Page 355 of Faking the Goal

Then every nerve in my body seems to fire at once.

I push myself upright so abruptly that the cardboard beneath us crinkles loudly, immediately reaching for her before she can do the same on her own. One arm slips behind her back as I help her sit up, careful of the ribs that are still healing, but my own pulse is already racing too fast for me to think straight.

This is it.

This is the opening Detective Matthews has been waiting for.

Of course he isn't bringing a girlfriend. That woman has never existed.

Saturday is when Charlie stops pretending to be Conrad.

Finally telling her what he's convinced himself has been true all along—that the "girlfriend" he's spent months talking about... has always been her.

And the moment he does... He'll hand Detective Matthews exactly what we've been waiting for.

Another thought slams into me so hard it almost knocks the air from my lungs.

"Fuck."

Taylor's brows draw together.

"The conference semifinals." I drag a frustrated hand down my face. "We're in Boston on Saturday."

She doesn't even hesitate.

"I know."

"Fuck Boston." The words are out before I can stop them. "I'm not going."

She fixes me with a look that would probably terrify anyone else.

"Oh, yes, you are."

"No."

"Ken-chan."

"I'm serious."

"So am I." She folds her arms. "This isn't just another regular-season game. It's the conference semifinals. Your team needs you, and you deserve to be there."

"How am I supposed to care about hockey right now?" I ask, hearing my own voice grow rougher with every word. "You're walking into a house with the man who nearly killed you."

Her expression softens, but she doesn't interrupt me.

"You know what happened the last time I left." My throat tightens around the memory. "I got on that plane thinking you were safe, and a few days later I was watching surveillance footage of him beating you with a baseball bat." I shake my head, unable to keep the anguish from creeping into my voice. "I can't do that again, Trouble. I can't get on another plane wondering if this is the last time I'll ever see you."

Her expression softens immediately.

"I can't..." My voice drops to a whisper. "I can't leave you alone with him again."

"I won't be alone. Detective Matthews will make sure of that."

I let out a humorless laugh.

"How?" I ask, unable to keep the frustration from my voice. "He doesn't even know where that asshole is taking you."

Instead of answering immediately...