“Fuck. Who?” he demands as he breaks into a run.
“Luis Meyer,” I rasp, running after him. “It couldn’t have been him who pushed us apart, right?” They just got off the ice. There’s no way he could have made it back here so quickly. Not with being in full gear.
“I wouldn’t put it past the dead head,” he mutters.
He hands me his phone. “There’s a group pack text. Tell the guys where I am.” He takes off, not looking back.
It’s when I hear Cae’s scream that my whole heart breaks.
I want to go after him, to make sure my best friend is okay, but I’d only be in the way. He has this. He will help her.
With shaky hands, I open the group chat and send them a text, praying back up gets here soon.
Then I take my phone and call Carson and Reid. It goes to voicemail. “Fuck.” They’re in the locker rooms. They should have their phones by now. Where are they?
It doesn’t take long for Santos to show up.
“Where?” he growls, and I point in the direction Miles just went.
He takes off, and I decide to follow after. I’m not sitting by while someone is potentially hurting my best friend.
When I get to the room, I gasp, hand to my mouth, as I push my back against the wall.
Santos is holding Cae while Miles is curb stomping a guy on the ground. I stand there in shock, wondering what the fuck is going on.
The men share words, but I’m too focused on my best friend. She’s bleeding, and she looks scared.
“Caelia,” I whisper, my body working again as I push off the wall. “I’m so sorry, your poor face.”
Taking my sweater, I wrap it around her waist. The fact that this man was about to rape my best friend settles in, breaking my fucking heart.
“I’m fine.” She whispers, her trembling body hugging mine. I don’t believe that one bit.
After we share what happened with Marilyn, the guys walk me to the car. I don’t want to be in that building anymore. I need air and a moment to think before I lose my mind and start crying again.
Grabbing my phone, I try for another text with my guys, and I see that I have a missed call.
It’s from Carson, followed by a text that says Reid left his phone at home, and his is about to die, and they will meet me out front in a few.
When Cae’s Alphas drop me off at Carson’s car, I give my best friend a big hug, tell her I love her, and ask her to text me when she gets home.
It’s not until I’m locked in the front seat of the car that I let myself break. I burst into deep, heavy sobs, my body shaking.
This whole night has been a blurry nightmare. One that was supposed to be a fun time to hang out with my best friend and support my Alphas.
But it turned into a nightmare, one where my best friend nearly had the worst moment in her life repeated.
I can’t stop thinking about what could have happened if we hadn’t gotten to her in time.
“Addie.” Banging on the door makes me scream. My eyes fly open to see Carson and Reid peering at me through the window. “Baby, what's wrong? Open the door.”
After unlocking the door, Carson throws it open and pulls me to my feet.
“Are you okay?” He wraps me up in his arms, and Reid steps up behind me. “We’re so fucking sorry, baby. My phone died, and Reid left his at home. We thought you were waiting for us by the locker room, but when we finally got out, we noticed you weren’t there. Fans tried to bombard us, so we had to push our way through the crowd. When we couldn’t find you, we were ready to burn the whole fucking place down.”
“We’re sorry we worried you, baby. So fucking sorry."
“I’m not crying about that.” I sniff, my face buried in Carson’s chest. I breathe in his scent, letting it settle over me like a comforting blanket.
