Cage's Misconduct (NHL Scorpions #3) (3 page)

“I’m going to miss you, honey.” Mom hugged me hard, sniffling once, although she tried to hide it. “I want you to call me every day, okay?”

I shook my head at her mothering. “I’m a grown woman, Mom. I’ll be fine. I promise. And don’t forget, Mr. Cranky Pants will be there, most likely not letting me stray much farther than arm’s length from him. He probably bought one of those leashes people put on their kids for me.”

Mom laughed at my nickname for my brother. “Jody isn’t cranky, he just worries about you. That’s all. Be nice to him. I’m sure he’s freaking out about being a father now.”

He got on my nerves now and then, as siblings do, but my smile was genuine thinking about my big, tough brother holding his baby girl. “I can’t see how he’s going to make it. Can you even imagine how much he’s going to spoil my little niece? I sure wouldn’t want to be her when she’s old enough to date, though.”

“Oh, you’re too hard on him. He’s been so good to both of us, honey. Cut him some slack. You know he’s never forgiven himself for not being there to keep you safe from Freddy.”

Freddy. Now there was a story. Freddy was my first serious boyfriend, and treated me with respect and kindness at the start of our relationship. I met him through a tutoring workshop I volunteered for. He needed help in English and wandered into the near empty classroom we used at the end of the day.

I’d never forget the little flip my heart did when I saw him zeroing in on me. Of course I knew who he was. Who didn’t? He wasn’t the football quarterback, but he did play on the team, and everyone adored him. Why he didn’t already have a steady girl, I didn’t know.

When he walked into the room, the few people who were in there stopped to stare at him. It made me feel bad for him. He didn’t seem to like being the center of attention. I sent a hard look at the lookers-on and they turned back to their work.

“Can I help you?”

His golden hair was cropped short. Almost severely short, but it worked for him. Bright blue eyes lit up when he smiled at me. It was apparent by his casual posture that he had relaxed after I stopped the others from dissecting him the moment he stepped foot in the room.

“I hope so. I’m in desperate need of help with English. I’m not doing so well, and if I don’t pick my grades up I’m going to be kicked off the football team. I know you’re in my class, and I’ve missed a few. Can you show me where we’re at?”

“Never end a question with a preposition.”

“What’s that?” His posture sort of shrunk in on him when he whispered his question.

“I’ll teach you.” I patted the seat next to me. “Sit.”

I was gifted with another smile as he sat down beside me, pulling the chair closer than necessary. “Yes ma’am.”

It didn’t take long for me to find out he wasn’t really looking for help. Mostly what he wanted was someone to write his papers for him—and I did.

For almost the entire two years we dated, which ended our senior year, Freddy was attentive and kind. That was until he didn’t need me anymore. A couple of months before graduation, his true colors started showing through.

He seemed to enjoy pushing me around from time to time. Thinking back, I wondered if it made him feel powerful to grab me, shake me—that kind of thing. Was it some kind of compensation for him not being able to do his own work in English class? Did he think I looked down on him?

I won’t go through the day by day interaction in our relationship, but in any case, as mostly happened in those types of relationships, Freddy became more and more physical until he finally beat me so badly I had to spend a week in the hospital. There was a bit more to it than that, but it wasn’t one of my finer memories. I didn’t care to dwell on it. To my dismay though, I still jumped occasionally if someone touched me when I wasn’t expecting it. It was a period in my life I tried never to think about, but it intruded now and then without my permission. “I know, Mom, but I can’t make that better for him. None of it was his fault or in his control. He knows that.”

“Yes, well, Jody’s a man, and they don’t think rationally like we do.” Mom looked at her watch and nodded toward the door. “We better get going if you’re going to make your flight on time.”

***

“Why the hell is Booker here?” Jody and I had just gotten in from the airport to find a lively party in full swing. Lacey and Jody’s friends were serving as my official welcome wagon.

“Dalton’s here?” My head snapped up as I gave Jody my full attention. “How is he?”

“How the hell should I know? He shouldn’t even be here.”

“If you hate him so much, why is he here?”

His lip curled up menacingly as he answered. “I say again, how the hell should I know? When I left to pick you up, he wasn’t here. When I got back, he was.”

“He came with Vlad. No idea how that happened,” Lacey answered as she walked up to us. Little Addie took that as her cue to begin wailing, and Lacey quickly whisked her away before I even got a good look at her. She left Jody to deal or not deal with Cage as he saw fit. Instead of Jody walking toward him, he followed me back to the guest bedroom where I had intended to change into some fresh clothes that I’d grabbed out of my suitcase before we went into the house.

Since he seemed intent on shadowing me, I put my hand up in front of his face to stop him. “Give me a second, will you? I’m going to get changed.” I received no answer from him. He simply leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms, so I shut the door and proceeded to change.

As I was pulling on a light button-down sweater over my top, he knocked on the door reminding me of his presence. “I’m not leaving until we talk about Cage.”

I opened the door and stopped mid-button at the look on his face. “Oh no. We’re not going to start this already.” My shoulders involuntarily drooped as Jody’s body got even stiffer, arms still crossed and frown lines denting his forehead. That look was never a good sign where my big brother was concerned. Ah, dammit. “Let me guess. He’s only here to get into my pants. No, no wait. I’ve got it. He’s going to follow me home and attack! Come on, Jody. He’s not a bad guy.”

“Joke all you want, little sister. I know you’re a big girl now, but you don’t know these guys like I do. Cage Booker is no good, and I don’t want you to go near him. He’s trouble.”

I pushed my way past my brother’s massive body. His hatred of Cage was over the top. “Go work out or something, and leave me in peace.”

His hand shot out and gently gripped my arm. In a softer voice he said, “Karen—”

I tried to control my exasperation and remember how much my brother loved me. “I know, Jody. I know, but you really have to stop worrying about me all the time. I’m not that eighteen-year old girl anymore. I can take care of myself. You know I still go to boxing classes twice a week. You have to stop blaming yourself for what Freddy did. You weren’t there. You couldn’t have been there. Let it go.”

“Aw, Karen. It’s just not that easy for me. There are so many dangers out there for a woman. It drives me crazy thinking that something could happen to you again. I can’t stand thinking about what you went through. I should have seen it coming. I should have known.” It was a sad, sad thing to see my brother’s eyes so suspiciously bright with emotion. He was the toughest man I knew. “There’s no excuse for letting him hurt you. I should have been there, but I wasn’t. I’m here now though, and I’m not going to let anyone hurt you again.”

With one last smile for him, I gave Jody a quick, hard hug, but he didn’t immediately release me. “I know, brother mine, I know. But I need to live. Cage isn’t Freddy. It’s time. Let it go. Trust me to know the good ones from the bad ones now, okay? I promise, if I ever need protecting, you’ll be the first person I call.”

I gently pulled free of his grasp and made my way back out to the party, marveling at how many friends Lacey had gathered to welcome me to the States. People I’d only briefly met had taken time out of their day to welcome their friend’s little sister. It gave my heart a smile.

“Hi, Karen. How are you? It’s great to have you here.” Vlad walked over to me and placed a kiss on my cheek while Zoe enveloped me in a warm hug.

“Hi, guys. I’m doing great! It’s so nice to be here. How are the newlyweds?”

Vlad wrapped his arm around his wife, pulled her in close and gave her a smacking kiss on the lips. “Incredible. Married life agrees with me.”

It was beyond obvious how Vlad felt about Zoe. He wore his heart on his sleeve. A sigh escaped me while I wondered if I’d ever have someone love me like that, as if he couldn’t bear to be parted from me. “Where’s Crystal?”

“She’s sleeping over at her friend’s house. She and Vicki have become inseparable. Thank God.”

I knew Crystal’s story from Jody. Vlad didn’t even know he had a daughter until about a year or so ago. Crystal wasn’t quite nine years old when she was brought to Vlad’s house shortly after her mother had died. She’d had trouble adjusting to her new motherless life and had resorted to cutting herself after being bullied at school. One school and some nice girls for friends later, Crystal was mostly behaving like any other healthy, loved child.

“That’s great, Vlad. I’m really glad to hear she’s got such a good friend.” As nonchalantly as possible, I inquired about Cage. “So, Jody’s in dangerously high blood pressure range since Dalton’s here. Is he still that upset about him looking me over at your wedding?”

“Yeah. Sorry about that. Some of the guys were over our house earlier helping me put up drywall in the garage. Cage was one of them, and Keith mentioned this little get-together, so he kind of tagged along. As much as that little shit gets under my skin, there’s something about him. He seems lonely. Even though I knew better, I didn’t tell him not to come. To tell you the truth, when he found out you were coming for an extended visit, he smiled. Not one of his cocky ‘got the world by the balls’ smiles either. A real smile. So what happened with you two that night, anyway? I don’t dare ask Jody.”

Vlad was entirely too much like Jody for my liking sometimes. It was like having another big, overbearing brother. They certainly shared that dominate male trait, not that either of their wives stood for it. “Even though you know that’s really none of your business, nothing happened. Dalton isn’t who you all seem to think he is. Maybe you should all give him a chance and try to get to know him. Is it possible his flippant attitude is a defense mechanism?”

“Hey, hey. I was just curious. I let the pissant follow me over here, didn’t I?” Vlad stood with his hands up, palms out, looking to the entire world like he was being unjustly attacked—ruining the effect by allowing the corners of his mouth to tilt up.

“That’s another thing. Stop calling him names. His name is Dalton. Or Cage. Not ‘little shit’, ‘pissant’ or even ‘Booker’.” I
purposefully called him Dalton out loud hoping they’d start thinking and treating him as something other than a smart ass punk. Even Cage seemed to like that I called him Dalton. I knew I needed to stop defending him so strongly, though. Defending Cage was going to plant thoughts in their heads. And there really wasn’t anything to it. I liked him. He was nice, if a bit pushy. There was no romantic interest there for me, but I could see him being a friend, and from the sound of it, he could use one of those. I was woman enough to admit he was hot as hell, though. It was easy to understand why women threw themselves at him.

Zoe gave Vlad a gentle shove. “See? I’m not the only one who thinks Cage has a good side. You’re all a bit tough on him.” If anyone was going to take my side, it would be Zoe. She had an eerie ability to see right through a person’s BS. Maybe it was a side effect of being a psychologist.

Vlad good-naturedly lifted his hands again in surrender. “Okay. I can see when I’m out numbered. Fine. Tell you what. I’ll give the kid a chance to show me his good side, but don’t expect Jody to do the same.”

As if knowing he were being discussed, Cage came bounding up like a happy puppy—or maybe a wolf in sheep’s clothing would be a more apt description—to stand directly in front of Vlad in order to be the focus of my attention. He was most definitely not shy where I was concerned.

“Hey Karen! I just found out today that you were coming. We have to get together soon. I could show you the sights or something.”

My smile sprang up quickly at Cage’s exuberance. “Hi, Dalton. Thanks for coming on such short notice. I’d love for you to show me around.”

“I don’t think so. We just …oomph!”

I turned my head to see Lacey’s elbow in Jody’s stomach. It was more than a little gratifying to see his look of discomfort as he doubled over, clutching his abs. His lips were firmly sealed as he shook his head once in Lacey’s direction. She tilted her head a bit and raised her eyebrows, causing him to stand up tall, crossing his arms in a stubborn stance. “Jody.”

Under obvious duress, he muttered, “I mean, that would be nice of you to show my little sister around, Booker.” One more sweltering look from his wife, and he amended, “Uh, Cage.”

“And?” Lacey prodded him.

With his jaw still clamped tight, barley separated enough to take in a breath, he looked at his wife again. “Fine.” The air around them sizzled with tension. He took in a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. Not knowing what to expect, I looked on, ready to defend Cage again if needed, but Jody stuck out his hand. “Sorry about the whole broken nose thing, all right?”

Lacey laughed. “Well, that’s about as good as it’s going to get, Cage. I suggest you take it.”

Cage took Jody’s hand, wincing when Jody
accidentally
squeezed his hand hard enough to make him feel the bones move. “Thanks, Chief. Apology accepted, and if it makes you feel any better, Karen put me in my place. She’s a tough girl. Don’t doubt it for a second. I used all my best moves on her.”

“Aw, come on Cage. You think it’s easy to keep my husband in line? Stop poking the bear.”

“Dalton, really. You’re doing it on purpose now.” I chuckled at his prodding and led him away before things could escalate.

“Did you see his face? I thought he was going to deck me again.” Cage laughed from deep down in his gut. “That guy is a time bomb when it comes to his women. Not that I can blame him.” He took my hands and held them out so he could look me over. “I didn’t know it was possible, but you look even hotter now than you did in that dress you wore to Vlad’s wedding.”