“After your fall, I lost respect of more than half my team. Accusing me of trying to ruin your life—out of jealousy. Not my fucking fault you couldn’t take a clean hit.”
I grinned politely and rubbed my bicep. “You’re right. Clean hit. No big deal. As I clearly demonstrated when I played against you the other day.”
His jaw flexed. “People still calling me a slayer on the ice. Like I’m a Goddamn killer. You made a full recovery and now you’re the one trying to ruin me. Fucking my wife, teaching my kid to playmysport. You’ve got some fucking nerve, man.”
“You lost your ex-wife all on your own. Hockey is my sport too. In fact, between the two of us, at the moment it'sonlymine.”
I would have told him to get the hell out if taking Jax with him wasn’t an option.
Where the hell were the police? According to Josh, he was not only in violation of a custody agreement, but he was also attempting a kidnapping.
I glanced at the glass doors to the entrance when I spotted movement and froze. Rayne and Tisch were back.
Damnit.
“Jax, come on kid, grab whatever you need and come on out here.” Max barked.
Jax emerged timidly from an aisle, empty handed as Max retrieved his wallet. “The hell is wrong with you? Didn’t you hear? Grab some sweaters or something. You’ll need it on the road.”
“He’s not going anywhere with you, Max.” Rayne’s solid voice came from the door.
Fuck.
When he turned, I shook my head at Rayne to not engage. I wondered if he was armed. If there was one thing that Max said tonight that held true, it was that the most dangerous person around has nothing to lose.
“Mom.” Jax ran to his mother who took a deep breath and embraced him without shedding a tear.
“Say goodbye Jax. We need to go.” Max called.
“Mom, can I please come with you and Logan?”
“What?”
“Dad said you’re leaving with him, and you didn’t want to take me with you.”
I expected a livid Rayne to lash out, but she simply smiled and bent down to him. “No. Baby, I’m not going anywhere without you. Ever.” She shot a glare at Max. “Why don’t you go wait in the car for me, okay? Tisch will go with you.”
It amazed me how much emotion a mother can hold back for the sake and sanity of her child.
He nodded eagerly. I shook my head in disgust. Poor kid was going to need therapy.
Tisch didn’t move. She glared at Max like she was ready to pounce. The woman could probably have done equal damage to the six-foot-three hockey player as anyone else.
I gave my sister a curt nod and she reluctantly walked out of the store with Jax.
I signaled Jake to leave from the back door and moved around the counter when Max advanced at Rayne.
“Max,” my tone was hard enough to get him to stop dead in his tracks and turn an wicked eye at me. “Leave her out of it. It’s me you came to deal with.”
“You’re right.” He turned his head back to his ex-wife. “You ready for another gruesome show baby?” I caught him wink in her direction. “I know how memorable the last one was for you.”
Her chest heaved and her face was white.
When he turned back to me, I threw the punch I had ready for him for the past twenty minutes. Hell for the past two years. With my right fist only throwing him off balance, I hit him with a second blow—with the arm he thought he broke for good. This one knocked him off his feet.
When I looked up, Rayne was staring at him, frozen with a blue bat she must have pulled off the display wall behind her. We stood there for a minute, until she released a waterfall of tears she’d been holding.
I rushed over and placed my hands over both of hers, still tight around the end of the bat. I unwrapped her fingers slowly and whispered, “One day, I’ll show you how to hold one of these properly.”
