My jaw tightens. Are they trying to pin this on Brinley? Like she’s the reason this got out?
I start racking my brain trying to figure out when or where I could’ve been when this was taken.
The night she showed up at my place. After she found out I paid for her repairs.
Another text comes through.
Unknown: Be careful who you trust.
That’s it.
No name, no explanation for the bomb they’ve just dropped in my lap.
I swipe away from the screen, open our group thread with the guys and Reed, and quickly type a message.
Me: We need to speed shit up on all this digging.
I snap a screenshot of the thread along with the picture and hit send before typing out another message.
Me: Can you trace this?
The sound of the guy’s phones vibrating and pinging around me has all their attention turning toward me.
Kade looks over at me. “What’s going on?”
My phone buzzes in my hand.
Reed: On it.
Reed: Landlord got the cameras up. I’ll keep eyes on her place too. Make sure nobody’s hanging around.
If she saw those notes, why wouldn’t she come to me about it? She’s never been the type to go behind my back.
Why would they think I’d believe this is her?
Unless that’s exactly what they want. Because if she’s not here for me… what reason does she have to stay in Rixton?
I lock my phone and shove it into my bag.
Across the room, Coach opens the door again and steps out. He’s talking to Assistant Coach Glasgow like it’s any other game day.
Like he didn’t just pull me into the hallway and tell me he’s benching me, throwing out the same bullshit line about actions having consequences.
I don’t know what I’m more pissed about—being benched or the fact that someone is trying to make me question whether I can trust her.
Chapter Thirty-One
Brinley
I’m mid-pour when I see Cooper at the end of the bar.
It’s not even that I’m looking for him. I can feel it. The shift in the air when he’s near. The undeniable pull tugging me closer to him from the moment we first met.
The second I see him, the smile spreads across my face before I can contain it. He must’ve come straight here after getting back to town from his game.
He’s home. He didn’t tell me he was stopping by, but he’s here.
Then I really look at him and notice he isn’t smiling. He isn’t relaxed. His shoulders are tight, and his jaw is set in a way that I’ve only ever seen when he’s upset or something is bothering him.
