Page 49 of Bonus Game
Sloan didn’t need to know if he was telling the truth, and he didn’t need to know that Riley didn’thavea sister.
Not anymore.
He sat miserably on his floor, thumb soothing the ache that had sprung in his temple after the whole ordeal. He almost missed his phone lighting up in his pocket because he had his eyes closed, and when Riley pulled it out, he saw there was a text from Allen.
Allen: Be here for breakfast tomorrow. Don’t worry, I’m not cooking. Wouldn’t want Jake’s trillion-dollar building to go up in flames.
Allen: What do you want to do when you come over? We could watch hockey if you really want, but I will bitch about it the whole time.
Allen: Why does Jake keep pacing from the couch to the fridge? Does he need his batteries charged? He doesn’t think that new food will magically appear if he opens it enough times, does he?
Jake: Allen is looking at me funny.
Riley held a hand to his mouth to stop from laughing obnoxiously loud. Maybe leaving Allen and Jake had been a stupid idea when all he had to do was invest in a good pair of earplugs.
Allen: Jake is looking at me funny.
Riley shook his head and put his phone face down on the floor. He was going to…let them iron things out on their own for a few minutes before he agreed to Allen’s offer.
A knock on his door had him biting back a yelp, and Riley flinched hard enough to smack his head against the wood.
“Food is ready,” said Sloan. “Come eat.”
Riley scowled even though Sloan couldn’t see his face. “It’s pushing midnight, bud.”
There was a pause, and then Sloan bumped into the door. “Are you trying to tell me you’re not fucking hungry? What guy turns down greasy food and hockey reruns?”
Not Riley, but he was considering drowning himself in the tub to avoid going back out there.
“Just…give me five fucking minutes,” said Riley, picking up his phone. “I have to text someone about plans tomorrow.”
Sloan’s laugh was cutting. “You could have told me you were jerking off, dude.”
Riley heard him walk away before he could tell him to fuck himself. He looked at his phone longingly, wishing he could teleport to Jake’s house and escape the new hell that was his life.
And then he rememberedwhyhe was dealing with Sloan, andwhowas responsible for this hell.
Riley opened his messages with Jake and grinned.
I’ll be over tomorrow. Allen told me you have a booger in your nose, but he’s too shy to tell you.
Jake had no idea how much torment was coming his way because of this.
No. Fucking. Idea.
11 /RILEY
Nova Scotia hadfour professional hockey organizations: the Nova Scotia Sentinels PWHL team, the Halifax Towers Junior Hockey team, the Nova Scotia Admirals, and finally, the NHL team launching next season called the Halifax Citadels.
Riley had been drafted by the NHL when he was nineteen, but he chose college instead, staying with Jake in Nova Scotia and playing for the Towers while he finished his education. When he aged out, he joined the Admirals and gained the interest of a few teams, but then news broke about the Citadels. His agent advised him to wait and see what offer they would make him, since Riley wanted to stay as close to home as possible.
He went from playing well to playing the best hockey of his life, and with every point he earned and every game the Admirals won, he gained more intrigue from the right people.
And sure, Jake’s dad was one of the two owners of the Citadels, but that didn’t mean he would get a spot on the team. Everett Valero was a nice guy, but he didn’t do favours for anyone. Everything had to be earned, so if Riley wasn’t good enough, then he wasn’t good enough. End of story.
But with trade deadlines looming and the launch of the Citadels approaching faster each day, Riley had to give his all over the next few weeks or risk being forced to take a contract somewhere he didn’t want.
So, when he showed up for practice that morning and saw Khan Bannerjee and Dylan Carr, the second line right and left winger for the Citadels, lacing up their skates, he knew shit was about to get real.
