Page 158 of Wrong Pucking Player

“You can’t reveal your existence when I’m only now about to start my rise to fame!” Jayce surprisingly snaps at him.

Another example of how immature and selfish Jayce is.

Jamie grins even with the cigarette between the middle of his lips.

He takes a single step to be at Jayce’s feet before he crouches down and takes the cig between his fingers. Blowing the stream of smoke into Jayce’s face, he enjoys the coughing fit it ignites before they’re glaring at one another.

Like glaring at your own reflection.

“Oh, I know, brother. I know exactly what’s at stake right now, which is why I’m going to keep being a ghost. Not for your benefit, of course.” He intentionally takes a dramatic inhale of his cigarette and lets it out in Jayce’s face yet again. “When you see me again, it’s because everything is beginning to burn away. Your fame. Connections. The flow of income.”

He pauses to look my way, forcing Jayce to have no choice but to follow his gaze.

“Maybe I can even convince the one friend in your corner to give up on you?” he offers.

My face is blank, but I catch onto the way Oliver is smiling.

I swear this man is making a deal with Jamie for a reason. One that has to benefit not only him but probably Nico.

“He’s mine.”

Jamie’s smile widens before he looks back at Jayce.

“Really? Not sure about that one.” Jamie chuckles. “I’ll admit, he’s loyal, but all I have to do is snap my fingers, and he’ll have no choice but to pick sides.”

I have no comment to say to that.

When Oliver’s phone begins to ring, he pulls out the device and looks at the screen.

“We gotta go, Jamie. Our ride is here.”

“A shame,” Jamie dramatically sighs. “I was just getting started.”

He rises from his crouched position and walks right up to me. Offering his hand, he gives me a gleaming grin.

“Jamie Winchester,” he re-introduces. “Oliver will share the deets when it’s deemed important, but I figured it would be good to acquit myself to one of the heirs to the Salvatore Empire. You’ve done well lying low. Maybe my brother could get some pointers.”

He winks just as I raise my hand to shake his. The grip is a solid shake, one that tells me may be the beginning of an avalanche of change.

Change none of his will be ready for.

“I’ll be looking out for your first game. Not like I haven’t seen your performance as a superb goalie, but it’ll be interesting to see you on the ice with my bro as captain.”

“Why is that?” I dare to ask, curiosity getting the best of me this time around.

“I want to see the difference,” he admits. “The difference between the way my brother coaches the Saskatchewan Pincer Blades versus the way I’ll be coaching them,” he says with such bold conviction, I worry he’ll find a way to become the captain of our team instead of Jayce. “Which by the way, the Blades in the name has got to go. Pincers is better.” With one last squeeze of my hand, he leans in to whisper into my ear.

“I also suggest you look into Fernandez.” That has my utmost attention. “Word out there is saying you have interest in something he lost.”

He leans back to look directly into my eyes, and I don’t hide it.

The blazing fury that wouldn’t hesitate to bite if provoked.

“Jamie,” Oliver warns.

“My bad, my bad,” he brushes off my brother while smiling my way.

“What’s lost will always be found,” he states. “Hope to see you again. Maybe with that diamond of yours.”

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