Page 53 of Worth the Risk

“What?” I shout. “Did she get fired? That’s bullshit! She’s the best social media coordinator we’ve had. Hold on. I’m calling the GM.” I pull my phone out of my pocket, and open the contacts app.

“No!” Ari screeches, jumping from the couch and yanking my phone out of my hand. “Look, Luca, something is fishy here. She said she needed to protect you. That’s weird, right? Like, why would she need a new place to live, a new job, and feel like she needed to protect you?”

“In my line of work, that typically means there’s something afoot in-house,” Leo says. “Let’s discuss some possible options. She could have been fired, or maybe she learned some secrets about staff, and doesn’t want to get caught. Maybe someone hit on her, or touched her inappropriately … Luca, sit the fuck down. We’re not done talking this through.”

I didn’t even realize I stood up, my hands tightly in fists, ready to take on anyone who dared to touch my woman. Mine.

“But she said she needed to protect Luca, so wouldn’t that rule out something happening to her?” Ari asks.

“Possibly. I doubt someone hit on her, or touched her in that case, though. Does she know about your coach hating you?” Leo asks, and I nod. “Have we ever figured out why he hates you?”

“He thinks I slept with his wife,” I confess.

“Did you?” Leo asks.

“No!” I shout. “Jesus, Leo. I know I’ve gotten around, but I do have some morals.”

“No judgment, man. People lie. Women go to bars without rings on, just as men do. She could have lied about it.”

“I didn’t sleep with her, ring or not. First time I met her was a few months after he was hired, at a team function. He was already a douche to me at that point, but I didn’t know the reasoning. I only found out recently that he thinks I slept with his wife.”

“How did you find out about that?” Leo asks.

“Heard a teammate talking about it. He didn’t know I was behind him. No one believes me that I didn’t do it,” I explain. My blood boils just thinking about it. Typically, a hockey team is like a family. You’re with the guys all the time. But I’ve been slowly and systematically forced out, and I can only assume Woodward is behind it.

“Have you tried to talk to him about it?” Ari asks.

“I have. He shuts me down whenever I bring up anything, and he’s never alone with me. Hannah’s uncle is almost always with him.”

“Hannah is the girl? Who is her uncle?” Leo asks.

“One of my coaches.”

“Could he possibly have given her an ultimatum?”

“I doubt it. He’s only about ten years older than her, if that. I’m not even sure if he knows about us …” I trail off. “Holy shit. He knows. Which means I bet the coach knows too. They must have gotten to Hannah and demanded something.”

“Demanded something?”

“I don’t know. Woodward hates me. He’s been making comments all season about my contract being up. He wants me out of here, and I wouldn’t put it past him to do something to ensure I leave.”

“Do you want to leave?” Leo asks.

“Fuck no,” I scoff. “I love being here. Love being so close to home. I don’t want to be shipped off to another team just because my coach is an asshole. As for playing … I don’t know. I’m drained right now, man. It’s not fun right now, and I don’t know if that’s going to change or not.”

“So what do we do now?” Arianna asks.

“We don’t do anything. You mind your own business and let Luca handle this,” Leo says pointedly.

“But I’m invested now. And Hannah is my friend, too. What am I supposed to do?” she whines.

“You back the fuck up and lay low. Let Luca handle it. Give Hannah some space, too. If she’s worried about Luca’s life, or his career, then you need to respect that. Do you think Hannah would lie to you?” Leo asks.

Arianna shakes her head. “She’s a really sweet girl. She’s perfect for him, actually.”

“She really fucking is,” I murmur. From the first moment I saw her at my door in her silk pajamas, I’ve thought of no one but her. “Should I let her know Ari told me something is up?”

Leo shakes his head. “No. If she thinks you are going to get involved, she might bolt. We experience it all the time overseas with informants. You can’t force them to do what you want them to do, because it’s their life on the line if they get caught.”

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