Page 27 of Code Violation

“I’m most definitely for real. But you’ve always been a rule breaker, Si.”

“I cleaned up my act years ago,” I bite out.

Mason doesn’t mean to antagonize me, but any mention of my past always rubs me the wrong way. I was young, stupid, and easily led by my dad, who saw me as a target to do his dirty work.

My teammate’s eyes are full of apologies when he looks at me again.

“Sorry.” I wince. “I know that’s not where you were going with that. But Vesper is off-limits, and knowing that you’re right just rubs salt in the wound.”

He tips his head from side to side. “I never said not to go there. In fact, the older I get, the more I believe that you should go after what you want. I screwed up with Eloise, to the point where she won’t even answer my calls at all these days. Don’t be unhappy and not in love, like me.”

The sadness in Mason’s words resonates deeply inside me as the buzzer goes and the players start leaving the ice.

We make our way down the tunnel and set our sticks on the rack before he turns to me again, a brightness back in his green eyes.

“So, is she working tonight or not?”

I can’t help it; I smirk. “She’s working.”

“Ha!” He points at me, turning around to walk backward. “I knew you had her schedule memorized. You have to come out now, just so I can berate you and your unrequited crush all night.”

“You know …” I say, pushing into the locker room and letting the door close in his face.

He catches it quickly and looks borderline offended.

“I used to think Will was the most annoying guy on the team. Now I’m concluding that it’s definitely you.”

9

. . .

Silas

“What time was her shift due to start?” Mason asks as we walk into the private area in Riley’s Bar.

It’s clear Vesper isn’t here; when it’s busy, like it is tonight, she’s nearly always leading the service from behind the main bar.

I push back the sleeve on my dark blue dress shirt and check my watch.

Fuck. It’s past ten. If she was scheduled to work tonight, then she would already be on-site.

“Maybe you need to refine your stalking skills.” Mason winks at me before he places an order with another female bartender.

“Maybe you need to keep your nose out of my business and drink your damn beer,” I retort, part in jest, part being serious.

He hands me a pint of IPA, and I take my first pull, trying not to let my mind spiral to unhelpful places, like where my girl is and why she isn’t working on a night she always does. The Seattle Scorpions played at home tonight, too, and Vesper always manages game nights.

I decide to take the focus off me. “How are you feeling about Eloise?”

Mason’s face turns unreadable. “Honestly? I’m just trying not to give up hope. She’s shut me out completely at this point, and it feels wrong to keep on calling her if she doesn’t want to hear from me.”

All I can think about is Kane and how his behavior has impacted Vesper. I can see it in her eyes every time her phone buzzes with an incoming text, even though she has his number blocked. I guess there’s nothing stopping my brother from getting a new number and messaging her from that. Although that would involve spending money, which he prefers to waste on drugs, booze, and gambling.

“If you’ve made your position clear, then all you can do is wait for her to respond.”

Mason puffs a breath into his cheeks. “And that’s the problem right there—Eloise thinks that I don’t care. I made a big mistake when I was pictured with that girl last season, and she saw the images on social media.”

I wince on his behalf. “The ones in Brooklyn?”