Page 34 of Breaking Away

An undeniable force spears my gut. It’s blunt. Visceral. Unwelcome.

My logic-wired brain tells me this is a massive mistake, but when she texted me, I couldn’t say no. Apparently, I’m her last resort for whatever is happening in her life. And the thought of her having nowhere to go…

My jaw ticks.

Hughes gets up, as if chivalry demands he stand in the presence of any woman. “Hey. I’m Adrian Hughes. Captain of the Vancouver Wings.”

“I’m… Kavi Basra.”

“Are you Wall’s girl?”

“Wall?”

“It’s Lokhov’s nickname,” Hughes clarifies. “Vancouver’s Great Wall of Ice.”

“Never heard of it before.”

“Big Man? Frozen Force? I Always Look Like Someone Spit in My Food? Alsomyfavorite, The Silent But Glacial Prick?”

Kavi looks ready to laugh. Me, I’m debating whether tossing my captain out of the plane ruins our chances of winning tonight, and whether I give a fuck right now.

“I don’t like nicknames,” answers Kavi. She tries matching Hughes’ energy with a bored shrug. It’s not as good. One, he’s gotcareless fuckmastered. Two, her fingers keep moving. A sign of obvious nerves.

A flight attendant secures the front door. To get out of the way, Kavi has to move further in.

“Wait,” she protests.

I’m out of my seat, striding across the length of the plane. The closer I get, the more her forehead pinches.

With how short she is, I eventually tower over her. It doesn’t get better when my palms brace on the overhead compartments above. At least she’s blocked from the team’s view, giving her some sort of privacy.

“Talk to me,” is the first thing out of my mouth.

She pushes a piece of hair out of her face.

“What do you want?” I ask. My voice is hoarse. Agitated. I don’t know how to soften it.

Kavi looks at the door again, teeth worrying her lip.

“If you want to leave, you can,” I grind out.

The flight attendant makes a noise. We’re already way behind schedule.

It doesn’t matter. “I’ll get them to open the door.”

“I didn’t think—” She lowers her voice. “That I would be on a private plane with the team.”

“Your dad coaches Seattle. You should be used to traveling like this.”

A strange expression crosses her face.

When she doesn’t talk, I lightly nudge my leg against hers. “Last chance to leave, Basra. They don’t want anyone actually using the parachutes.”

“And here I thought this ride would be more thrilling,” she mumbles.

“We’ll find something else to get your heart rate up.”

Kavi pulls the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder, as if steadying herself. “Right. You must have a list. I can’t be the first woman asking for some sort of artificial adrenaline rush around you.”

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