Page 160 of Broken Blades

"So, Garrison." Ryker leaned back against his stall, arms crossed, grin sharp enough to draw blood. "Heard the whole Harrington empire is imploding."

The locker room didn't exactly go quiet—but the energy shifted. Eyes flicked toward me. A few guys stopped mid-conversation.

Jared whistled low from across the room, Southern drawl thick with amusement. "Man dates the boss's daughter and suddenly the CEO's fired." He shook his head slowly. "That's power."

I stripped off my jersey and tossed it into my bag without looking up. "Harrington resigned. Not fired."

"Semantics," Ryker shot back.

Nikolai appeared beside me like a goddamn ghost, towering and silent as always. He leaned one massive shoulder against the stall, arms folded across his chest.

"Russian proverb," he said calmly, accent rolling thick over the words. "Never anger man who steals daughter."

The locker room erupted. Laughter echoed off the tile walls. Someone threw a towel. Jared nearly fell off the bench.

I grabbed my water bottle and took a long drink, letting them get it out of their systems.

Ryker wiped tears from his eyes. "You're a legend, old man. Absolutely unhinged."

I set the bottle down and met his gaze dead-on. "Relax." My voice stayed flat, deliberately casual. "I just like women half my age."

The room exploded again.

"YOU'RE A MENACE!" Ryker shouted, pointing an accusing finger at me.

Jared doubled over laughing. Even Nikolai cracked the faintest smile—rare enough that it felt like winning something.

I smirked, zipped my bag shut, and stood. Let them think whatever they wanted. Let them joke and chirp and make their stupid bets about how long I'd last before I screwed it all up.

They didn't know the truth. That walking out of Harrington's office with Chastity's hand in mine felt like the first clean breath I'd taken in years. That watching her stand up to her father—calm, certain, unflinching—made something in my chest tighten and expand all at once. That I'd burn the whole damn league down before I let anyone take her from me.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed for the exit.

Ryker called after me. "Where you going?"

I didn't slow down. "Home."

Because that was what it was now.

Not my house.

Home.

Wherever she was.

I slid into my truck and jammed the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life, and the radio kicked on automatically—some local sports station I never bothered changing.

Then the voice shifted. Not the usual play-by-play. News.

"…breaking corporate news tonight—Barbara Hale has been removed from the merger negotiations following reports of an undisclosed affair with CEO Thomas Harrington…"

My hand froze on the gearshift.

The reporter's voice continued, crisp and detached.

"…sources say the scandal has destabilized the deal entirely. Investors are demanding transparency. Both Harrington and Hale have declined to comment at this time…"

I exhaled slowly through my nose.