Coming ine box set, p.104
Coming in Hot: Rescue Me Box Set, page 104
Danni looked around the room. “Look. You can tell which pads he replaced. There. And there.” She picked out the three new shoulders pads, which were a slightly darker colour than the rest. She lifted NickNac’s off the hook, examined the stitching, and flipped them over. Nothing stuck out as different. Disappointed, she reached to put them back, but noticed a small patch sewn over the deltoid. “Hey. What’s this? Is that normal?”
“What?”
Danni pointed to the patch and handed the shoulder pad to Trey. She reached up and took down Carl Veet’s shoulder pads. “Veet’s doesn’t have it. But it’s here on the one Cliff brought in. Check the other two darker ones.”
Trey lifted Ryan Jenkins’ pads off the hook and flipped them over. “Yup, it’s here. What is it?”
“A drug patch,” Danni said quietly. “I bet this is how the players are getting Mixamp.”
Trey’s eyebrows went up. “Do you really think so?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Enough of the drug could be absorbed through a patch?”
“Yes, it can. It’s one of the ways you can administer the drug. I can take it to the lab to be tested, but I bet that’s what he’s doing.”
“He’s adding a patch of Mixamp to the shoulder pads.” Trey frowned. “Frankly, I can’t see Cliff masterminding this.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I mean, really? I’d bet money someone else is pulling the strings.”
“Well, I think that’s something for the police to sort out. Let’s take it and show it to them.”
“We can’t just walk out with a shoulder pad.”
“Sure we can.”
“What if Cliff’s around? He’s not going to let us leave with it.”
“Oh. Good point.” She thought for a moment. “Put it on.”
“What?”
“Put it on. You’ve got broad shoulders. No one will notice.”
“Seriously? I think people will notice if I walk around with shoulder pads on. Don’t you have a duffle bag we could throw it in?”
“No, I don’t have anything like that. And we don’t have time to find one. We need to get out now and, hopefully, without you being seen. Just put it on.”
“Maybe you should wear it,” Trey suggested.
Danni put her hands on her hips and looked at him.
Trey sighed and slipped his jacket off. He put the shoulder pads on and zipped his jacket again.
“Perfect.” Danni grinned. “No one will be able to tell.” She gave him a quick kiss. “Have I told you that I think broad shoulders are very sexy?”
Trey laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind if I’m caught wearing them.”
“Here are the keys to my car. You slip out and I’ll follow in a minute. It’ll be less conspicuous if we go separately.”
“You just don’t want to be caught with me wearing this get-up.”
She shook her head. “You look great. You can’t even tell you have them on.”
He smirked. “Your car has tinted windows, right?”
She laughed and nudged him toward the door. “See you in two.”
After he left, Danni set her phone for a two-minute timer. She straightened the equipment around Webber’s stall and moved across the room to hang up the other set of shoulder pads. The door opened and Danni froze. She’d forgotten to lock it behind Trey.
Cliff came in, carrying a case of Score. He stopped when he saw her. “Hey, Doc. You’re here early.”
She put her hands behind her back so he wouldn’t see them shaking. “The early bird catches the worm,” she said a little too brightly.
Cliff’s brows came together. “What?”
“Oh, haha, I just meant, you know, you can get a lot done before it gets busy. Sometimes I like to come early and, you know, get a lot done…”
“Right.” He glanced behind her at the shoulder pads hanging on the hooks. She plastered a smile on her face. He carried the Score over to the bench, pulled out a knife to open the plastic, and started to set one out at each stall.
Danni moved across the room toward the door. “Okay, well. I’m all done everything I came to do, so I’m just going to head out.” She pointed unnecessarily toward the door and moved to pass him.
Cliff nodded without looking at her. Then he stopped and stared at the empty hook in NickNac’s stall. His eyes narrowed and his lips flattened into a grim line. “What’d you do with it?” He held up the knife and shifted to stand between her and the door.
Danni took a step back. “Easy, Cliff.”
“Where are the shoulder pads?”
“What shoulder pads?”
“Don’t mess with me, Doc.” He took a step closer. Danni raised her hands and stepped back. “I come in here, and you’re messing with the equipment. You shouldn’t be poking into stuff that don’t concern you.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t lie,” he said with a sneer. “All of a sudden you’re interested in the storage room. You’re asking questions, lifting stuff…”
Danni cringed. So much for her super sleuthing. She took another step back as the colour mounted in Cliff’s face. Danni swallowed and thought quickly. “Okay. Okay. Look. I suspected something was going on, and I wanted to get a piece of the action. I could help you.”
“Help me? How?”
“I don’t know. Whatever would be useful. I have access to drugs,” she said quickly, hoping she didn’t push him too far.
“We don’t need help with that. We got all the access we need.”
Bingo, she thought. “Of course. I could look the other way.”
“You thinking of blackmailing us?” His voice rose, and his body shook.
“Of course not. Of course not.” She backed away.
He waved the knife. “I’ve worked long and hard to set things up. It’s perfect. Do you hear me? Perfect. I don’t need your stupid help. You think you’re so high and mighty. Well, you listen to me. You ain’t no better than the rest of ’em.” He took a deep breath. “We need to go for a little walk. You need to be nice and quiet and do what I say.”
“Listen, Cliff. I didn’t mean to–”
“Shut up. Just shut up,” he snarled. He grabbed her arm and yanked her toward the door.
The door burst open and slammed against the wall. Trey ran in. Cliff jerked, and Danni wrenched her arm free.
Trey put his hands up when he saw the knife. Cliff screamed in rage and lunged toward Trey, slashing his chest. Trey pivoted to the side and slammed his arm down, knocking the knife out of Cliff’s hands. It skidded across the floor. Trey followed with a quick left hook, and Cliff crumpled to the ground.
Trey stood, breathing heavily, and looked over at Danni. He opened his jacket and showed her the shoulder pads that had been slashed in two. “You think an equipment manager would take better care of shoulder pads.”
Danni laughed shakily and jumped into his arms.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Danni stood, looking out the window in her loft. Big fluffy snowflakes fell gently to the ground. Trey wrapped his arms around her from behind. “You have to stop reliving that moment,” he said quietly.
“I know. I know.” Danni leaned back and rested her head against his shoulder. “How did you know to come back? What if you hadn’t?” she asked with a shiver.
Trey rubbed his hands down her arms and hugged her tighter. “I did. Focus on that. I did. You were taking too long, and Cliff was lurking in the hallway when I left. I was afraid he’d go back to the dressing room.”
“He did.” She sighed.
Trey turned her around to face him and looked her in the eye. “It’s over, Danni. He won’t be around for a long time. The police have him in custody, and there’s enough to implicate Mitch Element, too. They’ve already picked him up for questioning.”
“Thank god. I can’t believe they would go to those lengths,” she said, snuggling closer.
“Element owed a lot of people a lot of money. The quickest way for him to get his hands on cash was to increase attendance at the games. More people, more revenue from ticket sales. Plus, he counted on a nice little bonus from the concession stands and swag. It wasn’t a bad thought, except his idea for increasing the tickets sales was to give the team a boost with Mixamp.”
“Which is where he miscalculated.”
“I’m sure he justified all the fighting for its entertainment value. It probably did draw more fans to the games. Initially, anyway.” Trey shrugged.
“Until the team started losing games and the players’ injuries piled up.”
Trey grimaced. “I guess I inspired him when I said I’d push the team to win.”
Danni rested a hand on Trey’s chest. “It wouldn’t have mattered what you’d said. Element’s a sick man, and he almost got away with it. That’s the scary part. And he convinced Cliff to do his grunt work for him.”
“Cliff had a chip on his shoulder. In his eyes, he deserved more. Probably thought he could hide behind Element if this blew up.”
Danni’s eyes darkened. “I hope they both get nailed with attempted murder.”
“Yeah. I’m not sure what the DA will go for, but Element picked the wrong town to mess with.”
“How did the players take it?”
“They were pretty shaken up. The doping allegations were weighing heavily on them, so there was some relief and a feeling of vindication. A few were angry. You probably can guess who.”
Danni gave a small smile.
“We have a few days off with the All-Star game coming up. I think it will give the guys a chance to regroup and deal with it. It’s early enough in the season that they can turn it around and get back in the running for a playoff spot. At least the season won’t be a write-off. That’ll help.”
“I’m not sure what you told them about me, but I’ve received about thirty texts from the boys.”
Trey brushed a hand down Danni’s hair. He’d told Danni not to relive the moment, and he silently gave himself the same advice. When he’d gone back into the dressing room and saw Cliff holding a knife and threatening her, it was the scariest moment of his life. And then the adrenalin had kicked in. What happened replayed in slow motion in his mind. He wouldn’t have believed it himself, except he’d watched the police bag up the slashed shoulder pads as evidence. “They’ve got your back,” he said mildly. “Let’s just say Cliff and Element will be safer in police custody.” He hugged Danni closer. He never wanted to let her go.
“And you got your job back, right?” Danni asked quietly.
“Danni, about that…”
Danni pulled back quickly and looked up at him with wide eyes. “Please don’t say…” She swallowed a lump in her throat.
“Hey–”
“Please don’t say you’re leaving. It’s not fair. The team needs you. You can turn this whole mess around and–”
“I think the team would be fine.”
“I need you.” Danni looked up at him with her heart in her eyes. “I need you. I don’t want you to leave. Trey, I love you.”
Trey looked into Danni’s eyes and thought it was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. She loved him. Joy coursed through him, and he smiled. He felt like he might never stop smiling.
He kissed Danni passionately and pulled back. “I love you, Danni. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. It’s a little scary.” He laughed shakily and ran a hand through his hair. “When I walked in and saw you with Cliff, it was the worst moment of my life. I knew then that I couldn’t live without you. That if he did anything, anything, to you–”
“Shh.” Danni put a finger to his lips. “I know how you feel. When he attacked you with the knife, I thought my life was over.”
Trey framed Danni’s face with his hands and brushed his lips against hers. “I could stay with the Quakes. But if I go back to the team and stay in Clarington, there is one change that would have to be made. One non-negotiable that would depend on you.”
“On me? What’s that?”
“I don’t want to stay here unless you’re in my life. I’d like to wake up every morning with you by my side and come home to you at night. I want to see you smile every day and be the reason you smile. I love you, Danni.” He reached for her hands and kissed each one in turn. “How do you feel about marriage?”
Danni grinned. “Generally I’m not opposed to marriage. Depends who’s asking.”
He kissed her lips, taking his time, reveling in her sweet taste. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes. Yes, please.” She laughed, jumped into his arms, and showered his face with open-mouthed kisses.
When he could catch his breath, he smiled at her. “Did I mention how grateful I am that you made me wear the shoulder pads?”
Danni laughed. “And you argued with me about that. Let that be a lesson.” She poked his chest playfully. “If you do what I say, everything will turn out all right.”
Trey grinned. “Sounds like a recipe for a long and happy life. Do me a favour, though?”
“What’s that?”
“Promise me, no more detective work.”
She laughed. “Promise. It’s okay if I still wear black though, right?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
She unbuttoned her blouse with a sultry look, and he swung her into his arms and carried her upstairs.
About The Author
Linda O'Connor started writing a few years ago when she needed a creative outlet other than subtly rearranging the displays at the local home décor store. It turns out she loves writing romantic comedies and has a few more stories to tell. When not writing, she’s a physician at an Urgent Care Clinic (well, even when she is writing she’s a physician, and it shows up in her stories :D). She hangs out at http://www.lindaoconnor.net/
Laugh every day. Love every minute.
More by Linda O'Connor
IN THE GAME HOCKEY ROMANCE
Between the Pipes
Behind the Bench
Beyond the Face-off
Before the Whistle
PERFECTLY SERIES
Perfectly Honest
Perfectly Reasonable
Perfectly Planned
Perfectly Unpredictable
Perfectly Christmas
Perfectly Together
Perfectly Skeptical (Perfectly Series novella)
Perfectly Crazy in Love (Perfectly Series novella)
Where to find Linda O'Connor
Find Linda at:
http://www.lindaoconnor.net/
https://www.facebook.com/LindaOConnorAuthor
https://twitter.com/LindaOConnor98
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linda-o-connor
Burn Hard by Elianne Adams
Burn Hard
Copyright@Élianne Adams 2018
Edited by Theresa Cole
Cover by Fantasia Frog Designs
Seven months ago, Trista left the Odyssey, and the sexiest, most frustrating man she’d ever met behind. At least, that’s what she’d thought, until Ryland came into her life again, with an insurance policy in the form of a contract she’d signed tight in his grip. Against her better judgment—and her will—she has to go back with him and spend an entire month trying to resist the crazy pull he had on her. Right. No problem at all. She just has to keep him from worming his way back into her heart and destroying it once and for all. Because once the month was up, she was going home, and their time together would be done. Forever.
Nothing in his life had prepared Ryland for the agony of losing his one true mate. When Trista had left the Odyssey—and him—behind, he’d had no one to blame but himself. That knowledge didn’t make the devastating loss any easier. Raging inside him, his phoenix refuses to accept his decision to let her go. Now, out of control, he has to bring her back and either make it work or be forced to leave the Odyssey for good.
Chapter 1
“Don’t pull on that tube. I’m telling you, you’re going to hurt yourself.”
Trista. Ryland would recognize his mate’s voice anywhere. Even though she had spoken softly, Ryland had heard every word from his spot next to the nursing station. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, and it had to violate some confidentiality law, but as a phoenix shifter, he couldn’t help overhearing.
A loud beep sounded from somewhere on the desk, making him want to cover his sensitive ears. To think she had to deal with that horrid noise every time she went to work…
“Can I help you?” a young nurse with long blond hair tied into a messy bun and impossibly full eyelashes asked as she sidled up to him.
He glanced at the doorway to room 2620 again. All he needed was his mate. “No, thank you.”
The nurse batted her eyes at him and pouted her lips. “Are you here to see someone? Maybe I can point you to the right room?”
He shook his head. “I’ve found her already. I’ll just wait for her here. Thanks again.”
For seven long months, he’d done as Trista had asked and given her space. When she’d left the Odyssey, she’d told him she wasn’t ready to be a phoenix’s mate—that she didn’t want the kind of life he had to offer her. So, he’d let her go. It had been the hardest damned thing he’d ever had to do, and with the mating craze beating at him, he’d suffered ever since.
Every single day, his phoenix had clawed at him, demanding that he find his mate and claim her. The beast had driven him to the brink of insanity with its need to connect with her. It was more than chemistry that drew him, though that was there in droves. It was her smile. Her heart. Her—everything. She was his. All he had to do was convince her to give him half a chance to make her happy.
He scraped his fingers through his hair, barely keeping from tugging at the strands. What the hell was taking her so long? If it weren’t for the fact he refused to violate the sick person’s privacy, he’d march right in, throw her over his shoulder, and carry her away.
