This sets off another round of laughter until I fall over, clutching my side.
“Unlikely, I think this is a sober cell. Nicky told me about them,” Bizzy explains.
“So what happens next? Should we call Shaw or Mathis?”
Claire and Bizzy look at me like I am stupid. “Hell no!” they say at the same time.
“We call in reinforcements.” Bizzy slides her phone out of her pocket. “Maria. She’ll save us.”
“I’ll call one of my friends, too.” Melanie does the same.
Any apprehension I had about Bizzy calling Maria vanishes when I hear Maria’s laughter through the phone.
“She’s going to sneak out and come get us in a few minutes. No worries.” Bizzy hangs up.
Melanie’s friends tell her the same, so we all settle in and wait. There’s a dim roar from far away, and guilt sets in. Nick expects me to be watching him, not sitting in the dungeon of the stadium in sober lock-up.
“I’m sorry I lost my cool, guys. It was highly unlike me,” I apologize.
“Wipe that damn frown from your face right now. Those bitches started it, and besides, they deserved it. Who acts like that? Trailer Trash, that’s who. This was some of the most fun I’ve had in a while,” Claire says.
The three of them agree with a nod. As we wait for Maria, Claire insists on reenacting the entire scene from start to finish, sending us back into a fit of giggles.
Which is exactly how we are when the door flies open. But instead of Maria standing there, we are faced with four very unhappy men.
Logan’s eyes are trained on Melanie.
Shaw’s on Bizzy.
Mathis’s on Claire.
And Nick, still in his uniform, sweaty and filthy, is staring at me with fire in his eyes.
No worries, my ass. Where the hell is Maria?
Chapter 17
Grace
Nick’s silence is killing me. I think I’d rather be back in the sober cell than have to endure this torture. The few times I’ve tried to talk to him, he’s looked at me blankly but not responded.
It’s been almost two hours since he stormed into the cell, picked me off the floor, and dragged me behind him to the player tunnel.
He talked over my head and told Shaw, “keep her there, and for fuck’s sake, keep her out of trouble,” then he disappeared into the locker room. Bizzy tried to scoot close to me, but Shaw had her pressed possessively to him. Irritation radiated off his body, but she kept assuring him she was okay until he calmed down. Then he told us why Maria didn’t come to our rescue.
Apparently, Logan showed up with Melanie’s friends to surprise her. They were told we had been hauled away by the cops, wh
o informed him we couldn’t be released until after the game. Shaw had already been called by the Director of Security, who knew Bizzy, and was on his way to the dungeon. That’s where they all ran into each other.
Since they couldn’t get us out, they waited for Nick to finish the game. According to Shaw, Nick was getting violent on the field. He didn’t share more, saying Nick would fill me in.
Bizzy didn’t seem disturbed, but I was freaking out inside. I’d never seen Nick pissed. He did the after-game interview, answering a few questions, but then cut it short and came straight to me.
He turns into his underground parking garage, and I decide to try again. “Don’t you want to take me home?”
He parks and gets out without a word. I stay seated, wondering what to do now. I’m startled when he swings open the truck door and reaches in, picking me up easily, and stalks to the elevator.
The whole ride is continued silence, and I start to feel sick. He holds me up by my thighs, keeping his face stoic. His cologne fills the area, and I drop my head to his shoulder, inhaling deeply.