My ears started ringing. My stomach churned.
New York? With Amber? If that wasn’t bad enough, the team already had a solid popular starting line-up. I would never get to play.
Most importantly, I didn’t want to go to fucking New York.
Franz touched my shoulder. “I recruit for NL,” he was referring to the Newcastle Lions, one of the top men’s teams in the United Kingdom, “Think about what I told you the last time. If you decide you’d like to try something different—“ he shot me a look, “something better, I can help. I don’t understand how you’ve gotten buried in the system here, but between Reiner and I, there isn’t much we can’t do with our connections.”
Fully aware that this wasn’t the time to lose it, I pulled my Big Girl Socks on higher than ever and forced myself to nod at the man who had told me news he didn’t have to share. Could he have been lying? I didn’t see why he would, so I wasn’t going to be narcissistic about it.
Why bounced around in my head over and over again.
Everyone knew I loved playing in Houston. The WPL wasn’t big enough for people to be forced to play where they absolutely didn’t want to. Most of the time, players were willing to go wherever they were sent. When I’d first gotten drafted, I’d been allowed to choose the top three teams I wanted to play for. Obviously, Houston had been at the top of my list with stars by it, followed by California, since it was close to my brother, and then the Phoenix Novas, who had since moved to St. Louis.
I was the top scorer for the Pipers. I worked hard and didn’t give them much hell besides what had been going on these last few months, and I helped out my teammates as much as possible. Somehow this was how they were repaying me?
Gardner’s warning, Cordero’s dislike and the things my teammates had been doing recently swirled in my head.
I felt betrayed. Cheated on. And I couldn’t decide whether to be sad or take a key to Cordero’s car.
Okay. That was a little extreme. Sort of. Patience. Patience.
There was only one person who could have been behind this possible move. That spiteful, little asshole.
“Thank you for telling me,” I somehow managed to tell Franz, even though my insides were ready for anarchy.
“Don’t waste your potential, ja?”
I nodded at him, feeling this huge surge of emotion climb up my chest, and it wasn’t good. It made the smile on my face feel short of the braveness I wanted to portray. “I’ll figure something out.”
“Call me, email me, whatever you need,” he said sincerely.
“Thank you, Franz. I really appreciate it.” I did, even if the news made me want to cry.
Going to play with freaking Amber and her minions?
Apparently my thoughts were written all over my face. He gave me a sad smile that made me feel even worse.
A soft touch at the small of my back had me straightening up my shoulders. “Franz is spending the night. Have dinner with us,” Kulti said, stopping at my side.
Bile pinched my throat, and I had to keep my gaze away from his. “I need to go home. Thank you, though.”
He ignored me. “I’ll ride with you. Franz, take my car.”
“Rey, I want to go home,” I told him firmly.
“I want you to come over,” he replied, already turning around. “Where are your things?” Kulti didn’t even wait for me to say anything else before he started walking in the direction of my bag. Damn it.
“Rey,” I called out, following after him.
He glanced over his shoulder but didn’t stop walking. “You don’t have anything else to do. Stop being difficult.”
“Umm, I do have things to do. I have to go for my run later, or I might do some yoga.” Or cry, or scream… the usual.
The German waved me off.
I was going to kill him.”Reyyyyy!”
Nothing.
Son of a bitch.
“He’s difficult, isn’t he?”
“That’s the understatement of a lifetime,” I told Franz. “What a pain in the ass. I really don’t know how someone hasn’t killed him in cold blood yet.”
The other man barked out a laugh.
From across the field, I spotted the Kulti in the process of throwing my bag over his shoulder. “There’s no point in even trying to argue with him, is there?” I asked Franz.
“Nein.”
“He’s such a pain in the ass.”
Franz snickered. “He is.”
I sighed. I could leave after a little while. Hopefully.
I met Kulti at my car where he had apparently already gone through my bag to get my keys. He tossed them over the roof and we got in, waving at Franz as he slipped into the Audi parked next to mine. As soon as we were inside, I shot him a look. “You could have let Franz ride with me instead of making him ride alone.”