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He answers with a hit to my cheekbone. “I may fuck her tonight.”
The refs come in to try and pry us apart, but neither of us let go of the other. I barely register Rhett coming into the fray until Ron knocks off his helmet. Rhett manages to get one hit in before we finally get pulled apart.
I skate off the ice, and I hear Cooper behind me. “Good luck with your contract.”
My contract? Does that mean what he said about Avery is true? Maybe I was reading the entire situation wrong, and she was biding her time until Ron came back into the picture.
Mine.
But she isn’t, not even close. Hell, she never was.
Before I can turn around to reply, Rhett shoves me forward with a growl as the announcer comes on. Well, shit, we’re all ejected from the game.Goddammit. I’m so fucked. I knew this could happen if I lost it and got in another fight, I knew it, but I did it anyway.
As soon as we make it to the locker room, I throw my gloves into my locker and curse. Rhett does the same and levels me with a glare that might be intimidating if I wasn’t so pissed. Not at him, but myself.
“Thanks for costing us the fucking game.” He strips off his skates and starts working on his pads. “I told you he was just trying to get under your skin.”
I grunt, sitting down on the bench and unlacing my skates. “Well, it worked.”
“Obviously. Did you really have to fight the guy three times? Your damn temper is going to cost us the playoffs.”
“It’s going to get me traded.” There’s no doubt about that. I’m a troublemaker, a fight starter, a liability. Dean has no reason to keep me here, not with how much my contract is. He could save the Devils a bit of money by trading me. It’s the smart move.
I cost the team a win tonight.
Rhett scoffs. “The world doesn’t revolve around you, you know.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“The playoffs. We need to make them this year.”
I rip off my skates and pause. We want to make the playoffs, but we don’t need to. Nobody needs to make anything. “What are you talking about,need? Since when? We either make them or we don’t.”
“Since Gordon and Jazz inherited the team.” He blows out a breath and gives me a look that says I’m being ridiculous, even though I don’t have a clue what he’s alluding to. “Their dad put that in his will—if the team doesn’t make the playoffs this year, they’ll be forced to sell the team. You didn’t know?” He raises a brow and I shake my head. “Fuck. I thought the whole Boy Scout brigade was in on it.”
“So basically, I’m the last to know.” I run a hand through my damp hair. “Nice.”
“I’m sure the rookies don’t know.”
I should laugh. That seems like the appropriate response, but I don’t have it in me.
Not only am I potentially costing the team their shot at the playoffs, but I’ll be costing Gordon and Jazz the team. No wonder they brought in the new GM to clean house and make a team of winners. Their very careers depend on it.
I’m getting traded, that’s all there is to it.
And Avery? She’ll stay here with her brother and her friends.
She was never mine to begin with. She was a distraction and a failed attempt to fix my old agent’s fuck up. I should have never gone for Lucas’ hair-brained idea to begin with. It was trouble from the start. I knew it and Avery knew it, but we went along with it anyway.
And what do I have to show for it?
Maybe a couple of new endorsements, but not what I really wanted, what Ineeded.
She’s sure as hell not better off with Ron, but she is without me.
Love destroys everything, and I swore long ago I’d never let something as simple as emotion have control over me. I promised myself to use my head instead of my heart, and before this whole mess started, I promised myself not to get my feelings involved.
I let myself feel—for this team, and for Avery. It was all a mistake.
