Page 79 of Enemy Games

Tears pricked my eyes as I took in the roaring crowd. The Olympic flag hung over the ice, and I stared at it, taking a mental picture of this moment to remember for the rest of my life.

I found the section for the tickets I received and scanned the rows until I found my parents, older brother, and Hunter standing together, cheering.

Mom wiped her cheeks, and Dad was pointing at me and jumping up and down. Hunter was smiling wider than I’d ever seen, and I was so incredibly grateful he was here.

I hadn’t wanted to ask, I knew it was time away from his team, classes, and training, but he surprised me last night by flying in with my parents. He called them and arranged the whole thing, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it had made my feelings toward him grow stronger. He was proving with his actions how much I meant to him and how far he was willing to go, literally, to support me. Which was more romantic than any bouquet or restaurant or gift could ever be.

He somehow knew I was watching him and blew me a kiss. My cheeks hurt from smiling, and I knew then that we would make it.

The future was so unclear and there were a million questions and decisions we’d have to face, but we could do it. We were stronger together. We’d already overcome so much in the past month, more than some couples dealt with in a year, and we were better for it.

He was here, witnessing and encouraging the most important event of my life. I wanted to be there for him when it was his turn. I wanted to be at his first NHL game. I wanted to cheer for his first goal. I wanted to hold his hand after his first loss, injury, or trade. I wanted the good and the bad. The beautiful and the ugly. The joy and the pain. I wanted it all with Hunter.

Chapter 22

Hunter

Three weeks later

“I love you too.” I hung up with Presley as Benjamin burst into our room with fury and panic across his face.

He barely made it to his desk before crumpling onto the chair and dropping his head into his hands. His shoulders started shaking, and my heart stopped.

“What’s going on?”

He didn’t look up, didn’t even acknowledge that I’d spoken.

This was bad. Really bad.

Benjamin didn’t lose it. He was calm and composed and thought things through rationally. If he was breaking down, something terrible happened. Was someone hurt? Had someone died?

I sent a text to Ethan and Reid, telling them there was an emergency and to get here now.

“Hey.” I knelt in front of him and tried to see his face, but his hands were covering his eyes. “Tell me what happened.”

He shuddered but didn’t speak.

I was useless. I had no idea what to do or say to him. My best friend was hurting in a way I’d never seen before, and I didn’t know what to do. He was the one who always took control of the situation. He handled things. He made sure everyone stayed calm while he came up with the solution.

I wanted to be that for him now, but I had no idea what the problem was, so there was no way to even start.

“Whatever’s going on, we’ll handle it. You have me and Ethan and Reid, no matter what. The whole team will support you. The coaches will. You’re not alone, but you have to talk to me.”

His whole body shook, and this time he released a sob that nearly shattered me. He was in so much pain, and I froze.

Footsteps pounded down the hall, then our door flew open. Ethan took in the scene and immediately dropped down next to me, rubbing Benjamin’s back. Reid watched for a moment before quietly shutting the door and crossing toward us.

He raised his brows in question, and I shook my head. I didn’t know. There was nothing to tell them. Now that they were here, seeing for themselves, we were all caught up.

“Hey, man, talk to us.” Ethan shifted to wrap his arm around Benjamin’s shoulders. “We’re here for you. We want to help.”

Benjamin shook his head.

Reid tapped my shoulder and pointed to Benjamin’s phone lying on the ground near the chair. It must have slipped out when he sat … well, fell.

I nodded, and he bent down and picked it up. He typed in the security code and started searching. While Ethan distracted him, I got up and looked over Reid’s shoulder. He was reading through the most recent texts, but there were only short messages to guys from the team, classmates, and us. Nothing that would have upset him.

Next, he went to the call log, but there were no new calls from this morning.

Reid’s thumb hovered over the screen.

“Emails,” I whispered, and he clicked on the envelope icon.

There was one message from today from an unknown address. Reid clicked on it without my prompting. There was no text, but four attachments. He opened the first one, and I fought down a gasp.

Reid cursed under his breath and swiped to the next image. Each viler and more disturbing than the next.

I shook my head, and Reid met my gaze, mirroring my horror.

What were we going to do? We would have Benjamin’s back through anything, but this? This was over the line. There were very few things in the world I couldn’t forgive, and this was one.

Reid’s face twisted with rage. This was a personal blow to him, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to be around when Ethan found out.

I looked down at Benjamin, and my body deflated.

How could we fix this?

Want to know what happens to Benjamin and the rest of the West Penn Bobcats? Check out the final book in the series Fake Assist!