Page 45 of Dump and Chase

“When did you break up with Maya?”

The infuriating smirk didn’t leave his face. “Right before my surgery.”

“Not too long ago.”

“Nope.”

I continued typing, hoping he would forget about his question. He didn’t, and asked it again.

“Almost four years ago. Just how friendly are you and Jim?”

He laughed out loud at that, his handsome face lighting up. “Look, I spend hours with him. Remember, Allan pawned me off. And if you get Jim talking, he’ll tell you everything he knows.”

Fortunately, Jim didn’t know much else about me, and Brandon stopped asking personal questions. When the fifteen minutes were up, I took him back to the training area, where a few of the Ravens prospects were working out. They obviously noticed me and Brandon, but none said a word. Brandon had a “don’t fuck with me” aura about him, and that was fine with me.

We went through the exercises, and I had him do a few just for form, although he knew what he was doing. I explained that we’d work through them all tomorrow and told him to rest up and relax for the rest of the day.

“Great session, thank you,” he said, and we both headed out.

After working with a few of the other Ravens players on some minor muscles aches, I sat down to lunch in my office. I was replying to some messages in my group chat with Jill and Wolseley when Allan breezed in, shut the door behind him, and sat in Jim’s seat. I put down my bean salad and waited for him to say something. As usually, he had his Ravens cap on. I was sure it was to hide his receding hair line.

“Someone saw Warde smile today.”

“Is that bad?”

“He never smiles.”

I took a swig of water and shrugged. “Okay?”

“Youmade him smile.”

I was confused. “You’re going to need to elaborate.”

“He pretty much hates everyone. So if you can get him to smile more, we can get him out of here and back to the Kodiaks.”

I got it now. “We came to an understanding. I don’t take his crap and he doesn’t take mine. It seems to be working. So he’s on the right track, and if all goes well, we could have him back on the ice by late November. He’ll be with the Kodiaks in December.”

Allan tapped his chin. “What do we have to do to get him out of here sooner?”

I frowned. “He’s on pace to be on the ice in November. We can’t rush him back. It would be unethical. Now, if he responds to treatment sooner, then he’ll be back sooner.”

Allan slammed his fist on my desk. “That’s right. You’re right! I want you to take over all his treatment and progress. Jim will oversee as necessary. Warde responds to you, which means he’ll respond to treatment. We’ll have him out of here in no time! Good work, Tangi.”

I had no idea what I’d even done. “Why do you want him out of here to badly?”

Allan moved in closer, not that anyone could hear our conversation. “The guys are afraid of him. He expects and wants too much. He’s a grouch. He’s bad for the room. We need him to vanish. So do your magic and make him disappear.”

ChapterTwenty-Two

Ethan

Coach Anthony gave the veterans a day off from training camp, and after a brutal few days of drills and workouts, I needed it. Even though there wasn’t much in the way of nightlife on a Tuesday night, Jeremy, Ryan, and I headed out for dinner at a lounge near the rink. The other guys lived downtown near the rink, and since I was in the condo, I was also downtown, at least temporarily.

I took it as a cheat day and ordered a burger and fries. The guys did the same, along with a round of beers. I chugged half my beer and looked forward to the mild buzz it would bring.

“Any news from Brandi?” Ryan asked, adjusting his ball cap. He rarely went out without it. He hoped to blend in with the crowd, but he was a hulking monster compared to the rest of the guys around us, so I was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen. Like me, he hated being recognized. We were looking for a night out without hockey talk, although that never happened. The same for going unrecognized.

“Just her lawyer.”

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