Benched by Charles Colleen

Author:Charles, Colleen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-05-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Julia

I walked the streets of my beloved town for hours with my head bowed, avoiding the gazes of passersby. I needed to walk, yet I couldn’t stand the stares, the pointing fingers and hushed voices. They’d all seen the news and they loved their Caribou as if the men on the team were their sons, fathers and brothers.

A little designer from Duluth had transformed overnight into the hockey version of Yoko Ono.

Shame curled around my lungs and compressed them. But it wasn’t the shame from the false accusations, it was from the fight, from my accusations hurled at Adam. At myself. At us as a couple. No. A couple no longer.

He hadn’t deserved it. In the defining moment when we’d needed to stand together, we’d both chosen to pull apart and I’d erected a wall. I’d gone ahead and done my best to destroy everything we had. I was so confused about all of it but that was a reason and not an excuse.

I couldn’t let Heather’s plots control her. Or at least, I shouldn’t have.

But I did. I allowed Heather to swoop in and ruin everything. She got exactly what she wanted just like she always does.

I turned the corner, heading in the direction of Sue Ann’s boutique. My bestie would know what to say and do. She’d calm everything down like a human Xanax and together we’d find a solution.

Sue Ann was the stronger one, accustomed to dealing with shit like this.

Raised voices caught my attention and I stopped, short of the mouth of an alley.

Who is that? The voice is so damn familiar.

“You stay the fuck away from her,” a man said, gruff with rage.

Mark Spencer. Adam’s brother.

I crept forward, leaning casually against the brick of the building opposite Sue Ann’s. I peered around the corner, then snapped my head back. Yeah, that was Mark all right, and Carter Jenkins stood right beside him. At the sight of that pig, my heart pounded in my chest. The visual of Carter alone was enough to scare the shit out of me. A predator. And a first-class asshole.

Carter had his back pressed against the wall and Mark fisted a handful of his designer shirt as he shook him. Both men’s faces were flushed crimson with rage and exertion.

I wasn’t much for eavesdropping; I made to move away, but then stopped. This had to be about the doping scandal. I’d still help Adam if I could, even if our romantic relationship was over, so I’d hang around to get the Intel. If Carter saw me now, God only knew what he’d do. But, I had to risk it. Adam’s career hung in the balance. What was the worst that could happen? Oh yeah, Carter would push me up against the bricks, rip my pants down and assault me. And Mark? He would … taunt me? Hate me as he egged Carter on? Carter was definitely the worst of the two evils. I palmed my cell phone in my pocket, just in case.

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