Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Zeke shook his head and kept on walking. I wasn’t going to chase him. “Zeke. I said I need to speak to you.”
“Sir, you aren’t allowed back here.” Great. Now security was annoying me.
I smiled at the man who was rushing toward me and held up a hand. “I only need a moment.”
“This area is for team members only.”
“And I’m happy to leave once I’ve spoken to Mr. Balogh.”
Another guard joined us, and several players stopped to stare, but Zeke kept walking. I scowled as he disappeared into the locker room.
“He doesn’t want to speak with you, sir,” the security guard said. “You need to leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
The man placed his hand on my shoulder and all my rage at not being able to get to Zeke rushed through me. I laid the guy out with a punch to the jaw.
As soon as my fist connected, I knew I’d fucked up. There wouldn’t be any keeping this from Val or Pops now.
The other guard grabbed my arms, pulling them behind me. I could have fought him off easily, but it was time to give in. I didn’t need to make this scandal any worse for the family, no matter how angry I was. I would track down Zeke, and he would talk to me.
After a humiliating ride to the police station, I was allowed to call Val to come get me. He didn’t ask questions other than what I’d done to land myself in jail. I found his silence worse than if he’d chewed me out. He told me he’d call our lawyers, and the charges would be dropped.
I had no doubt he could make that happen; we Marchesis were excellent at pulling strings. The only thing I worried about was exposing my obsession with Zeke.
By the time an officer unlocked my cell and led me out to Val, I felt like I’d been there forever. “What the hell took so long?”
“You’re welcome,” Val said. “The charges have been dropped.”
I let out a long breath. “Thank you.”
He turned around without saying a word. He hadn’t been this angry with me since I’d deliberately killed a man instead of interrogating him. The bastard had insulted Val and punishing him mattered more to me than the information we could have gotten.
I took my place in the passenger seat of Val’s car. Once he was seated, he turned to face me. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
It would be a hell of a lot easier to have this conversation if I didn’t know I’d fucked up and could let my anger take over. That used to be a real problem for me but not recently. Wanting Zeke so bad had me losing control again.
“What were you doing in the players-only area?”
“Tracking down Balogh.”
“You couldn’t do that in the parking lot or at a bar or something?”
That certainly sounded like what a sane person would do. Actually, a sane person wouldn’t be stalking him at all.
When I didn’t respond, Val continued. “You can walk in any bar or club and talk your way into bed with most of the men and women in there, why are you letting your obsession with this hockey player land you in jail?”
“Would you have gone to jail for Liam?”
His eyes widened. “No way in hell do you feel what I feel for Liam.”
“Because I’m not as mature as you? Not as capable as you?”
“No. Dammit, Vito, don’t do that.”
“Tell me you don’t still see me as your kid brother.”
“I’ll always feel protective of you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re an adult.” He probably wouldn’t think so once I told him what’s going on. “Talk to me, Vito.”
I sighed. Sooner or later I was going to have to lay it all out. It might as well be now. “Can we not do this here?”
Val finally smiled. “Fine. Let’s go back to your place, have a drink, and talk this out.”
I nodded and we drove in silence.
Once we were at my apartment and we each had a tumbler of whisky, I told Val about watching Zeke play and knowing he was meant to be mine.
“Have you asked him out? Is that what you were trying to do?” I raised a brow, and my brother rolled his eyes. “Of course not. You can’t just make this easy.”
I leaned against the counter. “I’m bored, Val. You’re always with Liam or working, and fuck, I just need something to do that’s for me.”
“Going out, partying, hooking up, that’s not enough?”
“I’m tired of it.”
Val nearly choked on his whiskey. “Are you saying you want to settle down?”
“Yes. No. I don’t fucking know. All I know is that I want Zeke.”
He studied me as he took another sip of his drink. “Vito, what are you up to?”
The voice was the same one he’d used on me when I was a kid. He’d practically raised me from age ten. By then our mother was usually too drunk or high to bother. “Asking him out is too easy. I’m watching him, learning about him, teasing him.”