Page 23 of Three Hockey Hotties

He’s holding up Abby’s pink water bottle. “Our Cinderella left her ‘glass slipper’ at the arena.”

My eyebrows lift. That tracks with Dash’s personality. “Buried the fucking lead, didn’t you?” I ask him.

Dash shrugs, but a small smile is tugging at his lips.

Kane claps Dash on the shoulder. “You awesome, amazing, romantic son-of-a-bitch.” He turns to me. “We’re obligated to return her property to her, aren’t we, lawyer-man?”

I feel myself grinning, stupidly relieved to have this reason to go back to Abby’s apartment. It’s weak. But I don’t care. “Of course. And we don’t want our girl getting dehydrated.”

Kane heads immediately for the door, Dash follows directly behind him, a satisfied grin on his usually somber face, and I pull my tie the rest of the way off, tossing it on the countertop before I grab my keys.

My gaze lingers on the box of strawberry cereal.

Oh, Abby girl, I hope you’re ready. I don’t think you have any idea what’s coming for you.

CHAPTER 5

DASH

Kane is the first up the stairs when we get to Abby's place. Of course. Which is why, when I hear, “Jesus Christ, Lollipop, what the fuck is going on?” I don’t know immediately what’s happening.

But my heart thuds against my rib cage, and I immediately sprint up the rest of the stairs, taking three at a time.

I hear a growl from Benjamin behind me as he also reacts instinctively to the concern in Kane’s voice.

When I get to the top of the stairs, I see why Kane is upset.

And I’m glad he went first.

Because I probably would have scared Abby with my reaction.

Kane is on his knees in front of Abby, who is sitting in the hallway outside her apartment. She’s wrapped in a thin blanket, but it’s clear she is still wearing the same clothes she had on earlier. Which means she has not fully dried off or had a chance to warm up from the cold rain she had to run through from the bus stop to her front door. Her hair is drying in frizzy waves at this point, but she still looks like a beautiful yet bedraggled street urchin.

And why the fuck is she sitting in the hallway?

“Why the fuck is she sitting in the hallway?”

Benjamin, usually the subtle one, stalks past me to where Kane is crouched in front of Abby with her hands in his, talking quietly.

“Problem inside the apartment,” Kane says, looking over his shoulder and giving Benjamin a look at that clearly says ‘calm the fuck down’.

I don’t know about Benjamin, but that’s not going to be possible.

“What kind of problem?” Benjamin asks, steel in his tone.

Okay, I do know about Benjamin. He’s not going to be able to calm down either. He might just handle it slightly better than I will.

Benjamin will try to fix whatever it is.

Kane will try to make Abby laugh.

I want to simply sweep her up in my arms and take her away from whatever it is.

That seems like the simplest solution.

“Ceiling caved in.”

I freeze at the sound of a new voice. An older woman’s voice. I lean to look around Kane’s crouching form.