Page 120 of Offside Angel

I shake my head. “No. I saw him. He smiled at me.”

“What did he look like?” Evan is sending off texts rapid-fire. I don’t know who he’s texting until my phone rings.

It’s Zane. I know it before I even check.

I bring the phone to my ear, not able to manage more than a whisper. “Hello?”

“Where are you?” Zane growls. I hear movement on his side of the line. I’m sure he’s leaving work right now, already heading to where I am. “Are you safe?”

Yes.

No.

Define “safe.”

“It was Dante.” I’m trying to convince myself as well as him. Maybe I’m making it up. Maybe I’ve lost my mind. “I saw him, Zane.”

Daniel curses. “Your brother? Are you sure?”

Before I can answer, Evan turns to Daniel. “What did he say to you?”

“He asked for directions. He asked where— Fuck.” Daniel bites his lip and turns to me, an apology in his eyes. “He asked for directions to Paradise Valley.”

“Mira?” Zane snarls. “Are. You. Safe?”

“No.” I blink and a tear rolls down my cheek. “He found me.”

45

ZANE

My phone buzzes on the nightstand, pulling me from the liminal land of half-sleep I’ve been wandering through all night. I don’t know what time it is, but it’s definitely too fucking early for my alarm. The sun isn’t even up.

The buzzing stops, and my eyes slip gratefully closed. Mira’s body is warm against my side, and I want to stay here as long as I can. The panic I felt when Evan texted me yesterday isn’t something I ever want to experience again.

As she laid awake last night, crying and pouring out all of the messy thoughts in her head, I wasn’t sure if I was holding her for her or for me. Probably both.

It didn’t help as much as I would’ve liked.

My phone vibrates again. And again. By the time I slip away from her and grab it, my notifications are like a firehose.

I hiss against the bright screen as a text from Daniel appears, almost blinding me. Is the marriage embargo lifted? He follows up with a link to a news article.

BABY ZADDY: PHOENIX ANGELS’ ZANE WHITAKER TAKES A BRIDE.

And another.

FROM HOCKEY HUNK TO HOCKEY HUSBAND: CAN ZANE WHITAKER STAY TRUE?

No one keeps their private life private quite like star of the Phoenix Angels, Zane Whitaker. One Twitter account with an associated true-crime style podcast exists purely to track down Zane Whitaker’s conquests because the man himself refuses to kiss and tell. A few months ago, in a bombshell reveal, the world found out that Zaddy Zane became a real-life Daddy… FOUR YEARS AGO! Given how tightly his lips are sealed, is it any wonder he skipped straight over announcing his engagement and had a secret wedding? Well, fear not—we have all the details of his special day and the woman he has pledged his heart to.

The article is replete with anonymous quotes from women I’ve supposedly slept with in the last four years. One of them claims I flew her from Europe on my private jet for a single hookup. As if I’d ever be that desperate.

The rabbit hole of gossip featuring me is endless. For every trashy article, there are three dozen more, as well as a dozen email requests from journalists looking for an interview.

There’s exactly one email I actually open. Releasing the wedding announcement might be too little too late, but give me the go and I’ll post it. - Hollis

I should’ve known punching Carson in the face wasn’t going to change his mind. He’s like poison ivy—if I don’t rip him out by the root, he’ll just keep coming back.

---