Page 40 of Forever Relentless

Mike swayed forward but tried to shake his head. “Why would . . . I wouldn’t.” He shook his head. “I didn’t.”

“Don’t worry.” I placed my hand on his shoulder. “I know you wouldn’t. So does Coach Sutherland, don’t you, Coach?”

Sutherland met and held my stare. “PT girl, outside. Now.”

Diana froze for a second and then shook her head. “Until one of the medical staff is here, I’m not leaving the patient.”

I saw my coach roll his eyes. “He’s hardly a patient.”

“Does he look fucking healthy?” I snapped.

Sutherland’s eyes were back on me. “Watch your tone, Matthews. It’s a long fucking season on the bench.”

Was he threatening me? My temper surged, and I clenched my fists to keep it from showing. But it didn’t stop me from stepping closer, knowing Diana had automatically moved out the way. “That’s all you’ve got, isn’t it? Threats.” I spat. “You threaten scholarships because you know you can’t threaten me physically.” I held his stare. I knew how close I was to him. I knew the specific calculation Sutherland was making about whether I would do something. I wasn’t going to, but I let him wonder for one more second before I stepped back. “Bench me, then,” I said quietly. “See what happens to your defense.”

“Everything alright in here?” Dante asked as he walked into the small room, and one of the medical team followed. They took one look at Mike and arranged transportation to the local hospital.

Their announcement broke Coach’s glare, and he looked at Mike with a mix of frustration and annoyance.

Diana stepped back, taking off her latex gloves, and kept to our side of the room.

“Mike, you want us to come with you?” Dante asked the freshman.

“I’ll go with him.” Coach snarled. “You two get out of here.”

I hesitated; Dante didn’t.

“That’s kind of you, Coach. Hey, Diana, are you free?” Dante asked her without missing a beat. “I was coming here to look for Doug, but my shoulder’s given me a twinge.”

“A twinge?” She asked, pulling on a fresh pair of gloves. “Let’s move into a different room while I have a look.”

I wanted to follow, but I didn’t want Mike in here alone with Coach.

“Mike?”

“I’m sleepy.”

“No, you need to stay awake.” The medical staff weren’t going to leave him unattended.

“You’ll stay with him?” I asked them, and they nodded as they concentrated on stopping the bleeding.

I glanced at Coach Sutherland, who was watching me closely, and I forced myself to follow Dante into the next training room rather than punch my coach like I really wanted to. For one second, I understood exactly how men ended up buried in deserts outside Vegas.

Dante was on the bed, his shirt already off, and Diana was probing at his shoulder blade.

“It’s tender there?” she asked him as she investigated. “I thought we had that issue resolved.” She probed harder, and Dante winced. “Okay, I think one more injection for you, and a half hour on the bed.”

“Half hour?” Dante asked her, and she didn’t meet his gaze as she nodded. “Okay then.”

The look of relief on her face was poorly concealed, and I watched her as she hurried out to get the injection, leaving Dante and me alone.

“She’s terrified of him,” Dante said under his breath.

“Yeah, appears to be.”

“Thirty minutes?” He poked at his shoulder. “I’m never here for more than twenty.”

“She wants to make sure he isn’t hanging around.” I took a seat in the corner of the room. I saw his look. “What? You think I’m missing out on you being stuck with a needle? Think again.”