Page 7 of Breakaway

“Bleed her dry you mean,” Mel growls. “Robbing her.”

“You got really good insurance on this tinderbox, old man?”

I grab the money I put aside from my backpack and cross to the galley door peeking through the glass panel. All the customers are gone. Mel is almost as wide as the door, but theother guy is taller. I don’t want Mel fighting my battles. He already does enough for me.

“I got it, Mel. Thanks.” I hold up the five-hundred dollars and Ratface reaches for it. “My receipt, first.”

He laughs and hands me a wadded-up ball of paper. Smoothing it out I check it then hand over the money.

“See you next week, sweet cheeks. Let me know when you decide to work off your debt.”

I can’t meet Mel’s gaze when I brush past him to finish my job. I can’t bear to see his disappointment. He lets me live in the apartment above the restaurant in exchange for doing dishes and helping to clean when I’m not off with the team. He’s always making excuses to feed me and watching my back when Ratface shows. Mel never asks questions. Never judges. I’ll never be able to repay him for what he’s done for me.

Someday I’ll be out from under this, and my life will be my own. I’ve only been part of the hockey team for six months and I was untested, so my salary is less than the other players, but someday. Someday the hockey will pay off.

Oh damn, I never thought to ask if the new owner was going to honor the other team’s salary agreement. Will Mr. Davies pay me the same or is he going to try to renegotiate? Damn.

Grabbing the mop, I get busy on the floors. I work a shift in the morning and then practice tomorrow afternoon before the game. I need to get done so I can get some sleep and be ready for good work out at practice.

CHAPTER 5

Turk

Something’s wrong. I swear she was on edge when Baylor had her trapped against the wall. I wonder what he really said to her.

Pulling out of my parking spot I glance both ways. I’m surprised to see her getting on a bus the opposite direction of where she’d walked away from me. What the hell?

Did she deliberately try to trick me? Was I wrong in my assessment of her reaction to the jerk? Is she up to something with that conniving fucker, Baylor?

Instinct has me following the bus. Stop after stop I watch for her to disembark. We’re two blocks into one of the rougher neighborhoods in town when she finally gets off. She walks a couple blocks then down an alley and up the stairs to what appears to be an apartment over the corner diner. Not believing what I’ve just seen I, park just before the alley entrance. A few minutes later she comes down the stairs wearing an apron over her jeans and goes through an employee entrance to the diner.

What’s going on? This doesn’t feel right. Pulling up the files that Clark sent me on my phone, I check hers. This is not the address she has listed. Although there is a note that allcorrespondence be sent to a post office box. I study the alley as my mind replays what happened in the tunnel.

Baylor had Cat against the wall. By the color on her face, I had the feeling he was trying to make a move on her. An unwanted move. Her body was tense, one hand fisted at her side.

He’s an ass at best, and probably worse.

Could I have misread the situation? Rubbing a hand down my face, I know I should leave. I’ve got a shift tomorrow, but I don’t care. I’m fixated on the woman and spend the next couple hours on my phone doing research on the team, on Cat. I hit a lot of dead ends, which just intrigues me more.

Something catches my attention, and I glance at the clock. It’s almost midnight. The lights from the front of the dinner go off and the back door opens. Cat comes out, a big ass dude behind her. He says something, she nods and heads up the stairs. He waits until her door shuts before scanning both directions of the alley and heading toward the opposite end. I wait till I see him turn the corner before starting my car and heading home.

I’m confused and tired. Tomorrow I’ll check her file again and maybe the diner too before reaching out to Clark.

Tatum texts me at lunch.

Tatum: You’ll be there tonight, right?

Turk: Planning on it.

Tatum: I just heard from Leslie. They offered her the position. She starts practice this week. The way she, Cat and I feel on the ice together, we are fucking going to slay the rest of the year.

Turk: Damn straight you will.

Cat has been on my mind all day. I can’t help but feel something is off with her. I shouldn’t but can’t seem to stop my fingers from asking Tatum.

Turk: Speaking of Cat. I caught Baylor in the tunnel with her. Is he giving her a rough time? Or do they have a side thing going?

Tatum: Not that I know of. In fact, if you asked me, I’d say she’s a little afraid of him. He had something to do with getting her on the team. I think he holds that over her. And…. …. never mind

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