Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
SINCLAIR
In typical Aidan fashion, he looked at me like he wasn't surprised I was putting a problem at his feet.
Since we all knew what happened if we didn't tell him things, I had to take the 'sorry, not sorry’ stance.
As it happened, he also looked pissed when I told him what Kylie said.
"Phoenix?" He rubbed a hand over the back of his head. "Cosy with Geneva?"
"That's what she said." I shrugged.
I stood back while Elenna detailed our discussion. I thought he might have dismissed all our theories as nonsense, but he listened, clearly thinking them through.
He might have told us it was all nonsense if it was me talking, but he had more respect for Elenna. He was an asshole, but he adored her. That was obvious for everyone to see.
She could have told him the sky was bright yellow with purple polka dots and he would have considered it. Everyone had their soft spot and she was his.
"I agree it's possible, but I think it's unlikely Coast is working with them," he said finally. "Phoenix… He's a tougher nut to crack. Javey too. They both keep their thoughts to themselves."
"Maybe that's what Coast wants you to think," Elenna suggested. She looked like she didn't believe it either. Or it didn't want to.
"Coast is a dickhead, but I don't think he's on their side," Orion said. He and Finley had been so quiet until now I almost forgot they were there.
"I don't want to think any of them are," Finley said in his soft, Irish lilt.
Even after so long in Australia, he still had an accent.
"Not even Tank or BJ. We're supposed to be a team here.
We shouldn't be working against each other.
" He gave Aidan a meaningful look, then tilted his head towards me.
Aidan grunted. "I'm not working against anyone here."
"I know you don't like me," I started.
"Of course he does," Finley said. "Aidan loves everyone. Right Aidan?"
Aidan raised an eyebrow at him. He would have told most other people to fuck off, but not Finley. He wasn't the soft spot Elenna was, but their friendship was as tight as Coast and Phoenix. Tighter maybe.
"The point is, we're all on the same side," Finley concluded. "If we let them get to us too much, then they win."
"They don't get to win," Aidan said. "We're working together." He stepped out from behind his desk and put an arm around Elenna. "I'm glad you brought this to me. We need to figure out what we are going to do about it."
"I could ask," Orion suggested.
"What, just walk up and say hey, bro, is there any chance you're betraying us?" Finley grinned. "No offence, but I can't see them being inclined to give you a straight answer if they are."
Orion shrugged. "Just an idea. I'm one of them; they may open up to me."
"You're also one of us." Finley gestured to himself, Aidan and Elenna. "To them, that makes you suspect as hell. They'll know you'll go running off to tell Aidan or me."
"I don't think anyone is going to get a direct answer to a question like that, no matter who they are," I said. "Not until they're ready to admit to it. By then, it'll be too late."
"Then we try to get an indirect answer," Aidan said as though it was as simple as that. "Sinclair, keep planning your charity event, and keep an eye on Kylie."
He frowned in thought. "We need to figure out a way to set them up so they reveal themselves."
"We could feed them some false information and see who acts on it," Elenna said.
Aidan snapped his fingers. "Good idea. Let's get on to doing that.
We can also feed some misinformation to Tank and BJ.
Kylie too. Each bit subtly different, so we know exactly who was told what and who responded to it.
But close enough that if they compare notes, they'll assume there was some kind of misunderstanding. "
"I really am starting to feel like a spy," I said. "They didn't teach this at uni."
"That's a shame," Finley said with a smile. "Everyone should learn espionage one-oh-one. Followed by hacking one oh one, picking locks and tapping phones."
"Those aren't skills everyone should have," Orion said. "Especially hacking. People can stay the fuck out of my phone."
"No one would dare to hack your phone," Elenna told him fondly. "They'd be too scared to try."
Aidan cleared his throat.
She bumped her hip against his. "Yours either."
"I don't care if they hack mine," Finley said. "They'll find out I have a secret obsession with ducks."
I stared at him. "Ducks?" Did I want to know?
He grinned. "Yeah, I watch lots of videos of ducks doing funny things like chasing people. Also, llamas spitting. If I have anything to hide, I'm not hiding it on my phone. Not the phone you all know about anyway." He gave me a wink.
"I'm not sure what any of that says about you and it's probably best if I don't think about it too much," I said. Chances were, he was joking about the duck and llama videos. At least, the extent of them.
After all, everyone knew the Internet was designed for cat videos. And, to a lesser extent, weird dances.
"Anyway," Aidan said, drawing all of our attention back to him. "I'll put something together and get it out to you. You'll all have someone different to deal with." His gaze found mine. "Can you manage Coast, Phoenix and Javey?"
I only hesitated for a heartbeat or two. "Yes I can. If any of them wanted to do anything to me, they would have done it already."
"That's a big assumption, but someone needs to do it and you're in the best position," he said.
"So to speak," Finley said under his breath.
I felt my face heat.
"Don't be a brat," Elenna told him.
He chuckled. "Once a brat, always a brat. Nothin' I can do about it."
She rolled her eyes, but the look she gave him was as loving as the one she directed at Aidan and Orion.
Once, I envied her relationship with the guys. Now, I wondered if three was a complication that maybe I couldn't handle as well as I thought I could.
Somehow, they made it look so easy. I knew it wasn't; they'd gone through a lot to get where they were.
Would that be me with the guys at some point, or was everything just about to blow up in my face?
At times like these, I wished I had a crystal ball so I could see the future. Then I'd have some idea if I should ride this out or run the hell away, right now.
No, either way I had to stay and see this through. This was about more than just me. Fuck only knew how many lives were at stake if we got this wrong.
"So, about the tutus," I said to lighten the mood.
The eyes of everyone in the room turned to me.
Elenna's amused.
Finley looked like he was holding back a loud laugh.
Aidan and Orion looked like they were both holding back on throwing me off the roof of the arena.
"No tutus," Orion said. "I'll get out there on the ice and make a fuckwit of myself, but not dressed like that."
"You'll wear one if Elenna tells you to wear one," Aidan said.
We all looked at him in surprise, but probably shouldn't. If Elenna wanted him to climb up into the sky and hang a second moon, he'd try to do it.
If she wanted them to dress up in pink, purple and blue, then he'd make that happen too. Hell, if she insisted on naked hockey players, that's what we'd get.
Honestly, it was a shame I hadn't thought of that first. Not where children were involved, of course, but…
"We could put together a nude calendar," I blurted out.
"I'm in," Orion said immediately. "If I don't have to wear anything silly, I'll be as naked as you want." He crossed his arms over his chest and gave Elenna the side eye, as though daring her to disagree. Not with the naked part, but with the whole tutu thing.
I had a feeling a tank, the vehicle kind, not the player, couldn't budge him on that. In the end, he'd do what he was told for his team, but no one was going to make him like it. Not even her. Not Finley either. Certainly not me.
"I vote we do that as well," Finley said. "The guys would line up to take part."
I doubted that, but some of them would. Coast would be at the front of the line, right behind Orion. I'd happily hang a calendar like that on my wall. Lots of other people would too, even if it wasn't for charity.
"I like that idea too," Elenna said. "Maybe some of the background people as well." Her sly gaze slid to Aidan.
"People want to see naked hockey players, not coaches," he told her. "I'd only bring down the mood."
Apparently he could tell her no after all, but in a more roundabout way.
He had a point though. People would pay to see the players. We could make a ton of money for charity.
"I'll look into it," I said. I was going to be busy planning all of this stuff. I knew just who to ask for help.
"Orion should be Mr December," Finley said. "He could wear a wreath around his cock." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully. His gaze dropped to Orion's groin, obviously picturing that in his head. And liking what he saw.
Orion snorted. "As long as I'm not Mr February."
"You'd make a perfect Mr February," Elenna told him. "You're very romantic."
His expression softened. "Only for you. I don't want the rest of the world knowing. I have a reputation as a coldhearted asshole to uphold. Having anything to do with Valentine's Day would completely fuck that up."
The side of his mouth pulled up in a very slight smile. That was all I'd ever seen him do. I wondered if he smiled in private, because he sure as hell didn't do it in public.
I knew he wasn't the cold asshole he made himself out to be, but he wasn't warm either. Elenna's guys couldn't be more different from each other.
"I'll make sure you're not February," I assured him.
He wasn't the one I wanted to see with a wreath around his cock. That honour went to Coast, Phoenix and Javey, equally. I might have to make sure that happened, if only for a personal photograph.