Page 90 of Hell on Wheels
Leaping off my leonine mate, I curse under my breath. “Son of a bitch. Thelastthing I need after losing Mina is to fuck up leading the team. The starters are loyal, but the bench sitters might get restless. I don’t have room for a mutiny of the wheeled kind.”
Archie sighs as I flit around the room, gathering my stuff and shoving it into my practice bag. “Luckily for me, Coach would rather slice off his foot with a skate than do anything to piss me off. He’s fucked without my sizzling skills.”
“Mab save me,” Rebel mutters from behind me. “Your ego is so massive it’s surprising you don’t push us all out of the room.”
“Naw, that’s my cock, buddy, but thanks for noticing.”
Before Rebel can spit out a rejoinder, I turn to face them, my hands on my hips. “Shut it. Both of you. The testosterone in here is going to choke me a fucking lot worse than your dicks do, so lay off or get the fuck out so I can focus.”
They both pout, and I throw my hands up in the air.
“Seriously! Archie, go get your shit together for practice. Rebel, put some goddamn clothes on.”
My stepbrother snorts, giving me a knowing look. “You realize you’re not going to that practice alone, right?”
“Well, I’m definitely not going withyou, so find someone to come with us when we leave. Whoever it is has ten minutes to get their shit together and meet us at Archie’s car.” I stomp over and swat the lion on my bed. “That means you, too, Mufasa. Get it going.”
Archie rolls to his feet with the grace of his animal, winking at me. “Yes, ma’am. Over and out, Dommy Mommy.”
Oh, gross. I guess I asked for that.
Bad Feeling
The ride to the arena is fairly chill, despite Reb’s disapproval of the outing. He’s worried about Rogue, I know, but she’s also right. She and Archie have commitments they can’t just slough off because we’re worried about secret enemies and shit. There’s only so long excuses about illness can hold off the inevitable; life has to go on.
Truthfully, I think it’s a good thing.
“The meeting is next week, and we’ve got everything ready, right?” Rogue says as her fingers tap out the rhythm of the music on the radio.
Archie nods, whipping into the lot of the arena the derby uses for practice. “Rebel says we have everything ready on his side. D, have you two heard from Guillermo yet?”
I frown, looking at my phone to check. Nothing yet, but the old arachnid wouldn’t dare be late for an event of this caliber. “No word yet, but I’ll give Angelo a poke. It’s better if he contacts Guillermo’s assistant for progress because he’s the big kahuna.”
Rogue turns in her seat, looking at me seriously. “Speaking of kahunas…”
I snort. “Nothing from Tracer, either. But he’s like a bad penny; he always comes back. If it was dire enough for the street gangs to contact the mafia outside of formal channels, I assume he will not let this drop.”
“You know, this is all ridiculously convenient in terms of timing.” Archie pulls up in front of the doors, then cuts the motor. “I don’t like it. And if I don’t like it, imagine how edgy your step-brother is.”
Growling, Rogue crosses her arms over her chest. “For the love of sparkly Fae dust,pleaselet the step thing go. It’s in words only, and we weren’t even a little together. It’s weird.”
“I dunno,” I say with a smirk. “Don’t you like feeling a little taboo?”
“No,” she says adamantly. “Plus, if I let you joke about it when we’re alone, you’re going to slip in public. I have zero interest in having that splashed everywhere on social media.”
Archie gives me a look that says she’s nuts for thinking it won’t anyway, then leans in to give her a kiss. “Have a good practice, Wheels. Kick ass and take names. I’m sure Javi will bring us delicious things home from the restaurant for dinner.”
I bat my lashes at him. “None for me?”
His face turns a delectable pink as he leans back, letting me bridge the gap to kiss him goodbye. Rogue sighs, and he ducks his head when I pull back. “I’m learning; give me a break, guys.”
“I’m a good teacher,” I shoot back with a wink. “Now we have to go.”
The handsome hockey player waves his hand, shooing us out of the car. I hop out and open the door for Rogue, watching her slip into the public persona of the bad ass derby team captain the second her foot hits the ground. She stands still for a moment, looking around the lot before she nods at me. The sound of Archie’s car revving before he peels out is the last thing I hear before I follow my girl toward the arena.
Time to watch my girl vent her frustration on some unsuspecting teammates.
“Take it easy, Kelly!”