Page 40 of Her Devils

We hear the fifteen-minute call, warning us that the speed skydiving event will begin soon.

That’s when Penn and the Cove Angels enter the locker room.

“Speak of the devil,” I grind out as I meet Trent’s gaze.

Our former teammate has the common sense not to engage with me, but the same can’t be said about Darrius Penn.

The Angels’ captain is obviously looking for a fight, and he walks right into my space, barking out his obnoxious, arrogant laugh. “Aww, is someone still missing his fourth? Are you fucking surprised that the only talented member of your team couldn’t wait to jump with the professionals?”

I clench my fists, remembering Ken’s warning about keeping our noses clean and our conduct beyond reproach.

Penn is obviously furious that his bait didn’t work, and he turns to look at Peyton. “The three of you are fucking amateurs. You should go home and leave skydiving and BASE jumping to the real athletes, or do you think that your pathetic little tricks would mess with me? I know you’re behind that video of me and that girl, Cox.”

I brace myself for Peyton’s reaction, but I’m pleasantly surprised when my brother chuckles rather than wiping Penn’s smirk off his face with his fists.

“Poor little Angel. From where I stood last night, you didn’t need any help getting into trouble. I was trying to get rid of that groupie, and you walked right into it. You were so desperate for attention that you didn’t even worry about who would see you. It didn’t take a genius to work out that yesterday’s meet and greet would be full of gossip bloggers.”

I have to admit I’m in awe of my team captain.

“Your fucking little stunt almost got me dumped by my girlfriend, asshole,” Darrius hisses.

Peyton’s smile is full of satisfaction. “You not being able to keep your pencil dick in your pants almost got you dumped, loser,” he gloats.

“There’s only one fucking loser in this room, and I’m going to make sure that’s what’s trending by the end of today. You and your team are a joke. We’ll see how funny you find it when you’re looking at me from last place in every fucking event!” Darrius raises his voice.

The two team captains are standing so close that their chests are touching. “That won’t be happening, since I made sure that you can’t put your dirty hands on our equipment.”

Penn laughs. “Still bearing a grudge for that little prank when we were kids? I don’t even need to mess with your cheap equipment, Cox. You’ve never been Angels material, and I did you a favor by making sure you didn’t make the team.”

Peyton’s shoulders are rigid, and his body is coiled with tension. I know that he’s about to snap, so I glance at Channing, and we both take one step closer to them.

“So you admit it? You were the one who cut up my wingsuit and stole my fucking helmet?”

Penn’s voice is just above a whisper, but we’re close enough that we can hear it. “I was just saving you from the embarrassment of losing.”

“You cheating piece of shit,” Peyton seethes.

A smile quirks up Penn’s lips. “Hit me. What are you waiting for? I know you want to.”

Channing and I act swiftly and grab Peyton’s arms, holding him back. Trent and Niko do the same with their team captain. Thank fuck for skydivers having quick reaction times, because the two men are struggling, trying to get free to start a fight that has been brewing for years.

“Thank your friends, because you get to keep your teeth, Cox!” Penn yells.

“Fuck you, Penn! One day I’m going to get you alone, and you won’t be able to hide behind your teammates.”

As we hear the five-minute call, Ken and Kyle Penn step into the locker room.

“What the fuck is going on?” Ken looks at us with a clear warning in his eyes.

“Whatever this is, put a stop to it right now,” the Angels’ co-owner orders. “Are you guys out of your mind? If you’re trying to get disqualified and banned from all state and national events for fighting, this is the way to go.”

It’s strange to see Ken and Kyle Penn on the same page. “Kyle is right. Knock it off right now.”

Peyton is still struggling with us. “Did you get someone to call your daddy so you wouldn’t have to fight me, pussy?” he taunts his rival.

“Peyton, that’s enough!” Ken steps in front of us, effectively putting himself between the two contenders. “Haven’t you noticed that this locker room is suddenly empty? Some of the other teams saw you two and came to warn us. They are also going to complain to the meet director. You don’t want to start the season with a penalty or worse.”

“Come on,” Penn’s father says. “From now on, I’ll see if we can secure a private locker room.”

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