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Well, that answered my question about whether he was Team Greyson or not. He’d sign on for anything he thought would keep her safe.
“We’ll be right here,” Jack promised Kennedy.
He was clearly looking for a hug, but she crossed her arms over her chest. “I know.”
Still, as she walked away, she glanced over her shoulder at us. As if our presence was comforting even if she was still pissed at us.
I told myself it was alright, I knew how to win my girl back. But having Kennedy mad at me bothered me, more than I wanted to admit as someone who took hits on the ice, and abuse from the coaches.
It didn’t help that Greyson had a twinkle in his eyes as if he was enjoying it all.
As Kennedy walked into the bar, the girls that she worked with greeted her exuberantly.
Greyson turned and his gaze found the two men who had just walked in, looking not at all sketchy.
And I said that with all the sarcasm I possessed.
“How do we know that we can trust them?” I demanded.
“You should worry about whether I can trustyou,” Greyson responded.
I didn’t like the idea of men trailing Kennedy that weren’t us.
“We need to talk about some things,” Sebastian said tersely.
“There’s no one else here yet. Let’s head down to the locker room.” Jack, always the peacemaker, when he wasn’t being a homicidal maniac, agreed.
Walking into the locker room, Greyson’s shoulder stiffened, and I wondered if Jack had realized the location would bother Greyson so much. This was our turf, after all. It was a reminder of what we were able to do that he couldn’t. Greyson had money now, but he’d always live life in the shadows, doing things that would offend Kennedy’s good-girl sensibilities.
Our team’s flags hung from the ceiling, and each of us had a luxurious locker area, with our official team photo on a poster hanging above our red and black lockers.
“It’s a bit nicer than when we were in high school, huh?” Jack asked, and I had to wonder if maybe he knew exactly what he was doing.
“If you have to be a grown man playing games, this certainly seems like the way to do it,” Greyson said with mock agreeability.
I remembered when playing hockey was the only thing Greyson had for himself. He was so busy trying to take care of Alli and Alexa, trying to get their mom straightened out. He’d always been working, always been stressed, then he’d run home from practice to make sure Alli and Alexa had dinner. But for a little while every day, he was free, and on the ice.
He hadn’t been a dick with Alli and Alexa, and he hadn’t always been a dick with us, either. It made me feel a little less disdain toward him when I remembered the younger version of Greyson, with his dark hair curling around his ears as it grew out during hockey season, and the quick smile he had for his little sisters. He’d been cold-eyed and sarcastic back then too, but it had all been an act. I wondered if some of it still was.
Not that I would trust my life to that. Greyson probably meant it when he said he’d kill all of us for the chance to have Kennedy to himself, if he could get away with it.
“Feels like old times,” Jack said, eyeing Greyson as if he wanted to throw his arm around his shoulders, but Greyson turned his back, and Jack clearly thought better of it. “We should all get out on the ice together sometime. Just for fun.”
“I don’t skate anymore,” Greyson said shortly. “Now, focus, assholes. We all agree on one thing, right? We’ll let Kennedy think that she’s in charge.”
Jack said, “Kennedy has every reason to be involved. She’s the one who was almost mowed down last night. I think we should be done cutting her out.”
“Obviously we don’t cut her out.” The memory of her tears last night when she talked about being abandoned and alone still wrenched at my heart. “But she’s going to want to go into everything with us. And we can’t have that.”
Sebastian still looked tense and troubled. “We can’t put her in danger anymore. I don’t even fucking like being here right now.”
“Well, you heard Kennedy. She’s not going to let us throw away our hockey careers. We'll figure out a way.”
“I already have,” Greyson said.
The three of us all turned to stare at him.
“Go on,” I growled.
