Page 110 of Puck'n Bully
“Could you send those videos to me too, Pavel?” Liam says, glaring at Dad. “I want to keep them on hand in case Mr. Bastian forgets about them.”
“Sure,” Mitchikov says, grinning.
“Are you still going to keep hanging around here, old man?” Aminov, another of my teammates, drawls. “Do we need to call campus security or something?”
Mitchikov turns his attention back on Dad. “Leave. And don’t ever come near Hayden or I will destroy you.”
Dad stares between Mitchikov, Liam, and the rest of my teammates, his face twisting in fury. But he’s chewing on his tongue, afraid to utter a word. He knows he’s lost the chance to hurt me again.
“Fucking brats,” he sneers, turning around and walking away. Within seconds, he disappears in the night.
My lungs expand, filling up with fresh, cool air. I didn’t even know I’d been holding my breath, waiting for him to turn around and come at me.
“He’s gone, Hayden,” Liam says, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into a hug. “He’ll never dare to come after you again.”
“Yeah,” I say, inhaling his warm, familiar scent.
“You good, man?” Mitchikov asks.
Taking a deep breath, I nod. “Thanks for taking my side.”
“I hate people who hurt children,” Mitchikov says as our other teammates walk away. “And that man you call Dad has been abusing you for a long time. The only reason he left this place on his two fucking legs is because he’s your father. Otherwise, he’d have been begging me for his life.”
“How did you find those clips of him abusing me when I was in high school?” I ask, my curiosity growing.
“Coach was investigating your dad,” Mitchikov says in a grim tone. “I heard him mention your high school on the phone to someone, so I took the liberty to do some digging of my own. You have no idea how popular you were at your school, Bastian.” He chuckles, his eyes glowing with mischief. “Even when you tried to stay away from the limelight, people still found a way to get near you.”
“I don’t understand,” I say, wondering who’d have taken those videos of me and my dad. “Who gave those clips to you?”
“Your fans back home got those clips,” Mitchikov says. “All I had to do was ask around your old neighborhood and some of the old puck bunnies happily gave me the clips. They kept them, knowing it’s a weapon against that asshole father of yours. They just never had the courage to approach you.”
“Wow...I had no idea they’d do that for me.”
“We want to help you, Bastian,” Mitchikov says in a grim tone. “You just have to let us.” He lets out a huff and runs his fingers through his hair. “I’m glad you broke the dude’s nose, though. He deserves it.”
“That wasn’t me,” I say with a chuckle. “Liam did that.”
Mitchikov’s eyes widen ridiculously. “Hedid?”
“You think I’d let someone get away with threatening and hurting my boyfriend?” Liam asks, glaring at him.
Mitchikov drapes an arm around Liam’s shoulders and grins. “I’m starting to see why Hayden is all wrapped up around your pinkie finger. You’re his hero, aren’t you?”
Liam’s face breaks into a bright smile, making my breath hitch. “That’s right. I’m his hero.”
“Come on, man. Let’s head inside,” Mitchikov says, releasing a sigh. “We need to get our beauty sleep. Coach’s orders.”
Liam chuckles and comes to me. “Are you okay?” he asks softly.
I nod. “I’m good, babe.” Leaning in, I kiss him.
Mitchikov hoots, making Liam blush hard.
“Go, Knights!” Liam suddenly shouts, stepping away from me.
“Knights for the win!” Mitchikov shouts, dragging me inside the dorm building.
Glancing over my shoulder, I take one last look at my amazing boyfriend. Warmth and happiness swirl in my chest, making me feel like I can win the state championship!
