Page 177 of Tangled up in You

Her stomach cramped. “Trent.”

Wyatt tugged her into his arms. “Go away, asshole.”

“Awe. Did you tell her about your little tryst with Julian? From where I stood, it looked like you were trying to choke the little bitch out with your dick.” The viciousness in his glare sent a shiver of dread down her spine.

“I knew,” she said. “We don’t hide anything from each other.” She lifted her chin. “Have you told your teammates how you ripped my knee apart on purpose, because your coach told you to? The same coach who is leading the US Men’s team?”

He bared his teeth at her. “You little bitch.”

“Truth hurts, huh?” She raised her voice. “Poor little Trent forced to do all the dirty work of his coach, just to get the only girl off their team. Such a big man!”

His teammates stared at him while Archer, Brody, and Cam pushed forward.

“Is that true?” Archer asked, pushing into Trent’s personal space. “Did coach tell you to hurt her?”

Trent lifted his chin. “I don’t answer to you. She’s lying anyway. The league agreed, there was nothing in the hit. It was just a horrible accident.”

She gave a derisive chuckle. “You keep telling yourself that, buddy. Maybe one day it’ll be true.”

Murmurs rippled through the group of players. She took Wyatt’s hand as she started for the locker room and brushed her fingers across Archer’s bicep. He bent to her kissing her, while keep his gaze on Trent.

“See you tonight. Maybe we can have dinner sent up,” Archer said, glaring at Trent. “We’ll deal with this.”

“See you then. We’re going to grab a snack and a shower,” Sasha replied. “Have fun out there.”

They continued along the corridor, passing Coach Jones while entering the locker room chosen for the skaters. Her heart hammered. Her stomach churned. How had she stood up to Trent without passing out or puking her guts up? Was his hold over her weakening? A small smile pulled at her mouth while a lightness settled over her.

“That was so hot,” Wyatt said. “I can’t believe you did that. Did you see the looks on the players' faces? Somebody’s going to be in trouble. Bet they call you to find out the truth.”

She shrugged. “Trent’s right. The league’s investigation called it an accident. They never believed me when I told them what happened.” It’d also been part of the reason her parents moved. The other parents had hounded them during the enquiry, and her mom wanted to give her a fresh start.

“Maybe,” he said. “Or you’ve just caused all those boys to question their coach and a player on their team.”

She shrugged. “I don’t think I care.” She paused, hand on the door. “No, I know I don’t care.”

Wyatt smirked. “That a girl.” He wrapped his arms around her from behind. “I’m so fucking proud of you.”

Warmth filled her. “Thank you for telling me the truth. You know, about Julian. I thought for sure you were going to tell me you wanted to pick a new partner or something.”

“Isn’t that my line?” He pushed into the locker room.

“Excuse me, Miss Rhodes,” a man said, jogging down the tunnel toward them. He had a clipboard in his hand and a harried look on his face. “Can we speak for a moment, please?”

“Do you want me to stay?” Wyatt murmured against the curve of her ear.

“No,” she said. “I’ve got this.” She cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. “Sure. Where would you like to talk?”

The man glanced around. “Uh...” There was a set of chairs close to where they stood. “How about there? It’ll only take a minute.”

“Sure. Also, it’s Sasha Rhett. Ariel Rhodes is my professional name.” She took a seat in the chair. Her knee ached, but not in a bad way, given the circumstances.

“Right,” the man said. “Sorry, Miss Rhett. My name is James Richman. I’m the assistant coach of the US Men’s Hockey team. I heard what you said a few moments ago. Can you tell me what you meant when you said Trent Holden injured you and Coach Jones instructed him to do so?”

She licked her bottom lip. “There’s already been an investigation, Mr. Richman. Everything I explained to the league is in a report. Their findings concluded it was all an accident.”

“Be that as it may,” he said. “I’d like to hear what happened from your perspective.”

She explained the whole play, recalling it as if she was on the ice again. “It happened so fast. One minute I was rushing forward with the puck and the next my skates were tangled with Trent’s and...” She swallowed hard. “He kept our legs locked together, even when he heard the pop in my knee. Then he leaned in and said...” She took a deep breath.

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