Chapter 5 #2
“Did you see how fast that shit got shut down?” he asks. “No one wants to see you hurt, and I don’t think Jaxson meant anything by his words. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Julian is a closeted gay, baby. Either way, we’ve been telling people to fuck themselves with rusty pipes for a long time.”
“I know,” I grumble. “My armor is a little dented tonight. This bullshittery with Koen is starting to fuck with me. I keep trying to ignore it, but it’s difficult.”
“So we get in his face tonight,” Sky smirks.
“Find a way to sit on either side of him, lean over his body whenever possible. We need to stop taking it easy on him. Koen is running scared, and his mistake is thinking that’s enough to make us let up on him.
Everyone knows you need to chase your prey when they break off from the herd. ”
Huh. You know what? Fuck yeah.
“Okay,” I breathe, eyes watching the road as Skylar drives. Snow drifts in front of us as the car eats up the miles between us and our destination, and I force myself to relax.
It’s time to take a little more control away from our omega. The gloves are hitting the ice, Little Viking. Let’s see what you’re made of.
The bar seems like any other establishment, and I get out of the Jeep once Skylar parks. My coat keeps the cooler air away from me as Sky tugs me against him as we walk, and the rest of the players join us as we enter The Red Den.
There’s lots of character inside, with a long heavy deep cherry wood bar, couches along a back wall, and it’s still pretty busy. It takes a second for me to realize they’re all buzzing about the Cougars’ win, and it clicks as the room bursts into applause.
Our grins are wide as we accept the congratulations and well wishes, and we make our way to where all the couches are. It’s comfortable, just outside of where everyone is talking and laughing, and allows us to be able to hear each other.
My wayward Little Viking is sitting in an unprotected spot, and Skylar and I drop into the chairs on either side of him as the team huddles together. Koen stiffens slightly before taking a long sip of his beer, showing that he’s been here for a little while.
After the information Fishman gave us on Koen, it’s clear that he may not regularly drink Moscow mules around his teammates. I’ll happily order a Cosmo and join him on a nontraditional drink. Fuck it, in for a penny, in for a pound.
“I’ll get drinks,” Olsson says easily. “Julian, come help. What does everyone want?”
“I’ll take a Cosmo, please,” I reply.
The rest of the group gives him their drink orders, and Olsson is unfazed as he walks across the room to the bar.
“I noticed that Sky had to fish you out a couple of times tonight,” I tease Koen as I lean toward him. His blue eyes are like nothing I’ve ever seen before, and they blow out slightly at my nearness.
Huh. I fucking knew this wasn’t all one sided.
“My fighting isn’t that bad,” he sighs.
Mmm. God, does he smell good.
“We all know it’s not. You’ll willingly take people bigger than you during a game,” I murmur. “So why are you so scared of little ole me?”
I didn’t mean to say that, but my smirk softens the words.
“The Little Viking smells really fucking good today,” Skylar says under his breath, making Koen gasp slightly. “I’m not going in after you to save you because you can’t fuck shit up, Koen. I do it because my asshole puckers every time someone fucking punches you.”
“Why are we talking about puckered assholes?” Koen asks, just loud enough for everyone else to hear.
Oh, game on, baby boy. I like it when you play dirty.
“Because I forgot to plug mine,” Sky says easily, taking a drink from Olsson. Skylar rarely bottoms, but he will take the fall without an issue in a conversation when necessary.
Koen’s cheeks heat as he finishes his drink, and Olsson hands him another before continuing on. No one comments as I take a small sip of my Cosmo, savoring it before I continue the conversation. I had to remind myself of who I fucking am, but I’m back in action.
“We aren’t easy to embarrass,” I tell Koen. “The more you run, the harder we’ll chase you.”
“I don’t get it,” he sighs, leaning back in his chair.
Everyone is laughing and chatting, which means they’re ignoring us for now. A couple of the bar patrons have come over to talk with other players, giving me the ability to talk to Koen without an issue. Even Sky is talking to the guy on his right.
I know he’s still painfully aware of what’s happening between Koen and I. Nothing much manages to get by him.
“What don’t you understand?” I ask. “Sky and I want to get to know you better, but you don’t seem to want that. Is there a reason for that?”
“I… You’re obviously with Skylar, so I don’t understand what you want with me,” he says finally.
Everything. That answer isn’t going to go down well, so I roll my thick lips inward instead for a moment.
“So I have to see you as a piece of ass to want to know more about you?” I ask, chuckling under my breath as I regroup.
“I think we both know that’s not true. I hope you’re prepared to get on board with a little courting, because that’s what’s happening here.
I can’t fucking wine and dine you if you’re hiding from me. ”
“I… what? Again, you’re with someone,” Koen says obtusely.
“Not everyone is in a relationship with only two people,” I drawl. “Do I need to explain complex polyamorous relationships? Would you like some diagrams as well?”
“Oh fuck off,” he says, his lips twitching. “I get that part.”
“Skylar and I got together when we were rookies. We don’t have shallow relationships, Koen. Now, if you’re not attracted to us, that’s an entirely different kettle of fish,” I admit.
“It’s not…I don’t date,” he says, standing up suddenly and moving quickly toward the teammate furthest away from me.
I’m disappointed as Skylar’s hand reaches out for me, and I move to the chair that Koen just vacated. I hold my man’s hand as I lose myself in the conversation, grinning as people talk about different plays.
Since I don’t always pay attention to the entire game, some of it is new for me, and I get a whole new perspective on other plays. I need to hold onto something to ease the sting of being rejected by my scent match.
“Koen’s shot at the end of the game was sharp,” a fan says with a grin. The man is wearing Cougars gear, and it’s obvious that he follows our games. “The other team’s goalie missed the puck completely.”
I remember that shot and how it went through the perfect hole over the goalie’s right shoulder. There was no way anyone was knocking the puck away.
We all discuss the game, and what we think could have gone better. The fan’s name is Joseph and he seems pretty chill. I still notice when Koen leaves us to sit at the bar with a couple of people on the team and Joseph’s gaze follows.
I have to swallow back a growl as Skylar’s thumb runs over the back of my hand. As a team, we’ve been playing better, and I think that hanging out will help warm everyone up to us. I can’t fuck that up by coming on too strongly.
I’ll let him run for now, but something has got to give.
Finishing my drink, I set aside my glass as I stretch my neck from side to side. I’m coming down from the high of the game, and now exhaustion is beginning to set in.
“I feel the same way, man,” Julian says, hiding a yawn behind his hand. “I’m ready for bed. This was fun though. I’ll see you at practice in the morning.”
“Mmm. Is it wrong that I’m looking forward to the mandatory nap before our game tomorrow?” I ask, grinning as Julian laughs. “Alright, it’s time to get these old bones home. Thanks everyone for coming out with us.”
“I’m really sorry about before too,” Julian apologizes again.
I accept his apology as we make our way toward the exit, and I glance at the bar where Koen is sitting, listening to Joseph talk his ear off.
“I’m going to make sure Koen leaves safely,” I tell Julian under my breath as he glances over as well.
“Yeah, thanks. I didn’t get any creepy vibes off the guy talking to him, but you never know,” he says.
The team leaves after Skylar and I reassure them we’ll be staying behind. Finding a corner to lean against, I frown as I watch them.
“Is it me, or is he…leaning?” I ask.
Joseph touches Koen’s shoulder as he tells him something, and I watch as my omega’s muscles tighten uncomfortably. It’s different than when he was talking to me. I think he was enjoying our conversation, he just doesn’t know what to do with me.
This is very different.
“Oh he definitely is,” Skylar growls.
The bar is nearly cleared out when Joseph’s hand moves in a way that forces Koen to lean away so he won’t hit him. The movement also pulls Koen’s gaze away from his almost forgotten glass of beer, and I growl as Joseph squirts a syringe full of something into the drink.
“Fuck,” I rasp, already moving forward.
“A toast for the road!” Joseph says loudly, startling Koen.
“A toast?” he asks, glancing at his watch. Shrugging, he nods and clinks his glass against Joseph’s before taking a deep sip.
“Dammit,” Skylar mutters, grabbing me around the waist. “We follow them and then end Joseph. Take a breath for me, baby.”
My breath is more of a strangled gasp as I watch Joseph hold up more of Koen’s weight until he’s heaving him upward to stand. Fuck, that worked way too quickly.
What the fuck did he drug him with?
“Is he alright?” the bartender asks worriedly. “He wasn’t drinking very much.”
My lips purse as I watch as Joseph insists he’s fine and is going to walk him to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. Joseph winks at Skylar and I as he walks past us, and I watch as the bartender begins to close up for the night.
She’s a lot more worried about getting home than the obviously drugged hockey player. God, this world is so fucked up. I’m becoming more and more angry as Skylar and I stalk Joseph and Koen down the hallway.
The twunt bypasses the bathroom and leaves out the emergency exit, practically dragging Koen along. He also can’t help touching and dragging his nose up the omega’s throat, and my hands curl into fists as Skylar and I follow them out.
“Come on, baby. I want to see how tight that asshole is,” Joseph says as I pull out my leather gloves.
This is going to get messy, and I want to protect my hands as much as possible. I also really don’t want my blood scattered on the ground after this.
“Sky?” I ask under my breath. I’m too angry to be able to look for security cameras. Fishman is really getting a large paycheck out of us this month, but it can’t be helped.
“I’ll handle it,” he promises. “I don’t think their cameras are working, which is why he brought him out here.”
It’s as if the chains drop from my body as the door shuts loudly.
“We’re a little busy here!” Joseph groans, losing his ability to focus.
Taking a deep breath, I yank him away from my omega. Skylar catches Koen as he falls back, and my fist flies at Joseph’s face.
“Is taking things by force something that gets you hot?” I ask, punching him again. “Koen is catatonic, asshole.”
“What?” Joseph whines, his face beginning tomorrow from my punches. “I’m willing to share. I just want to go first. You were watching him too.”
“I don’t want him like that,” I growl, kicking the beta onto his back.
I wonder if that’s why he kept smirking at Sky and I. Does he think we’d want Koen through force? Never.
We want a chance with him, and we’re willing to do some pretty fucked up things to get it. Force isn’t on that menu, though.
Jumping up because my corset and layers are a bit binding, I stomp on Joseph’s stomach. He groans as I push the oxygen out of his lungs to another jump on his chest before I move back to escape the stream of puke.
“Rape and flirting are two very different things, Joseph,” Skylar growls, propping Koen up on the wall. “He’s breathing, baby, but we need to make this quick. I just gave him a charcoal tablet. There should be puking in three, two…”
Koen groans as he leans forward to vomit, and I sigh, shaking my head. Skylar is a walking pharmacy. He keeps charcoal tablets and narcan in his pocket as a precaution whenever we go out. We’ve had many instances where someone partied too hard and Skylar had to wade in to help.
It goes to show that even Minnesota isn’t safe enough.
“What did you give him?” Skylar asks, stomping on Joseph’s hand. His scream makes us both raise our eyebrows, unimpressed.
“Come again?” I ask, finding a steel pipe and picking it up. “I may be a goalie, but my swing is still decent, Joseph.”
“GHB,” Joseph groans. “It’s pretty easy to pick up. I thought I’d bag an alpha, but Koen will at least slick for me so I can pretend he likes it.”
Skylar pulls out a knife, but I grab his hand as I swallow hard.
“Gloves,” I rasp. “You can have the killing blow after I see if his asshole makes its own lubricant or not. His dick needs to go too.”
“You’re right,” he says, checking to make sure Koen is still breathing.
He’s gasping for air, appearing very out of it as he leans over just out of the pool of vomit. I hate having to make this quick, but he has to come first.
That also means ensuring that Joseph can’t come for him again.
Skylar pulls out his leather gloves, which were a bougie gift from me. He used to tell me that he didn’t need them, but I’m glad that he has them right now.
“No, no. Crawling away isn’t going to help things,” I say, stepping on his back. I’m a heavy fucker, and I’m using my full weight to pin him to the ground.
In the time Sky got ready to deal with him, Joseph managed to flip himself onto his stomach like a cockroach to scurry away.
“Help!” Joseph yells, making me roll my eyes.
Skylar pulls some zip ties from his pocket to secure the beta’s wrists tightly behind his back, unamused by Joseph’s antics. He also pulls out a clean handkerchief, a testament to what a gentleman he is, and shoves it into Joseph’s mouth before tying it off to limit his shouts.
“Maybe the dick needs to go first,” I decide, stepping off his back. “Cut it off for me, please.”
Bending down is a bitch in a corset, and I’d rather not until I need to.
“Such a princess,” Daddy laughs, opening Joseph’s pants and yanking them down before flipping the beta over. “Dealer’s choice, baby boy. Dick, asshole, or both?”
“I want the good parts, of course,” I reply, reaching for his knife. “Though, that’s a pretty sad little cock you have there. It’s better off being removed, Joseph.”
“No. Please,” the beta cries, his voice muffled. He’s unable to get away as Skylar pins his waist to the ground. That’s gotta be freezing on his exposed skin, but I don’t fucking care.
No one touches what’s mine and gets to live. Even if Koen’s fighting his attraction for Skylar and I.
We’ll still protect him, even from the threats we didn’t see coming.