“That’s because you and McCarthy are too far up each other’s asses. Forgive me if I don’t bow down at your feet. Anyone who associates with that dickface isn’t worth my time.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “The same thing could be said about you. I’ve heard about the kinds of things you’ve done to your teammates. Kind of fucked up if you ask me. I’m surprised they haven’t gotten rid of you.”
I stepped up to him and he didn’t waver; we were going to have some issues. “They know I’m the best. You may think you’re going to run this team, but in the end we all know you’re not as good as Cooper Davis. I’ll be the one saving the team, not you.”
His jaw clenched and I pushed him out of the way. I might be an arrogant ass, but I was nowhere near as bad as Delaney. He was going to be brought down a level, and I was going to make sure it was by me.
Chapter 8
Bristol
“How’s everything going out there, honey? Are you making sure your brother is settled in?” my mother asked.
It was late Monday morning and I was rushing to get home so I could change before going to Jack’s house. My first two appointments went by quickly, though I found myself distracted by thoughts of Jack. In just another hour, I was going to be alone with him inside his house. The thought of that thrilled me. I had no clue if he was married, but I hadn’t seen a ring on his finger. Not that it mattered to people nowadays, but I refused to think of a man who was married.
“Bristol, you there?”
“Yes, I’m here.” I laughed. “I’m trying to get ready for my next appointment. Your precious boy is okay. He’s settled into his apartment and he’s looking for houses.”
She sniffled as if she’d been crying. “It’s so hard to believe my babies are so far away from me.”
“I’ll come home to see you as soon as I can,” I told her. My mother had a fear of flying, and since we were so far away from Texas, driving was out of the question. It was always up to me to fly home to see the family. No point in telling her how you were more likely to die of a car accident than in an airplane; it would go in one ear and out the other.
“Make sure to bring your brother when you do. He sounded a little angry when I called him. Maybe you should set him up with one of your friends from work.”
“Most of them are married, Mama. Did he say why he was upset?”
“No, but I could tell something was wrong.”
“I’ll give him a call and see what’s up.” I glanced at the clock and then rushed to the front door. “Mom, I hate to do this, but I really have to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“All right, sweetie. I love you.”
“Love you too.” I hung up and jumped into my car. My house call days were the easiest because I wasn’t expected to drive to the office. Sometimes it was nice staying away from the craziness in downtown Charlotte. I had made the choice to live in a condo downtown, but I hoped to one day have my own place, with my own land, like my family did in Texas. I missed my horses and the ranch. There weren’t many places like that in Charlotte.
I plugged Jack’s address into the GPS in my car and started on my way. He lived about twenty minutes away from my condo, in a city called Belmont. It was near the tavern where I had met him.
Now that I was on the interstate, I called Ryan. “What’s up?” he said.
“Hey, how did the game go yesterday?” I asked in greeting.
He laughed. “Good, I guess. If you would’ve watched it, you’d see that we won.”
“That’s great! Just because I don’t watch it doesn’t mean I don’t care. With my schedule, it’s hard to find the time to do anything other than work.” It was a good thing I enjoyed what I did for a living.
“What all do you have to do today?” he asked. His voice sounded tired, restless.
“I’m on my way to an appointment right now. Are you okay? You don’t sound right.”
He huffed heavily. “I’m just pissed, Bris. I really want to kick some of the cocksuckers’ asses on the team, but I can’t. They better watch out, though.”
“Don’t get kicked off the team, Ry,” I warned. “What happened?” Ryan had a temper and I knew if he got angry enough, he’d blow. Being on the Carolina team was the best thing that could have happened to him. The last thing he needed to do was mess that up.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” he growled, “but it’s just a pain in the dick.”
“What is it with you guys? Don’t you all know how to play nice?” It was easier said than done, since I knew how women could be toward each other as well.
Ryan chuckled. “It’s not in our DNA. But I’m glad you don’t want anywhere near these guys. They’ll go after you just to fuck with me.”
“I know how to handle myself, Ryan.” It wasn’t like I wanted to be around them anyway.
“Yes, but you’re still my little sister.”
“I think you’ve forgotten I’m twenty-five now,” I teased. Ryan was only one year older than me but he acted as if he were my father. Growing up, my father always told Ryan to look out for me, to protect me if anyone ever tried to hurt me. With Ryan by my side, I never had to worry about anything, but sometimes, his overprotectiveness could be annoying.
“Do you want to help me look for houses this week?” he asked.
“Sure. I wouldn’t mind looking at places myself. I was thinking about our family’s ranch and wished I could find a place like that around here.”
He snorted. “I doubt you’ll find anything like that, but you can always get some land and buy horses. I know you liked that.” It was true, I did. I rode my horse, Daisy, all the time back home and I missed her more than anything. Riding was my escape.
“And if we find you a house with land first, I can buy my horses to stay on your property until I can get my own,” I mentioned hopefully.