“That big one hurt Abby, and that full-human girl, she didn’t do anything. She was just helping.”
“I know. You absolutely did the right thing. Not that you care, but I was impressed.”
She peeked up at him through long, dark lashes. “Really?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately for you, though, you also impressed the two nutbags I took out of here.”
She frowned. “Huh?”
“Let me just ask you a question, Hannah, and you give me a straight and honest answer. Extremely honest.”
“There is no ‘extremely’ honest. There’s honest. Or there’s dishonest.”
Yep. She was his kind of girl. If Crush had ever had a sister, he’d guess she’d have the same kind of argument.
“You’re right.”
“So what do you want to ask me?”
“Do you want a shot at playing hockey or do you want a shot at playing derby?”
Frowning, she answered, “I don’t think I’d be very good at either.”
“Only you would know that but, I’m afraid, if you want either of these two off your back anytime soon, you’re going to have to fall on your face to prove it.”
She briefly closed her eyes. “Yeah. I was afraid it was getting to that point. Blayne’s been circling me for months like a stray circling an injured rat in an alley. And then Cella ... I just wasn’t exactly sure why.”
“Do you even like hockey or derby?”
“Hockey’s okay. I don’t know much about derby, but I’ve seen the shorts. I’m not comfortable with those shorts, Mr. Crushek.”
“You can call me Crush. Besides ... I’m guessing I wouldn’t look good in those shorts, either. Although I’ve been told I have nice calves.”
That made her smile and Crush asked, “Can I make a suggestion?”
Hannah studied him a moment, then nodded her head. “Okay.”
“If you tolerate hockey, then go to the Carnivore tryout. Get it done and over with and chances are neither will bother you again.”
“You clearly don’t know Blayne.”
That made him laugh a little. “I don’t know her well, no, but I’m sure sobbing will be involved. But that could work for you, too. Seem all broken up about your humiliation at hockey and maybe cry a little, I’m guessing she’ll totally back off. I won’t promise, however, that she won’t try to find something else to obsess over. I haven’t known her two weeks and I already sense that she obsesses over a lot.”
“You’d be amazed.”
“But you’ll definitely get Malone off your back.”
“I just don’t ...”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t want to embarrass myself in front of Cella. I mean ... she’s Bare Knuckles Malone. The Bare Knuckles Malone.”
Realizing he was talking to a fan, Crush grinned. “Kid, until you’ve spent two hours with your childhood hero—Malone’s father—and listened to him go on and on about his participation in every illegal activity short of first-degree murder and sexual assault ... you really don’t know what embarrassment is.”
She laughed and Crush was immediately charmed. He could tell she was a very sweet kid, no matter what she’d been through. It wasn’t easy to keep that part of yourself when you’ve been through hell, though. No. Not easy at all.
“That really happened?” she asked.
“It really happened. And as you mentioned, I’m a cop. I was torn between whether I should annoyingly discuss every goal he’d ever made or arrest him for anything that hadn’t passed the statute of limitations.”
“What did you do?”
A little ashamed, Crush shrugged. “I annoyed.”
Cella waited in the hallway with Blayne, the pair glaring at each other until Blayne said, “I thought we were friends.”
“We are very good friends,” Cella snarled back. “In fact, I like you a lot, you little bitch. But you get between me and a potential player and I’ll twist your little head around until you can look at your spine.”
Instead of firing a threat right back, Blayne said, “Gwenie can do that.”
“Gwenie can do what?”
“Turn her head so she can look at her spine.”
Horrified, “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“What is she? A house cat?”
“Nope. She’s just Gwenie.” Blayne grinned. “And I adore your mother!”
“She’s good, isn’t she?”
“So good!” Blayne scowled again. “But you’re not taking Hannah from me.”
“Like hell I’m not.”
The game room door opened and Crushek walked out.
“Well?” both females asked as soon as he closed the door.
With a smirk, he pointed at Cella.
“Ha!” Cella crowed, then danced around a stomping, snarling Blayne.
“I hate both of you!”
“Why do you hate me?” Crushek demanded. “I was just trying to help.”
“Oh, shut up!”
Cella clapped her hands together. “Eat that, canine!”
“I’ll never forgive either of you!” Blayne howled before turning and running down the hall. Then she spun back around and returned.
As she passed, Cella sweetly asked, “Wrong way, honey?”
“Shut up, Betrayer!”
The wolfdog disappeared around a corner and Crush shook his head. “Is there anywhere you go that you don’t bring pain and destruction?”
“As a matter of fact ...” Cella gasped, remembering that people were waiting for them. “That’s right! We’ve gotta get to work.”
She ran back to the locker room to change, but she could hear the bear behind her bark, “That statement does not give me confidence, feline.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“MacDermot!”
MacDermot sat up. “I’m awake. I’m awake.”
She was now, but she hadn’t been for the last hour. Not that Crush blamed her. This was boring. And it wasn’t that he hadn’t done surveillance before. He had. A lot. But he’d always known what he was looking for. Instead, their entire team was sitting around doing nothing, while the Group and KZS teams were doing ... something. Any time Crush asked, no one could give him an answer. Something that really bugged the shit out of him. What exactly was his role here? The role of NYPD? Was this his life now? Sitting around, waiting for someone else to get done doing ... whatever?
Maybe I should start updating my résumé.
“Any more coffee?” MacDermot asked him.
“Here.” Crush handed her his large thermos. “There’s a little left.”
“Thanks.” Yawning, MacDermot poured herself a cup. After a sip—and a shudder—she asked, “What are you doing?”
“Getting these files together to pass off to Conway.”
“You’re going to miss undercover, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“There still might be an opportunity to do it for our division.”
“Yeah. Right. Hard to go undercover with shifters, MacDermot. They can smell what you are.” He heard her snort and Crush looked up to find MacDermot laughing. “What’s so funny?”
“If you told me ten years ago someone would say to me in all seriousness ‘shifters can smell what you are’ ...”
Crush had to smile. “I guess it is weird for you. Going from your life to this one.”
“Weird but entertaining. How many girls from my old neighborhood can say that they walked into their house two days ago to find a four-hundred-pound lion asleep in the middle of their living room with their son sleeping on top of him?”
“And the dogs?”
“Out cold, curled up next to him. He said later they’d ambushed him.”
“You know, lion males annoy the living shit out of me, but Llewellyn ... a hell of a lot better than your first husband. I don’t know what you were thinking that first go-round.”