Hard Stick Page 5

  I slapped him on the shoulder. “You also have two sisters up there as well. I’ve only ever had my dad.”

  “What about your mom? Have you talked to her since you beat the shit out of your stepdad?” Fists clenched, I couldn’t help but think about that day. I hated my mother for cheating on my dad multiple times with different men, but I loathed her husband even more.

  “Nope, and I don’t plan on it.” I hadn’t needed her for a very long time.

  “Good. Now let’s get the fuck out of here. I’m sure Ledger’s waiting on you in the locker room.”

  I burst out laughing. “I have no doubt. And if he tries to fight me, I’ll just break his jaw.”

  “And we all know you will.”

  —

  Luckily, Maddox didn’t confront me, only called me a few names under his breath as he walked out of the locker room. I didn’t like hurting my teammates, but sometimes, there was no other way to get the point across.

  When I got to my dad’s house, the ladder was already perched against the side of the house and he was in the garage, filling the blower with gas. Now that autumn had come and the leaves were falling, I didn’t want him getting on the roof. He was only in his late fifties, but I could see him tumbling off the roof and breaking his neck. The last thing I wanted was to lose the only person who ever gave a damn about me.

  “Hey,” I called as I got out of my truck. With a wide smile, my father faced me, dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a polo shirt. “Where ya off to?”

  He brushed a hand down his shirt. “A date.”

  “Holy fuck, are you serious? It’s about damn time.” Chuckling, he gave me a hug, his eyes brighter than I’d ever seen them. I hadn’t seen him like that in a long time. As far as I knew, he hadn’t been on a date since he divorced my mother fifteen years ago. “Who is she?” I asked.

  He shrugged sheepishly. “The owner of the bakery downtown. I ran into her one day as she was walking out.”

  “That’s great, Dad. I’m glad to see you finally happy.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind cleaning out my gutters? I feel bad leaving you here.”

  I waved him off and pushed him toward his car. “I’ll be fine. Go and have some fun.”

  He opened the car door and stopped. “What about you? Any new women in your life?”

  My thoughts instantly drifted to Kristen. She didn’t smile very often, but when she did, it was amazing. There was something about her that drew people to her. “There is one girl, but she hates me. She thinks I’m a player.”

  He laughed. “She obviously doesn’t know you very well.”

  “Nope, but I plan on changing that.”

  “You do that. And as soon as you do I want to meet her.”

  I had a lot of work ahead of me before that would ever happen. If Kristen knew what I’d seen my father go through with my mother, she’d know I would never do that to anyone. I had my fair share of women over the years, but nothing serious. I never wanted anything like that, and neither did the women I was with.

  My father got into his car and waved before driving away. He’d lived his life to make sure I followed my dreams, never once thinking about his own needs. That was why I made it a point to do anything and everything I could for him. Strapping the blower to my back, I was about to climb up the ladder when my phone rang.

  It was probably Dallas, texting me a picture of the beer he was drinking. However, when I looked down at my phone, it wasn’t him. “Motherfucker,” I growled. It was my mother. I picked up the phone, not even attempting to hide my hostility. “What do you want?”

  “Hello to you, too, son.” I didn’t even bother with a response. “I wanted to see if we could meet for dinner in a few weeks. I’ll be in Charlotte on business.”

  “Are you shitting me? You don’t call for months and then out of the blue you want to see me?”

  “I’ve been really busy, Kellan. Besides, wasn’t it you who attacked my husband? He’s been waiting for an apology.”

  “Well, he isn’t going to fucking get one,” I hissed. “The douche bag deserved it. You let him walk all over you. But then again, I guess it’s karma after what you did to Dad.”

  “That’s not fair,” she snapped.

  “Nothing’s fair, Mary.”

  “Mary? I’m your mother, for Christ’s sake.”

  I could feel the anger boiling in my veins. “Then fucking act like it.” I hung up the phone and turned it off. I didn’t give a shit if I ever saw her or her bastard of a husband ever again. If I did, one punch wasn’t going to be enough.

  Chapter 9

  Kristen

  It was time for my shift at work so I shut my laptop and headed to the pub. Kristen Robinson was now officially dead. I’d watched the news clip over a hundred times and it still didn’t seem real. According to Aylee’s FBI contact, Mitchell had stopped the search for me; it was over. However, there was a part of me that believed it’d never be over. I couldn’t believe he’d give up searching for me so fast when he didn’t have actual proof that I was dead. That was how psychotic the man was. It wouldn’t surprise me if he demanded to see my body.

  For the first time in over a year, I actually had the freedom to be happy. Sometimes I didn’t even know what that word meant. With Kristen Robinson being dead, it felt like a part of me was gone, but I hoped it’d be the beginning of a new life. Maybe I could even get a job at M&M Architectural Design.

  When I got to the parking lot, my manager, Chris, was walking toward the door, carrying two large boxes. “Hey,” I said, hurrying over to him. “Let me help you.” I took one of the boxes and it was quite heavy. “My God, what do you have in here?”

  Chuckling, he rested the box on his knee and pushed up his glasses. “It’s pint glasses I etched for one of our customers. She’s inside with her husband and I wanted to give them to her.” He opened the box and pulled out one of them. There was the outline of the state of North Carolina and inside of it were the words CAROLINA BOOK FEST. “She wanted the logo carved into the glass so she could give them away at her event.”

  “Book fest? What is she, an author?”

  “Yep, a local talent of ours. If you like to read you should go to the book festival. I think she has a hundred authors coming this year. I’ll be there so I can show the authors all the different things I can make for them.” He put the glass back and we walked inside.

  “That’s awesome, Chris. You’re so talented. I bet your wife loves your creative mind.”

  He burst out laughing. “I hope so.”

  Chris was extremely talented. He almost reminded me of Cole with how smart he was. Not only was he a manager at Sammy’s, but he was the owner of a place called Wineding Rivers, where he sold all of his custom gifts. He was an artist and made homemade candle holders out of wine bottles, etched custom logos into glass, and even made all sorts of things out of wood.

  We walked inside and I followed him to the author’s table. She was young, probably not much older than me, with bright blond hair and tanned skin. Chris showed her and her husband all the different glasses and they were just as impressed as I was.

  Chris then grabbed my box. I didn’t want to intrude on their conversation so I smiled at them all and hurried to the back so I could clock in. There were a lot of famous people in Belmont. Some of the NFL football players from the Carolina Cougars came into the pub, and then Kellan and all his friends on the Charlotte Strikers hockey team would come in, too. Not to mention we had a bestselling author and a new restaurant opening up down the street run by the Jonas Brothers.

  Once I signed in, I headed to the bar. Jessica, another bartender, saw me and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you’re here. I’m exhausted.”

  I actually laughed, which almost sounded foreign to my ears. She froze, her gaping mouth making me laugh even harder; she looked like a fish. “Did you just laugh?”

  “I did. It’s been a good day.”

  There were a ton of people
at the bar and I was ready. I felt like I could move mountains. Knowing that I was free was liberating. Jessica untied her apron and stuck it under the bar. “I’m glad you had a good day, babe. I think you should have them more often.”

  I smiled. “I’m pretty sure I will. Have a good night.” She patted me on the shoulder and hurried to the back. I knew she had to get to the daycare before it closed to pick up her daughter. It couldn’t be easy to be a single mother, but she worked hard to make sure her daughter had everything she needed.

  So far Jessica had everyone taken care of, so I pulled out my phone and looked at the clock. It wouldn’t be long before Kellan and his friends arrived. They didn’t come in every day, but three out of the five days they practiced they’d come in for a beer or two and then leave; it was like a ritual with them.

  There were two ladies at the end of the bar who kept constantly looking at the door. I could recognize a set of groupies from a mile away. “Hey, ladies, can I get you another drink?” I asked them. Their glasses were almost empty, but I could tell they were nursing them.

  The blonde in the low-cut red dress glanced at her drink and sighed. “Yeah, might as well. I’ll take a screwdriver, please.”

  The other woman raised her hand. “Me, too.” She wasn’t wearing a dress, but her breasts were about to fall out of the top of her shirt. It was a good thing her long brown hair gave her some coverage. I’d seen the kinds of girls the hockey players wanted, and they definitely fit the bill. I didn’t dress like them so I never understood why Maddox and Kellan tried to flirt with me. Maybe it was because I wasn’t easy to get.

  It wouldn’t surprise me if one of those girls hadn’t already had sex with Kellan. A feeling passed through me and I hated to admit it, but it was part jealousy. For months, Kellan had been trying to get me to go out with him, and the thought of him screwing around with others while actively pursuing me pissed me off. Unfortunately, that was what guys like him did, though. I saw it with Maddox. He came on to me hard the other night and ended up leaving with another girl. Dirty bastard.

  I made their drinks and set them down in front of them. “Did you know some of the Strikers come in here to hang out?” I said, hoping to spark a conversation.

  Their eyes brightened. “That’s why we’re here,” the blonde spoke up. “The tall one with the dark hair is who I want to see.” Several of them fit that description, but I could only think of two: Kellan and Maddox.

  The brunette snorted. “He’s the hard one to get. He turns down everyone.”

  “Which one is he?” I asked curiously.

  The blonde smiled. “Kellan Carter. He’s the captain. None of my friends have been able to snag him. He’s either not interested or he doesn’t show up.”

  “Not interested? Is that because he’s seeing someone? Or maybe he’s gay?”

  They both laughed. “Oh goodness, no,” the brunette replied. “He’s as single and straight as they come. We just don’t know what he’s looking for.”

  The blonde pushed up her breasts. “Until now.”

  Plastering on a fake smile, I stepped back. “Good luck with that.” I never realized it before, but some women were just as bad as men. I had needs, too, and it sucked not having someone who loved me to quench that thirst, but I wasn’t about to randomly sleep with men to satiate my desires. The thought had crossed my mind a time or two, but I never gave in to it.

  Right on time, the door opened and in walked Dallas Easton and Braeden Wallace, followed by Maddox Ledger who had a swollen nose and dark eyes. What the hell happened to him? He separated from the other two and took his usual seat at the bar, just one seat away from the groupie girls. From what I could tell over the past year, Maddox and the other guys weren’t good friends.

  I walked over to him, but there were no smiles today. Maddox was a good-looking guy with dark hair and bright blue eyes. The only thing I didn’t like about him was his lack of respect for women. “Would you care for a drink?” I asked him.

  His voice was deep and low. “Double shot of whiskey.”

  “Coming right up.” Grabbing a shot glass, I poured it and he tossed it back in one gulp. “Anything else?”

  He nodded. “An OMB Copper.”

  I kept waiting for him to smile or flirt like he always did, but he kept his focus on his phone. He must’ve gotten hit pretty hard in practice. Or, knowing him, he got in a fight because he tried to steal another man’s girl. I gave him his beer and walked over to Dallas and Braeden. Dallas had a big mouth on him, but he was the type of guy who spoke the truth. There were times I was afraid we’d have to kick him out of the pub because if anyone pissed him off he was quick to start a fight. Just by looking at him, you could tell he was rough around the edges. He had a scar above his right eye and dark brown hair that was always gelled to be messy like he just got out of bed.

  Braeden was completely different. His hair was bright blond and he always had a smooth face, unlike Dallas and Kellan, who naturally kept a five o’clock shadow. Braeden always had a serious look on his face, as if he was constantly thinking about something.

  “The usual, gentlemen?” I asked, setting two coasters in front of them.

  Dallas nodded while Braeden said, “Yes.” I grabbed their beers and set them down.

  “Thanks, sweetheart,” Dallas said with a wink.

  “No problem.” Movement caught my eye and it was the girls at the other end of the bar. They grabbed their drinks, their predatory gazes on the guys. “You have incoming.”

  Dallas’s and Braeden’s brows furrowed, but then both girls sidled up behind them, rubbing a hand down their arms. They turned to look at them and it was game over. I could see the lust in their eyes as both women put on the charm.

  I was tempted to ask where Kellan was, but I didn’t want them to know I was interested. It was a ritual for them all to show up together. I couldn’t help but wonder where he was, or who he was with.

  The night seemed to drag on, and after a couple of hours listening to the incessant giggling of those two women, I was about to pull out my hair. “Can you close us out, babe?” Dallas asked. The blond vixen was practically in his lap, hanging all over him. The brunette was doing the same thing with Braeden.

  “Sure thing,” I said, getting their total. The pub was vacant, except for them. Maddox left not too long ago, but not before I got a good look at the glare he gave Dallas and Braeden. I passed Dallas the check and he slipped me his card. “So what happened to Maddox? I couldn’t help but notice his face.”

  Dallas and Braeden glanced at each other and chuckled. “Kellan fucked him up in practice,” Dallas replied.

  I gasped. “Why?”

  He finished off his beer, and I could tell by the lazy smile that he was feeling it. “Maddox deserved it for being a dick.”

  “Wow, that’s craziness.”

  I ran his card and held it out to him, but he grabbed on to my hand. “You haven’t agreed to go out with him, have you?”

  “Who? Kellan?” I asked. The girls gawked at me and snorted.

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  “No, why?”

  “Just asking,” he said with a shrug. He put his arm around the blonde and they started for the door. “It’d be nice to get the five hundred dollars.” They stopped and he smiled at me over his shoulder.

  “What are you talking about?” I demanded.

  Braeden sighed and smacked Dallas on the back of the head. “Stop fucking with the girl.” Then he turned to me. “It was just a stupid bet.”

  “Stupid?” Dallas laughed. “You put three hundred on it, so I don’t want to hear that shit.” In a drunken haze, he smiled over at me. “Just do us a favor and don’t go out with him until after the weekend. We made a bet that he couldn’t get you by the end of the week.”

  Braeden hit him again. “What the fuck? Shut the hell up.” He pushed Dallas out the door and they all followed him. So Kellan agreed to the bet? That was mighty bold of him.

  I cou
ld hear steps on the hardwood floor behind me. “You all right?” Chris asked.

  Turning on my heel, I smiled. “Yep.” If Kellan was trying to win the bet, he wasn’t trying very hard. But then again, maybe five hundred dollars was nothing compared to the money he earned. I used to make a good living, but at least I was able to retrieve the money I had in the bank before my supposed death. Having that money helped, especially since I didn’t make nearly as much working at the pub. Hopefully soon I’d be back to doing what I loved.

  “Why don’t you go home? I can finish up here,” Chris offered.

  “You sure? I don’t mind staying.”

  He shook his head. “Go. You do enough here as it is.”

  I hurried behind the bar and grabbed my purse. “Thanks, Chris. After all the training Aylee puts me through, I’m exhausted by nine o’clock.”

  “I can imagine.” He laughed. “I know not to mess with you now.”

  Aylee taught me many self-defense techniques and how to fight. Before, I had no clue what to do if someone attacked me. After everything that happened with Mitchell and Cole, I had to make sure I was ready for anything. At least now, I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.

  I waved goodbye to Chris and then walked out the door. The night was cool and I breathed in the clean air; the smell of rain was near. We needed it after the long, dry summer we had. Looking over at my car, I didn’t realize there was a truck parked next to me with someone leaning against it. It wasn’t just any someone, either.

  “Where were you tonight?” I asked, looking straight at Kellan’s smiling face. He had on a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips with a snug green T-shirt that showed off his perfectly sculpted arms. Why did he have to be so sexy? Not to mention, he had perfectly straight, white teeth, which I thought would be a rarity among hockey players.

  “So you missed me, huh?”

  His smile was infectious and I caught myself smiling back. “I wouldn’t say missed, but I was curious where you were. I saw what you did to Maddox.”

  He shrugged. “It had to be done. Maddox has a large fucking head and needed to be brought down.”