Page 116 of Code Violation

Silas ignores Kane’s comment about how he found us. He wants to know why he’s here. “See what, Kane?” he growls.

Kane points at me. Even with a hand constricting his windpipe, the fucker still manages to smirk. “Vesper and you, together. I had to see it with my own two eyes. The betrayal.”

Silas releases Kane, and he pulls a deep breath into his lungs.

“No one has betrayed you, Kane. You did that to yourself.”

Kane takes a single stride in my direction, and Silas’s hand is back around his throat.

“I don’t know how you made it past security, and I don’t much care. Right now though, I’d be thanking my lucky stars that you didn’t hurt my girl when you took a cheap shot at me from behind.”

“Fuck you,” Kane spits again. “Fuck you, Silas.”

His eyes burn red, and I’m not sure if it’s with fury or through lack of oxygen.

That’s when I see it—the pocketknife peeking out of the waistband of Kane’s suit pants.

“Silas!” I yell, already on my way to him before Kane can grab it and do the unthinkable.

“No. Fuck you!” Out of nowhere and with a hit that knocks him clean out, Mason drives his fist straight into Kane’s face, bones crunching beneath the force of his punch.

Silas releases his grip on Kane, my ex’s body flopping to the floor.

Chests heaving, both hockey players stare straight at each other before Mason flexes the fingers on his right hand.

“I heard a commotion, and my capacity for assholes is at an all-time low. Damn, that felt good.”

Kane groans something inaudible, and Silas crouches beside his crumpled body. I can’t tell what he’s saying, but I’m guessing it isn’t friendly.

Grabbing my purse from the table next to me, I stalk toward my ex, unzipping my bag and pulling out my wallet.

I can tell Silas wants me as far away from this man as possible, but I hold up a hand, asking him to give me this moment.

Kane rolls onto his back, blood splattered across his face and down the white shirt he’s wearing. His nose is definitely broken.

Shame.

“Vesper.” He breathes my name so softly that I can barely hear it.

He smiles up at me warmly. Classic manipulation tactics I’ve fallen for way too many times.

I open my wallet and pull out a fifty-dollar bill, letting it gently fall onto his chest.

He looks down at it and then back up at me. Confused.

I lean down, pluck the pocketknife from his waistband, and hand it to Silas. “There’s the tip I owed you for the pizza that time. I figured I’d be generous since, you know, I’m dating a super-wealthy hockey player and you’re likely not going to find another job again for a while. Don’t spend it all at once in custody.”

38

. . .

Vesper

May

Julian pokes his head around the staff room door, empathy plastered across his face when he catches me with a hot water bottle resting on my pelvis.

“Why don’t you head home, Ves?”