Page 85 of Breakaway Hearts

He moves his hand from my bicep to my shoulder. “Come on. Don’t be like that,” he says cajolingly. “I just thought it would be nice for the two of us to catch up.”

“Hey! Motherfucker!”

Austin and I, along with the remainder of the crowd still behind the Aces’ bench, turn to see Reese storming off the ice. He barrels toward us like a hurricane, still wearing his skates and a furious expression.

“Get your fucking hands off her if you want to keep them,” he growls.

Chapter29

Reese

When Austin doesn’t immediately take his hand off Callie, I yank it away. And I don’t stop there. I keep pulling, dragging him toward me, then land a hard punch to his jaw that sends him stumbling backward. He almost goes down, managing to catch his balance at the last second as blood drips from his split lip.

I’m vaguely aware of Callie yelling, of other people around us shouting, but all I can focus on is that piece of shit and the roaring in my ears telling me to beat this fucker into the ground.

I land another punch to his face, and he starts swinging blindly, landing a hit of his own. But I don’t give a shit. I barely even feel it.

How the fuck could he think this was okay? Walking up to her? Talking to her? Evenbreathingin her direction?

Callie was clearly uncomfortable. I saw her body tensing up, even from a distance. If this shithead couldn’t see that, or worse, if hecouldsee it and kept going, then he deserves every hit I’m landing.

“Reese!”

Noah just about tackles me, but I still manage to land one more punch on Austin’s face before he pulls me back. I struggle against his vise-like grip, but Sawyer and Theo pull me back as well.

“Cool it,” Noah tells me in a low, warning voice. “Remember where you are. You need to get your shit under control.Right. Now.”

I’m still pulling against their grips, I realize, as Austin scrambles to his feet. His nose looks like it might be broken, and his left eye is battered and swelling shut. He wipes at the blood streaming from his nostrils.

“Fuck you,” he bites out, then turns on his heel and storms out of the arena. I resist the urge to go after him, letting the guys haul me back to the bench.

Lights flash in my direction, and I look around to see fans taking photos and likely livestreaming the entire encounter.Fuck. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Margo talking to Ted, our marketing director, and I hear the words “legal,” “media,” and “press conference.”

“Sutton!” Dunaway shouts from the bench. He might actually be frothing at the mouth, and honestly, I don’t blame him.

I’ve just caused a major headache for the Aces.

“Sorry, Coach,” I mutter as the rest of the team starts to head into the tunnel leading to the locker rooms.

“Sorry?” he growls. “You’resorry? Meet me in my office after you get changed. Jesus fucking Christ, Sutton. I expect shit like this from Camden, not you.”

I nod stiffly, then follow my teammates toward the locker rooms. No one speaks. Hardly anyone comes within arm’s length of me. Fair. I must look like a ticking time bomb. Hell, I feel like one. I’m half-positive that if someone looks at me the wrong way, I’ll explode.

In the locker room, I shrug out of my gear and head to the showers, where most of my teammates are already cleaning up.

“Guest of honor has arrived,” Theo announces. He’s got a grin on his face, and the tightness around my chest loosens a bit at the sight. “Glad I’m not the one in trouble for fighting this time.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“Well, shit.”

Noah rakes a hand through his wet hair. “Seriously, though. You alright, man? I’ve never seen you so worked up. Who the fuck was that guy?”

I scrub my scalp way too hard, needing to let out the extra aggression boiling inside me.

“Callie’s ex,” I grunt. “He was bothering her. I could see it. He used to say awful shit about her, right to her face. He was verbally and emotionally abusive to her, and I can’t believe he had the nerve to talk to her after the shit he put her through. To even get near her.”

Noah nods. Something flashes on his face, a hint of understanding. “Damn. Yeah, okay. If someone like that fucked with Margo, I probably would’ve done the same.”

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