Anything.
I’m done being everybody’s pawn.
Chapter Two
Tristan
My thighs are on fire, my quads are trembling, and there is a very real possibility that I’m going to wipe out on this next circuit.
“Go, go, go!” Coach Metcalfe waves his arm in a circle, urging us to push ourselves harder. “I want speed. I want precision. I want to see your best, and then I want you to do better.”
I push myself through the next lap, but I’m already exhausted. I’ve been off my game all day. Feels stupid to admit, but the empty condo hits harder lately. Quiet shouldn’t feel heavy, but it does. I could blame last night’s bad sleep, but it’s hard to ignore the reason I couldn’t sleep: I’m lonely.
I’ve had nothing but casual relationships since I joined the Venom. I’ve never been someone who goes for one-night stands, barring a couple of wild parties in college, but I haven’t had a lot of time for dating, either.
My most recent situationship, a woman named Katie who worked as a dancer, cut things off four months ago when she decided to move to LA to pursue an acting career. Katie was hot, and the sex wasamazing, but we never really dated. We never had much in common outside of our mutual interests in each other’s bodies.
And yeah, I miss the sex, but lately I wantmore. Something real. Something steady. Someone I don’t have to perform for. Not too much, like Viktor’s wife Knova. I’m not that intense. And Camden’s wife, Dot, is so quiet… I want someone I can have a conversation with. A real conversation.
Not that I’d ever make a move on my teammates’ wives, anyway, but when I try to imagine the kind of woman I want to meet, no one comes to mind. I just know that I want to meet someone smart and capable, like… Julie. How the fuck did someone like Dante get Julie?
Guys like him end up with the good ones. Guys like me… I don’t know.
“Dubois!”
I grimace. Coach is going to chew me out for letting my mind wander during drills, and I can’t even argue with him this time. My head has been miles away from the ice all morning. I adjust course toward him, ready to face the music.
“Dubois, get over here and stop dawdling!”
My head snaps up. The team owner, Dante Giovanetti, is standing at the edge of the rink, along with some kid, and… Julie. What the hell? Can Dante read minds? Did he know that I wasjustthinking about his wife?
It wasn’t even like that!
I skate over to see what’s going on. Dante looms alongside the railing. Wild, how a guy who barely reaches my shoulder when we’re standing on the same level was born to loom.
“What can I do for you, sir?” I ask.
Dante jabs a finger toward the kid. “Meet your new assistant.”
“I don’t have an old assistant,” I blurt.
Dante’s eyes narrow. “Are you fucking with me, kid?”
“No, sir.”
He relaxes marginally. “That’s more like it.”
“Tabarnak,” I mutter under my breath, too low for Dante to hear. But I’m at a loss, truth be told. Why would Dante hire some kid to assist me? I glance at the girl, who’s holding a plastic to-go cup in a death grip.
Now that I’m close enough to get a good look at her face, I realize that she’s older than I first assumed. I read her lanky body, long, unwashed hair, and sullen demeanor as classic teenage vibes, but I can see now that I was wrong. She’s not sullen. She’s scared.
Of what? This job? Dante?
Me?
Something in my chest tightens—quick, instinctive.Protect, it whispers, and I shove it down.
I turn back to my boss. “Is she, uh, a gift from the front office?”
