Dirty Hit

Chapter 4: Hayden

I might've gone overboard with the flowers but I couldn't resist. And when I saw the look on her face when she walked into her apartment and saw them sitting there, it was worth every damn penny.

She's scared. I can tell.

And that only makes me want her more.

Yeah, her fear makes my dick hard. Apparently I can still learn new things about myself.

I've been waiting for this moment for days now—ever since I landed in Seattle and started tracking her down. It took some digging, but I found her address and then waited until she left for work before sneaking into her apartment and leaving those flowers for her to find.

Unfortunately I can't stick around and watch her sleep the way I want to, not with an early skate with my new team in the morning. But I have a feeling she'll be thinking about me while she's in bed tonight.

As I head back to my hotel, I can't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at how well everything is going so far. She hasn't blocked me yet, which means she's interested.

And that's all that matters.

The next day, I'm buzzing with anticipation as I get ready for the first practice with the Anchors. They're a decent team, but they need a little extra push to make it to the top. And I plan on giving them exactly what they need.

The Bluetooth in my rental car announces I have a call and I glance at the screen seeing Sawyer's name pop up. "What's up?"

"Hey," he says, sounding distracted. "You busy?"

"Just heading to practice."

"Oh yeah," he says. "How's Seattle?"

"Good," I say, even though I haven't seen much of it yet. "How are things back home?"

"Same old shit," Sawyer says with a sigh. "Hayden..."

"What?"

He pauses for a moment before saying, "Couldn't you have waited until the end of the season before getting your ass traded? Do you have any idea how hard it's going to be for me to transfer hospitals?"

I laugh. "You could learn not to be so codependent on me and just wrap up the year where you are."

"Fuck you," he grumbles. "You're just as codependent on me."

"Truth." I pull into the practice rink parking lot and find a spot. "Look, I gotta go. We'll talk soon, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sawyer says. "Good luck with practice."

"Thanks."

We hang up and I head inside, ready to show my new team what I'm made of. But as I walk onto the ice, all I can think about is Cassidy and how much fun it's going to be to play with her tonight.

***

The game tonight night was fucking brutal. We lost by two goals and everyone's pissed. But not me. I'm feeling good.

Because I know where she is.

As we file into the locker room after the game, I can't stop thinking about Cassidy. My mind is all sorts of fucked up and not even close to focused where it should be—on hockey. It's on her.

Coach Morin pulls me aside to talk to the media after the game and then, when I'm done, he asks me how I'm adjusting to Seattle so far. "It's different," I say, knowing that's an understatement. "But I'm ready to help this team win."

"That's good to hear," Coach says, looking relieved. "You've got a lot of talent, Hayden. Let's see what you can do with it."

I nod and head back into the locker room, feeling like I'm on a mission as I start tearing off tape and unlacing my skates. Archer St. Claire—aka Archie—sinks down beside me. "You're coming out with us tonight."