“Well, I can tell you that in the hockey circles, they are not exactly known for being team players. They’ll do just about anything they can to cause chaos and win. They think that makes them good players, but really, it’s just poor sportsmanship. They have the most penalty box stays of anybody I’ve ever met.”
“Accountability is not something they’re used to.”
“Fuck that,” he said. “The moment this is out and Conrad kicks their asses, they’re going to learn what real accountability is.”
“Good. I think they could use several wake-up calls, but I’m not going to be the one to do it. I’m done with them.”
“I can respect someone who cuts people off when they do them wrong,” he said. “And I look forward to the day they get to see just how badly they fucked up.”
Chapter
Seven
Lana
For the first time since arriving, almost a week after settling in, I was finally alone.
The team had practice, and I was grateful when Lennon helped drag them out the door. Oddly, the delta that seemed to want me here the least was the one who listened the most.
After taking the longest shower of my life and enjoying every moment of it, I finally pulled on some workout gear and went in search of their home gym. I’d seen them disappear into the basement more than once, so I headed that way after grabbing one of their disgusting protein shakes from the fridge. The doctors wanted to see me next week, and I really wanted to prove to my brother that I had recovered and didn’t need to be hovered over anymore.
It was sweet, but stifling. Some moments, it felt like I went from one extreme to the other.
My nose wrinkled as I pushed open the basement door. It smelled horrific down here. I never considered the guysparticularly clean, but I hadn’t considered them dirty either, until this very moment.
Even their natural mixed scents were hidden. Though… They were always subtle.
There were bottles of cleaner around the equipment, but there was also an overflowing basket of sweaty workout gear and towels in the corner. The bathroom beyond was even worse. I abandoned all hope of working out, and instead, went in search of proper cleaning products.
Of course, the basement and surrounding utility room had nothing. I ventured upstairs, poking around the kitchen under the sink and in the pantry, slowly growing more horrified each time.
The downstairs bathroom was also empty, and I couldn’t find it in me to search anymore.
I didn’t have a car, but I was proficient at ordering for delivery. I went to check my account first, rolling my eyes at the usual deposit. I couldn’t think of it as anything more than hush money at this point.
Money to be the quiet, obedient omega waiting at home for alphas that had no plans of coming home. I didn’t want or need their money, so I made a note to call the bank and block them after I figured this first problem out.
I couldn’t seem to help myself, adding just about every cleaning product known to man. The new mission was giving me fresh life.
I paid for express delivery, and by the time I fed myself a little breakfast, it was waiting for me on the porch. I pulled the bags inside and quickly put together a little caddy to carry around.
The basement was first on the list. The utility room had a small sink, and I filled a bucket with cleaning solution and water. Fresh rain had a much better scent than man sweat.
I tied my long blonde hair under a bandana to protect it from all the dust and donned a pair of elbow-length pink gloves before getting to work.
Bit by bit, I worked my way around the room, scrubbing gently and wiping each piece of equipment clean. Then, I moved onto the floors that were dirty enough that I dumped my mop water twice.
At that point, I was on such a roll that I didn’t want to stop.
Next was the kitchen. They were pretty good about keeping the dishes clean, but the walls needed wiping, the baseboards and floor scrubbed, and the shelves dusted.
The list went on.
I continued my cleaning rampage through all of the main living spaces and bathrooms. It wasn’t that they did zero cleaning. It was, frankly, that they just didn’t do it well enough.
Hours passed as I scrubbed the house from top to bottom, every space that I could reach, including the guest bedroom and bathroom, despite those looking like they had actually been cleaned within the last month.
My body was tired, but it was the good kind of tired, a familiar kind. The type that kept my brain from overthinking and grounded me.
