AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Because I’ve just got a feeling about these things, and because I want to know that someone is there to take care of you.”
Take care of me? Is this the 1960s, like she thinks Ruby would be waiting for me at home every night with a pot roast? Most people are not like my mom and dad. And New York City has plenty of food delivery services. I will never, ever starve. Also, the only way Ruby would “take care of me” would be in mob-movie style by having me rubbed out.
“Did you know that your voice changes every time you talk about her?” my mother continues relentlessly.
“No, it doesn’t. Hey, we’re pulling up in front of the police station. Listen, I want you to remember, just because the police are letting her go, it doesn’t mean she’s innocent. Gotta go. Love you. Also, seek professional help. Tell Dad I’m worried about you. Bye!” And I hang up quickly before she can say anything else.
Seriously. I’d say my mother needs a hobby, but she already has so many. Knitting, watercolor painting, baking, crocheting, gardening, golfing with my dad, obsessing about football... How does she even have time to think about me and my nonexistent love life?
The taxi has stopped. I give the cab driver a generous tip and trot up the steps to the station, whistling. Several people stop and do double takes, then call out my name. I wave at them and hurry past.
Being a hockey star is awesome in a lot of ways, but there’s no such thing as privacy. With my height, I already stand out, and in New York City, I’m recognized everywhere I go.
I make my way into the station and am immediately waylaid by the lawyer Mason hired, a short, silver-haired man named Martin Cohen. Martin is wearing a very nice hand-tailored suit and Italian leather shoes. Mason would only hire the best to represent his wife’s sister.
We take a seat and quickly start working out our strategy.
I’ve embellished my story a little. It goes much deeper than us just spending last night together.
It’s a challenge for us to have a private conversation, because people keep coming up wanting pictures of themselves with me and thrusting out pieces of paper for me to autograph. One guy has me autograph his arm and says he’s going to get my signature tattooed there. I want to tell him not to, but instead I just smile and nod and thank him. Our publicists—including Rowan—have trained me well.
Finally, Mr. Cohen and I wrap it up, and a desk sergeant directs me back to the room where Ruby is sitting, scowling and tapping away at her cell phone. She’s wearing jeans with holey knees and an oversized T-shirt and white sneakers, and her long hair streams over her shoulders.
My heart still does that weird little flip every time I see her. I wish I could pretend it wasn’t true, but there’s no denying it. And my mother probably is right—my voice does change a little bit when I talk about her.
It doesn’t matter, because there will never be anything between us, but it does piss me off.
Well, Ruby has inadvertently given me the chance to get some of my own back.
Detective Ahearn stands up and his eyes widen in shock when he sees me.
“Paxton Saul?” he cries out.
“The one and only.” I grin at Ruby, who’s staring at me in confusion.
“Hey, I just want you to know, you guys were totally robbed for the Stanley Cup. That was the biggest bullshit ever. You’re going to win next year,” he says confidently. He hurries around the desk to shake my hand. “Wow. Can I get your autograph? Can I get a picture with you? Nobody’s going to believe this.”
“Hellooo, your prisoner is sitting here waiting to be released,” Ruby says to the detective, who ignores her. “Are you my lawyer?” she asks Mr. Cohen. He nods.
“She hardly even needs a lawyer, because she was with me yesterday evening,” I inform the detective. “Ruby is my girlfriend. We haven’t made it public, because we didn’t want the paparazzi all over us, but it’s true. Isn’t it, sweet cheeks?”
“Sweet cheeks?” She makes a strangling noise.
“Ruby?” I prompt her.
“Uh, yes, it is in fact true.” Her eyes are blinking about a million times a minute. It’s a good thing the detective is so starstruck that he’s paying her no attention at all.
“We had dinner at my house, we ate Chinese food that I’d ordered in, and then she spent the night with me. She was with me all night long. I don’t know what this nonsense is about her breaking into someone’s house.”
“I see . . .”
“Isn’t that right, honey-buns?” I coo at Ruby. Her right eye twitches.
The detective turns to stare at her. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? You could have spoken up at any time.”
“Well, I just—”
“Like I said, we’ve been trying to keep it private,” I say. “She is a very devoted girlfriend. She’s so passionate about me that she was willing to take the fall rather than expose us, but I can’t let her do that.”
