Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CATALINA
I managed a few sips of wine before the rest of the team showed up. The crowd already gathered at O'Reilly's let out a cheer, welcoming the players like they were royalty or hockey gods.
Cruz and Easton led the way, the rest of the team behind them. Dean stepped in last, like he was trying not to be noticed. He succeeded, for the most part. Everyone else's attention was on the rest of the team.
I only glanced at him, confirming he was actually here. If I looked at him too long, he'd know something was up. I didn't want to see that expression on his face again. Not yet. There'd be time for that soon enough.
In the meantime, my gaze kept returning to the two wingers. Partly because neither seemed able to look anywhere but at me, and partly because, in spite of everything, I was drawn to them. I wanted to kiss them as hard as I wanted to slap them.
Side-by-side, they strode over to the table, both taking in Shaw's arm casually draped over my shoulders.
"Good game." Easton offered Shaw his hand.
Shaw looked at it for a moment before accepting and shaking. "Thanks. You too."
"I'm glad you came," Cruz said to me, emphasising the last word.
Shaw stiffened, but fortunately for everyone involved, didn't punch Cruz. Yet.
I shrugged slightly, not wanting to dislodge Shaw's arm. "I figured if you fell on your face, I should be there to see it. And video it. And share the video with the entire world. "
Easton grinned. "Nothing he wouldn't deserve."
Cruz elbowed him in the ribs. "Fuck off. If anyone is going to fall on his face, it'll be you. That'll give the Internet a good laugh."
"Did you clowns want something?" Shaw asked. "Because I'm enjoying a quiet drink with my girlfriend."
Girlfriend. I liked the way that sounded. And the way Cruz and Easton's eyes bugged out slightly.
Cruz recovered from his surprise first. "She can do better."
I raised my eyebrows at him. "She could do a whole lot worse."
Easton laughed and elbowed Cruz. "She's got you there, bro."
"She meant you too, bro," Cruz said.
Easton's smile faded. "You're really seeing this guy?" He jerked his thumb toward Shaw.
"Yes I am," I replied. "At least you two have each other."
That must have hit a nerve, because they turned and looked at each other. I'd sensed that vibe before, but this more or less confirmed it.
Cruz cleared his throat. "We don't—"
"Yes, we do." Easton grabbed the front of Cruz's hoodie, pulled him closer and kissed his mouth.
"Holy crap." In the corner of my eye, I saw Marley fanning herself.
I had to agree. Two hot as fuck hockey gods kissing each other had my pulse racing and my clit throbbing.
Cruz seemed surprised at first, but then he was kissing Easton back, hands curled around his biceps.
Finally, they broke off and stepped back from each other. Their faces were both pink, eyes dark. Neither seemed to regret the kiss.
"This doesn't mean I'm not into you too," Cruz said to me.
"Me either," Easton said.
"I still don't forgive you for what you did," I said slowly. "But you can help us with something."
"That depends on what that something is," Cruz said. He crossed his arms over his chest, bravado back in place. "Why don't you tell us?."
I gestured for them both to come closer so they could hear better, and told them about Dean. They became more and more furious with every word.
"I'm going to rip his fucking arms off," Easton growled.
"Not if I rip them off first." Cruz locked his gaze on Dean and started over towards him.
"Don't—" I started. It was too late. Easton was on his heels and Shaw slipped his arm off my shoulders and followed a moment later.
Fuck.
"Should we?" Eden gestured to their backs.
"Yeah." I grabbed my crutches and limped after them as fast as I could go.
The three guys cornered Dean and all but dragged him outside to the beer garden.
"What the fuck are you doing?" The goalie struggled to push them off, but Cruz held one of his arms and Easton the other. They turned him around and pinned his back to the wall.
The chill that went through me was nothing to do with the cold air outside. It was the sound of his voice. He'd haunted my nightmares since the attack.
"What do you think we're doing?" Cruz snarled.
"Get off me." Dean struggled again. He kicked out at Easton, but missed.
Shaw glanced at me, questioningly.
My tongue swept across my lower lip and I nodded. "It's definitely his voice."
Before anyone else could move, Easton had his hand around Dean's throat. He pressed him back hard against the wall and squeezed.
"Fucking prick." Easton's face was red with fury. "You fucking touched my woman. You attacked her. You fucking broke her bones."
His tone made me recoil slightly. I'd never heard anyone so angry before, not even that night. Or so cold. The ice on the rink was warm in comparison.
Dean's eyes were wide. He struggled to breathe. In spite of that, there was no hint of regret or apology in his eyes. There was something else instead. Vindication. He completely believed what he did was right. He had faith the guys would understand his reasons for attacking me.
I didn't think I imagined him thinking he'd do it again given the chance.
He lifted his chin and stared Easton down.
"It was what you wanted," he rasped out.
"All of you. You wanted her away from the team.
Away from our rink. Away from all of us.
You wanted her humiliated and broken. She was getting in the middle of us.
Making us fight with each other. She was going to fuck up our chance with the AIHL.
I did what no one else had the balls to do. "
I wished he sounded unhinged, but he sounded like he knew exactly what he was saying and stood by every word. Cold, calculating, convinced what he did was somehow completely right. His conviction made me lose my breath for a few moments.
Cruz leaned in and spoke in a tone so menacing it made my spine tingle. "You could have killed her."
"I was going to, but Shaw came out of the rink," Dean said. "I fucking wish I had. Look at yourselves. She's done this to us."
"We did this to ourselves." Cruz stepped back and shook his head. "We did this to her." He glanced over at me. "Easton and I were assholes, that's what happened. If you wanted to hate someone, you should have hated us."
"Yeah," Easton agreed. "We did and said some bullshit things.
Things she may never forgive us for. That doesn't give you an excuse for what you did.
We never wanted anyone to lay a hand on her but us.
If we gave you the impression this was what we wanted, then we screwed up even worse than I thought.
" His hand tightened around Dean's throat.
For the first time, I saw real fear in Dean's eyes. I saw the exact moment he thought Easton would actually kill him. I could smell it and hear it with each increasingly laboured breath.
"Easton, stop," I said softly.
Easton glanced over at me. "Why should I? Why shouldn't I kill him for what he did to you? He deserves it." His expression was one of fury, but it wasn't all directed at Dean. A lot of it was directed inward, at himself.
I heard what he wasn't saying. He and Cruz deserved it too. Dean looked up to them and they gave him the wrong idea about their feelings for me. Dean was far from innocent, but he didn't deserve to die. Not like this.
"If you kill him, you'll never forgive yourself," I said. "You'll be throwing away your life, your dreams and maybe the whole team. The AIHL won't choose the Ghouls with this kind of controversy hanging over Opal Springs. We've all lost enough, let's not throw away anything else."
Even if I was still as pissed off with him and Cruz as I was before, the rest of the team had nothing to do with any of this.
Stealing their dream for something they weren't involved in, wouldn't be fair.
They'd worked their asses off to get where they were.
Pulling the rug out from under them like this would shatter them.
I was fucked if I was letting that happen.
Easton let out a harsh breath, but finally stepped back, letting Dean slide to the ground. "He can't get away with what he did to you."
"He won't," Shaw said. "My phone was recording everything he said. I'll hand it over to the police. There's a possibility the AIHL won't touch us, but we can keep it quieter than if any of us murdered the prick." He looked down at Dean like he was considering doing just that.
"We could make it look like an accident," Cruz said darkly.
"And take the chance the police figure it out?
" I asked. I bit my lip for a moment. "He took away my dream of going to the Olympics.
" Which right now seemed like such a trivial goal.
I had the rest of my life in front of me, and an amazing career working with the animals I loved.
Saying the words stung though. I'd lived that dream for so long, admitting I had to put it aside was difficult.
It was something I had to do. Accept it and move on. Build my life around other dreams.
"All you guys want is to play professional hockey. Don't let him steal your dream too."
"That's not my only dream." Cruz looked from Dean to me, clearly conflicted. "I'm not giving up on finding a way to get you to see that too."
"Me either," Easton said. He was massaging his fingers with the opposite hand, loosening them from where they'd been so tight around Dean's throat.
Now was not the time to tell him how hot it was to see him like that. If I was going to forgive either of them, they had some work to do.
"Seems like you have some shit to work on together too," Shaw told them. He slid his arm around me. I nestled against him and exhaled softly.
"It seems like we all do." I glanced down at Dean, who was rubbing his throat. He looked so small right now. Scared the guys might change their mind and rip him apart after all.
I almost couldn't get my head around the fact he would have killed me if it wasn't for Shaw stepping out of the rink at the right time.
"You have some healing to do," Shaw said.
Marley stepped to the other side of me and gave me a careful hug, trying not to knock my crutches aside. "We'll be here to help her."
"Yes, we will," Eden agreed.
I hadn't realised they were both there, but they must have seen everything. They both looked at Dean in disgust.
"We all will," Cruz said. He gave me a look that said, 'you're mine and I'm going to prove it to you.'
The look I gave him in return said I wasn't sure if I'd ever forgive him or Easton, but I'd consider giving them the chance to try, as long as they stopped being assholes.
At least, assholes towards me. More than that might be too far to stretch.
In spite of everything, I liked them the way they were.
They were going to have to work fucking hard to get me to admit that.