Page 39 of Guarding the Athlete
Mom’s eyes lit up as she pulled Ruby into a hug. “Your mate? How exciting.”
She inhaled subtly, then looked back at me with a curious look. I knew she was wondering why we weren’t officially mated yet. When supernatural beings mated, a thread of their mate’s scent mixed with theirs, but clearly Mom hadn’t smelled my bond with Ruby.
“We’re taking things slow,” I said quietly.
Ruby looked between us, trying to figure out what was happening.
“Why are you here tonight?” Mom asked curiously. “I thought you would hate something like this.”
It was possibly the longest conversation we’d had in over twenty years.
“Ruby plays for the Starfish, I’m here to support her,” I explained. “She’s one of their top players. She even went to the International Games to represent the U.S.”
“Oh that’s nice.” Mom gave Ruby a sad smile. “But it’s such a shame about that poor Romanian girl.”
I frowned. “What Romanian girl?”
Mom paused, looking suddenly uncertain. “Oh. I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Tell me.” I demanded.
“The team captain for the Romania’s women’s soccer team was also the daughter of the head of the country’s mob. Her name is…,” she paused, thinking. “Oh yeah, Valentina Radu, that’s it. Everyone thought the Romanian women would take the gold, but when the U.S. team knocked them out of contention, she killed herself in shame. Rumor has it that the Romanians thought the Americans cheated, so they swore a blood oath for vengeance.”
Everything stilled inside me as the pieces clicked into place. “How do you know that?”
If it was public knowledge, we would have heard about it.
“Your father is friends with the girl’s uncle, they played football together in college. We had dinner with him and his wife recently when they were in town, and they told us the story.”
“Where’s Alexei?” I barked.
“Eleanor needed to use the restroom,” Ruby said. “I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”
“Mom, can you keep my mate company for five minutes?” I asked. “I need you to keep her safe.”
Mom straightened her spine. She might be beaten down by my father, but she was still a vampire. She could kick ass if she needed to. “Yes, of course, I’d love to get to know Ruby better.”
Later I’d be surprised that my mother was showing any interest in my life. She’d scarcely noticed me the entire time I was growing up, other than as a way to get my father’s attention. But right now, I needed information, and there was only one way to get it.
I pressed a quick kiss to Ruby’s lips. “Don’t move a muscle unless my mom or Alexei are with you,” I ordered.
Ignoring Ruby’s confused look, I marched over to where my father was holding court. Shoving my way through the people around him, I grabbed my father’s elbow.
“Anson, a word? It’s important.”
Releasing an aggrieved sigh, my father pulled his arm away but followed me to an empty spot by a window where I could keep an eye on Ruby.
“Tell me everything you know about the Romanian girl who killed herself and the family’s blood oath.”
Ruby
Iwatched Cassie hurry away and tried to figure out what was going on. Seeing my confused expression, her mother leaned in close and spoke softly.
“The Romanians have pledged to avenge the girl’s death. She killed herself after her team lost. In those countries, pride is everything,” Fredericka explained. “If she’d bragged that she would win or promised someone important that she would help the team win, she would have felt there was no choice but to counteract her dishonor by killing herself. Now her father feels like he must avenge her death because he’s convinced the U.S. team cheated.”
“Wait, so the Romanian mob is who’s been trying to hurt the U.S. team?”
She nodded. “I don’t know for sure, but if there have been issues, it’s a good bet that the Romanians are behind it, yes. Those people know how to hold a grudge.”
