The Sniper (The San Antonio Hyenas #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Sebastian

“ N ow can you tell me?” I ask my agent with a steely look. “Why the hell am I in San Antonio?”

We’re outside an office in some swanky luxurious high-rise in the city waiting for a mystery meeting. It’s been all top-secret this and on-a-need-to-know-basis that for the past week. My agent Lydia said it would be worth it. She said it would blow my socks off.

I have to be honest, my expectations are low.

In terms of hockey cities, San Antonio ranks at the bottom. Literally. The San Antonio Hyenas are the worst team in the league. Have been for decades.

Whatever ‘amazing deal’ she’s cooked up is already stinking like a sweaty hockey bag in the Texas sun. I don’t want any part of it.

If the person we’re meeting hadn’t sent his private jet to pick me up, I would never have agreed to come. There’s no way I’d fly commercial just to tell the Hyenas that I’ll never play for their shitty team.

“Alright, I guess I can tell you!” Lydia says with a big energetic smile. It’s making my hangover even worse. My head is pounding and my patience is wearing thin. “How would you like to be a Hyena?”

“How would you like to be unemployed?”

“Hear me out,” she says as she perks up in her seat. “There’s a new owner in town. Did you hear about the acquisition this summer?”

“Yeah,” I say as I sink into the leather sofa, wishing I hadn’t gotten on that jet after all. I knew this would be a waste of time. “Some billionaire bought the team. So what?”

“So,” she says, barely able to contain her excitement.

This energy is why I hired her as my agent when I entered the league five years ago.

She seemed so enthusiastic and full of spunk.

I thought her exuberance would get me more sponsorship deals and higher paycheques.

I didn’t take into account how it would make my hangovers worse.

“It’s not just any billionaire. It’s Brantley Van Morgan. ”

I stare at her. Am I supposed to know who that is?

“I can see that you don’t look impressed,” she says, her smile not even fading a little bit. “But wait until you see what he has planned for this franchise.”

“It’s the fucking Hyenas,” I say with a laugh, even though it’s far from fucking funny. “Why would I ever play here?”

“I think you have to listen with an open mind and a clear heart.”

I shake my head as I listen to her. How can my agent be so out of touch with reality? The fucking Hyenas? Really?!

They call me The Sniper for a reason. I was the league scorer for the last five years. Nobody handles a puck like me. Five years in the league and I’ve brought home three Stoney Cups.

What a waste of time. Now, I’ll have to start agent shopping when I get home too.

“I can tell that you’re not happy,” she says when she sees my face. “But Sebastian, I think you’re going to?—”

The door to the office opens, interrupting her. A guy in a fitted suit walks out and nods to us. “Mr. Van Morgan is ready to see you now.”

I sigh as I stand up. This better be over fast. I want to be back in Miami and settled in some sleazy bar three whiskeys deep before midnight.

“Remember,” Lydia whispers as we walk to the office. “Open mind.”

I’m more ready to give them a piece of my mind as I head in.

Brantley Van Fuckface is standing at the head of the huge table in his dark blue designer suit.

“Welcome to the Hyenas headquarters, Mr. Kemp,” he says in a deep authoritative voice.

He looks like he’s hovering around fifty years old with his salt-and-pepper hair and finely-groomed beard. “Please, take a seat.”

Lydia and him exchange hellos as I look around the luxurious conference room on my way to a seat. He has five suits on his side of the table. They look like a line of deranged mannequins with the way they’re smiling at me. I’m too hungover for this shit.

I slump in my chair as everyone sits down.

“Thank you for coming,” Van Morgan says with a nod. “I’m sure that Lydia filled you in?”

“Nope.”

“I wanted to keep it a surprise,” Lydia says, beaming as she looks at the billionaire. “I thought I’d let you tell him.”

Oh, God, I need a new agent. Preferably one who doesn’t call me before noon and isn’t so damn chipper all the time.

“Perfect,” Van Morgan says with a grin. “Mr. Kemp, we’d like to offer you a position on the San Antonio Hyenas.”

I stare at him with dead eyes.

He stares back at me.

Is this guy fucking for real? I was annoyed before, but now I’m just pissed.

I don’t mean to be cocky, but I’m the best damn player in the league. I won three Stoney Cups in a row. Three! I could go anywhere. Like I would come to this dumpster fire of an organization. Am I a joke to him?

My hands squeeze into fists under the table as the pounding in my head gets louder and madder.

“I know what you must be thinking,” Van Morgan says with a hand up. “Why would I, Sebastian Kemp, the best player in the league, come to the Hyenas of all places?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“So, let me make my pitch.”

I cross my arms and glare at him. “You have five minutes.”

He grins. “What does a hyena signify to you?”

“A shit hockey team.”

“I was talking about the animal.”

“I don’t know. A dirty dog that eats scraps.”

“Hyenas are the most cunning of all the animals,” he says as he stares me down. “They may not be as majestic as a lion or as imposing as a gorilla, but they are tough tenacious beasts who work together toward their common goal.”

“Is this an interview for a zoo or for a hockey team?”

Lydia puts her hand on my arm and smiles nervously. “He’s kidding.”

I wasn’t.

“I have a vision for this hockey team,” Van Morgan says in a firm tone. “The Hyenas are going to go from the bottom of the pack to the top. And we’d like you to be a part of that journey.”

I take a deep breath as I stare at him.

“Your team is not a contender,” I tell him bluntly.

“Any team in the league is a contender with you on it,” he answers.

Maybe, but I can’t do it on my own. “Who else do you have?”

“Harris Sutton,” he says. “All-star defender.”

“Yeah, maybe ten years ago,” I say with a laugh. That old veteran is well past his prime. “Anyone else?”

“Nolan Barlowe.”

He grins when he sees the shock on my face. Nolan is by far the best goalie in the league. I didn’t know he signed here. I turn to Lydia in shock. She nods with a knowing smile on her face.

“Edvard Svensson.”

“What?” I whisper as chills ripple down my spine. He’s the best player in Europe, but he always refused to move to America. I don’t know how this billionaire got Svensson to come and join the Hyenas of all teams. There must have been a shit ton of zeroes on that check.

“We also got Austin Gambill in the draft,” he says with a grin. “How would you like to have the number one draft pick lined up beside you? How many goals do you think you’d score with him passing you the puck?”

A record-breaking amount.

I have goosebumps as I sit a little straighter in my chair.

“I know you’ve had problems with teams taking cheap shots at you,” Van Morgan says. “Your current team in Miami has failed to provide you with proper protection. Well, the Hyenas have already signed Tucker McKinstry to be your enforcer.”

My jaw drops. He’s the toughest fucker in the league. I’m not sure if he’s a better boxer or a better hockey player, but I want him on my side for once. A lot of those cheap shots I got over the years were from him and they did not feel good.

Players will think twice about fucking with me if they know that Tucker McKinstry will be unleashed on them if they get out of line.

“And,” Van Morgan says as my heart rate picks up, “to lead the pack, I brought in legendary coach, Finn Moss.”

I’m too stunned to speak. He’s the best coach in the history of the league. He’s retired now, well, he was retired.

“In addition to all of that,” Van Morgan continues, “we have a new state-of-the-art arena nearing completion. We have everything we need to form a new dynasty in the league. All we’re missing is The Sniper.”

My heart is beating so fast. My headache has cleared and I’m feeling lightheaded instead. This is… incredible.

It’s exactly what I want. What I need. A new start. A chance to be great. Truly, truly great.

“And this is what we’d like to offer you.”

Van Morgan slides a piece of paper across the desk. I turn it over and my throat makes a sudden whimpering sound when I see all of the zeroes.

I don’t even want to negotiate. I want to jump onto the table and scream ‘YES!!!’ at the top of my lungs.

“Just one thing,” Van Morgan says as he slides the paper back. “We do have our reservations. We must consider your reputation.”

The excitement in my chest deflates like a sad balloon.

I glance at Lydia. She looks as concerned as I feel. She might have been keeping the fun announcement from me, but she wasn’t keeping this part from me. She’s as in the dark as I am.

“Sebastian Kemp is known as a team player,” Lydia says, jumping to my defense. “He’s a hard worker, a once-in-a-generation athlete, and a goal-scoring machine.”

“No one is debating his accomplishments on the ice,” Van Morgan says. “It’s off the ice that is the problem.”

My stomach sinks as three years of tabloid headlines run through my mind.

Flavor of the Week for Sebastian Kemp: Actress Wynona Belle.

Sebastian Kemp wraps new Ferrari around a telephone pole.

Penalty Box or Jail for Sebastian Kemp? Star Hockey Player Caught In Another Bar Brawl.

There’s more. Lots more.

Lydia turns to me with a tight smile.

“You don’t become a billionaire by losing money,” Van Morgan says.

“I like to ensure that my investments will bring me a return. And it’s hard for my investments to bring me a return if they’re stuck in some small town jail for fighting hillbillies or if they’ve driven themselves off a cliff after downing a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. ”

“Those days are over for Sebastian,” Lydia jumps in with a near-frantic tone. “He’s turned over a new leaf. He’s a new man!”

Van Morgan doesn’t look convinced. Probably it’s the bags under my bloodshot eyes.

“It hasn’t been announced to the press yet,” Lydia says with a deep breath. I give her the side-eye. “But Sebastian has a new girlfriend!”

“Who is it this week?” Van Morgan says in a flat tone. He doesn’t look impressed with my agent’s bogus surprise.

“It’s not like that,” Lydia says with a high-pitched edge to her voice. “She’s a smart, wonderful, capable girl that Sebastian is in love with!”

What is this woman going on about? I’m staring at her as if she’s gone completely mad.

“She’s keeping him in line,” Lydia says with a nervous laugh. “In fact, they’re engaged!”

Van Morgan looks skeptical. “Engaged?”

“Yup!” Lydia says. She turns to me with wide unblinking eyes. “Right, Sebastian?”

My chest aches as I stare back at her.

I really want to join this team. Even though it’s the Hyenas, this roster could be something special. And turning the worst franchise in the league into the best will really cement my legacy for all of time. I can reach the next level with this crew—the legendary level.

Isn’t that worth lying about a fiancée?

Hell, I can just say that the engagement fell through after I sign the contract.

“Yes,” I say, nodding along with a warm smile on my face. “I’m a new man. I’m in love and engaged to be married to the love of my life.”

Lydia takes her first breath in five minutes.

I imagine that not many people have successfully lied to this man, but he doesn’t call us out while he skeptically stares us down.

“Okay,” Van Morgan says without taking his piercing eyes off me. “I’m having a cocktail party at my house on Friday night. I trust you and your fiancée can attend?”

“They’ll be there!” Lydia says, jumping in before I can answer. “Right, Sebastian?”

It’s Tuesday, which means I only have three days to find a fake fiancée.

It’s going to be almost impossible, but I’ll have to try. I want to be a part of this team. Badly.

“We’d love to attend,” I say.

“And your fiancée’s name?” Van Morgan asks.

Lydia looks at me with wide eyes and a tight smile.

“Alina,” I say. “Alina Hoover.”

I have no idea why that name popped into my head, but it did.

She was my younger sister’s best friend growing up.

I haven’t thought about her in years, so I have no idea why that was the first name to come up. Weird.

“Perfect,” Van Morgan says with a nod. “If everything goes well on Friday, we’ll have the contract ready for you to sign.”

“Or, we can just sign it now,” Lydia throws out with a nervous chuckle. “Since we’re all here…”

“Friday will be fine,” Van Morgan says with a firm nod.

He stands up and everyone follows. I don’t know why he pays for these five people to be here if he’s just going to do all of the talking himself, but whatever. I guess when you have billions in the bank, saving money is the least of your concerns.

He shakes Lydia’s hand and then mine.

“I’m going to bring a Stoney Cup to San Antonio,” he says, his eyes brimming with intensity. “Multiple cups. I hope you can join us in the fun.”

“So, do I.”

“Until Friday then. I’m looking forward to meeting this fiancée of yours. It’s going to take a strong woman to keep the wild Sebastian Kemp in line.”

“Like I said, I’m a new man.”

“Good,” Van Morgan says with a dismissive nod. “Because I won’t have a liability on my team, no matter how talented he is.”

My stomach sinks as I head to the door. Fuck .

I walk with Lydia to the elevators in silence. We stare at the floor and ceiling until the doors open and we step inside.

Once they close, we both erupt.

“Why did you say I was engaged?!”

“Why did you give a name?!”

The elevator descends as we curse and shout some more.

“Who is this girl anyway?” Lydia says when we land on the main floor. “What was her name? Alina Cooter?”

“Alina Hoover ,” I say in a sharp tone, already feeling defensive of her. “She was my sister’s best friend growing up.”

“This could work. Are you still close with her?”

“I haven’t seen her in eight years.”

She drops her head and releases a sound like a dying animal would make.

“Eight years?” she says while shaking her head. “She’s probably married, or pregnant.”

My jaw clenches at the thought.

“Well, either way, we’ll have to cut her a check large enough to make her agree. It’s the only way.”

I don’t even know if my sister Marie is still friends with her. I guess I’ll have to call her and ask. I’ll probably get an earful in that phone call.

“Where does this girl live anyway?” Lydia asks as we exit the building into the hot desert sun.

“My hometown,” I say with a sigh. “Shakings, Colorado.”