“Exactly, just his nose,” he said lightly. “The guy was lucky.”
“Are yousmiling?” his sister exclaimed incredulously.
“Well, the whole situation is a bit funny when you think about it.”
“What?”
“Calm down, Penny. If you open your eyes any wider, they’ll fall out of your head. And personally, I wouldn’t pick up anything that landed on this floor.” He tapped his toe on the dirty tiles.
“You're tellingmeto calm down?Youshould have calmed down! Who the hell is this guy anyway? Why were you with him and not at the practice game?!”
“Oh, Kosianos is a weasel,” another voice chimed in. The next moment, Cian strolled into the room.
Gareth leaned his head against the wall with a groan. Now he was annoyed that he hadn’t been taken to a larger police station, but to a mini-lockup in Vernon, five miles outside of Los Angeles.
“Why did you bring him?” Gareth complained.
“He’s a lawyer! I thought we might need one.”
“He’s adivorce lawyer.”
“That’s right, and I want to divorce you from this cell!” Penny said irritably.
Cian grinned broadly and pulled out his phone. “I’msoglad you told me. Connor and I are hanging this picture in the office.”
Gareth gave the camera the middle finger.
“Wonderful!” Satisfied, Cian snapped the picture before putting the phone away.
“Just a tip,” Penny said, smiling sweetly. “You could make several thousand dollars from this photo if you sold it to the gossip rags.”
“Fantastic idea!”
“Penny!” Gareth snapped at his sister in disbelief.
“What? You’re lucky there aren’t reporters swarming outside, Gare! Not that there won’t be. So, what the hell got into you? Why did you have to knock the guy down?
“Oh, may I?” Cian exclaimed, feigning excitement, raising his hand as if he were in school. “If I had to bet, I’d say Kosianos insulted Hazel, and Gareth was defending her honor. Which is beyond stupid because you probably made Hazel angry, not happy.”
Sighing, Gareth rubbed his eyes. Yes. Probably.
“Gare, I told you to figure out what you wanted,” Cian continued. “I just didn’t realize you were longing for a cell.”
He looked gloomily at Penny. “Do you see what you’ve done?”
But his sister just stared at him, her mouth gaping. “This is about Hazel?”
“No,” he lied. “Everyone's telling me to make myself happy. Knocking down that jerk made me incredibly happy.”
Penny pressed her lips together, scanning him warily. Finally, she muttered, “Shit. Hazel’s Party B, isn’t she?” She narrowed her eyes. “I haven’t found the cover page, and I haven’t gotten to the end yet, so I haven’t seen who signed it. But she must be Party B!”
“What are you talking about?” Cian asked, puzzled, as all the blood drained from Gareth’s face.
“This,” Penny said, pulling a folder from the jute bag on her hip.
Oh no. Gareth knew the folder all too well. It had been on his desk because he and Hazel had added the new clauses he’d negotiated in the janitor’s closet before the practice match.
“That is private, Penny,” he growled.
