripped the handle above the door. "Where are we going?"
He pulled into an empty parking space between a minivan and a pickup truck, then kept his focus trained on the busy road. "Let's sit here for a second."
"Just saying, but my old team didn't hold open practices, and this kind of thing didn't happen there." Noah shifted in his seat and folded his arms over his chest. His sunglasses hid his eyes, but not the rigid set to his jaw. "It was bad enough that every time I looked into the crowd today, someone had a phone up, recording our every movement. We don't need them following us too."
"The majority of the fans wouldn't think of following a player."
Noah lowered his sunglasses and peered out the window. "I know. But this is still… I don't know if scary is the right word. You know what I mean."
Slater pulled out his phone. "Scaryisthe right word. Maybe I should call someone. Maybe security cameras caught that SUV. It's probably just a fan wanting an autograph, like the time someone followed Rod home from the coffee shop."
Noah glanced at him in horror. "I don't want anyone following us home and showing up outside our apartment building."
"Me neither."
He called Kelsey, who promised to notify security. Then he set his phone in the cup holder next to Noah's travel mug. "She said to let her know when we get home. I think it's safe to test the road again. Do you still want to go to the coffee shop?"
"Not really. I never knew about the incident there with Rod."
"It happened last season, right before Christmas. A guy wanted to get an autographed hockey stick for his kid. We can go home instead. I’ll text the guys." He sent a text to Leo, explaining what had happened. "Keep a look out on your side."
"I'm looking. I don't see the SUV right now."
He pulled out of the lot, made a right and took an alternate route home, his senses on high alert the entire way.
The tension residing between his shoulder blades eased the moment they entered their apartment. Slater shrugged off his coat. "Made it."
Noah hung his jacket and put his sneakers in the closet, holding it open for Slater to do the same. "I need a drink."
