Pissed as I was at our defense, the second line had scored two goals. That was encouraging. Without their contribution, we’d have lost. The new guys Orion and Sidney had brought to the team were hungry and they’d proven themselves tonight.
As I stepped into the locker room, Orion was laying into the defense and every other word was fuck. Not that they didn’t deserve it. I stripped off my gear and lowered myself into a tub of ice, my bruises and sore muscles making me wince. When I put my headphones back on, thoughts of Sidney snuck back into my mind. Had she watched the game tonight online? I had a sudden urge to call her and talk about it. But I didn’t even have her number, so that was out.
The guys were wound up after such a close win, so we went out to celebrate. I’d thrown back a hamburger and a couple of beers when I saw Adam Brotz walk into the bar.
“Fuck me,” I mumbled.
Liam and Bennett both followed my gaze and saw Brotz and several of his team members heading our way.
“Celebrating your lucky break?” Brotz asked me. He slurred his words, already wasted.
“Fuck off,” I said.
“Some bullshit calls won you that game, and you know it.” He wavered on his feet like he was about to fall over. “You guys couldn’t win a fair game if the other team was a bunch of blind, one-armed . . . people . . . guys.”
“Profound, Brotz. Go sleep it off.”
“Tell your Ice Queen I’ve got a hot rod for her.” He grinned and grabbed his crotch.
I’d given him two chances to avoid a fight. He’d refused both of them and now he’d insulted Sidney. Before I’d even processed his words, I was standing over him, gripping his shirt as I held his back against our table.
Things happened fast after that. My guys jumped up to hold off Brotz’s guys while Brotz and I picked up our fight. The bar erupted with shouts and cheers as I knocked him into a table. He got up and barreled into me and we both landed on the floor, rolling and punching and cursing.
I was a little winded but still had plenty of fight left in me when powerful arms pulled me off of Brotz. I looked over my shoulder, expecting to see Bennett, but it wasn’t him. A uniformed cop held back my arms and another one moved in front of my chest, blocking the space between Brotz and me.
Fuck. Sidney would hear about this.Sidney
Killian was waiting outside my office, and I was killing time because I was pissed at him. I was also trying to banish the giddy sensation that was making my stomach churn nervously.
I’m pissed at him. I’m pissed at him. I’m more pissed than excited.
I repeated the words to myself, closing my eyes so they could sink in. As the Flyers’ owner, it was my job to reform this team, not get starry-eyed over its captain.
I pushed a button on my phone. “Barb, I’m ready for Bosch.”
“I’ll send him in.”
When the door to my office opened, I told my heart to stop pounding like a jackhammer. So his blond hair had recently been cut into the super short style I loved. So his shirt was full of chest and bicep muscles. So he had a black eye, which on him was sexy. So what? I was pissed at him.
“Mr. Bosch,” I said, my tone icy. “Please sit down.”
He sighed as he sank into a leather chair in front of my desk.
“Listen, Sid—”
I cut him off. “Don’t start with me. I had hoped we were past this BS. Another citation for disorderly conduct? How low do I have to set my standards before you can conform to them? Is this just so you can show me how much of a pain you can be?”
He stood and leaned on the front of my desk, his big hands spread out on the dark wood surface.
“It was a misunderstanding,” he said. “I wasn’t looking for trouble.”
I sighed with aggravation and glared at him. “You’re just going to keep ramping it up, aren’t you? I’m betting that eventually you’ll be showing up to games drunk and then screwing groupies in the arena.”
“I don’t do shit like that, Sid. But since you have such a low opinion of me, maybe I should show you just how bad I can be.”
I pressed my fingers to my temples. A headache was brewing. “Look, what do I have to do? I have so many other things to sort out with this team, and a big deal at one of my other companies is about to fall apart. Would you be open to a cash bonus for not being a jerk? The contract allows me to pay my captain more than the other players, and I believe in incentivizing.”