Page 80 of Scoring Zone
“All the more reason it should be me,” I say, moving out of his way.
“Because it’s me, it will die out much quicker. No one cares if a random dude employed by the Enforcers decks someone. I will endure my fifteen minutes of fame and shrink back into the shadows. This could follow you for the rest of your career, especially if the douche canoe gets drafted. A rivalry every time you play. Never-ending headlines for years.”
“I didn’t consider that. Is he good enough to get picked?”
Gray’s face scrunches up. “Yup. Unless teams suspect he won’t fit in with their culture, but assholes like him and Richardson always seem to find a home.”
He gives me the long version of meeting with the lawyer, talking to the detective, and the ordeal at the police station as I eat his delish food at the island. “I’ve never been the star of a video.” A laugh escapes him. “I’ve always been the secondary player in hockey videos, and I gotta say, I don’t mind the anonymity.”
“Do you want to keep talking or take a break?” I lean over to stroke his back.
“Honestly, let’s curl up in your bed and you can have your way with me.”
Leaving my dishes behind, I heft him off the stool and into my arms. Tonight is the perfect night to manhandle him and make him forget about Dumas the dumbass.
Chapter 34
Grayson
The apartment is so quiet I can hear my heartbeat.
The team is on a string of away games, and I’m stuck here. But as a consolation prize, I have brand-new state-of-the-art computers and monitors to watch the team’s live stream. It’s not the same. We turned my room into a temporary office with the remote equipment required so I can do my freelance job. It depresses me because I hate the reminder of what I’ve lost, and Austin’s room is lonely without him.
He’s worried, and the more time goes by, the more my anxiety increases.
It’s been weeks, and the charges against me haven’t been dropped. My lawyer says it’s Dumas’s team’s way of financially pressuring me to take a plea deal. I’d have to plead guilty to battery, which my lawyer said is out of the question because based on the video. I had reason to fear his aggressive behavior and should only consider plea offers of third-degree assault. I’velearned so much concerning the differences between assault and battery and the degrees. Time wasted.
If I didn’t have a lawyer, I would’ve caved and pled guilty to make it go away, but it’s a risk since I could go to jail and be unemployable.
If Mr. Dimon weren’t paying me a consultant fee as an independent contractor, I’d be living off of Austin.
The string of unhelpful what-ifs won’t do me any good, and I unlock my phone to use my app to refocus.
The separation is harder than I thought. I miss Austin. I miss the guys. There’s no way to check their pain levels without looking them in the eyes.
It all got so fucked up.
I watch the game in real time, and my assistant uses a video link for me to talk to the players between periods. When Austin’s face appears, my eyes drink in his sweat, but he’s too close to see any problems.
“I miss you,” I blurt out totally unprofessionally.
In the background, Lucky yells, “Aww.”
Austin mouths, “I miss you too.” We stare at each other for a full minute without speaking. It’s been years since we’ve been away from each other this long.
“Your right ankle turned in when you shot on goal in minute five.” My eyes flick down as if I can see his leg.
“I didn’t notice a twinge or pain.” He grins at me.
“You favored your left leg after that so get some ice on it, and track it to make sure it was a fluke and not a developing ache.” I’ve learned not to say problem or injury to the players. For them, it’s inviting trouble. They live with constant aches and pains, so it’s not upsetting to them.
“Will do, Sunshine.” Austin touches the screen, and I do the same. “Only three more days,” he whispers.
“Okay, my turn.” Lucky plops onto Austin’s lap and Drake growls. “Don’t get upset, Daddy Drake, my Gray’s gonna give me the breakdown of my body movements.”
“Nothing looked out of the ordinary. Does everything feel okay?” I lean closer to the screen to see his eyes.
“All good, Sunshine.” He smirks and Austin whacks the side of his head.
