“But Dad fought back. He said the guy would have to go through him to get the money. He said it wasn’t his and he wouldn’t let him get away with it.”
Fuck. Dad, why?
“But Dad started to open the drawer anyway. I think he was trying to tempt him while he pressed the emergency alarm at his feet. Remember that thing, how we were wondering why it didn’t work?”
My hands are in fists, and I feel like I’m literally going to destroy something. I feel like Ineedto destroy something.
I force my voice to stay level when I say, “Yeah. Was it broken?”
“It wasdisconnected. The Sal asshole said he could see Dad tapping his foot over and over on the ground, and Sal freaked. Thought it was some sort of signal. So, he fired a shot. But he swears he didn’t mean to actually hit him. He just wanted to scare him.”
“So he was a shitty shot on top of everything else.Ifhe’s telling the truth.”
Liam’s face fills with pain. “I hate that he suffered. I hate it more than anything.”
I try to cover my own rage as I put my hand on his shoulder. “I know. It’s not fucking fair. Any of it.”
And I’m going to break something. I grit my teeth and try to catch a deep breath, but I’m coming up empty.
Liam holds up his phone. “I’m going to call the twins before I get dressed. Be right back.”
An idea hits me, some way to channel these feelings.
“Hey,” I call to him.
He looks back over his shoulder. “Yeah?”
“Let’s dedicate tonight’s game to Dad. He always wanted to visit Denver, remember?”
“He wanted to see the mountains,” Liam says, a half-smile crossing his face. “Good idea—let’s do it.”
After he leaves, I can’t concentrate on anything. Normally, I joke around with Murph and a few of the guys. I go through a mental warm-up for the upcoming battle. I have my preps down.
One thing I never do is call Winter this close to game time.
I prefer to see her afterward when I can relax and really connect to her.
But I won’t be seeing her tonight because we play Arizona tomorrow, and we won’t be home in between.
My finger hovers over the touchpad of my phone.
I should wait to talk to her. Focus on the game.
But my heart isn’t listening to my mind. Not this time.
She picks up on the first ring. “Hunt? Doesn’t your game start soon? Is everything all right?”
Her unselfish concern and care for me hit me straight in the chest. More than that, my body’s reaction to her voice is palpable.
I relax. I stop nearly hyperventilating, which I’ve been on the verge of since Liam told me the news. And, I stop wanting to put my fist through the metal locker.
I’m in love with her.
It’s the first time I’ve allowed myself to admit that.
I love Winter so much that I nearly tell her.
But it’s not the right time for that. I don’t want my feelings for her to hold her back from returning to New York. I don’t want to be that guy. And I don’t know thatI’mready for what saying those words will entail.
