Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Now, I’m not sure what I feel.
Mila squares her shoulders, but I see the slight tremble in her fingers as she lifts her coffee to her lips. She takes a small sip, then sets the mug down. “Look, I didn’t come here to rehash the past.” She speaks hesitantly. “I came because I didn’t know what else to do.”
I glance at my laptop, where I’ve just spent the morning reliving the past. I motion to the bar stools and she takes a seat. I lean against the counter. “Start from the beginning. Tell me everything that’s happened.”
Mila pauses. “The threats started a few months ago. At first, they were just texts—unknown number, nothing traceable. Maybe every few days, but they escalated fast. Then the emails started.” She shivers slightly, wrapping her arms around herself. “They were more detailed. More violent.”
I nod, already knowing the kind of shit she’s been receiving if the email she showed me last night is any indication.
“I went to the police in Florida,” she continues. “I showed them everything. The texts, the emails. But they couldn’t track where they were coming from. They said unless there was proof someone was actually coming after me, their hands were tied.”
Of course, they fucking did. “So you think it’s Peter?”
Her throat bobs. “Who else would want to come after me?”
I drum my fingers against my biceps. “Jace, and I say that only because Peter’s ability to email and text are limited.” I consider this, my mind racing. “Or it could have been Ryan or Colton helping him. Hell, it could be all of them.”
Mila’s brows furrow. “What do they hope to accomplish? Just to terrify us? Or do they want revenge?”
I don’t have an answer for that but I mutter, “I got something too.”
She blinks. “What?”
I nod, my lips pressing into a flat grimace as I remember the gift I got not long ago in the locker room. “A teddy bear with a card that said, I remember. Do you?”
Mila pales. “I got that message too. But just in a text.”
She hesitates. “I saw the McLendon fight on TV. He cross-checked you pretty hard.”
“Yeah. He clocked me good. He’s obviously still holding a grudge.”
Her blue eyes hold mine. “Still so many people that hate us for doing the right thing.”
After a long beat, I say, “Ryan DeLuca came to one of my games. Threw a bottle at me. Called me a traitor.”
Mila’s hands tighten around her mug.
“So yeah,” I say. “Still a lot of people who fucking hate us.”
Mila sighs. “What do we do?”
I hesitate, considering my options. While it’s the last thing I want to do—so deep has been my conviction to keep everyone on the team far away from me, I can’t keep everyone in the dark. “I think I need to let the team know what’s going on. The organization, at least.”
Mila’s brows lift slightly. “You trust them?”
I don’t answer right away. Because the truth is—I don’t know.
But I do know that whatever’s happening, it’s getting worse. And I can’t ignore it anymore. I push off the counter, grabbing my keys. “I have to get to practice. Then I’ll try to talk to our general manager, Callum Derringer.”
Mila shifts in her chair, looking hesitant. “What should I do?”
I glance at her. “Make yourself at home. I’ll be back this afternoon.”
She nods slowly, but there’s still unease in her posture.
Before I leave, I pause at the door and turn back. “Don’t go anywhere alone.”
She frowns. “Why?”
I hold her gaze. “Because I’ve got a gut feeling that it’s not safe.”
The words hang between us, heavier than either of us would like to admit.
Then I turn and walk out the door.
CHAPTER 6
Penn
The locker room is always filled with energy after a good practice. It’s the start of getting our minds set for the next game tomorrow night against the Columbus Hawks. Laughter echoes off the walls, easy banter tossed between teammates as they dress and sling gear into their bags.
As usual, I don’t join in.
I sit at my cubby, pulling on my socks, aware of the sideways glances in my direction. No one talks to me. No one acknowledges me.
It doesn’t bother me because I’ve earned this distance. I’ve built up a proverbial wall since the day I signed with this team. If anyone asked my former Florida Spartan teammates if I was like this before, the answer would be yes. After leaving the Wraiths and entering the professional league, I brought with me the absolute certainty that there is no true loyalty among men.
Ironically, I’m well aware that many people hate me because they think I breached loyalty for turning in those responsible for Nathan’s death. That’s okay… because I hate them in return for not being loyal to me. It only proved that individual greed and ego is what drives people, not doing what’s right. Call me jaded, but that’s how I am.