“Sorry if I scared you. Since I’m still not back to playing thanks to this busted leg, I got guard duty tonight.”
“Guard duty?”
He nods. “After what happened earlier, we all decided to shadow you. I drew the short stick tonight.”
“How did you know where I was?” I ask, not trusting his story.
“We knew you’d be with Lucy so we asked one of the basketball players where their opponents were staying. I decided to wait here because I had no idea where to find you at the hockey game and you need a ticket to get in.”
“That’s so sweet,” Lucy says, coming over and smiling. “You seem to have made some really good friends, Daisy.”
“Girl can cook. Anyone who feeds my stomach has my loyalty.”
Now that I might believe. He’s been at the house on a few occasions I cooked for everyone.
“We were just going up to watch a movie,” I tell him.
“I’ll walk you both up to the room and then come back and wait down here. Just call me when you’re ready to leave and I’ll come and walk you down to your car and follow you home.”
I relax a little when he didn’t ask to join us. He seems genuine, but I don’t know. No one called me about this and Jenny and Christa would have called. They know how freaked out I am.
“What are you two planning on watching?” he asks as we start to head toward the exit so we can cross the street to the hotel itself.
“A Jason Mamoa film.” Lucy tugs her hair down, letting it flow over her shoulders. “Why is it so cold here?”
“It’s Minnesota,” I tell her. “It’s cold.”
“Not used to the cold?” Will asks, checking his phone.
“We’re from West Virginia. We’re both used to the cold, but it’s cold here way earlier than it is in there. And I’ve been in LA for the last two years. It’snotcold there.”
“LA?” he asks with interest. “I want to end up out there when I get drafted.”
Lucy looks over at me and I shrug. The one thing I remember about Will is his confidence in his own skills. It can be a little off putting, though. Confidence is one thing, but arrogance is another. He definitely comes off more arrogant than confident.
“Are you going to be okay down in the parking garage all by yourself?” Lucy asks as we approach the entrance.
“Yeah. I brought film to watch of our opponents next week. I might not be cleared to play yet, but I can help out by studying their plays and giving advice as needed and if wanted.”
A dark SUV pulls into the garage and makes a turn, blocking the entrance so we can’t get out. My anxiety ratchets up a notch and when Joseph gets out of the passenger side door, I open my mouth to scream, but before I can, he slams his fist into my face. I hear Lucy scream as I fall and I shake my head, trying to clear it, but he hit me so hard, I’m seeing double.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Will asks, coming closer.
“Shut up,” Joseph says and grabs me by the hair of the head. I can just barely see Will try to stop him, but Joseph is stronger than him and renders him unconscious quickly.
“Lucy?” I croak out.
“She’s not going anywhere this time,” Joe says and slams his foot into her head. He kicks her over and over before hauling me into the back of the SUV. He gets in the back with me and tells whoever is driving to go.
I don’t recognize the guy driving.
Will snatches my purse and yanks out my phone, trying to unlock it. The passcode is Hutch’s birthday. It used to be mine and my brother’s birthday.
“You changed your passcode. What is it?”
I shake my head, refusing to do that. I’m not going to allow him to send any kind of message to Hutch and make him freak out worse than he will when he discovers what happened.
“I’m not playing, Daisy. What is your fucking passcode?”
