Page 72 of Puck Princess

“Callie? Are you okay?” Owen puts his arm around me, his voice finding a way through my panic.

“I want to go home.” There’s no suggestion of anything more in my voice. I need out of this room.Now.

“You look sick.”

I just nod.

“Let’s get you some water and some air,” he says.

I fist my hand in the back of his shirt, letting him guide me through the crowd. “I want to go home, Owen. Take me home.”

24

OWEN

Spencer will never take my team.

Even if his dad does fork over enough money to own the team, I’m not gonna sit back and let the Scythes become some soulless promo for the Santos brand.

Shit went sideways when Miles Solomon left, but the team is finding their way back to a rhythm. We’re playing well together, and we respect each other on and off the ice—a concept Santos will never understand.

But he doesn’t matter. And he will never take this from me.

This is mine.

It’s why I’m heading in early. I want to hit the training room and get on the ice before anyone else does. I need to work off some steam.

After the club opening, Callie went straight back to my apartment and went to sleep, but I couldn’t seem to relax. It didn’t help that, halfway through the night, she woke up crying from another nightmare. She swore it was nothing just like everyother nightmare she has, but it doesn’t feel like nothing. It feels like one more problem that is just outside of my control.

I can kill myself on the rink, but I can’t control if I get traded.

I can hold Callie while she sleeps, but I can never get inside her head.

At least one problem is being solved today. Callie and Summer are on their way to the office of the lawyer I hired to rep Summer’s case against Miles. They’re going to give their statements against him to hopefully land his ass in jail. Even if that doesn’t work out, he’ll at least pay a metric shit ton in child support.

If nothing else goes right today, at least that will.

But just as I put my car in park at the arena, my phone rings. It’s Summer.

“Hey, what’s up?” I don’t even get the full question out before she talks over me.

“Owen, you need to get to the lawyer’s office right now. It’s Callie.”

Before she can even explain, I’m already throwing it into reverse. “What happened? Is she okay?”

“She’s okay, except… she’s not okay. She’s kind of freaking out. We haven’t even talked to anyone yet.” She lowers her voice, and I get the distinct impression she’s trying to make sure Callie doesn’t hear her. “I don’t want to sound like a bitch, but I need her statement, Owen. If she doesn't talk to the lawyer, there might not be enough to pin Miles down. Can you come here?”

“I’m already on my way.”

I’m led through the gleaming law offices of Kaylen Richards by a bouncy, smiley receptionist who doesn’t have a good grasp on how much I need her to hurry the fuck up. The second I see Kaylen’s name on a plaque down the hall, I brush past the receptionist with a flimsy apology and sprint towards the door.

Towards Callie.

Summer is standing just inside the door, and I don’t even greet her. “Where is she?”

Summer points to the car corner of the room where Callie is sitting alone. She’s staring down at the floor, her hands clenched between her knees.

I rush over to her. “Callie?”

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