Page 157 of Wrong Pucking Player

“Of course, I do,” Jamie notes and has the short blond strands of Jayce in his grasp, forcing the kneeling captain to look back and up at his “younger” brother.

Shit. How many times have I wished to have him in that position, bowing to the person who’s keeping his shame from being mocked by the rest of the world?

“Jayce Winchester. The captain of the Saskatchewan Pincer Blades. The position that was meant for ME!” We flinch at the way he screams that single word.

Jayce is wide-eyed and silent as he stares at those identical greenish-blue eyes.

“Must be nice to be the favorite child, huh? Suck up to that drunken gambling piece of shit, and you get everything you want, huh?” Jamie snarls. “You thought you were slick. That this wouldn’t reach Moscow. Why? Because our laws prevent news from going in and out? How foolish my brother is.” He uses his free hand to grip Jayce’s chin, and I see from the man’s cynical eyes that he wants to do so much more than this.

Bash his head against the ground and make him bleed.

“You’re not ready for this world of hockey, brother. You don’t have the budget, the connections, the team-play personality. You can’t even fucking lead. That crew you had before. What was it? The Heartbreaker Crew. Wasn’t that a prime example?” He brings up the past. “That group of friends you cherished, yet you’re the very reason it all came crashing down. If you don’t watch your every move, who knows? It really could go up in flames, with everyone having a front-row seat watching all your failures.”

“I’ve prepared all my life for this,” Jayce grunts.

“You’ve prepared?” Now Jamie is laughing hysterically.

I question whether he’s sane with a side glance at Oliver. He doesn’t seem worried by his expression as he watches the exchange and even gestures for another go at my cigarette.

Whatever Jamie is bringing to the table for a business partnership with my brother has to be big.

“I’ve swum through frigid temperatures to get my stamina up to perform on the ice. Ran miles. Trained like a fucking Olympian while starting from the ground up after our own father dumped me in the shithole of Moscow and told me to defend myself because HIS future was in the hands of his eldest child. Not me, the unexpected plus one.”

Ouch.

I can only wonder what Jamie’s backstory is.

“I built an empire using myself as a shield from this dark world, and the moment the opportunity comes for me to claim what I’ve worked hard for, who gets in my way?” he ponders as he leans into Jayce’s face. “My own brother. The twin who shares my own fucking blood.” He laughs and lightly pats Jayce’s cheek.

Left. Right. Left. Right.

I can tell from the intense tremble in his hand that he’d love to really slap this man into the past and fight him in the damn womb to see who can come out first.

Sibling rivalry at its finest.

“The only reason I’m not touching this face of yours is out of pure sympathy. I can’t go harming one that looks just like me. It’ll hurt the level of love I have for myself.”

Wow.

Maybe I like Jayce more.

Oliver passes me back my cigarette as we quietly observe the brotherly confrontation.

“You’re lucky I got a private jet to catch, or this conversation would be going a whole different direction.” He pushes him to the ground and rises up in one smooth movement.

Oliver doesn’t even wait to pull out his pack of cigarettes and offer it to the Winchester.

He takes one and pulls his own lighter out of his dark blue dress pants, the logo on the lighter catching my attention.

The Moscow Orcs.

“You’re part of a hockey team already?” I inquire.

“Captain of it,” he calmly replies, which is crazy to me because he looked like he was on the tip of the madness iceberg a second ago. “They love me over there. You guys don’t see it because of our social media laws, but that will change soon. I found a good puck bunny who can get me out there.”

I feel like I imagine it, but the way he says ‘puck bunny’ has a softer tone to it. That, and the way his eyes softened just slightly, makes me wonder who this individual is.

What’s her importance in all this, aside from making Jamie Winchester look good?

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