Page 16 of Ice Queen

I take the liquid gold from her, taking a sip before nodding. “Yeah, totally. I’m sure Monroe will drag us in there as soon as he knows it exists.”

Her face softens at the mention of my teammate. “He’s a good boy.”

My eyebrow hikes, causing her to reach out over the counter and smack me in the arm. “Markus Samuels, get your mind out of the gutter.”

My deep laugh rumbles around the front of the coffee shop. “I didn’t say anything!”

“Out, boy,” she says as she shoos me out. “Thank you for dropping this off.” She calls before the door closes behind me.

I raise my hand, waving at her through the window. My hand lands on the door handle of my truck when the light reflecting off the door of the bookstore catches my eye. I can’t see the woman’s face, but her laugh is melodic as it floats through the doorway as two blonde women step outside.

My eyes catch on a man in a baseball hat, a Colorado Springs Bruisers hat. He’s standing next to a pole further down the street, but staring right into the store. Something about it is unsettling. I turn my focus back to the storefront and watch the silhouette of a woman move about with not a care in the world. She probably doesn’t even know there’s a creep outside watching her.

The realization that I’m doing the same thing hits me dead in the chest. I pull the door of my truck open, almost fully inside, before my stomach clenches. Something could happen after I leave, and I have a chance to do something about it.

Sighing, I stand on the running boards, crossing my arms over the roof of my truck and yell, “If you don’t move along, I’ll call the cops.” The man flinches, but turns away from me and hurriedly walks down the sidewalk.

I take one parting glance at the window across the street, she’s in front but turned away from me. Long, brown hair hangs down her back as she reaches up to put a book away. Inhaling sharply through my nose, I tap my roof twice before sitting down and pulling away.

Now is not the time. I have a coach to show up.

* uncle. (dude)

* Hi, honey

* My favorite beauty queen

* Of course

* Please, mom

* Okay, son. I love you very much

* You too, mom

CHAPTER 6

Kaitlyn

I’ve walked through the arena twice already this week. Once with Caroline and now with someone named Abby, who I’m told is the team's physical therapist.

“Is there anything else you want to see?” She asks as her twin French braids swing behind her.

My hands wring in front of me. I do want to know if there’s any alternate route out of the hallway I’m in, or if they could move my table closer to the door so that if I needed to get out, I could quickly. But I don’t want to inconvenience her anymore as she’s looked at her watch a few times already.

I shake my head and shove my hands into the front pocket of my jeans. “Nope,” I say with a little too much force. “That’ll do. I’ll see you a bit later.”

“Kaitlyn,” she says firmly as I turn to walk away.

I look over my shoulder to find her with her arms crossed, and a perfectly manicured eyebrow popped high enough to be mistaken for a bridge. “Out with it,” she says, reading me like a book.

I deflate, hating that I, once again, pretend I’m good out of fear that needing anything will make me unlikable. “I um,” I mutter to my shoes, still turned away from her. “It’s totally not a you thing, it’s a me thing, but I don’t like being where I can’t see the door.”

Her scoff is loud, and before I can look up, her arm is thrown around my shoulder. “You and me both, sis.”

I wish I weren’t so desperate to see the exit, any exit. But that’s the thing with my past, once he realized I’d run and barricade myself in another room, he changed his tactics. He’d corner me in the furthest place from the door he could, and then he’d start slinging his words around, each one landing like a barbed whip.

“Come on, I’ll bribe Caroline with water massage time.” Her cheery voice melts some of that fear.