Page 4 of Evading the Enforcer

“Way to call him out,” Darius says.

“Hey, I’m not here to sugarcoat shit,” Murphy says, leading us into the next stretch.

I hold off on replying until I’m sitting straight once again. “As much as it pains me to admit this, Murphy’s right. Flexibility has always been a struggle for me. I didn’t do anything beyond a few rudimentary stretches before each practice and game.”

“You’re not alone in that,” Murphy says. “Look at how many players on our team don’t join us. They know the offer stands for any of them to take part, but week in and week out, it’s the same group showing up.”

“Some of them have the pre-game rituals they prefer to do,” Kaiden defends.

Murphy holds up his hands. “I’m not saying anything beyond that they’re not here with us.”

We run through the gamut of stretches, leaving me lying flat on my back, staring up at the ceiling. I swipe my palm over the sweat dripping down my right temple and sit up.

“It’s time for pizza,” Kaiden announces. We bound to our feet and race to the table with the maturity of a group of kindergartners. I drive my teammates into each other, making sure I arrive first. Opening the first box, I plop a couple pieces of cheese onto my plate. The second box has sausage pizza, and I take two of those. Grabbing a stack of napkins and a bottle of water, I sit at one of the tables near the windows. We’re on the top floor of the arena, staring out at downtown Charleston. If I worked a desk job in one of the executive offices up here, I’d never get anything done. I’d be too busy staring out at the stunning view.

The guys join me at the table, and silence reigns as we devour everything on our plates. Having pizza is part of our pre-game routine. It was never part of mine before I joined the Coyotes, but now it is. And I’m not about to be the one to fuck with their superstitious rituals. Besides, it’s pizza. Who can complain about having to eat that?

“What’s up with you today, O’Rourke? You seem off,” Darius asks.

Flattening my lips together, I shake my head. “Nothing.”

“How can you tell?” Ryder asks. “He’s a grouchy asshole every day of the week.”

My lips curve into a partial smile. “True.”

“Have you always been a grump, or is this because of everything that happened last year?” Murphy asks.

“Murphy.” Darius says his name, but he’s scolding him.

I raise my hand. “It’s okay. It’s not like it’s a secret.”

“Yeah, butweshouldn’t be bringing it up,” Darius says, aiming a pointed look at Murphy.

“And to answer Murphy’s question, I’ve never been the guy who’s the life of the party.”

But the events of last year changed me, for sure.

It’s impossible not to be shaped by life’s difficulties. I’m less trusting than I used to be. Where I once saw the best in others, I now focus on their negative qualities. Especially when it comes to women. I haven’t said more than a few words to a woman since I’ve been in South Carolina, and that won’t change anytime soon.

CHAPTER 3

LUCY

“Where are you now?”Calista’s voice reverberates from the speaker on my phone.

“I just pulled into my driveway.” Shifting into park, I turn the key, shutting off the Bronco’s engine.

“I can’t wait to see you,” she squeals.

My lips curve into a smile. “It feels like you moved a year ago instead of a couple of weeks. I’ve forgotten what you look like.”

“I’m calling bullshit on that. As if you could forget your best lover that quickly.” She snorts. “How is Les anyway?” She mentions my neighbor on the other side. He’s so creepy that Calista and I used to pretend to be in a relationship so he’d think I wasn’t available. Unfortunately, it hasn’t seemed to deter him from his odd behavior. He unblinkingly stares at me whenever he can.

I press my head back against the leather seat. “He’s been away this week. I haven’t had to deal with him or his giant eyeballs locking on me.”

“That dude’s a strange one. Be careful. I’m not there to protect you anymore. Although, you have a big, strong hockey player living next door.”

I grunt.

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