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Page 171 of The Striker (Gods of the Game 1)

You could’ve heard a pin drop in the silence.

We gaped at her, too stunned about getting dressed down by someone half our size to respond immediately. Behind her, Carina smirked, looking like she was enjoying our discomfort a little too much.

But Brooklyn wasn’t wrong. Wewereacting selfish and childish. The doctor had pretty much said the same thing, but the way Brooklyn laid it out struck home.

We were so caught up in our pride and our need to win this stupid argument that we hadn’t considered how our actions would affect Scarlett.

A fresh wave of guilt doused the testosterone in the hall, leaving me cold and shame faced. Across from me, Vincent shoved his hands into his pockets, his face red.

If I really wanted to get technical, I was the one at fault for convincing Scarlett to delay telling Vincent about us. His anger was understandable, but when he came at me, my knee-jerk instinct had been to go on offense.

“Weare going to stay here and keep an eye on Scarlett.” Brooklyn gestured to herself and Carina. “You two talk it out somewhere else. I don’t want your negative vibes poisoning this area.”

“Yeah?” Vincent’s eyes narrowed. He obviously didn’t appreciate getting bossed around. “How are you going to make us leave?”

Her smile dripped with sugar. “Stay and find out.”

They stood toe to toe, their expressions stamped with defiance. The air sparked with challenge, but after a tense, drawn-out stare down, Vincent jerked his gaze away from her and stormed down the hall. He didn’t say a word as he left.

“That’s what I thought.” Brooklyn arched an eyebrow at me. “Your turn, lover boy.”

I didn’t argue—I owed her for telling me about Scarlett’s hospitalization and for slapping some sense into us, figuratively speaking.

I headed down the hall after Vincent, and we walked in silence until we reached a quiet alcove next to the vending machines. The bulky black boxes blocked us from view of the main hall and afforded us a small degree of privacy.

We leaned side by side against the wall, our bodies vibrating with lingering resentment.

“I can’t believe you’re dating my sister.” Vincent stared straight ahead, his jaw grinding. “Iknewyou would try to pull that shit while I was gone. I was a fool to think otherwise. I never should’ve left her alone with you.”

“You think Iwantedthis to happen when I first found out who she was? She’s a DuBois. I thought you all sucked.”

Vincent snorted.

“I told you, none of this was planned,” I said. “It just happened.”

“Right. You justhappenedto fall into bed with my sister.” He turned to face me, his cheekbones taut with suspicion. “Did you do it to get back at me? So you could rub your relationship in my face?”

My temper ignited again. “First, we didn’t justfall into bed. Second, not everything is about you,” I snapped. “If I wanted to rub it in your face, I would’ve told you the second you were back in London. Hell, I would’ve sent a carrier pigeon to break the news to you while you were gone.Thatwould make sense. Trying to hide it from you doesn’t. Of course, I can’t blame you for not connecting those dots considering your brain is the size of a peanut and your common sense is floating at the bottom of the Seine somewhere.”

Vincent’s nostrils flared. “Fuck you!”

“Fuckyou!” I was so tired of his shit. I felt bad about fighting with him in front of Scarlett, but she wasn’t here right now. “You might think the world revolves around you, but Scarlett is her own person. She confides in you because she respects you—God knows why—and she cares about you, not because shehasto. And I think you’re doing her a great bloody disservice to insinuate I’m only interested in her because she’s your sister and not because she’s incredible on her own. She’s smart, beautiful, talented, funny…believe me when I say her relation to you is her biggest con.” I paused. “That and her cooking.”

Vincent stared at me, at a loss for words.

Several beats passed before he finally responded. “She is a shit cook,” he muttered. “That’s why we always order takeaway when we eat together.”

I allowed myself a tiny scoff as we lapsed into another brooding silence.

My pulse pounded from the force of my rant, but now that I’d gotten it off my chest, I could think more clearly. Our arguments were great for blowing off steam, but they weren’t getting us anywhere because they didn’t address the root of the issue.

“Look,” I said. “I know I’m not your first choice when it comes to boyfriends for Scarlett?—”

“You’re not my second, third, or fourth choice either.”

I ignored his petulant grumble and continued. “But I care about her more than anyone else in the world, and I don’t want you to blame her for any of this. She hated lying to you, but she was so worried about your career that she didn’t want to just drop the news on you.”

Vincent’s brows drew together. “What the hell does your relationship have to do with my career?”




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