Page 64 of Rinkmates

It was Derek’s and my idea. He came to me right after Liora scared the living daylights out of him. She somehow got him to apologize, and with everyone on the team still fuming over the whole mess, we all decided it was high time for a party. Derek and I offered to foot the bill. Gotta bond and forget about the crappy months we’ve had.

That damn lawsuit is still dragging on, causing headaches for everyone. But now, we’re facing off against the Boston Bears in our first play-off game, and we all know they’ll be coming at us hard, seeking revenge. They almost didn’t make it into the play-offs, thanks to me. And with Houston back and fully recovered, it’s going to be a bloodbath on that field for sure.

I even shot Coach an invite tonight, but he just snorted.I spend enough time wrangling you shitheads at the rink. I’ll pass on doing it during my downtime too.He’s probably right on that one. We planned on making some chili for the crew and talking things out. I think it’s the right thing to do. Derek and I have hated each other since the start, it’s time to let those feelings go.

The team is family. Period.

With an air of frustration, Colton barges into the room and plops down on my dining table, tossing a stack of papers while grumbling in Russian.

“What’s with him?” I ask Jayce while he drops the ingredients on my kitchen counter.

Jayce gives me a knowing look, raising his eyebrows and making some wiggly motions. That’s all I need to know that he got mail again.

I suck in a sharp breath and Shane is all ears. “What? What’s wrong with King?” We all try to casually glance at him, thinking we’re being sneaky while looking like a bunch of nosy gossips.

“That crazy bitch,” Colton says, his eyebrows furrowed and his jaw clenched as he furiously types on his phone.

“Wowza,” I say. “He’s aaangry.”

“He’s been the worst to ride with to your place,” Jayce says, and I know what he means.

Colton usually is a man of few or no words, but when he’s angry, it’s like he forgets English and starts spewing out heavy Russian curses. We’ll ask him what’s wrong and all we get are snarls in return. So whenever he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, you can bet your bottom dollar you’ll need to learn Russian to get through to him.

“But what’s up?” Shane says.

Derek gives me a look, silently pleading for permission to spill the beans. But we all know Colton’s current legal mess isn’t exactly top secret. If it weren’t for our blabbermouth of a younger friend, he’d already have the scoop. But I give in. The sooner Shane shuts up, the better. “Go ahead,” I tell Derek.

“Colton’s in a legal smackdown,” he says. “His ex took their daughter to England, violating their joint custody. He’s fighting tooth and nail for full custody now, since she’s not mom material and just in it for his money.”

“And then there’s the lawyer drama,” Jayce adds, his knife slicing through onions with surgical precision. “Colton insisted on hiring the top custody attorney in New York, the same girl he used to bully during their senior year of high school. She’s agreed to represent him, but only if she can call him names throughout the case. They’ve been at it for weeks—each time he gets mail, he’s like this.”

“King bullied a girl?” Shane’s jaw drops, and the minced meat nearly slips from his hand. He stares at me, wide eyed and slack jawed, as if I’d just told him the moon was made of cheese.

“Ididn’tbully her,” Colton snaps back. “I just moved to the states from Russia, my English was shit. So I didn’t stop the goons from picking on her for her red hair, curves, and braces like I probably should have. But now I’m paying through the nose for legal fees. Fucking shit!”

We all exchange stunned glances, shocked that Colton has strung together more than a sentence.

Jayce blinks at me, and I give him a shrug.

Looks like this lawyer’s getting under Colton’s skin.

“You gonna read us that letter?” I ask with a grin.

Colton slams the paper down on the counter, his expression dark and intense. If I didn’t know him as one of my closest friends, I’d be terrified just by the way he’s looking at me. He just looks like he’s straight out of a mafia movie.

“Oh, absolutely,” Shane chimes in.

“Read loud and clear, King,” Jayce says with a sheepish smile.

Colton grunts. “I’ll only read the first sentences because this woman is crazy. Look at this shit:

‘Dearest dickhead,

Congratulations! You’ve managed to turn what should have been a routine custody battle into a comedy that would make even theThree Stoogescringe. I hope you’re proud of yourself,because I’m sitting here questioning all my life choices. Let’s address the elephant in the room—yes, you are indeed a colossal idiot.’”

King grunts out in frustration. “I don’t even know what she meant with ‘Stooges’ and had to google. I thought I needed to google legal shit, not some American slapstick shit.”

I glance at Jayce, who’s barely containing his laughter, his eyes wide with amusement. We share a look that speaks volumes: he found his nemesis.

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