Page 93 of Trapped and Tackled

Marlowe gives us a wave as she gestures toward the exit.

“Let’s give the crowd a few minutes to thin out,” Lincoln suggests.

I agree and sit back down. My sister and I sit in comfortable silence, staring at the field, which was like a second home to us growing up.

“Can you believe I moved back home?” I ask, nudging her with my shoulder.

Lincoln laughs. “Yeah,” she says, staring at me. “You fit in it here, Leni. Seeing you with Talon… This is the right place for you. But I don’t know if you would have realized that without giving New York City a fair chance. I’m glad you had that experience, even though I hate what happened with Craig.”

“Me too,” I murmur. “But you’re right. If I hadn’t gone to New York, I may have wondered—what if? Now, I just want to be wherever Talon is.”

Lincoln smiles. “I’m happy for you, Leni Lou.” She gestures toward the exit. We stand and she loops her arm with mine as we make our way out of the stands. “I haven’t been to Corks in ages.”

“Me neither.” I laugh. “I can’t believe you’re only in town for a few days. I wish you could stay longer.”

“Me too. I’ve missed you.” Lincoln drops her head to mine. She hugs me closer. “Tell me, for real, how are you holding up?” she asks, her blue eyes, the same shade as mine, studying me.

“I’m…doing okay,” I admit. “I was scared to press charges, but once they were filed, I felt so much better. I started seeing a therapist last week and I think that’s going to be helpful.”

“I saw your social media posts. I’m proud of you for blasting the hell out of that dickwad.” A small smirk touches my sister’s lips.

“Yeah,” I agree, nodding. “I put a lot of thought into what I wanted to say. But I never expected that post to go viral.”

“Did he really lose his job?” Lincoln wonders.

I nod. “Did Mom tell you what else happened?”

“No! What?”

“Another ex-girlfriend of his, Lisa, reached out. The same thing had happened to her, and she felt powerless about it. She wasn’t sure what to do or who to confide in. But now that he’s been put on blast, she came forward and is pressing charges as well.”

“Shut up!” my sister exclaims.

I shake my head. “I don’t know if they’ll stick.”

“Did you feel better, after pressing charges, and talking to Lisa?”

“I did. Every day gets a little bit easier. Talon’s been my rock through it all. I wouldn’t have made it this far without him, Linc.”

“I had no idea how bad it was, Len.”

“You weren’t supposed to. I didn’t want you to.”

“I’m sorry,” she says as we near the entrance to the locker rooms.

“I’m sorry, too. No more secrets, okay?”

“Promise me?” Lincoln holds out her pinky, the way she did when we were kids.

I snort and pinky promise her. “Swear it.”

“The Strauss sisters back in action,” the security guard, Priest, calls out as we near the door.

“Here we are, Priest!” I grin, my arm still looped with my sister’s.

“Troublemakers.” He snorts, before looking at Lincoln. “Good to see you, Linc.”

Lincoln blushes slightly and I roll my lips together to keep from laughing. She’s had a crush on Priest for years.

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