Page 68 of Heartless As Puck

My stomach sank. I didn’t see how it could, but his captaincy and our relationship were the only new things going on in his life, so surely, this must have something to do with one of them.

A horrible thought occurred to me. Something else had happened recently too. His dad had turned back up in his life. Had he spoken to the press? Perhaps taken part in some kind of tell-all or exposé?

My hand twitched, and I debated whether to grab my phone. If I wanted to know what was going on, all I’d need to do was check the Google notifications and any messages I had received from my family or Clara.

I wanted to know. Curiosity prodded persistently at the back of my mind. But if Gus was telling us not to look, then there must be a good reason for it. I didn’t always agree with his way of doing things, but he knew what he was talking about. So, reluctantly, I searched for my phone and, when I found it, switched it off without checking the screen.

I tried to tune back into Gus and Austin’s conversation, but I’d missed Gus’s reply to Austin’s earlier question. Now he was telling Austin that he had already called Stephen Robertson to excuse Austin from the rest of the team retreat and that a car would be waiting outside to collect us in five minutes.

That didn’t give me long to get ready. I threw back the covers and got up, going straight to the tiny bathroom to splash water on my face. I looked at myself in the mirror, noting the slight pinkness of my eyes and the puffiness of my lips. Last night, I’d thought I’d enjoy waking up slowly in Austin’s arms. I’d never imagined that our wonderful night together could take such a turn.

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, brushed my teeth, and glanced at the shower. I’d love to rinse off properly, but I didn’t have the time, so I’d have to settle for applying some deodorant and going in search of a fresh change of clothes.

Since I had no idea what was going on or what would happen once we reached Gus’s office, I chose the nicest clothes I’d packed. Admittedly, they were nothing fancy. We were at a camp in the woods after all, but the dark jeans and pale pink blouse were better than anything else available.

By the time I was dressed, Austin had already pulled on his clothes and packed his bag. I shoved all my things into my suitcase and zipped it up.

“What do you think this is about?” I asked him as we wheeled our suitcases outside and walked them along the concrete path and around the corner to the parking lot. It was quiet out, with the lodge’s staff beginning to prepare for the day, but all the players were still in their rooms.

“I really don’t know.” He sounded as perturbed as I felt. “You have no idea either?”

I shook my head then, remembering he couldn’t see me from behind, said, “No.”

A black SUV pulled into the parking lot and came to a halt in front of us. The trunk popped open, and the driver got out. She was vaguely familiar, and based on the lack of taxi company markings on the vehicle, I wondered if she worked with Gus.

“Morning,” she said, rounding the car and gesturing for me to give her my bag. I did, and she packed it into the trunk, then added Austin’s too. She closed the trunk, opened the back door, and waved us in. I half-expected Austin to get in the front so he could quiz her, but he didn’t.

The driver belted up, put the car in gear, and peeled out of the lot, gravel crunching beneath the wheels.

“What’s going on?” Austin asked, leaning forward so she could hear him.

She glanced over her shoulder, her mouth twisting down at the corners. “Sorry, but you’ll have to ask the boss. I’m under strict orders to keep quiet and let him handle things.”

That was no help at all. Instinctively, I took my phone from my pocket, reconsidering whether to turn it back on and check those Google alerts.

“Don’t.” Austin covered my hand with his, preventing me from powering up the phone. “If Gus says not to look, it’s for a reason.”

I swallowed down my irritation, knowing he was right. Keeping ourselves in the dark didn’t feel like the best course of action, but I did trust Gus to have the best of intentions—at least when it came to Austin’s career.

Austin kept my hand in his, and the warmth of the connection helped ward off my fear of what was about to come. He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. I moved closer to him in the back seat, erasing the space between our bodies and seeking what comfort I could from his presence.

The gloominess of dawn lifted, and the sun rose on a new day as we traveled back to the city center.

It was still early when we arrived at Gus’s office building, and the building was more empty than usual. The driver ushered us inside and past an empty reception desk, between the open plan areas, and into the office with the framed poster of Austin on the wall.

Gus sat behind the desk, his usually impeccable suit rumpled and his glossy hair in disarray. He raised his eyes, his expression grim.

“Sit down. Both of you.” He gestured to the woman behind them. “Leave us, please, Liz.”

The driver backed out and shut the door behind herself. With a growing sense of dread, I disentangled my hand from Austin’s and sat on one of the chairs. He took the other, and I felt his gaze on the side of my face, but I didn’t turn toward him. I needed to know what was going on now, and if it was going to be bad, I had to brace myself. Looking at him for support wouldn’t help.

Gus rolled a pen between his fingers, back and forth, his grip tight enough that his knuckles were white. “I have a question, and I need you both to be honest.”

“What?” Austin asked.

I drew in a slow breath, struggling to keep my anxiety under control. Gus’s appearance and his unusual flatness didn’t help matters.

Gus looked from Austin to me. “Has your relationship become personal? Has the act become real?”