“You wanna tell us?” Dottie asked.
“I can’t do that,” I said. “But I can promise you if it had happened to someone in your life, any of you would have done the same thing.”
Sorrento snapped his head my way. “Fuck.”
“You serious?” Leroy asked.
“What?” Owen asked. “I don’t get it.”
Not a single “shut up, rookie,” was heard. In fairness, it didn’t really feel like the right time.
“That’s all well and good, but people are going to be calling for your head,” Sorrento said.
“Let ‘em talk, then. You aren’t protected because you step on this ice. You aren’t special. If you fuck up like that, I’m not letting it sit.”
Leroy walked over and patted my shoulder. “You could have let one of us do it. You’re the captain. They expect that shit from Dottie and me.”
I winced. “Appreciate that, but this was my unfinished business.”
“It’s not good leadership,” Korowski said.
I tilted my head to look at him. “You think so? Because I think part of being a leader is holding people accountable.”
“I would have done it,” Leroy said. “Gladly. I’ve got half a mind to go down to the hospital right now and pinch his IV line until?—”
“Easy,” Sorrento said. He stood and looked around the locker room. “We don’t need to exact justice in an emergency room, but I expect all of you to get behind Jonesy. We stick together. He’s been busting his ass since this season started toget everybody to act like a team, and all you’ve given him is hell and excuses and bullshit. You want to know why we lose? Shit like this. Backing down when shit gets hard. Cap needs our support. He needs us to back him up, and I, for one, will be doing just that. You can’t wrap your head around it now? Go home tonight and come back tomorrow ready to go down to Dallas and finish the fucking job. You get me? His team will pay for what he did.”
“Yeah,” was heard from around the room.
Sorrento raised his voice and started to pace around the locker room. I’d never seen him in full captain mode, and it was both scary and impressive. “I don’t give a fuck what player safety has to say about our Jonesy. This is all of our responsibility now. Come back tomorrow with your head on right. Are we clear?”
“Yeah!”
“Right?”
“Fuckin’ right!”
“We got ya, buddy. Let’s do this shit.” Sorrento stopped in front of me for a bro hug. “Go home and give your girl some love.”
And that was exactly what I planned to do.
FORTY-FIVE
VIOLET
NOVEMBER | COLUMBUS, OHIO
Colton’s doorswung open and revealed perhaps the second most haggard version of him I’d ever seen: sweatpants with a hole in them, a shadow of a black eye, a baggy t-shirt. I didn’t expect him to be in a ballgown, so I came similarly dressed, albeit with no holes in my clothes. I lifted the bag and drink carrier in my hands.
“I come bearing gifts.”
A reluctant smile hit Colt’s lips. “You’re the best.”
I toed out of my shoes by the door, and when I set the goods on the counter, Colton launched himself at me. He folded me into his arms, head hanging so he could kiss the top of mine.
He didn’t say anything. I held him back by his shoulders and filled the silence. “Thank you. For standing up for me. I didn’t need you to, and I would have been fine moving on, but . . . it felt nice. Seeing you go to bat for me like that.”
Colton’s steely gaze passed over my chest, the hollow of my throat, following up to my face. “I’d do it again if it would undo everything.”
