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“They’re cool, and it’s only two guys. I used to play with one in Philly, and the other is an old Junior teammate of mine.”
They elevator stopped at the parking garage, and Reese followed him to a black SUV. She pulled down her cap as they pulled out of the garage. She didn’t expect paparazzi hanging around outside, but she simply couldn’t take the risk of someone getting a shot of her. If anyone saw them together, the gossip would explode.
“I feel like I’m transporting a fugitive,” he said with a chuckle.
“I feel like one.”
“The drive to the arena didn’t take long. And to her relief, he had been assigned underground parking, away from prying eyes.
“And if you’re worried, all arena staff sign confidentiality agreements. If anyone spills the beans that you’re here, the shit is going to hit the fan.”
Grady parked his SUV, and Reese followed him down a series of hallways. She still had her hoodie up because she didn’t trust anyone, and the arena happened to be freezing cold. She’d competed in this arena many times, but she’d never remembered it this cold. Despite the chill, he led her to a room marked Renegades Fitness Center. Reese had been in this arena before, but she’d never been in this room; it was clearly designated for team players and personnel only.
Once inside, her eyes opened wide. The room was decked out with modern fitness equipment from top-of-the-line elliptical machines, recumbent bicycles and treadmills, to a never-ending rack of free weights. Reese stared at it all in awe and didn’t notice that two other men were in the room; one was working with dumbbells, and the other was doing leg curls on a machine. They both waved absently as Reese followed Grady over to them.
“Preston and Dylan, this is Reese. Reese, these are my teammates.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said. They nodded an acknowledgement and finished their rep. Neither had yet given her any indication they cared if she was there or not, so a quiet unease had settled in, at least for her.
“I heard about the stuff going on with you. Crazy,” Preston said. He was easily six foot four, maybe even taller. He played left wing and had been a key player on the team’s second line. She’d done a little research on the team since learning Grady was her neighbor. She also had a lot of time to do that research. “Who brings up stuff that happened ten years ago? And I read the crap she was saying to you. She’s no saint.”
Reese exhaled some tension. So far, these guys were cool with her.
“Someone’s put her up to this,” Dylan added. “There’s got to be a payoff somewhere.”
“I don’t know. Maybe?” Reese offered. “Until then, I’m supposed to keep a low profile.”
“Well, you’re welcome here any time,” Preston said firmly. “And we won’t tell anyone you’re here.”
Reese wanted to take full advantage of the exercise equipment, but she decided to start with some stretching and flexibility exercises. She hadn’t been doing anything mind-blowing, but while she’d been doing the splits, she glanced up to see three awed faces looking back at her.
“You’re flexible,” Preston said.
“I used to be more flexible.”
Preston grabbed a mat and set it down next to her. “Teach me, wise one.”
She laughed at that. “Okay, well, maybe we shouldn’t start with tackling the splits.” She walked him through a set of flexibility exercises, and while he struggled with some, he was remarkably flexible for his size. She moved on to core strength, and he joined her for crunches, planks, and V-ups.
“Damn, that was a good start. What’s next?”
“I wanted to hit the weights, since I don’t have access to machines of my own. Then I’d like to finish with one of the stationary bikes.”
“I’m in.”
Dylan and Grady joined in as Reese went through her workout routine. She was well aware that she was preaching to elite athletes who’d trained all their lives, but it was something a little different from their own routines, and they seemed to enjoy it.
“That was fun,” Dylan said, wiping sweat from his brow. “When are you coming to work out next?”
Reese glanced over at Grady. “I don’t know. When I’m invited again?”
“You can come back any day you want. We’ll all talk to management. They can give you a title of some kind and then you’ll have access when you want it.”
“Yeah, like flexibility consultant,” Dylan said.
“I like that,” Preston added.
“Yeah, you two work that out, and I’ll bring Reese back here tomorrow?” he said, looking at her for an answer.
