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Chapter 1

Rory

Here I a the knuckles ofkillbut in a bar? Yeah, I was prettyhere since early this uess was he not only knew but had decided to let me stew

My te at a simmer since I’d been handcuffed My ass was numb fro was slowly dying in there, and I smelled like bar smoke and stale beer

This was definitely not the i to cultivate

“Jackson, Rory,” the cop called out fro up from his clipboard

“That’s

“You look like shit,” a familiar voice said from next to the cop

“I’ll give you a second,” the cop said, holding an autographed Seattle Sharks hat in his other hand

That’s how Gage got back here

“You would too if you’d slept here” I snapped atto the cells all around me At least I’d had8 e lifted one black eyebrow and shook his head

“I wouldn’t be in the jail cell Oh, wait That’s right I’m not”

I folded my arms across my chest “I’m not in the mood for your shit”

Frouys—who’d been brought in way after I was—leaning forward against their bars Not that I could blae and I were two of the best-paid and well-played Seattle Sharks—the hoetmy voice

“Why would I do that?” Gage asked “At least if you’re in here, I know you’re not out there getting in trouble You do realize Coach is going to bench your ass, don’t you?

I sighed, , and rubbed my hand over my forehead “Yeah, I know”

“And you do realize that this is the first year we could actually win the Cup?”

“Yes”

“And you realize that you’re on your seventeenth strike of his ‘three strikes and you’re out’ policy?”

“God damn it, yes, I know that,” I hissed

“Then what the fuck were you thinking?”

“The guy was an asshole,” I said with a shrug

“So you hit him”

“He tried to hit , hell the , they all became him in my mind

Gage shook his head and looked at the ceiling like he was hoping God would co-believable” A couple of deep breaths later, he finally looked at e a fantastic grinder on the ice My temper hat made est liability “Grow the fuck up, Rory”

“Working on it,” I told him

“We’re ready,” Gage called over his shoulder, and the cop reappeared A few quick motions and he had my cell unlocked