She’d pried me from my brother’s bed three days prior. I’d been content to stay in his room and gaze at theStar Trekposters he had glued to the ceiling, as well as the pictures of space and planets. He’d been obsessed with anythingStar Trek.I couldn’t blame him. I lovedStar Trektoo.
Aunt Kari opened the blinds, and the afternoon sun came rushing in.
I took a swig of scotch and squinted. “Did you have to?”
She eyed me with a forlorn look before cracking a window. “The room needs venting.”
I didn’t smell a thing.
She came over to my bed, wiping her hands on the apron wrapped around her waist. “Some of your teammates are here.”
I cocked a brow. I hadn’t heard anyone come in. Then again, I’d been drowning in my misery for days on end.
“Put on some clothes, splash water on your face, and become part of society again.” Her tone reminded me of my mom when Mom had been tired of my shit. “Seriously. You’re breaking my heart.”
I wasn’t trying to. I was however trying to mend mine.
She grabbed my hand, appraising me with her gray eyes, which reminded me so much of my mom’s. “You can’t live like this, Ryker. Do you think I’m not hurting? Do you think that I don’t cry every night?”
I knocked back more scotch. I’d drunk three-quarters of the bottle, and I wished I could say I was drunk, but I wasn’t. The alcohol wasn’t doing anything to take away the memories, the pain, or the depression that I couldn’t shake.
“What you’re doing isn’t healthy,” she said softly. “You haven’t even cried.” She swiped the bottle out of my hand. “This crap isn’t going to bring them back.” Her tone was stern.
I almost snatched it back from her, but I didn’t have the energy.
Voices sounded in hall. “Ryker!” Erik shouted. “We’re coming for your ass.”
With the bottle in her hand, Aunt Kari started for the door. “Maybe they can knock some sense into you.” She left, and I heard her say, “He’s all yours.”
Within seconds, Erik, Lucas, and Ajax sauntered in and surrounded my bed.
Before I could say a word, they lifted me in the air and carried me out of my room.
“What the fuck are you brutes doing?”
Trying to get free wouldn’t get me far since the three of them could keep a bear down.
Ajax laughed. “You need a wake-up call.”
“This better not be one of your brilliant plans to lock me into some chick’s bedroom.” Erik and Ajax had done that very thing to me last year. They thought getting me laid before a game would break the bad streak I’d been having on the football field when I’d thrown three interceptions in one game.
“Nah,” Lucas said with too much giddiness in his voice. “That would be too kind.”
Concern dug into the lining of my stomach, or maybe that was nausea, as the furniture in the living room whizzed by. Then my aunt opened the slider to the backyard. Thankfully, I had my boxer briefs on. Otherwise, my aunt would’ve gotten an eyeful.
Once outside, the guys walked around the pool. Then it hit me. They were going to throw me in. But I didn’t care. The pool water had to be about ninety or so degrees. That wouldn’t get me fired up.
But when they swung me and I hit the pool water belly-flop-style, I lost my fucking breath as I went under. The water had to be as cold as Antarctica.
I could hear them laughing as I broke the surface, gasping and coughing. If I had been drunk, I wasn’t now.
I swam over to the steps of the Olympic-sized pool, dodging large blocks of ice. “I’ll kill you guys.”
Lucas loomed over me, wearing swim trunks and a T-shirt. “You can’t kick my ass, and you know it.”
“Maybe not, but I’m willing to give it a try.” Then I grinned. “Nice touch with the ice.”
Ajax ponied up alongside Lucas. He, too, was wearing swim trunks but no shirt. He swiped a hand over the Celtic cross tattooed on the left side of his chest. “It’s time, dude, to get your ass back into the game.”
