18. Amber
AMBER
M om: Are you coming home to visit for spring break?
Amber: Not sure, still a ways away.
Mom: We need to know if we can give your bed away to your brothers’ friends.
Amber: It depends if I get all my schoolwork done. Don’t let them sleep in my bed. I don’t trust them. They are gross.
Mom: Calm down. I need to know in a week or I’ll let them use your room.
I fell back onto my bed in a sigh of pity for myself.
It seemed unfair to complain about my family when I didn’t want for anything growing up, especially when so many others suffered real complications.
But it didn’t take the sting away when my mom chose my brothers over me every chance she got. Maybe I won’t go home.
The thought of not returning to my parents’ house during the summer seemed more and more likely.
I didn’t have a job lined up for a lot of savings, but I made decent money with my social channels to rent a shitty one-bedroom for another year.
Freelance writing, social media kits, affiliate tags and basic graphic design .
I could do any of those things to support myself until I figured out… oh, the rest of my life. No big deal.
What would Jeff think?
I bolted up at the thought of asking him for his opinion.
It came out of nowhere, but it wasn’t unwelcome.
Our friend-investigator-ship had changed at some point and I was still reeling with how to deal with the modification.
I trusted him with the investigation, no question there.
Did I trust him with talking about real shit?
Yeah, I think I do.
It had been two days since I’d left his house and while we’d texted a handful of times, I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.
Can I just text him asking to hang out? I cringed.
The thought of texting Jeff Maddow to hang out seemed unreal…
not likely and I dismissed the idea. The only logical explanation was to get more information.
Schoolwork had piled up and I wasn’t pretending to be an A or a B student, but I hadn’t liked falling behind on assignments ever since I’d faced probation.
My classes took priority so I finished my most pressing assignments before moving on to the investigation.
I had to flip through my journal and review my notes on who I should follow up with to get some insight.
I scanned my notes and grinned when I saw Teets underlined twice.
Hockey.
A potential for another sports team to be affected by the whole ordeal.
Amber: Teets. You in town today? I want to buy you a beer.
Teets: Goddamn, Henderson, that’s bold. I’m in.
Amber: Lion, four?
Teets: I’ll take the biggest one they got.
Score! I made a fist and raised it in the air, feeling stupid for reacting that way alone. Screw it. Teets would hopefully have some answers that would give us more information. And give me a reason to meet up with Jeff.
My skin tingled if I closed my eyes and pictured his hand—and tongue—on me and while I had fantasized about him before, it didn’t compare to the real thing.
My body buzzed with anticipation and I shot up to get ready.
If I was going to smooth-talk Teets for answers and hook up with Jeff after, I wanted to look good.
I got out of bed and called downstairs. “Laney?”
“What’up, mama?” She was a genius and never had class on Fridays so she often partied on Thursdays and slept all day to get ready for another round.
“I’m meeting an old friend for a drink and have the potential for a hook-up later. Help me look good.”
She appeared at the bottom of the stairs with a wicked smile and stormed up to my room. “ Please say it’s with Jeff. Please.”
Don’t blush. Don’t blush. “Why would you want that?”
“Because you spend alone time with him and you’ve had a crush on him for years. He’s hot as shit and probably an animal in bed.” She pushed her way into my bedroom and went straight to the closet. She glanced over her shoulder at me and gasped. “Shut the fuck up. You have hooked up with him.”
“W-what?” Shit. Shit!
“Your face gives you away, babe.” She wiggled her eyebrows and leaned against the doorframe with an impatient look. “If you don’t spill the details, I will kill you.”
“Okay, fine. We’ve kinda hooked up twice.”
“And?”
“It was…amazing.” My face burned like a roaring fire, but relief also coursed through my blood. Someone knows. I can talk to her now about it. “It will probably happen again.”
“Thank god! I called it.” She smacked her palm against the wall and gave me a proud look. “He was coming over here too often for someone not into you. Plus, I saw him give you heated looks.”
“We’re not dating though,” I said way too fast. “Just hooking up until my project is done. That’s all.”
“I’m glad you’re putting yourself out there and not using alcohol to feel bold.
” She went straight the core of my issue and moved to place her hands on my shoulders.
“I love you something fierce, Amber, but this is a good move to help build the confidence your mom shattered. You are a catch for anyone and once you start believing it, you’ll see a change. ”
My eyes stung a little and my mom’s text from earlier had me asking, “Are you going anywhere over spring break?”
“Hell no. I’m broke from student loans and will probably spend the entire time binge-watching Housewives . Why, are you? Is your sexy uncle going to pay for a trip for you?”
A weight formed in my throat when I shook my head. “No, he’s not. I might stay here with you then. We can get into shenanigans.”
“Hell yeah, girl.” She cupped my face and tilted her head dangerously close to mine. “Now, let’s pick out some sexy shit to blow Jeff’s mind.”
My hair was down in loose curls that framed my face.
I wore my favorite black jeans paired with heeled boots and a low-cut black blouse that flirted with showing my tits, but since I wasn’t gifted there, Laney assured me I could pull it off.
She let me borrow her dark-red lipstick and gave me the sexiest smoky-eyed look I would never be able to do myself.
If I had a confidence meter, it would read at the highest level.
Damn it feels good. Do people feel like this every single day?
The Lion was packed for a Friday afternoon, but there wasn’t much else to do in the dead of winter on campus.
If students weren’t at the library studying, they were at one of the campus bars.
It was just what we did. I nodded to the bouncer and walked in, looking for Teets’ unmistakable frame.
His man-bun gave him away. I bopped it with my hand as my greeting.
“Henderson, you look fucking good.” He pulled me into a hug and I welcomed the warm embrace.
The walk had chilled me down to my bones and his natural warmth helped ease the pain.
He smelled like nature and musk and I imagined him living in the woods.
The image had me chuckle and my mood lifted even more.
“Thank you. I appreciate you coming.” I sat across from him and Kenzie Hill walked up to our table with an adorable smile.
“Hi, y’all. What can I get you? Coffee, Amber?”
“Yes, please. And the tallest amber ale you have for this behemoth.”
She nodded and took off, leaving Teets to grin at me. “What?”
“You just look cute and shit. Makes me happy. You were a bit sulky sophomore year. Wore black a lot and always had a pout. Happy Amber is beautiful.”
My blush came and went like it always did and I waited for Kenzie to return with our drinks before I lowered my voice.
While a part of me wanted to analyze his compliment and ask more questions, I pushed the urge away.
I was here for a mission. “Do you remember our conversation from the party last weekend?”
“I do.” He took a huge swig and left a beer mustache on his already very long one. “Figured something’s brewing and I meant what I said. I’ll help anyway I can.”
“Bottom line is that kids are getting athletic spots on teams without ever playing the sport.”
“Fuck.” He groaned and leaned back against the booth, causing it to creak under his weight. “You think it’s happening with the hockey team?”
“I think it’s happening with a variety of sports, but I can only confirm one so far.” I eyed the people around our booth and continued, “This shit is messed up, so I trust you to keep this between us.”
“Of course.” He took another long swig, almost finishing half of the massive mug.
“You asked me about injuries and disappearing players. I kept thinking about this guy who was a total dick and why he rubbed me the wrong way. I was grinding for a captain spot and this little fucker glided around without doing any work. Connor Long.”
“You’re sure that’s his name?”
“Thought about him more than I’d like since last week.
Asked some of the other guys if they remembered him and they all said the same thing.
Entitled, untalented and no loss to our team.
No one could remember details on how he left the team, but the consistent theme was a bullshit injury.
We all figured he wasn’t tough enough to make it and used it as an excuse.
It’s not entirely uncommon for guys to walk away after an injury.
Kids come in from small schools thinking they’re hot shit and learn real quick they don’t have what it takes. This kid didn’t at all. ”
I jotted down some notes in my journal and moved on to the next question. “What about your coaches? Have they been the same the past three, four years?”
“You know…no. Our head coach has been around for decades, but the supporting staff changed two years ago.” He scratched his chest and frowned. “I don’t recall anything weird happening the last two years, either.”
“Do you remember the coaching staff names?”
He mentioned about four of them and I wrote them down, none of them standing out, which led me to another question. “Do you know the name Martin Rhett?”
“Can’t say the name rings a bell.”
Relief. “It’s this guy.” I held up a picture of him on my phone and hated how my entire body tensed waiting for his answer. It wasn’t like my uncle was innocent in all of this, but to have him have a minor role would be the best-case scenario at this point.
Teets squinted at it for a few seconds before snapping his fingers. “I’ve seen him around the rink.”
My voice shook. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. It was last year. He wore a leather jacket and a fancy-ass watch that reflected the lights. I remember because I was getting ripped into from one of our support coaches when he walked in. Mark was pissed at the interruption and barked at him to get the hell out.” He closed his eyes in thought and I cringed at the array of scars scattered on his face.
“This dude with the watch said something about the offer expiring and Mark looked furious. He dismissed me and I got the hell out of there. I played like shit that game and was so caught up in my own drama I didn’t really think about how weird that was until now. ”
“And you haven’t seen him since then?”
“Mark? I see him every day.”
“No, Martin Rhett.”
“Correct. I haven’t seen him since then and I wouldn’t dare ask Mark about it.” His face relaxed and he leaned closer to me over the table. “Is this Martin dude the one involved in whatever this thing is?”
“It’s looking more and more like it.” This was definitely something to add to our ongoing list of shady behaviors. “Is there anything else you can think of that relates to this?”
“Don’t think so, Henderson. But hey, whatever it is you’re uncovering, be careful. I’ve never seen Mark that angry that fast and I play hockey. We’re a bunch of angry assholes.”
I smiled at his attempt to make me feel better. “I’ll be careful.”
“Is there anything you want me to ask some of the guys? They might remember more than I can. I’ve taken quite a few hits to the skull.”
“Right now, it’d be best to keep quiet.” I tapped my pen against the notepad. “Does Connor still go here?”
Teets opened his mouth a couple of times before saying, “You know, I think he does. I saw that bastard’s face at a bar a while ago. Didn’t give him a second thought, though, until last weekend. He’s one of those special kinds of assholes I’m happy to forget.”
“That gives me enough information. Thank you.”
He finished his drink and gave me a look that said Well? “Want to stick around for another one or you need to head out?”
“I should head out but we need to catch up more often.” I left a ten on the table and moved to his side of the booth for a hug. “Thank you, really.”
“Of course, Henderson. I told you. I got you if you need help.” He wrapped his arms tight around me. “Let me know how it ends up.”
“Will do.”
I waved and quickly grabbed my phone with my heart racing in my neck. Is this about the new information or about seeing Jeff?
Amber: Hey, you free?
Jeff: I can be. What’s up?
Amber: Got some information about the hockey team. Wanna meet up?
Jeff: My place or yours?
Amber: Yours.
Jeff: You wearing those stockings as we discussed?
My stomach swooped at his insinuation and I typed out a couple of responses before settling on one I felt was flirty and teasing.
Amber: Double or nothing.
Jeff: Get your ass over here.