Page 86 of The Wildest One
“Did you see that dress she wore yesterday?” my right wing asked, joining the other two. “I wasn’t expecting her to have an ass likethat. But, dude, it’s just the kind of ass?—”
“Walk.” Landon’s arm moved around my shoulders, his voice in my ear, blocking me from hearing the rest of what my right wing was saying.
“No, Landon,” I growled. “I’m going to fucking?—”
“Ignore them, Beck.” The way he was guiding me forced my feet to move, and he directed me toward our lockers. “And wipe that look off your face.”
I tossed my gloves on the floor. “What look?”
“The look that says you’re about to end someone’s life.”
“But I am.”
I pulled off my jersey and tossed it on the bench, along with my helmet. Now that my hands were free, my fingers automatically balled. That grip tightened as the trio made their way into the locker room, their comments about Jolie still coming in fast and hard.
“You’re playing with fire, my man.” Landon eyed my fists, pounding my shoulder, as though that would loosen them up. “You start this battle, and you’re going to do everything she asked you not to do.”
Why the hell had I confided in him and told him about my conversation with Jolie?
Because he wouldn’t stop asking about what had gone down at my house—that was why.
Still, I regretted saying a goddamn word. Because the last thing I needed was him trying to talk any sense into me.
I blocked his fingers from tapping me. “She said nothing about fighting my teammates. Her worry is about them finding out. Me killing them? Shit, that wouldn’t tell them anything.”
He shook his head at me. “The thing is, you’re fucking serious, and that’s scary.” He moved in front of me, hindering me from seeing the group. “How the hell would you explain why you’d shattered the nose of our second-string goalie?”
“You think it’s only his nose I want to destroy?” I let out a deep chuckle. “It needs to be realigned anyway. Have you seen that fucking thing?”
He ran his hand over his buzzed head, shaved down for the start of the season. “Or why you knocked out our defenseman’s teeth?”
“You mean, the rest of his teeth. He doesn’t have a ton to begin with.”
“Beck”—his hands went to my shoulders—“you need to tone it down, cowboy.”
I moved out of the way and gripped the wall that separated our lockers. “I’m telling you, Landon … I’m not going to survive this.”
I didn’t care that Jolie and I weren’t together. The thought of her with these men and hearing them talk about her this way made me want to destroy them.
He nodded to one of the other players and said, “This is only the beginning. You know, when it comes to our team and women, things don’t die down. They get worse over time.”
I pressed my forehead against the wall and sighed. “I know. I’m telling you, someone is going to fucking die?—”
“Beck, do you have a second?”
The question hadn’t been spoken by Landon. So, I pulled my forehead off the wood and turned, seeing Mark standing at the mouth of the locker room.
“Yeah, I just have to shower, and I’ll?—”
“No need to shower,” Mark said, adjusting the sides of his suit jacket. “Just get dressed and come into my office when you can.”
I held the back of my neck, the sweat soaking my fingers. “You got it.” I turned toward Landon once Mark was gone. “No shower? That man doesn’t know what he’s asking for.”
Landon chuckled. “He must not know what hockey gloves smell like after a few wears.”
“How would he? The dude’s probably never even skated.”
I unhooked my shoulder pads and stripped off the layers of equipment until I was down to my spandex shorts and grays. I took those off, too, using a towel to dry myself as best as I could.
