Page 3 of Rebel Secrets
The man who stopped next to Rain and put his arm around her shoulders still occasionally looked at me like I might bite his hand off at any second.Brian Fiskers used to be one of my best friends.We’d fucked that up royally years ago, but his relationship with my sister had forced us to repair at least some of the damage.Not all.
“Yeah, no problem.”I shrugged.“There’ll be another game.Heard you had a few good games.”
Brian looked at me as if he was trying to see the meaning behind my words, looking for the dig or the sarcasm.Honestly, I could say there was nothing there.Brian must have realize that because he said, “I think I’m finally getting back into my stride.”
“The Devils are lucky to have you.”I meant every word.
“And we miss you.”
Yeah, I still felt guilty about leaving in the middle of the season.Like I was abandoning the team I’d played with since I left college.My family’s team.The team I’d always thought I’d live and breathe.
“The new guy’s fitting in pretty well, so far.”Rain was quick to fill the silence.“He’s really young, though.And he’s…a little rough.”
When I’d left, the Devils had had to sign a new defenseman.Pop had found an eighteen-year-old kid from Michigan who’d been playing in the OHL.But he’d had some issues.Pop had a soft spot for troublemakers.Rowdy and I had given him lots of practice.
“I’m sure Rowdy’ll get him in line.”
Over Rain’s shoulder, I saw a flash of rose-gold hair and dark green silk.For a second, my gaze caught Erin’s.Her eyes widened before she made a made a sharp turn and headed in the opposite direction.Mentally, I rolled my eyes and sent up a little prayer for dodging a bullet.If I had to listen to her drone on about scones or cookies or?—
“Reb?You still here?”
I shook my head, trying to throw off the bad mood Erin always put me in.Which wasn’t completely fair.Most of the problem was mine, though I think she did go out of her way to be extra sunny and annoying around me since she knew I couldn’t stand it.
“Yeah, sorry, just…”
Got distracted by my dislike of your best friend.Get your head out of your ass and pay attention.
“I don’t think I’ve met the new kid yet.Is he here?”
Though I no longer played for my family’s team, I still liked to know who everyone was.Our dad had made the announcement that he was retiring at the end of the season, and that Rowdy and Rain were going to be taking over operations.I still hadn’t truly wrapped my head around those facts yet, and those subjects consumed a lot of my therapy time.
Rain’s head turned, looking for the new kid, I assumed.
“Yeah, somewhere.Just…there he is.Oh.Maybe I should just…”
And then she walked away like someone had lit her ass on fire.
I looked at Brian with a WTF expression, and he glanced after Rain.He grinned a second later.
“I’m not sure which one she’s going to save, but it looks like Erin and Dante are, uh, talking?Yeah, that’s not gonna go well.She and the kid didn’t hit it off exactly.”
Well, then I really needed to meet this kid.He and I already had something in common.I turned to search for Rain, but of course, it was Erin’s bright hair that caught my eye first.But she wasn’t smiling now.
She had a look on her face I could only recall ever seeing when she talked to me.Her lips smashed together in a straight line, arms crossed over her chest and her body one long rigid line.
Jesus, what the hell had the kid said to put her in that state?Usually, I was the only one who could do that.I couldn’t decide if I was impressed or jealous.As I watched, Erin’s lips parted, but just before she could say anything, Rain put one hand on Erin’s arm and one on the guy’s shoulder, who was standing maybe just a little too close to Erin.
Not that I cared how close anyone stood to her.But if the guy was frightening her, that was something else entirely.
I switched my attention to the new guy.Tall, but not a lot of muscle.Like a St.Bernard puppy that was huge but didn’t quite know how to control everything all at once.A head full of dark curls cut short and a face full of freckles.His light brown skin couldn’t hide the flush on his cheeks.Whether from anger or embarrassment, I couldn’t tell.
Been there, done that, kid.
With her back to me, I couldn’t tell what Rain was saying, but her head swiveled side to side, addressing Erin and…
“What’s the kid’s name again?”I asked Brian.My memory was shit for names.
“Dante Cantagno.”
