War holds up a hand. “We all know. We’re awesome. Everyone wants to get matching penises to celebrate, and you love us. Now turn around, Saint. Let’s go show Boston what it means to show up.”
“Yeah!” Hall hollers. “To matching penises!”
Dropping his head with a chuckle, Aiden holds up his hand. “To brotherhood.”
“To doing the right thing.” McGreevey takes a step closer. “To protecting our girls. To consent!”
The sheer number of cheers to that sentiment, along with the volume, rattles me. This isn’t just about me. It’s not about my suspension. We’re doing this because of what Coach did to Sara. Every one of these guys was disgusted when they learned how he used his position of power. How he lied. Threatened her career. Manipulated her. How he stole her ability to make her own decision by deceiving her.
I swallow thickly, heart lodged in my throat. “I’ve never been prouder to be a Bolt than I am right now.”
War claps my shoulder and pushes me forward. So I go, and I lead my teammates into the arena. Every one of us is dressed in a game-day suit. The cavernous space is cold and chaotic. The fans go crazy when we emerge, but the cheers quickly turn to gasps and frustrated shouts about our lack of gear. Without a doubt, every eye follows us as we approach the bench.
The game starts in an hour. The guys should be geared up and on the ice by now. The coaches are clustered together, each studying their iPads. Not one of them notices us, so I clear my throat to get their attention.
When heads pop up in response, I fill my lungs with a deep breath of cold air and let it out again, steeling my resolve. “So long as Sebastian Lukov is the coach of this team, we won’t be on the ice.”
The men in front of us blink, and Sara pops up behind them. She’s wearing a confused expression and my Bolts jersey. “What are you doing?” she mouths.
“None of us will be suiting up until you remove Brooks’s suspension,” War demands from beside me.
Aiden steps up to my other side and grasps my shoulder. “I’ll never play for you again.”
I suck in a harsh breath at his words, and damn if tears don’t prick the backs of my eyes.
My brother is the best center in the league. Hands down, there is no competition. Yet he’s willing to put what will likely be a hall-of-fame career on the line for me.
Sara has tears in her eyes when she puts a hand on Coach’s shoulder. He still hasn’t looked up. His head is bowed over his iPad, and he’s got a Bolts hat pulled low, probably to hide the nasty bruises I left all over his face.
But then he looks up, and instead of the ice blue irises I’m expecting, I’m met with a pair of brown eyes I’d know anywhere. Surprise hits me like a shot of electricity when the man beneath the bill smirks.
“That so?”
Gavin is literally the last person I expect to be standing before me wearing a smile.
And in a hat…
This man lives in expensive suits, and his hair is always perfectly styled. He owns the team, for fucks sake. What is he doing down here on the bench?
“Gavin?” Aiden’s voice goes up an octave, like he’s been kicked in the balls.
“What are you doing here?” I can’t help the terse tone. After the way he talked to me the other day, it’s hard not to be angry with him.
Gavin smiles at Sara. “Turns out your girlfriend is a great communicator. It’s amazing what can happen when two people talk rather than yell. She and I bumped into one another, and when she politely asked me to hear her out, I obliged. Then she laid out all the facts. From there, I fired the asshole you all refuse to play for.”
“This is a bit anticlimactic,” Hall grumbles.
“Does this mean we should get dressed?” one of the second-string guys asks from the back of the crowd behind me.
Gavin stands and folds his arms across his chest. “You think?”
“Wait.” Aiden narrows his eyes at Gavin. “Who’s our coach?”
Our big brother merely grins. “You’re looking at him. Now go put on your uniforms before I make you all drop and give me a hundred.”
The guys clear out pretty quickly, but War and Aiden stay by my side.
Heart pounding, I take a step closer to my brother. “You’re not messing with me, right?”