I see fucking red.
I surge forward, my hands press against Linc’s chest, forcing him back until he collides with the wall.
We stand nose to nose.
“What do you think I did, Rivers?” Linc taunts, staring right into my eyes.
My chest heaves as I fight to drag in the air I need.
“She was wasted. The bandit assholes wanted a piece—” A growl rips up my throat at his words. “But I wasn’t letting that happen. No motherfuckers touch what’s ours, Rivers.”
His words touch something inside of me, and I relax.
“Ours?” My brows pinch.
“Yours,” he corrects.
Silence falls between us, only the sound of our increased breathing filling the room.
“Call her,” he finally says. “Tell her how you feel. Tell her you made a mistake. Tell her you fucking miss her.”
I release a breath and I take a step back.
“I’m gonna go grab a drink with the guys. I’ll message you when I’m leaving. If you need more time, I can crash with Handsy and Killer.”
I stand at the end of my bed as if I don’t belong while he strips out of his suit and pulls on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
“Good luck,” he states before dropping his cell into his pocket and marching out of our hotel room.
The slam of the door echoes around me, but I still don’t move.
I have so many reasons not to do as he suggests.
But…do any of them really matter?
Slowly and methodically, I strip out of my shirt and slacks before falling onto my bed wearing just my boxers.
I unlock my cell, and it opens on my pregame good luck message from Sutton. Disappointment in myself floods through me. She will have watched a good portion of the game tonight. She’ll have seen some less-than-professional moves. Tonight, I wasn’t a good role model, and I hate myself for it.
I let my anger and frustration get the better of me. I should be better than that.
Tapping out of our conversation, I scroll down and find my abandoned one with Casey.
My chest compresses as I read through our last words to each other.
Pain shoots through me.
I miss you.
Harboring every ounce of strength I have, I begin typing out a message.
66
CASEY
Watching the Vipers battle and then still lose like they did last night hurts.
I might have watched through a screen, but I could feel their anguish and desperation as if I were on the ice with them.
