Page 88 of The Saint

Lev: Everyone who knows anything about college ball knows who this guy is. You know how big a fan I am. Least you could have done was invite me along.

Me: So you can fangirl on him? No thanks.

Lev: Fuck you

Me: Also no

I put my phone down and cleaned my dishes, then pulled out some vegetables to cut up for supper. Rolly and I were planning on meeting Tyrone and the guys at the park, so I wanted to have things ready so we could throw together a quick meal when we got home.

My phone kept buzzing on the counter, but I ignored Lev and his complaints. Once done in the kitchen, I hopped in the shower to wash last night’s hairspray and makeup off, then returned to my phone after getting dressed.

Picking it up, I scrolled through the texts, then gave him a call.

“You gonna make me look like an arse if I bring you with me this afternoon?”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You’d really do that?”

After a short pause, I told him, “I’ll probably regret this, but sure. Why not?”

I regretted it instantly. I yanked the phone away from my ear as Lev hollered in the background. After he quieted down, I told him to meet me at my place around two and we could walk over to the park.

“It’s fucking cold out there,” Lev said by way of greeting when I opened my apartment door. “The temp dropped twenty degrees since this morning.”

“Is this your way of telling me I need a hat?”

Lev smirked at me. “You need a hat. And gloves.”

Shaking my head, I grabbed my coat, tucking my gloves into my pockets and pulling my hat onto my head. We rode down the elevator, and the entire time Lev was bouncing like he was going to meet his favorite movie star and not some high school ball player. After crossing Central Park West, we headed toward the basketball courts, sticking to the paths rather than going across the wet grass.

“Hey, is that…”

Lev’s words pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked up. Alongside one of the roads that cut through Central Park, a police car was parked, its passenger door open.

But it was who was standing at the side of the car that stopped me in my tracks.

Rolly.

Standing with his hands on the shoulders of some woman with long, braided hair. His face was pinched as he looked down at her, and my gut clenched as he bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Lev grabbed my bicep, squeezing hard, holding me in my place. We watched as Rolly and the woman embraced. As he helped her into the police car. As the car drove away.

He looked up when it was gone, his feet already moving away from us without even knowing we were there. But his ocean eyes caught on mine, and my entire world started to crumble.

Rolly’s brow furrowed, his mouth pinched. Then he turned on his heel and started to run. Lev’s hand on me was the only thing that kept me from running after him. From chasing the man down and demanding an explanation.

Have something I need to do.

Was this what he needed to do? Was this what he did every morning when I awoke alone in the bed we shared? Was he with her, whoever she was?

I started after Rolly, only to have Lev stop me. I tried to shake him off, and his grip tightened to the point of pain. I spun toward him, arms up, fists clenched. I punched at him, but he was quicker than me.

Each punch was stopped before it caused any damage. Before one could connect, he was sweeping it out of the way. Lev had always had that on me. He was a natural fighter that I’d never been able to beat.

It didn’t stop me from trying.

“Let me go!” I growled as he grabbed the collar at the back of my coat and yanked, holding me so my feet weren’t touching the ground.

Lev turned me to face him, and I was tempted to kick him in the shin. “Not until you calm down.”