Chapter 3Mackenzie
Shit.I just punched someone. And it seriously hurt. I shook my hand as white-hot pain cascaded across my knuckles. I liked to believe I was pretty tough. But punching someone was a first, and I had no idea it would hurt so much.
“What the hell was that for?” the guy I’d knocked to the ground complained. His voice was deep, but I realized he sounded younger than I’d first thought.
“Stay back.” I lifted my fists again and edged away until I brushed the side of my car. “You picked the wrong girl to mug. I know ju-jitsu.”
Well, I knewofju-jitsu. My martial arts experience was limited to movies only, but I was cornered, so it seemed an appropriate time to lie. The ice arena was on the opposite side of the parking lot, and while I was standing right next to my car, I could hardly dive for the handle and escape inside the vehicle as I still hadn’t found my keys.
I couldn’t believe I was getting mugged on only my second day in Ransom. Although, I guess I had been warned. One quick Google search before we arrived in town had given me a bad feeling about our new home. And then, yesterday, when my stepmom and I were walking through the cute town on the other side of the river, Sunshine Hills, some old lady in one of the stores asked if we were new to the area. When we explained we’d just moved to Ransom, she recoiled in horror and warnedus to be careful. Apparently, she hadn’t been joking. I’d just discovered first-hand the town’s bad reputation was well deserved.
You’d think my parents would care a little more about where their seventeen-year-old daughter spent her senior year of high school. But no. All consideration of what was best for me went out the window the moment my dad got offered the head coaching job with the reigning state champions, the Ransom Devils.
“I think you broke my nose,” my assailant groaned as he slowly climbed to his feet. “And I’m not trying to mug you.”
Now he was standing tall, he towered over me, and I inched even closer to my car door. He must have been at least six feet, and his broad shoulders seemed to take up all available space between my car and the next.
“That’s exactly what a muggerwouldsay.”
“I’mnota mugger.” He huffed and shook his head, like he couldn’t be bothered to explain himself. Instead, he ran a hand through his hair, pushing his hood back.
Despite the dark, I could still make out his features, and I found his face almost more intimidating than his size. His tousled brown hair was wet from the rain and thick lashes framed big blue eyes. I couldn’t see his whole face as he was gingerly caressing his nose with one hand.
Something about his appearance nagged me though, like I’d seen him somewhere before. I tried to recall if I’d come across any wanted posters around Ransom. No, just ominous warnings from little old ladies I should have listened to. I shouldn’t even be in this town, let alone this parking lot.
“Look,” the guy exhaled as he started again, “you can save your rear-naked chokehold for the next guy. I’m here for preseason training.” He gestured at the bag on the ground which had a hockey stick strapped to it. “You know, at the ice rink we’re standing outside. I’m on the school hockey team. The Ransom Devils. Any of this ring a bell?”
I stared at him blankly, still not sure I could trust him.
“I found these keys on the ground…” He opened his hand to show me the evidence. “You looked like you were searching for something, so I thought they might belong to you.”
Slowly, the realization of what I’d done started to dawn, and I stared at the keys in horror. “You—you really weren’t mugging me?”
“Do I have to say it again? No, I wasn’t mugging you. The keys; are they yours?”
I couldn’t bring myself to answer. This was so embarrassing. I was always getting myself in trouble for being too impulsive, and now I’d gone and punched an innocent boy who’d only been trying to help.
“Uh, yes,” I stuttered. “They’re mine. I’m sorry for punching you. It’s just it’s dark out and I’m new to town. I heard some rumors about this place, and I got nervous, and then you practically chased me through the parking lot…”
“Because I had your keys…”
“Well, I know thatnow.” I swallowed again as I watched him. His nose looked like it was starting to bleed, which only made me feel worse. “Hang on…”
I took the keys from his hand and opened the passenger side door of my car. I grabbed a handful of tissues from the boxin the glove compartment and passed them to him.
“Here, this should help.” The internal light of the car wasn’t particularly bright, but it was enough to bring his features more clearly into view. I noticed his sharp jawline, the soft freckles on his nose, how his eyes weren’t just any old shade of blue but shone like a clear summer sky.
My would-be mugger wasn’t just good-looking; he was beautiful. And he didn’t just feel alittlefamiliar. He looked scarily like an older version of the first boy I kissed. A taller, stronger, manlier version of the jerk who had helped ruin my one chance of ever playing hockey again.
Surely it couldn’t be him. That had all happened at a summer camp four hundred miles away. What were the chances? But this guy was a hockey player…
“Parker?” I asked cautiously.
His blue eyes looked to the sky, then dipped back down to meet mine. “Took you long enough.”
“Parker… Darling.”
“The one and only.”
