Page 2 of Sin Bin Bully

In the locker room, everyone is quick about cleaning up. I tune into the conversation just as my name is mentioned.

“Isn’t that right, Sam?” Brandon asks.

“What’s that?”

“You rented out Fabiano’s for us again tonight, right?”

“Oh yeah, they’re expecting us. Whole place to ourselves for the night.”

“Great, we’re going to invite the new ice girls to come out with us.”

“New ice girls?” I lift a brow.

“Yeah, we never really gave them a proper welcome. We figured tonight was the night to do it since the next game is an away. We wanna show them how we roll, Washington D.C style.”

I nod, grunting in response. But even at the mention of the latest fresh meat, my mind is elsewhere.

Ten minutes later, the team has left, all making their way to the luxury restaurant that’s become our go-to celebration hangout. I remain in the locker room, packing up the rest of my things.

I’m not slow, I’m just waiting. Just like out on the ice, I’m scoping out the best opportunity. And it’s just arrived.

Matthew walks into the room, using a towel to dry off his hair. As soon as he spots me, he freezes. I grin, closing the distance between us in just a few strides.

My hand closes around his neck, which I use to slam him into the lockers behind him. I squeeze slightly, watching the veins in his neck pop out.

“You fucked with our game, newbie,” I spit out. “That comes with consequences.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he chokes out.

His hands grip mine, trying to pry them off. I let him go, only to shove him back against the lockers. When he moves his head forward, I push it back, letting it slam into the blue metal door.

“What the fuck!” he shouts.

I spit directly in his face.

“Mess with our fucking game again, and I’ll be doing a lot worse. I know you saw the pass. Why’d you fucking hesitate?”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t-”

“Save it. I know what I saw.” I lean in, lowering my voice as I speak into his ear. “Do it again, I dare you. I’ll be waiting.”

With that, I let him go, grabbing my bag as I walk out of the locker room. At last, I can go celebrate with the rest of the team.

Because that snapshot I made? It was fucking beautiful.

“Here he fucking is!The man of the hour!” Derek’s voice booms throughout the room as I walk in. “Sam motherfucking Warwick, scoring the snapshot of the season!”

I grin, waving them off as I take my seat at the table. A drink is set down in front of me immediately, the sound of the ice hitting the sides of the glass like music to my ears. I pick it up and gulp it down before turning to the rest of my team.

“We should’ve never let them send us into overtime. Their defensemen are benders for god’s sake.”

Derek nods his agreement. “Hey, we can discuss that at our next practice. For tonight, we ride out this high. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m feeling it.”

A few of the men cheer, and a fresh glass is set down in front of me just as they all lift theirs for a toast.

“Welcome ladies, glad you could make it,” Mark, our goalie, says.

I look to where his attention is focused, my eyes skimming a group of women standing at the end of our table. They look like the typical group. Petite, basic, the same soulless look in their eyes.

---