Page 161 of Twisted Play
Cole handed Tristan the phone without looking at me. “We lost because she sold us out—but not to the bratva.”
“What the fuck do you mean it’s not the bratva?” Tristan exploded, pushing off the wall.
The walls of the locker room felt like they were closing in as Tristan examined the evidence of my betrayal. His face went white, then red, then something beyond anger.
“Eva.” My name sounded broken on his lips. “How could you?”
The disappointment in his voice cut deeper than Cole’s rage—Tristan—who’d made me feel like I mattered, who’d called me a goddess, who’d made me believe for a few brief, shining moments that someone could want me without trying to destroy me.
I lifted my chin, forcing steel into my spine. “He threatened my father. It was just one game.”
Liar.It was months of being torn apart piece by piece.
“It wasn’t just a game.” Tristan’s voice dropped to a growl as he threw my phone across the room. The sound of it clattering against the metal cubicles made me flinch. “My brother brought three scouts tonight. Three! Do you know how many strings he had to pull? How many favors he called in? This was my one shot!”
The blood drained from my face. “No,” I whispered. Had Carter known? Was that why he chose this series, of all the other options?
“Yes,” he snarled, backing me into the wall. He caged me in with his arms, and suddenly, the boy who’d held me like I was precious was gone, replaced by someone who looked at me like I was poison. “My brother gave up his dreams—he gave up his shot at the NHL for me. He sacrificedeverythingto get me here.”
My mind went blank, white noise filling my ears. “My father’s life was riding on this game too.”
“That’s your excuse for everything, isn’t it?” The sneer in Tristan’s voice made my heart crack. “Every nasty, cheating, slimy action you take. That’s bullshit, Eva. But you know what’s even worse?”
His fists clenched against the wall beside my head, and I could feel the barely leashed violence in him. “You looked me in the eyes this morning and wished me luck, knowing you’d already sold me out. At least have the fucking decency to admit this isn’t just about your father. You had choices. You could have come to us. To me. Instead, you chose to fuck over the entire team.”
Choices.The word tasted like ash. What choices? Report back to Carter or watch my father die? Let Cole blackmail me for sex or lose everything? Kneel for Alek or fail at the one job that might save me?
The fury built in my chest, hot and righteous and long overdue.
Cole stepped forward, mouth opening, but I wasn’t done. The dam had burst, and months of rage came pouring out.
“Fuck you both.” The words ripped from my throat. “Fuck you and your scholarships and your bright futures.Fuck you for making me feel like shit for trying to save my father’s life.”
“Who did you sell us out to?” Tristan asked, his voice barely recognizable, cold and furious.
“Jedediah Carter,” I answered.
“You’re a fucking liar,” Tristan said. “First it was the bratva, and now you’re saying it was Cole’s father?”
“She’s telling the truth,” Cole said, the quiet emptiness in his voice breaking my heart as much as his words. “The Hawks’ captain confirmed it.”
Tristan inhaled sharply. “You were selling us out to Cole’s father the whole time?” Tristan said softly, his voice deadly calm.
I watched understanding pass between the two men. Even now, even after everything, they had each other. They would always have each other.
And I would always be alone.
“Cole’s father is the cruelest man I’ve ever met,” Tristan continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. “And you put Cole, me, and the entire team in his crosshairs.”
“Because she’s fucking selfish,” Cole snapped, but even through my anguish, I could hear the pain in his words.
“Because he threatened to kill my father!” The words tore from my throat, raw and desperate.
“Sure, Eva,” Tristan said, disgust turning his features cruel. “You know how to start apologizing then.”
“Please,” I whispered, hating how small I sounded, how much their regard mattered to me. “Not here. Not like this.”
The fear in my voice fed Cole’s fury. “What was the deal, Eva? Have you forgotten? It’ll take just one word from me. You’ll lose everything. Your scholarship. Your future. Yourfather. Don’t fuck with me today.”
