We’ve spent the better part of seven hours at the police station. They questioned us all individually and then together, and the whole place became a bit of a scene once the Isla, Lexi, and Mira spilled into the station, worried and pissed off.
There are reporters outside, and each of our agents as well as the team has been brought up to speed regarding the batshit crazy events of the day. Which means the day isn’t over. I wantto get Blair and Reed home without fighting through a crowd of curious reporters, but that’s not in the cards.
“Did she say why she did it?” I ask the detective. “Why did she fixate on me?”
The detective clears his throat, looking between me and Blair. We sent Reed out with the guys and their significant others as soon as he was no longer needed. He doesn’t need to be exposed to any of this longer than necessary.
“We’re still investigating everything.”
“Yeah, but she must have said something, right? I just need to know why she targeted me and the people I love.” I press a kiss to my girlfriend’s head as she rests it against my shoulder. “You must understand that.”
“Look, all I can say—off the record—is that Miss Jones claims the two of you have a history.” The detective sounds as tired as I feel. “And that she presents like a jilted lover.”
I rear back, instantly defensive and pissed off, because what the hell? “I’m sorry? I don’t know that woman. She’s certainly not a former lover.”
“She told us she used to work for the Rogues organization. That the two of you had a flirtation, and that she was fired for the attention she paid you.”
“What?”
“Wait.” Blair turns to look up at me. “When I got hired, Bryson made some vague comments about the woman who had the position before me getting fired for having inappropriate interactions with some of the players. I thought he meant she was dating someone and that it must be against the rules, but obviously that’s not a thing. But could it be her?”
A stomach-churning realization hits me, and I understand now why the blonde woman looked familiar when I saw her at the restaurant. “Oh my god. I do remember her. She seemed nice when she first started. A little starstruck, maybe, but that’s notunheard of. I only ran into her a few times, but then she’d start showing up at practice. She always had some excuse about why she was there, but she’d always flirt with me.”
I play back a few of our interactions and wince. Because women like her were the reason I always had my one-and-done rule and was very careful not to get involved with women who seemed like the relationship type. Every time Becky Jones looked at me, I could practically see the hearts bubbling up and floating out of her eyes. She had the look of a woman who thought she could change me, but beneath that, there was always something a little off about her. Something too eager and maybe a little unhinged.
“She started asking me out, and no matter how many times I said no, she never got the hint. It made me so uncomfortable, I finally went to the team and told them what was happening. They fired her shortly after.”
They fired her, and a month later, Blair took her place. If she hadn’t creeped me the hell out, I never would have gotten her fired. And if I’d never gotten her fired, Blair would never have been more than a one-night stand. If even that.
The only reason Blair was at the club that night was because she wanted one last hurrah in LA.
In some fucked up way, all of this—meeting Blair, her getting the job with the Rogues, us falling in love—is thanks to my unhinged stalker. The realization is a wild one.
“Well,” the detective says, “it seems she held on to her obsession with you, and when photos of you and Miss Sherman started popping up online, it triggered her to escalate her behavior.”
“Fuck, angel. I’m so sorry.” I squeeze Blair tighter to my side. I’m never letting her go again. If there’s a way to permanently glue her to my side, I’ll find it.
“This isn’t your fault,” she says, offering me a tired smile. She looks exhausted, and she keeps scratching at the soot on her skin. I need to get her home, get her cleaned up, and get her into bed. She looks like she’s ready to drop, and I can’t imagine Reed is doing much better.
“All right. I’m going to get my family home. Please give me a call if you have any more questions.” I shake the detective’s hand before leading my girlfriend out of his depressing little office and out into the main part of the police station, where Reed and our friends wait.
The minute we walk out, Reed rushes his sister and throws himself into her arms. Looks like I’m not the only one contemplating super gluing her to my side.
“Hey, Reedy. You okay?” Blair runs a gentle hand through his sooty, tousled curls and holds him just as tightly as he clings to her. Reed nods, looking childlike and small in her arms despite being only a few inches shorter than her.
“Come on, you two. Let’s get you home.” I turn to my teammates and the women they love. The amount of gratitude I feel for each and every one of them cannot be overstated.
They helped me save Blair and Reed. They’ve shown up again and again, taught me what family should be like, what love looks like, and stepped in to offer that same love to Blair and Reed. I don’t know what I did to deserve any of them, but I’ll never take them for granted.
“Thanks, everyone. I know we planned to hang out tonight, but can we postpone?”
“Of course,” Isla says, smiling softly at the three of us as I wrap Blair and Reed in my arms. “We’re here whenever you need us, you know that.”
And I do.
“Love you all.” I make eye contact with every single one of them, so they know I mean it. I’ve never been a sappy asshole,but after all this? I’m going to tell the people I love how I feel about them because you never know when life will try to take them away.
“We love you, too,” Sebastian says. “Get some rest and let us know if you need anything.”
