Page 32 of Locke

A hand claps me on the shoulder.“All good?”Rome asks as he eyeballs the stitches.

“Yeah, man,” I reply, and then as an afterthought, “Thanks for the lesson delivery out there.”

“I got your back, bro,” he says, holding a fist out.I bump it.

Those words really don’t mean much because words are just words.Yes, he’s shown he has my back out on the ice, but it’s nothing special.It’s part of the job.

But there’s comfort in that because I know my teammates will dotheirjobs.I don’t have to worry about emotions or hard feelings getting in the way.

It’s like Livia said a few minutes ago.It’s not the betrayal that hurts the worst.It’s the fact you trusted your own read of someone and completely got it wrong.

Meaning… it’s your own fucking fault.

And when it boils right down to it, it’s not others I don’t trust.

It’s myself.

Chapter 12

Livia

MillerandCherryParkslive in Lake Oswego, twenty minutes south of Portland.Wide streets lined with mature trees, manicured lawns behind black iron fencing, stone mailboxes standing like sentinels at every driveway.Their house sits back on the property, all pale stone and windows.

The driveway is already full when I arrive, so I find a spot along the curb, check my appearance once in the visor mirror out of habit, and grab the bottle of wine I brought as a thank-you gift for the invitation.While I’m doing my main Thanksgiving dinner with my parents, I budgeted time to stop by this team event of appetizers and fellowship before everyone goes off to other celebrations.

Also… I want to be there for Locke should he show up as promised, although part of me wonders if he’ll bail.

The main floor is open and already packed with people—players and partners and a few staff members moving through the space with drinks in hand.

“Hello,” a stunning woman with lustrous red hair says, appearing out of nowhere.“I’m Cherry, Miller’s wife.”

“Hi,” I say with a smile, handing over the bottle of wine.“I’m Livia Cross.”

“Ahh,” she says in recognition of my name.“The new team shrink.”

“Um… well, that’s not really—”

But her attention is on a couple arriving behind me, and she squeals in delight.“Tanya… Jordie… you made it.”She starts to move away, but almost as an oversight, she glances back at me.“Thank you so much for the wine.Do you mind dropping it in the kitchen for me?”

“Sure,” I mutter.

I move through the house, nodding at people, accepting hugs from those I’ve established relationships with.

Someone—most likely Cherry—has done a great job with the décor.There are candles everywhere, autumn arrangements on every flat surface, and through the rear wall of windows I see a large tent set up in the backyard with round tables for people to congregate.

In the kitchen is an array of caterers arranging platters of finger foods and I promise myself not to overindulge since I’ll be eating my mother’s fine cooking in a few hours.I deposit the bottle on a butler’s pantry counter and grab a glass of wine from a waiter who is pouring.

Juno finds me before I find her, appearing at my elbow like a vision.She’s in a deep burgundy dress, her hair in a sleek twist at the back of her neck.

“You made it,” she says, and we give one-armed hugs because she’s holding a glass of wine too.

“I made it.”I clink my glass against hers.

She tips her head toward the far corner of the main room where a cluster of people have claimed a section of furniture away from the traffic flow.I follow her through the crowd and find Crosby first, looking relaxed as he holds a highball glass with amber liquid.Arch is beside him in a lightweight dark sweater and charcoal dress pants.

And standing to his left is a woman who can be none other than Crosby’s sister, Birdie.

She’s around my height, all soft curves in a fitted dark green dress.She looks just like her brother, but where Crosby’s stillness reads as contained, hers is coiled.Like she’s about three seconds from saying the thing everyone else is only thinking.She has a drink and is mid-sentence when I approach, gesturing with her free hand to make a point that has Arch laughing with an accompanying eye roll.