Page 77 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

When we pulled into the driveway, two unfamiliar cars were already waiting.

My mother nodded her head toward them. “One’s my ride. The other is your keeper.”

“I’ll be good,” I answered, sounding more like a child than a grown woman.

The irony wasn’t lost on me.

“Get your ass inside. I need to talk to them.”

I didn’t hesitate to scramble out of the vehicle and inside to find Gavin. He peeked out of his bedroom as I walked past.

“She’s leaving tonight,” I whispered. “Stay in your room and play the part. Then we can have a sleepover.”

He managed the tiniest nod before disappearing back into his room.

I hurried into mine, grabbing clean clothes for a shower. If she was leaving in a rush, hopefully she’d be gone by the time I got out.

Anything to minimize the amount of time I had to spend around her.

I showered quickly and braided my damp hair before stepping back into the living room.

A man I’d never seen before stood in the foyer. I froze at the unfamiliar alpha, recognizing danger when it stood in front of me.

His alpha scent was buried beneath stale cigarette smoke and gasoline but it was unmistakable.

He looked dangerous. His gut stretched his shirt thin, but he was a solid alpha. He could hurt me if he wanted to.

A jagged scar carved through one eyebrow before disappearing under his jaw.

Gavin sat stiffly on the couch now, pale as a ghost. Fuck. I hoped she’d leave him out of this. Couldn’t she just run off like she had before?

I sat beside him, hoping my presence would calm him even a little.

“I should be back tomorrow,” my mother said as she walked in wearing a nice dress now. One I probably paid for and didn’t know it. “You two better not step out of line.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Gavin and I answered in unison.

The stranger looked me up and down while she spoke.

“You sure you don’t want to tell Johnny about her?” he asked with a crooked grin. “She’d fetch a high price.”

My mother’s lip curled. She latched onto his arm before dragging him toward the door.

He chuckled darkly. “Relax. I didn’t say I was interested.”

My stomach rolled and I reached over and rested a hand on Gavin’s leg before he could launch himself off the couch. The last thing we needed was for him to mouth off.

We stayed frozen until the front door slammed shut behind them. Then we waited until the rumble of the engines faded into the distance.

He let out a shaky breath and I finally stood. My footsteps were practically silent as I padded over to the window. I carefully pulled back the curtain. Just enough to see out.

There was a dark car out front. A bulky man leaned against it.

He spotted me right away. The creepy man grinned, revealing several missing teeth, before giving me a lazy salute.

With a shudder, I let the curtain fall shut.

“I’m going to look through Mom’s room,” I said as I turned toward Gavin. “I have to see if I can find anything to help the case.”