Dump and Chase (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 1)

Maybe I hope it will be me again…but maybe I don’t.

One thing is for sure. Aiden Brooks is nothing to me.

Another thing that is for sure… That is a total fucking lie.

Chapter Eight

Aiden

I know Luther Arena like the back of my hand.

I have been roaming these halls and hiding in lockers since I was six. It was awesome. I broke my fifth bone here after falling off the Zamboni. I broke my first stick and I think also a skate blade. I can’t remember, but I love this place. It was honestly a second home for me. Man, if it isn’t great to be back. I thought when Elli demanded I come home so quickly, I would be joining practice. But unfortunately, everyone has been on break until today. She brought me in to meet with her, the coaching staff, and then the personal trainers. While it wasn’t really what I wanted, it’s been a great couple days.

When I’m not home with my family.

My sisters are on a whole other level. I now truly understand what Asher meant when he said he had to get out of there. Those two girls fight like cats and dogs and are ruthless. Emery set fire to Stella’s newest makeup palette because Stella ate the last bowl of Emery’s favorite cereal. I wish I were lying, but I’m not. Nope, I watched my youngest sister take my other sister’s makeup, put it on the grill, squirt it with lighter fluid, and set fire to it.

I’m gonna start to pray for the dude who decides Emery is the one he wants to be with, because she’s gonna kill that guy if he does her wrong.

Emery is crazy, while Stella is just loud. She isn’t violent like Emery, but she cries about everything. My mom isn’t fair, my dad doesn’t listen to her, Emery is trying to kill her, and apparently my presence there is no longer adorable. She hates me too. Hormones, man, they’re a bitch in my house.

Then my parents are on my last nerve too. They’ve insisted on going condo shopping with me, but they hate everything I look at because it’s not close to them. That’s the point. I want to visit, but I don’t want to be close enough that it’s a daily thing. I love my mom, but if she bitches one more time about how I eat, I might scream. My dad is so engrossed in his audiobooks, he doesn’t even hear the madness.

He may be a genius.

Because of all that, I am more than ready to go to practice. I’m actually excited to meet my team and get started. It’s a great group already, and I hope I fit in just right. I want to add to the team. I want to make Elli proud. My family. I want to be proud of myself. I haven’t felt like that in a while.

As I stand in front of my new locker with my name on it, I smile while I dress. The greats have all been in this room. My dad, Shea Adler, Karson King, Jordie Thomas, Phillip Anderson, and Tate Odder, to name a few. Tate, who is also my uncle, is the goalie coach here. Usually, the guys who retire from the team find their way back into the organization. It really is one big old family.

Across from me is my captain, Jayden Sinclair. He went to my alma mater, as did all his brothers. The Sinclair brothers are household names in the NHL. There are three of them, and they were all drafted one right after the other. Jayden is a hell of a player, strong, and smart. I’m excited to play with him rather than against him.

Beside him is Markus Reeves, one of the grittiest players I’ve ever met. He knocked me on my ass last year, and I swear I still have a bruise. The most badass goalie in the league, Jensen Monroe, dresses four spots down from me. He was actually the first to greet me, along with Vaughn Johansson. Man, I hope I get to play on his line. He has one sick-ass shot. The resident older guy, Benji Paxton, sits beside me, and he’s been real nice.

“You need anything, bud?”

I shake my head. “No, thanks.”

“I played with your dad. It’s kind of surreal to play with you too.”

I laugh. “Yeah, talk about trippy.”

His laughter is refreshing. He’s the oldest guy on the ice, but the dude is a beast. Says it’s the way he eats that keeps him playing. He probably eats that no-carb shit my mom is trying to preach. As I look around the room, there are a lot of faces I’ve played against, and it’s weird to be on their side now. I didn’t realize I was nervous until I started to dress. What if these guys think I’m a dick? I’m actually a delight, I feel. Well, unless you ask Shelli Adler.