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Blaring Led Zeppelin, he began to work out, pushing his body to the limit. Time passed and it didn’t mean a damn thing to him. He couldn’t get the male voice on the phone out of his mind, nor the fact that she had folders with his old teammates’ names on them.
The sun had set by the time he finished punishing his body, showered, and trudged upstairs. The house was silent and he rubbed the nape of his neck as he picked up his phone to see if he’d missed something.
Nothing. Flopping on his sofa, he groaned as he turned on the television. This wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted Emma. He wanted to be with her and Greer, their family.
Clicking off the large HD screen he had on the wall, he walked to the door. After locking up behind him, he went to his truck and drove. He didn’t go to her place, because while he wanted to be with her, he had to work through his anger before he did something foolish like accuse her of something unfounded.
Passing by Cassidy’s Roadway Motel, he frowned. The man had finally gotten the sign fixed so it no longer read Ass Rot. Shifting into reverse, he backed his truck up and bit off a low curse as he found himself staring at Emma’s old vehicle.
What the fuck is she doing here?
A door opened down the line of rooms and his heart bottomed out when he spied her walking from the space. Behind her was a man that he recognized, regardless of the years that had passed. Carlos Ruiz.
His world went red.
She’d gone from his bed to a cheap-ass hotel with this man. A guy who on his best day wasn’t the player Linc had been, even if he had been given the captaincy once Linc left. At one point they’d been friends. Then they were nothing. This moment in time, if the man touched Emma, they were enemies.
The past flashed before him.
“We don’t need him. Linc Conner isn’t going to help us get to the playoffs. We can’t sit around and wait for him to come back. We’re a better team without him. I’m your new captain and I know we can do this. We don’t need a man who didn’t let us know about his injury so we could give him some rest—a man who not only has had surgery on his shoulder but also his knee because that was fucked up as well. A man who is drinking alcohol like it’s water and not trying to get better to help us. He’s done. Washed up. Out of the game. We need to focus on here and now, this team, without him. The Dutchmen don’t need Linc Conner anymore.”
Shaking off the memory, Linc hopped out of his truck and strode toward them. “What the fuck is going on?”
More fucking betrayal is what’s going on.
Both of them jumped, Emma emitting a small squeal of shock. Her hand clasped to her chest, the weak lot light glinting off the ring on her finger. One that seemed like a colossal joke. Mocking him. Mocking his decision to pick this woman.
“Linc,” Emma said, moving to his side. “I wanted to surprise you.”
He scoffed. “I can see that.” He flicked a glance to the man who was still there. Carlos hadn’t changed much—he was still fit and he still had that handsome Latin swarthiness that so many women fell for. And some men. He had a jaw covered by full stubble.
Rage pulsed through Linc, thinking of this man laying a hand on Emma.
“Let me explain,” she said. When she put her hand on his arm, he jerked away from her touch.
“Oh, I’m good. Definitely don’t need the blow-by-blow details.”
Carlos stepped closer and Linc growled, yep, actually growled at the man. “If you want to keep that pretty mug you’ll stay away.”
“Linc, it’s not what—”
“Decided to move on from a has-been to an active player? Decided you do have what it takes to hang with the WAGs? Congratulations, I’m guessing you do. Always gunning for the next cash cow.”
She opened her mouth and he slashed a hand through the air, making her flinch. This time Carlos put himself in front of her.
“Taking to putting your hands on women, Conner?” Carlos sneered. “Is that the only way you get a touch? Once you were out of the game and the drinking didn’t solve your knee and shoulder issues, you turned to this type of behavior? This is why we didn’t need you.”
Motherfucker. He snapped. With a roar, he rushed the man and lifted him as they powered into the building behind Carlos.
“Stop it!” Emma screamed. “Linc, let him go.”
He snapped his head toward her seconds before a punch had him seeing stars. “Want to protect your lover?”
“Despite his need to be an ass? Yes. Stop this, you’re behaving like a child.”
