Chapter 36 - Rhett
Rhett
“Where is she?” I demanded when I reached the trainer’s room. “Where the hell is June?”
Elias put a hand on my chest. “She is fine.”
I knocked his hand away and stepped up into his space. “Get the fuck out of my way, Elias, or I swear to Christ…”
I trailed off as I remembered who I was talking to. Elias had several inches on me, and at least fifty pounds. I might as well have been picking a fight with a fucking polar bear.
He smiled like he knew what I was thinking. “Are you ready to be calm now?”
I took a step back and sighed. “That’s the most I’ve ever heard you say at one time.”
He grunted in response.
I felt dizzy, so I sat in June’s office chair and took a deep breath. When I got the text from Elias, I hopped in the car and drove straight here. My sister screamed at me from the passenger seat as I ran every red light, but I ignored her.
Nobody could stop a man from reaching the woman he cared about, especially when she was in danger.
Cole came jogging into the room moments later. “Where’s June? Is she okay?”
Elias gripped him by the shoulders and said, “Sit down.”
Cole was smarter than me, and immediately took a seat without trying to fight the big man.
“What are you doing here?” Cole asked when he saw me. “Were you here when it happened?”
“Elias texted me,” I replied.
“He texted me, too.” Cole looked at the goalie. “Did you tell the whole team?”
“No. Only you, and you.”
I shared a look with Cole. “Why did… Wait a minute. You know, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“How?” Cole asked. “Did June tell you?”
Elias’s expression drew serious. He shook his head. “You two show too much emotion. Very obvious.”
“Nobody else on the team knows,” Cole said.
“They talk too much. They are not quiet.” Elias tapped his temple next to his eye. “I am quiet, and I see things others miss.”
“This is the most you’ve ever spoken out loud at one time,” Cole said.
“That’s what I said,” I muttered. “Where is June?”
“Being interviewed,” Elias replied. “Police.”
“But she’s okay?”
Elias wiggled his palm like a see-saw. Bloody nose. Not broken. Her attacker, though?” Elias scowled. “He is worse. I made sure.”
“Tell us what happened, and start from the beginning,” Cole said.
Elias gave us a quick run-down of the events.
June had invited him to come to the arena early to work out.
He couldn’t because he had a lunch meeting with his agent, but decided to swing by afterward to see if June was there.
He heard her shouting in the hallway, and found a man standing over her in the hallway.
“I recognized this man,” Elias said. “I fought him in a bar. Months ago.”
“Oh shit, I remember when that happened,” I said. “You pulled an oblique muscle in that fight, right?”
Elias stiffened. “My oblique was fine.”
“Okay, okay,” I said defensively. “Sorry I mentioned it.”
“When I saw him fighting June, I tackled,” he finished with a shrug. “Knocked knife away. He was small, very easy fight. So much trouble for such a tiny man.”
“You saved her life,” Cole said.
Elias looked uncomfortable. “I protected June.”
“You care about her, don’t you?” Cole asked.
Elias stiffened, then nodded.
Chuckling, I said, “Look at us. The three men sleeping with June. Funny coincidence we’re all here at the same time, huh?”
Elias frowned. “Not coincidence. I called you.”
“Right, I guess… nevermind,” I said.
“I can’t believe she almost died.” Cole leaned forward and held his head in his hands. “We had a big fight. I was mad at her for trying to butt into my personal life.”
“She didn’t mean to,” I explained. “She was just curious about Alice. By the way, who is Alice?”
“Someone I don’t talk about,” Cole snapped.
I held up my hands. “Hey, I’m just passing along info, buddy. Maybe relax a bit, yeah?”
“Sorry. Alice is a… sensitive subject.”
“Clearly.” I cleared my throat. “I really care about June, too. A hell of a lot more than I expected when we first hooked up. I know she’s our trainer and all, and that shit’s messy, but… well, a man can’t control what’s in his heart.”
“He cannot,” Elias agreed, patting his own chest. “Such strong feelings after a short time. June is a special woman.”
“Very special,” Cole agreed.
“Then why are you acting like a horse’s ass with her?” I demanded. “The fight y’all had put her in a bad place. She just wants to know more about you, Cole.”
“I know. It’s just not easy to let people in sometimes,” the captain of the Reapers said.
“Yes,” Elias nodded emphatically.
“Okay, so we all like this girl,” I said. “What do we do about it? Rock paper scissors?”
Elias stiffened, his hands curling into large fists. “I will fight anyone for her. Anyone.”
I glanced at Cole and gulped. “Nobody wants to fight you, big man.”
“Yes. You would lose.”
“Ehh. I think I could take you,” I said.
“I know you’re cocky, but let’s be realistic,” Cole told me.
I stood up slowly and cracked my knuckles. “Growing up, my momma told me all about David versus Goliath. The way I see it? I’m David in this situation.”
Elias narrowed his eyes.
“What the hell are you doing?” my sister Patricia suddenly snapped from the doorway. “You’re not seriously gonna fight this giant of a man, are you, Rhett?”
“No…”
“Yes, he was,” Cole said. “Your brother is an idiot.”
“Coulda told you that.” Patricia stepped between me and Elias. “My brother’s a damn fool. Don’t take him seriously, and please don’t fight him.”
Elias nodded slowly. “I have already broken one nose today. I do not wish to make it two.”
“I, uh, believe you,” Patricia said. “I can’t believe the three of you are fighting over the same woman.”
Cole’s gaze snapped over to me. “You told your sister?”
“Of course he did,” she answered for me. “My brother can’t keep a secret to save his life.”
Cole smirked. “Truer words were never spoken.”
“Yes,” Elias said.
“I really don’t like how the three of you are ganging up on poor little old me,” I said. “I’m just worried about June.”
“June is fine.” A man wearing a Georgia Bureau of Investigation jacket strode into the trainer’s room with the head of arena security right behind him.
“I’m Frank Warner, the agent assigned to your case.
You’ll be allowed to see her in a minute.
The medic is checking her out. She might have a concussion. ”
“What happened?” Cole demanded.
“Everything will be made public in the coming days,” Frank said.
Elias turned to face him, growling slightly.
Frank looked up at Elias, then said, “But I suppose it doesn’t hurt anything to fill you in, since three of you have been affected by this individual.
His name is Alexander Gevolny. Alexander used an alias to get hired by the third-party contracting company that does maintenance work on the arena.
He was already in our system for gambling—he used to run an illegal bookie business out of Forest Park. ”
“Of course it’s related to sports gambling,” Cole muttered. “Everything’s gotten worse since it was legalized.”
I nodded in agreement. The amount of abuse I received online had skyrocketed in the past few years thanks to how widespread gambling had become.
“The assumption is that he was making these threats in relation to certain wagers,” Frank continued. “Bet against you, then force you to miss games.”
“You keep saying threats,” Cole said through clenched teeth, “but I was actually poisoned by him. I almost died.”
Frank nodded. “Right. We’ll make sure those charges stick, don’t worry. They’re bringing him out now. Do me a favor and stay right where you all are, all right?”
The sound of footsteps preceded six men walking down the hallway. We watched through the window as they passed by the door: two uniformed officers at the front, two in the back, and one leading the suspect by his cuffed hands.
We locked eyes for a split second. His face was a mess of blood and bruises.
Not bruised enough.
My legs started to move like they had a mind of their own, and Frank put a hand out to stop me. His other hand was on Elias’s chest—the goalie had also taken a step forward, and an expression of murder shone in his eyes.
Seconds later, they were gone.
“Thanks for not making my job more difficult,” Frank said. “The last thing I want to explain to the guys at the Bureau is why I had to arrest three members of the Reapers while they’re in the middle of trying to win the Eastern Conference.”
“You really put a beating on him,” Cole told Elias.
Elias scratched at his beard. “Yes.”
My sister put a hand on my back. “You must really like this woman.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I’ve never seen that look in your eyes. Like you would literally beat that guy to death with your bare hands if you could.”
I glanced at Frank, then said, “I would like to plead the fifth.”
“Not illegal to want to do something,” Frank said, tapping on his phone. “They’re done with June. You all can see her, now.”
Before we could all rush out of the room, June came walking in with another GBI agent behind her. “What are you doing in my chair?” she asked.
“Keeping it warm for you,” I said with a wide grin.
We took turns hugging June. The sight of her nose, which was swollen and taped up, filled me with unfathomable rage all over again. But knowing the suspect was in custody helped me relax.
“I’ll leave you all to it,” Frank said, and he and the other agent left.
“Hi, I’m Patricia.” My sister walked forward and hugged June. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Don’t believe any of it.” June chuckled, then winced and touched her nose. “Okay, nobody make me laugh. It hurts to laugh.”
“I’m going to leave all of you alone for now,” Patricia said. “But I want to get lunch before I leave town!”
“I’d love that,” June said with a smile.
My sister and the woman I cared about hugged once more. Something moved behind my ribs, like my heart was swelling with love.
And then the three of us were all alone with June.
“We all know,” I said to break the ice. “About each other, I mean. It’s all out in the open.”
“Oh.” June nervously glanced at each of us. “This wasn’t how I expected everyone to find out…”
“We all care for you,” Elias said. “This situation is not normal. It is complicated. Three men, one woman. Shared. And you are the trainer. We all work together. Very complicated. But it is not bad. I think it is good! I would like to see what happens. Explore this.” Elias moved his finger in a circle between the four of us.
“If you wish to do so. But I very much do. And I believe Cole and Rhett also do.”
“Oh my God,” I said. “That was, like, a full goddamn paragraph from Elias the Silent Giant.”
June groaned in pain. “I said don’t make me laugh!”
“Shit. Sorry. I just never expected to hear him say so much at once.”
“You all talk too much,” Elias said with a disapproving scowl. “You should listen more, and speak less. That way when you speak, it carries weight.”
“Wise words,” Cole agreed. “Some of us could use that advice more than others.”
“He is speaking about you,” Elias told me.
“Thanks, I figured that out.” I gave him a patronizing smile. “But he’s right, June. Shit, he couldn’t have hit the nail on the head better.”
June looked at me with those wide, innocent eyes, and my heart absolutely melted.
“I’m falling for you, June,” I said. I hadn’t practiced this, but the words came easy. “Ever since we hooked up in this room, I’ve been falling for you. I lied to myself for a while, and told myself it was just physical. You’re hot, I’m hot, and we’re hot together.”
“Humble, too,” Cole muttered.
I stuck my middle finger in his face, but kept my eyes locked onto June. “Elias was right. I want to see where this goes. Even if it means sharing you with him and our asshole Canadian captain.”
She smiled at me, and my heart melted all over again.
Cole stepped forward, bracing June by the shoulders.
“I’m sorry we had a fight. The amount of stress I’ve been under, and all the pressure of the season…
I’ve got a lot of excuses, but it doesn’t matter.
What matters is that I’m sorry for taking it out on you.
I hope you can forgive me. That’s all I wanted to say. ”
He stepped back to give June some space. For a few moments, she looked at a loss for words as she glanced between the three of us.
“This is overwhelming,” she finally said. “And not just because I might have a mild concussion.”
“If you want to think on it…” Cole suggested.
I hated that idea. I didn’t want her to think on it. I wanted to hear what June had to say right fucking now, because I would die if I had to wait any longer before knowing how she felt.
Once you’ve poured your heart out to someone, you were vulnerable in a way that was impossible to stand.
Fortunately June smiled widely. “I’ve been confused myself these past few weeks. Spending time with all three of you, at work, on the road, and at home… it’s made me happier than I ever thought was possible. I care deeply about each of you.”
She paused to give each of us an individual smile.
“I don’t know how this could possibly work,” she admitted. “For all the reasons Elias said. We work together, which makes things messy. And even if we didn’t, I don’t expect you to want to share me…”
“I will,” Cole said firmly. “I will share you, June. Even if I get a third of your love and affection, that’s more than I could ever want from another woman.”
“Yes,” Elias said. “I also feel this way.”
“Hell, y’all keep taking the words out of my mouth,” I said with a smirk. “I can’t promise I’ll still be all right with it forever, but I feel like we’ve got a good thing going right now. I want to see where it takes us.”
“I’m not going to give you only a third of my heart,” June told us. “I’m going to give all three of you one hundred percent of myself. For as long as it works.”
Being teammates with Cole and Elias meant we were good at picking up on each others’ cues. Like a well-practiced attack on the ice, the three of us moved forward at the same time and wrapped June in a group hug.
“I feel spoiled,” she said.
“Hell, all I’ve ever wanted is a girl to spoil,” I said.
When we pulled apart, June was wiping tears from the corner of her eye. “And about Alice… I’m sorry for pushing you. And for assuming the worst. Whoever she is, whatever she is, you can tell me when you’re ready.”
“Well,” Cole said, “the thing about Alice is that I’ve never trusted anyone enough to tell about her. But I want you to meet her, June.”
“I’d love that,” she said in a small voice.
“The All-Star Break is next week,” Cole explained. “Seems like the perfect time for us to take a trip.”