What the hell was he to her? What the hell was he doing here?
Axel’s brow furrowed as he looked over at me. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Guess I’d said that out loud.
Silas turned toward us, putting his hands in his pockets. “I just signed him yesterday. Right before you, in fact,” he told me like it wasn’t the most explosive shit to ever rock my world. “Paid a pretty penny, too. And yeah, I’ve heard he’s an asshole to work with, but we needed some strength on that left wing since Lukas retired last season.”
That. Fucking. Prick. Was. On. My. Team. He was in my arena, with his hands all over my girl. The logic in me retreated from the argument that she wasn’t exactly mine.
“No.” I shook my head.
“Oh, shit,” Cannon muttered next to me. “Let’s get you out of here.”
Every muscle in my body vibrated with barely restrained violence. “You signed him.”
“Was that Maxim Zolotov?” Axel asked, glancing between me and where my stare was currently burning holes in the conference room doorway.
“Yep,” Cannon answered.
“Anyone want to clue me in here?” Silas asked.
“Holy shit,” Sawyer muttered. “You move just like him, especially glove-side. How didn’t I see that?”
“I am nothing like him!” I snapped.
Sawyer’s hands shot up like he was under arrest.
“Someone tell me what the fuck is going on!” Silas demanded.
The hallway fell silent, but even the quiet couldn’t help my thoughts wrap around this dumpster fire. He’d already consumed the family I’d been given by biology, and now the fucker was moving in on the family I’d chosen? No. No. No.
“I think you signed his brother,” Sawyer said slowly.
“Shut up,” Cannon barked toward our friend.
“He’s not my fucking brother!” I growled. Fuck biology.
Silas tensed, taking in the information at the genius rate the tech guru was known for. “Your birth certificate says unknown,” he said softly, moving directly in front of me. “Are you telling me that Sergei Zolotov is your biological father?”
I nodded once and once only because Silas was the only person who could solve this shitstorm of a problem.
“So Maxim Zolotov…” Silas studied me, no doubt choosing his words or lack thereof carefully.
I nodded again.
“Holy shit,” someone mumbled as the subject of my worst nightmare walked out of the office with his phone on his ear, his eyes flaring in shock as our eyes locked.
Guess the secret was out now.
“Okay, let’s see how we can make this work,” Silas started.
I looked him square in the eye. “Let me out of my contract.”
All hell broke loose.
2
London
No way. There was no way...and yet there he was. Jansen freaking Sterling, sitting in the booth next to my best friend’s...well, the love of her life. Despite the two being split up at the moment.
I wasn’t sure who I was more shocked to see—Jansen or Hendrix, who had just been traded from his NFL team in North Carolina to Charleston, yet there I was, walking toward both of them.
“You know London?” Sterling asked, his eyes widening.
“He sure does,” I said, stopping next to Sterling and tucking my hair behind my ears. “How are you, Hendrix?”
Jansen paled, glancing past me to the bar, where my brother sat with Maxim. “Oh, God, tell me you didn’t—”
Did he seriously think just because I’d walked in with Maxim I was with him?
“Didn’t what, Jansen Sterling?” I cut him off, glaring at him. “Didn’t sleep with him? I mean, that’s where your thoughts jumped to, right?”
Jansen opened and closed his mouth a few times, but said nothing.
Smart of him.
“Boys.” I rolled my eyes. “First, if I decided to sleep with Hollywood over here, that would be my business. Not yours. Second, no, I have not slept with Hendrix, though I can admit he’s been naked in my apartment more than a few times.” I fashioned Jansen with a smirk. Let him chew on that. If he wanted to ghost me because of Maxim—
“Her roommate,” Hendrix hurried to say, drawing me out of my thoughts. “How is sweet little Savannah?” he asked, and my heart softened a bit. The two were perfect for each other, they just really...really needed to work out their issues.
“Miserable,” I snapped. “How the hell do you think she is with you down here in Charleston?”
“Seems to me she got everything she wanted,” Hendrix said.
“Wait a second, Caz is your brother?” Jansen’s gaze snapped from Caz to me and back again. “How the hell did I not put that together?”
“Damn, Hollywood!” I exclaimed. “You’ve been in town all of three seconds and already outed me?”
“Didn’t realize you were keeping it a secret.” Hendrix cringed.
“Yes, Caspian is my brother, which again,” I said, my gaze swinging back to Jansen, “is none of your business.” Because if he truly wanted to know any of these details—which I would’ve freely given him—he wouldn’t have ignored my attempts to reach out after the elevator.