Chapter 16 Callum
Chapter Sixteen: Callum
Portland State’s buzzing. Ryder Hawthorne’s flying down the ice with Cole Whitlock on his left, and I can see what they’re planning. Cross-ice pass. One-timer. Game winner.
I try to cut the angle. Force Hawthorne wide. But he’s faster than I thought.
He threads it to Whitlock anyway.
One-timer.
Top shelf.
Asher doesn’t even move.
The buzzer sounds three seconds later. We lose 3-2.
The Portland bench erupts. Their fans go insane. Our bench is silent.
I skate back to the bench with my head down.
Fuck.
In the locker room, nobody’s talking. The music is off, so the guys are stripping out of their gear in silence. Asher’s sitting in the corner staring at his gloves.
I strip off my jersey, still riding the high.
“Brixton.”
I turn. Rowan is standing with his arms crossed. His captain’s face on.
“Yeah?”
“What the hell was that?”
I blink. “What?”
“The lazy fucking coverage on Whitlock. You let him walk right into the slot.”
“I tried to cut off Hawthorne—”
“And left Whitlock wide open for the game winner.” His voice is sharp. “That’s unacceptable.”
My jaw tightens. “It was a two-on-one.”
“It was your man. Your responsibility.”
“Dude, I made a split-second decision.”
“The wrong one.” Rowan steps closer. “And it cost us the game.”
The room’s dead silent. Everyone’s watching now.
I laugh. “Chill out, Captain. It’s one goal.”
“One goal that lost us the game.”
“It happens.”
“Not to players who give a shit, it doesn’t.”
“Then what is the point?” I step closer. “You want me to apologize for losing?”
Rowan’s jaw tightens. “I want you to take this seriously.”
“I take it seriously.”
“No, you don’t. You treat everything like a joke.”
“And you treat everything like it’s the fucking NHL playoffs.”
Jax moves between us. “Alright, tired of hearing you two fight like a bunch of girls.”
Rowan doesn’t break eye contact with me. “Party’s at my place tonight. Everyone’s invited.” He pauses. Looks right at me. “Except you, Brixton.”
I laugh again, louder this time. “Like I fucking care.”
“Rowan—” Zephyr starts.
“He’s not coming,” Rowan cuts him off. “End of discussion.” He looks back at me. “You can go home and cry over Sienna.”
I lunge for him, but Zephyr’s in my face. “What the fuck are you doing, Brix?” Zephyr pushes me.
Rowan scoffs over his shoulder, grabs his bag, and walks out.
The room’s still silent.
I clench my jaw and finish getting dressed.
Honestly? I don’t give a shit about Rowan’s party or his dumbass remark about Sienna. I’m fucking over her.
Tonight I’m on a mission anyway.
I don’t have a lot of time. We’ve got an away game tomorrow against Minnesota and an early flight.
I have to calculate the time difference, factoring in how long I can spend on this said mission.
If I don’t get enough sleep, I’ll play like garbage tomorrow and Rowan and I will be at each other’s throats.
I meet Jax and Zephyr in the parking lot. They’re already in Jax’s car, engine running.
I slide into the back seat. “Let’s roll.”
Jax pulls out without a word.
“Do you remember the plan?” Zephyr asks, turning to look at me.
I grin. “I knock on her door and ask for her.”
“No,” Jax says flatly. “Fucking idiot.”
“Don’t worry.” I laugh, just messing with them. “Fucking calm down. I know what to do.”
We drive in silence. The streetlights blur past. My knee bounces.
When we pull up to Tigerlily’s house, the Honda Pilot isn’t in the driveway.
All three of us sit there. Staring.
“He’s gone,” Zephyr says.
“Could be a trap,” Jax mutters.
I notice the car parked on the side is the same car that Tigerlily disappeared into the other day, so I open my door.
“Cal—” Zephyr starts.
I wave him off. “Relax. Let’s see what our little Tiger is up to.”
I walk up the lawn, scanning for cameras. It doesn’t take long to spot them. One by the front door. One on the corner of the house. One pointing at the driveway.
Ha. Her dad doesn’t even try to hide them.
He won’t know who I am, so I don’t care about them. I knock on the door.
The noise inside stops immediately. Girls’ voices go quiet.
“Who is it?” someone calls out.
I scratch my head. “Uh, I’m a Mormon. Have a second to talk?”
The door opens.
Four girls and a ten-year-old stare at me.
Tigerlily’s eyes go wide. The others gasp.
The ten-year-old crosses her arms. “I’m sorry, who are you?”
I recognize one of the girls from campus. Madison something. Cute. Blonde.
“I’m Madison’s boyfriend,” I say.
Madison’s jaw drops. “What!”
Tigerlily looks like she might faint.
The ten-year-old narrows her eyes. “Well, this is a girl’s night.”
She tries to close the door on me, but I catch it with my hand.
“I just need a second with Madison.”
The girls look at each other. Confused. Suspicious.
Madison steps outside. I pull out my phone, open the notes app, and type one word.
Camera.
She looks around and spots the one mounted on the wall.
I type again.
What’s your number?
She pulls my phone out of my hand, her face turning pink. She types in her number and hands it back.
“Text me, I guess,” she says.
I nod, then I pull her into a hug to make it believable. It’s awkward as hell as she hugs back but doesn’t fully commit.
I release her and walk off.
When I get back to the car, Jax and Zephyr are staring at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“What the fuck did you just do?” Zephyr asks.
“What the fuck’s going on in there, Cal?” Jax snaps. God, he’s always so on edge.
I lean forward with a grin. “I just walked in on a girl’s game night. They had the TV on, smelled like popcorn. Tiger was looking cute per usual, and she has some cute friends.”
Zephyr stares at me. “What the fuck?”
“Yeah,” I say, leaning back. “I guess her daddy isn’t all bad.”
Jax grabs his car door handle.
Zephyr locks it immediately. “Jax.”
“Her dad’s not home,” Jax says.
“There are cameras,” I confirm. At the mention of this plan a few days ago, I was supposed to steer clear of the cameras and sneak to her bedroom window.
Jax slams his hand against the steering wheel.
“I’m going to text Madison,” I say.
“Who the fuck is Madison?” Jax snaps.
Callum: Figure something out with the kid so Tiger can meet me outside.
Madison: Okay.
I smirk. “I got it, boys.”
Jax scoffs. “You got what?”
Zephyr shakes his head. “So cocky all the fucking time. Just like with Rowan. You wonder why he’s always up your ass.”
I laugh. “Heard he is gay.”
Jax scoffs. “No, you fucking didn’t.”
I laugh again.
Then silence.
Five minutes pass. Maybe ten.
“Yeah, you’re full of shit, Brixton,” Zephyr mutters.
He spoke too soon.
Tiger’s walking out with Madison and another girl.
I grip Zephyr’s shoulder. “Told you.”
Jax and Zephyr race out of the car. Tiger looks intimidated when she sees them step onto the sidewalk.
I step out behind them, taking my time.
“Thanks, Maddie,” I call out.
Madison blushes hard.
I glance at the other girl. “Can you guys give us a minute with Tiger?”
The girl scoffs. “Are you serious?”
Tiger looks shy. The other two start mouthing off—something about boundaries and consent and respecting her space—but I don’t hear them.
Because all I can see is how Tiger likes not being the center of attention, how she’ll avoid any confrontation.
“Tiger?” I mutter, reaching for her.
Jax and Zephyr keep their distance. Smart. Don’t crowd her.
I tug her under my arm and lean down so only she can hear. “Everything okay?”
Her face is snug against my chest as she nods.
“Give us a second,” I say to the girls.
They pout but back off.
I pull Tiger toward Jax and Zephyr, away from the two girls. Then Jax and Zephyr individually pull her into a hug. Gentle. Careful.
“What are you guys doing here?” she asks quietly.
“We needed to know if you were okay,” Zephyr says.
I lick my lips and lean down again. “We can’t stop thinking about you. So how about you give us your number so these two can stop parking outside of your house every night.”
Zephyr hits my chest.
“What?” I ask.
Tiger blushes. “I can’t give you my number. My dad will know, and he’ll—”
“What? Ground you?” I joke.
She folds her arms, looking at the ground.
“Shit.” I wince. “Sorry.”
Jax tilts her chin up. “You’re always welcome at our place.”
She shakes her head.
I put an arm around her shoulders. “You should stay at mine.”
She looks up at me, then back at Jax. “Thanks for the offer, but I won’t leave my sister.”
“She’s only ten,” Zephyr says gently.
“Yeah,” Jax adds. “So are you going to live here until you’re thirty?”
Tigerlily blinks.
“You can’t do that now, can you?” I tease.
She looks up at me, and her expression shifts.
“Why are you guys really here?” she asks.
Jax steps closer. “To make sure you’re okay.”
Her eyebrows fly up. “I’m okay. This is my life. Now if you don’t mind, I need to get back to girl’s night because after the week I’ve had, I need it.”
I smile, removing my arm from her shoulder. I look at the guys. “Always knew our Tiger had some fire.”
She blushes way too easily.
“Can we call you?” Zephyr asks.
She shakes her head.
“Why not?” Jax’s voice is tight.
She says, “Don’t worry about me.” Her eyes look at each of us. “Okay?”
Then she’s walking back to the house. Her two friends lean into her immediately, walking on both sides of her.
“Well,” I say, clapping my hands together. “That went well.”
“Shut up, Cal,” Jax mutters.
Zephyr glares at me. “Shut up, Brixton.”
I grin because we got what we came for.
We saw her, talked to her, and confirmed she’s alive.
And now we know she’s not as okay as she wants us to think.