Chapter 23
The sun beat down on me in the backyard as I watched Sunny run back and forth quacking at Hudson. They liked to play this hide and seek game where they yell at each other from opposite sides of the fence, then pick a new spot to ‘hide’ before yelling again.
We’d just gotten back from another series of away games, and I’d promised Taryn I’d keep an eye on Hudson while she did another stream with her Australian buddy.
They’d gotten closer in the last few weeks, a fact I refused to let bother me.
The guy lived in a suburb of Sydney. He wasn’t a threat, and more importantly, I trusted Taryn.
We rarely spent a night apart, basically only when hockey took me away from Addison.
I’d helped the ladies clear out their extra bedroom, and they’d put in a simple bed for Andrew, who freaking loved having his own room.
Sometimes, I let him stay up, and the four of us—me, Taryn, Andrew, and Carrie—spent the evening playing video games.
Other times, we risked the insanity of my roommates and hung out at our house.
We’d carved out a nice little routine. Today, though, Taryn had cornered me as soon as we’d returned telling me she had something urgent to talk about.
I didn’t have a lot of experience with relationships, but the request had chilled my spine.
She’d asked me to watch Hudson, then literally run off to her stream.
I frowned and helped Sunny sit on the top of the fence.
We were still in the keep things easy phase, but the idea of my girlfriend giving me a foreboding warning then rushing away to spend time with another guy was making me think things might be a little complicated.
I wasn’t used to feeling jealous—and it was definitely jealousy churning in my gut along with a healthy dose of fear.
I’d been blissfully burying my head in the sand since I’d ended my self-imposed exile, keeping my eye out for my dad while pretending life would stay this way forever, but the pressure inched up with every passing day.
The court appointment was next week, Taryn’s tournament was the weekend after, and with our win yesterday, TU was officially in the conference playoffs as the number two seed. Thank goodness I’d gone easy on my classes for my last semester.
Dad had never intended for me to graduate, only to play college hockey until Portland was ready for me. Well, fuck him. I was getting a degree in finance. Numbers didn’t lie.
Sweat dotted my back, making my shirt stick to my skin, and I considered just taking it off. At least I could distract Taryn if she came at me with bad news. Over the last few weeks, I’d gotten really good at finding ways to make her happy.
As if I’d conjured her, Taryn appeared in her back doorway wearing her usual jeans, a tank top, and a nervous expression.
Too late to take my shirt off without looking like an ass, I grabbed Sunny and stuck her back inside, much to her chagrin.
Reece had already agreed to watch her and Andrew for a while.
I needed some time with my girl.
Taryn offered me a big, fake smile when I came through her side gate. “I have an idea, and I want you to help.”
Wary, I shoved my hands in my pockets as I approached. “Oookay. What’s your idea?”
“It’s really Vice’s idea, but I’m on board. Valor is setting up a temporary headquarters in Dallas for the tournament. We should go.”
My brows shot up. “And do what?”
She straightened, and her chin came up. “Walk in like we own the place.”
I coughed out a laugh. “What are you going to do once you own the place?”
“Look around to see what they’re up to. Vice made some really good points about their recent interest and why it’s probably hinky.”
I held up a hand. “I’m going to trust your opinion on Valor being hinky, and ignoring the obvious breaking and entering… Won’t they recognize you?”
“If they do, I’ll tell them the truth. We came by because I wanted to know more about the organization. If they don’t recognize me, then they’re not very serious about their recruitment because my face is literally in every video I make.”
I rubbed my chin as Hudson ran past us toward the back door. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. No offense to Vice.”
Taryn deflated a little. “It’s risky, yes. I’d love for you to come with me, but I understand if you need to return to your basement lair and avoid the sunlight.”
My eyes narrowed. “Still not funny.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Agree to disagree. Lucky for you, I have a thing for vampires. Are you coming or not?”
“You’re going to get yourself arrested.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re not stalking the Pope.”
I sighed, feeling myself giving in. “If you’re this unsure about their offer, just tell them no.”
She squinted at me. “Would you tell Dallas no if they came calling? Or hell, Portland?”
“It’s different.”
Her jaw hardened. “It’s not different. It’s a professional sports team interested in my skills.
” She got up to pace back and forth. “They’re well-known and well-funded.
While I know I’m good, they could have their pick of players.
Instead of having open try-outs, they’re quietly sending personal messages, encouraging goons to harass me online, and manipulating my attendance at a tournament they’re running. Tell me that doesn’t feel sketchy.”
Taryn spun to glare at me. “And don’t play dumb. I know you know how this works.”
I swallowed a smile as she called me out on my usual tactic for getting out of annoying conversations.
“I’m not playing dumb—I’m playing your common sense.
Every job is sketchy in some way. All professional athletes have to sell some part of themselves to play.
You have to decide if the game or the money or the fame is worth what they’re asking.
” I stepped closer, towering over her. “And most people just ask questions of their future employers.”
Fire lit her eyes for a second, but she lifted her chin. “Maybe more people should try espionage. I don’t trust them to tell me the truth—which admittedly, could be a me problem—but getting a behind the scenes view will go a long way toward easing my concerns.”
She stalked past me to open the gate. “Last chance, hot shot. I’m going either way.”
I sighed and followed her. “I’ll come along, but we’re taking my truck. Your tiny excuse for a car isn’t fit for human occupancy.”
Taryn snorted. “It’s just fine if the humans are human-sized. Betty wasn’t made for humans that resembled dump trucks.”
Five minutes later, we were strapped into my truck and cruising down the highway toward Dallas. There had been a small argument about who was paying for gas—I refused to take her money—but after, Taryn seemed content to hum along to the radio with her feet on my dash.
A movement in the rearview mirror caught my attention, and I casually reached up to adjust the angle downward. Sure enough, my car blanket was covering a lumpy, wiggling form in the backseat.
Jesus Christ.
“Andrew. Get your ass up and put your seat belt on.”
The blanket suddenly stopped moving, and Taryn spun around in her seat. She whipped the fuzzy material back to reveal my little brother grinning like he’d won hide and seek.
First things first. “Seat belt. Now.”
The kid scrambled to strap in. “You didn’t say I couldn’t go.”
I resisted the urge to growl at him. “That’s not the same thing if you don’t ask. You can’t stow away in people’s cars. That’s how you get kidnapped and murdered.”
Andrew groaned, sounding disgusted as only a nine-year-old with a death wish could. “You sound like Mom.”
The accusation hit me squarely in the chest, and I realized I’d been working to bury the memories again.
I had to take a second to force myself to breathe past the pressure.
He didn’t know. Andrew—the surprise little brother who looked just like me—couldn’t possibly know what it was like to be abandoned by the woman who was supposed to love you unconditionally.
Until she’d died, I reminded myself. Until he was shuffled off to another state with a brother he’d never met by a grandmother who didn’t give a shit about anyone but herself.
Maybe he knew a little.
I swallowed and wrenched my mind away from the confusing mess of our shared parentage. “Where’s Reece? I left that dickhead in charge.”
“Language,” Taryn murmured.
I sent her a scalding side eye, then returned to splitting my attention between the road and the mirror. “Why isn’t Reece calling me right now panicked because he lost a kid?”
Andrew shrugged, and I recognized myself for a split second in the movement. “I told him I was going to take a nap, then climbed out the window.”
Taryn pressed her lips together, trying desperately not to laugh.
I was going to murder my roommate when we got home. Kenzie and Boo could have his room all to themselves, and I’d finally get a parking spot near the house. Why hadn’t I thought of this sooner?
“I’ll call him,” Taryn said quietly, likely reading my intentions on my face.
I frowned. “Why do you have his number?”
She didn’t look up from her phone. “Because I once found a giant idiot passed out in his truck, and he gave me Reece’s number.”
Oh, right. “Don’t warn him—”
“Hi, Reece,” she said brightly. “You should know Andrew escaped, and Mase has that look on his face like he’s fantasizing about your violent death.”
I glared at her while Andrew chortled from the back seat.
“Mmhmm. Yeah. We’ve got him here.” Another pause. “I’ll tell him.”
She hung up before I could add anything, sending me a self-satisfied look. “Reece says he still expects payment. A deal is a deal.”
Before I could answer, a loud quack interrupted me. I glared at the kid in the backseat.
Andrew’s expression turned sheepish. “She didn’t want to be left out.”
Sunny popped up from the blanket next to him. No carrier. No protective measures. My heart shot into my throat. “Hand her to Taryn, okay.”
For once, Andrew listened. Sunny settled into Taryn’s lap, and I tackled problem number two. “The duck and the kid are staying in the car.”
“You can’t leave me in the car alone,” Andrew protested.
“Why not? You were in here alone while you were planning this little escape.”
Taryn cocked her head. “Actually, he’s probably right. They could get into a lot of trouble alone in the car.”
I sent her an exasperated look. “There’s no way we can spy on your future team with these two in tow. Sunny is the least stealthy duck I’ve ever met.”
A wadded-up piece of paper came flying over my shoulder, and I caught it easily as it sailed between the seats. Andrew’s mouth formed a shocked ‘O’
“How did you do that? You weren’t even looking this way.”
“First off, don’t throw things in a car. It’s dangerous. Second, mirrors exist, weirdo.”
Andrew cocked his head. “Reece says you can’t use mirrors because you’re part vampire.”
Taryn nodded sagely. “At least you’ve moved up to only part vampire now.”
“Part vampires are worse than full vampires because they can break all the rules,” Andrew said matter-of-factly. “They still can’t eat garlic though.”
“Mase doesn’t like garlic,” Taryn told him.
I ignored my girlfriend’s treachery. “Where’d you learn that?”
“YouTube.”
Taryn couldn’t hold in the laugh anymore.
I gritted my teeth to keep from turning the truck around. “I’m seriously questioning your mom’s parenting skills right now.”
“Our mom.”
My eyes met Andrew’s in the mirror, and I felt the hit like a punch to my gut. I had complicated feelings about Mom that I’d rather ignore until they went away, but his were plastered across his face.
He’d had even less time with her than I had. And now he was here with me. I hoped I could give him what we hadn’t gotten with her—a future. That started now.
“Fine. You can come.”