Page 102 of Lucky Shot
“Want to trade stories?” he asks, his grin widening.
My gaze flickers to Demi and then Ethan’s two guys and shake my head. “No. But I definitely have hypotheses on how you three fit together.”
His smile never wavers. “I’m curious to know whether you’re right or not.”
I laugh and shake my head, still patting down my hair. Thankfully, it’s pretty straight and lifeless, so it’ll dry in a mostly presentable manner. Once I get a helmet on, then it turns into a hot mess that can’t be tamed until I wash it again.
“Any idea how this is going to go down?” I ask, gazing around the bus. There are still a few players climbing on. It’s one of those giant buses that seats like eighty people.
Ethan shakes his head. “I didn’t actually read the email.”
I snort.
“I did,” Creed says and leans over the seat above me. “I think there’s something like sixty-six players. We’re going to be split into three games, one-period apiece.” He shrugs.
“In theory, that means this thing could last just over an hour,” I muse.
“Don’t hold your breath on that,” Creed says. “There are events between the games and shit. Plus another auction that’s apparently happening on the ice.” He shakes his head. “I’d be surprised if we get out of here in less than three hours.”
I groan and sit back. My back leans into Demi’s shoulder and he snakes his arm around my stomach, pulling me closer. Though I try not to smile stupidly, I do.
“Okay, can we talk about the elephant on the bus?” Ethan asks.
“That we still haven’t heard from Max?” I ask, though I can’t truly say that with any confidence since my phone was dead this morning and we didn’t have time to check it on the way out. Now that I’m thinking about my phone, I realize we’re locked out of our room. Sighing, I turn my attention to Ethan. That’s a problem for future Noah when we return to the hotel later.
Ethan frowns. “No. Though since there’s no mention of him actually missing, I’m assuming that his disappearance was planned.”
“No matter how you say it, that sounds ominous.”
He nods. “Max has gotten himself into a lot of shit over the years. We have to assume he knows what he’s doing.”
“Or assume that someone has his back and knows whatthey’redoing. I really don’t think Max is the one that will be able to manage this situation,” Jakub says.
“His personality is a wrecking ball,” Ethan says, grinning. “You’re right. He’d only make a bigger mess of this.”
“I’m just concerned because he isn’t answering my messages,” I admit. “We have always messaged pretty often, and I’m never ignored. It just sits wrong with me.”
Creed grips my arm for a minute. “This is probably the biggest shitstorm he’s created. I think you’re probably going to have to give him the benefit of the doubt, and just be here for when he surfaces again.”
It’s not really like I have a choice, but I nod anyway.
“Now to the real elephant,” Ethan says, smirking. “How long has this been going on?”
My cheeks heat even though I hate that they do. I’m not bashful with friends. However, my blush makes all three of them grin wider.
“Six weeks,” Demi answers.
Ethan’s eyebrows knit together. “While we were on the yacht? You two rarely talked at all.” Then he gives us a wicked grin. “Unless you were just sneaking into each other’s room at night.”
I huff and roll my eyes. “No. We weren’t. It’s complicated.”
“We have like twenty minutes until we get to the arena,” Ethan says, settling in.
Jakub shoves him lightly. “Leave them alone. If they don’t want to share, then they don’t have to. No pressuring.”
Ethan sighs in exaggeration. “Fine.”
Demi chuckles. “We met anonymously in a game and didn’t know we were talking to each other until last week.”
