“You coming to the party tonight?”
I glanced over my shoulder at Derek, who cocked a brow, waiting on my answer. “Where’s it at?” I asked. We had just gotten done with practice and most of the guys were already gone. Tomorrow was our game against Chicago and we were pumped, ready to kick their ass.
Derek tossed his gym bag over his shoulder and grinned. “It’s at the Second Street Bar downtown.”
“You know that’s where all the cops hang out. The last thing we need is for one of our players to get a DUI.”
“And who do you think set up the party? I’m friends with those bastards. They wanted to celebrate with us. Why don’t you call Summer and have her come?”
“She’s working, shithead. I won’t see her until later tonight.”
His eyes lit up. “Well, there ya go. You can join us for a little bit, and then Bri and I will get you home in time to have fun with your girl.”
Rolling my eyes, I pulled out my phone. “I don’t plan on getting soused. I can drive myself.”
“Yeah, but Bri offered to drive us. Now you can have a couple of drinks and have a good time. Stop being a *.”
I flipped him off. “You’re such a dick, you know that?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, but you love me. We’ll pick you up in an hour.” He slapped me on the shoulder and exited the locker room. Sitting on the bench, I dialed Summer’s number.
“Miss me already?” she murmured seductively.
My dick twitched and I groaned. “Always, sunshine. How’s it going at the restaurant?”
“It’s been busy as hell. I’m going to have to hire more help,” she said, laughing.
“Yeah, but that’s a good thing. What time do you think you’ll get out of there tonight?”
“Uh, let me see…probably around midnight. Is there something wrong?”
“No, it’s just there’s a party tonight at Second Street and Derek wants me to go. He and Bri were going to let me ride with them.”
“That sounds like fun. I wish I could go, but I have too much shit to do here tonight. I trust you to have fun, but not too much, okay?”
I chuckled. “Agreed. I’ll be home around midnight as well. I think I’m going to call Luke and see if he wants to meet me there. I haven’t talked to him since your party.”
“Good idea. You two need to work things out. I don’t want you guys mad at each other.”
I didn’t, either. He was my best friend, but I was torn between wanting to help him and respecting Lara’s wishes. “I don’t, either,” I sighed. “But I’ll see you later. I love you.”
“Love you, too. Be safe.”
We hung up and I immediately called Luke. I half expected him to ignore me, but he didn’t. “What the fuck do you want?” he grumbled.
“I guess I deserve that. What are you doing tonight?”
“Going to a party. I heard you and the players were invited.”
“Did Avery tell you about it?”
“Yep.”
Jason Avery was an undercover detective and one of Luke’s good friends. When Luke wasn’t hanging out with me, he was with his cop buddies. I guess I should’ve known they would invite him. “Look, I’m sorry for not letting you in to see Lara. If Grayson wasn’t in there, I would’ve. You know that, right?”
He sighed. “I know. It just sucks that I couldn’t talk to her. She won’t return my calls.”
“Again, if you really want her back, you need to step it up. Calling her isn’t going to do shit.”
“Then what will? Got any good ideas up your sleeve?”
“I don’t know, but we’ll talk about it tonight. Drinks on me?”
“You’re damn right, asshole. I’ll see ya there.”
—
Derek and Brianna picked me up right on time and we headed to the bar. Most of my teammates were already there, including Jaxon and his friends, who gave me a wide berth. He hadn’t spoken a word to me since I punched the shit out of him. Glancing around the bar, I spotted Luke sitting at a table talking to Jason. When he saw me, he waved me over.
Jason stood and extended his hand. He wasn’t exactly what I would envision a cop looking like, but I guess that was why he was so good at working undercover. He was a tad shorter than me, with dark, spiky hair and a full-sleeve tattoo down his right arm. Luke told me he was a sneaky and dangerous bastard, fast on his feet. In his line of work, he needed to be. “Townsend, it’s good to see you again. Thanks for coming.”
I shook his hand. “My pleasure,” I said, taking a seat. We ordered some drinks and bullshitted for a while until Jason excused himself.
Luke tossed back a shot. “All right, so tell me what I can do to get Lara back.”
About that time, Derek and Brianna sat down with us. “What’s up, guys?” Derek asked, slamming his beer on the table. Luke’s eyes brightened when they settled on Brianna; he moved closer.
“Actually, Townsend, I think I have a better idea.” Luke held his hand out to Brianna, who looked at him like he’d completely lost his mind. “I don’t think we’ve officially met. I’m Luke.”