Page 306 of Wrong Pucking Player

“You’re right. We agreed to delay it a little longer.”

“You want us to join to the extent of delaying your own family dinner…” The deep mature voice sounds choked with tears.

“I haven’t told Kenzie the full details of my childhood, but to simply put it, I experienced the same thing your family dealt with. My brother and I were kidnapped with the original intention of sex trafficking us. However, when the DeCostas recognized us, they struck a deal with our kidnappers and saved us. We had hits on our heads as well, so we couldn’t leave Strattonville unless we wanted to be hunted down. It took a lot of patience, and eventually, my brother had to grow up fast to finally be free from the shackles placed upon us here.

“However, so much time had passed, and quite frankly, the trauma from that and being around the wrong individuals here led to me isolating myself. By the time we finally got to be reunited with our parents… to our empire, I was emotionally turned off by the whole thing. I didn’t want to deal with it, despite the money and opportunities. The only thing that tempted me was having a source of income that I could aid my friend at the time who was going through financial difficulties but couldn’t admit it to the rest of the world.

“That was the only reason why I stuck close to my family, but no one made a real effort to try to connect us to our parents. It made me feel an odd disconnect from them. Not intentionally, but my trust had been destroyed to the point that even though I finally had the set of parents I’d been praying for every Christmas, I couldn’t comprehend allowing them back into my life unless there was some sort of gain.”

“That’s understandable,” a feminine voice whispers.

“I have a better relationship with my mother now than my father, but I see he’s trying. He protects me in his own way and is waiting for me to finally take my walls down. The crazy thing out of all of this is that Kenzie seemed to be the one to bring me and my dad a bit closer. She spoke highly of me to him, which, in turn, encouraged our whole team to get advances. She made him understand a glimpse of the future. I see myself with hockey and one day being captain of a team, even though I couldn’t see the complete picture myself. It felt as if she was the key to helping me open that tiny door I’d been afraid of opening by myself. It makes me want to try like my dad has been trying for all these years. That’s something no one else has been able to encourage me to do.”

My left hand is scooped up into a warm grasp and squeezed tenderly.

“I wanted to give Kenzie the opportunity to meet you both with the support I craved back then. To make the transition a lot easier. We didn’t know the semi-finals would go to shits or that Fernandez would take this opportunity to strike. I was on home arrest until the investigation was over, but due to the semi-final incident, all charges were immediately dropped, allowing me my freedom again.”

“That bastard child Winchester. Do you believe he’s someone we also need to be worried about?”

“He’s on his last days.” I wonder what he means by that. “The semi-finals are one thing, but he and his father have done unforgivable things that are long overdue in receiving justice. As for his younger brother, I heard he’s back in town. I’m sure that’s a good sign now that Jayce Winchesters’ reign in this town will come to a permanent end.”

“Where does that leave his brother?”

“It was Jamie, was it not?” the feminine voice questions.

“Jamie Winchester has an alliance with us. He’s the polar opposite of his brother and father and doesn’t want to meddle in unnecessary affairs. I feel he has enough on his own plate having to clean up what is left of the Winchester legacy.”

“So, only Fernandez needs to be taken down quickly.”

“The chief and special force officers are tracking him down, but I believe it won’t be long before he makes another desperate move.”

“On our Sofiya?”

“I can’t be sure. Maybe. Anything is up for play at this point, but with Winchester potentially out of the field, the only one left of interest would be Cyrus Jr.”

“You mean West’s son? Wyatt.”

“Yes. He should be here shortly.”

“He’s still a bodyguard?”

“Not necessarily. There was an incident that led to him being injured. Since then, he hasn’t been able to pursue his family’s secret profession.”

“That’s—”

There’s a knock on the door.

“Good afternoon. It’s time to do vital signs.”

“We’ll continue this conversation later.”

I let the conversation simmer in my mind while the white noise of movement in the background makes me drift off.

When I wake up this time around, I feel wakeful enough to open my eyes. It’s tricky at first, as though my eyes have been closed for a really long time, but when I finally get them open, I’m greeted by dim lights and the sight of Armani sleeping in the chair right next to the medical bed.

His arms are crossed, while his head is leaning to one side. His snores are quiet as he breathes in and out, but despite being asleep, he looks stressed from the lines of his face.

Peering further into the room, I notice a man and a woman in the corner of the room.

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