Page 106 of Code Violation

What the fuck has Kane said?

“I’m really sorry to disturb your celebrations, so I’ll get straight to the point.” Colton’s deep voice rumbles down the line. He sounds stressed out.

I force a hand through my hair as Vesper steps outside with my jacket looped around her shoulders, and I flip my hand for her to come snuggle into me.

The second I wrap my arms around her, the world stops spinning, and I can focus on what Colton is saying.

“I just got off the phone with your agent, but in short, Kane has been talking to the press, and several major news outlets dropped, er …” He trails off.

My body tenses, and Vesper gazes up at me with worried eyes.

“Dropped what, Colton?”

“They, er … they released details of your past, including criminal charges from when you were a teenager.”

“What the fuck?” I bite out.

“Kane talks about the assault you put on him when he was simply delivering a pizza to his ex-girlfriend. He alleges that since he thought that he was the father of Vesper’s child, he wanted to put things right between all three of you and bury the hatchet. But you didn’t let him explain his intentions, showing up at her place drunk and ready for blood.” Colton clears his throat; he sounds disgusted by Kane’s actions. “He goes on to say that you and Vesper have been sleeping together behind his back and likely carrying on an affair while they were still involved. Kane is contesting the restraining order, and furthermore, he’s looking to press charges against you for breaking his nose. His lawyer asserts that with your history of assault and battery, he feels that your brother has a strong case.”

If my girl wasn’t here to witness it, I’d have put my fist through the advertisement board to my right.

Pure, unadulterated rage swells inside me as I fight to keep my voice calm for the benefit of my pregnant girlfriend. That son of a bitch has tried to blacken her name as well as my reputation and spouted flat-out lies about us.

“He had no right to do what he did,” I spit.

Vesper buries her face in my shirt. She doesn’t know what Kane’s said, but she does know him well enough to expect the worst.

“Yes, Vesper and I are together, and, yes, we are expecting a baby that hasn’t officially been announced yet.”

I close my eyes, and memories of when I was fifteen and incarcerated for nine months come flooding back.

It was the lowest point in my life, allowing my dad to pull me into his illegal activities. Carjacking and fighting are not things I’m proud of, and I was damn lucky to get a reduced sentence on account of my age and my dad’s controlling behavior. That whole period in my life isn’t something I ever talk about. To anyone. Kane only knew because Mom told him in confidence. My stupidity nearly cost me my fucking hockey career.

And now my asshole brother is trying to ruin it anyway.

But despite all of the above, I’d happily bury him six feet under for the way he’s going after Vesper and painting her out to be an unfaithful girlfriend who ran off with his brother.

“I served nine months in juvie for some bad decisions⁠—”

“Silas,” Colton cuts me off carefully. “I know about your past. If I didn’t, then I wouldn’t be a very good publicist. If you dig hard enough on the internet, you can find some records of what happened. And for what it’s worth, you don’t need to explain any of this to me. I know the person you are.”

I pull a deep breath into my lungs and set a kiss in Vesper’s hair.

Jesus Christ, this was not the pregnancy announcement I was hoping for my girlfriend.

“So, what’s next? My main concern is keeping Kane out of Vesper’s life and away from us both because I swear if I ever lay eyes on him again, I’ll be back behind bars.”

Colton makes an agreeable noise.

“Drew and I are working on a public statement tonight, and I suggest you contact your legal team to discuss the restraining order. In terms of the Rogues …”

I close my eyes again, knowing Cavendish, Coach, and the GM are going to lose their goddamn minds over this. This is the first season where we’re gaining proper traction in the league. Hell, we have an outside chance of making the playoffs. This is the last thing the team—or the fans—needed.

“I’ll talk to Coach and management in the morning,” I say, taking Vesper by the hand and guiding her back inside. It’s too fucking cold out here for her.

“Okay. I’ll be in touch tomorrow morning with a drafted statement for you to look over before we send it live.” He pauses. “Thinking about it, is there anything specific you want to include?”

Now back inside the bar, I lean down and brush my lips over Vesper’s, anything to ease the worry etched into the lines on her forehead.