Dear Roomie (Rookie Rebels #5) - Kate Meader Page 0,94

brother against the boards.

On any other day Bast would’ve picked himself up in seconds. Not tonight. Tonight, he stayed down.

This might blow Reid’s shot at that Rebels contract. Why the hell would they want a guy who couldn’t control himself on the ice, who let his emotions get the better of him when faced with his more talented brother? Who let his problems with a woman bother him like this?

Because as much as he wanted to think he could separate the personal from his work, it turned out he was no better than Cal Foreman or any of the other players who let their sex lives affect their play. Except those guys were all better players and deserved their spot on the team.

“I know you have to get back out there but could you see how he is?”

Coach nodded and squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll check on him.”

A minute later, Henri came flying through the door and got up in Reid’s face.

“Is he okay?”

“I don’t know.”

“What the fuck were you doing out there?”

That was rich. “What you taught me. Trying to win.”

“At all costs? You can’t win clean so you have to win dirty.”

“Henri, don’t.” Nadine put her hand on her husband’s arm. “Not now.”

“This is what you wanted, Dad. Both of us going at it until no one’s left in the cage. Don’t act all surprised when someone gets hurt.”

His father stared at him, his gaze thick with disdain. “You think this is what I want? All that talent out of the game for the rest of the season?”

No, he wouldn’t want that. No one would. When Reid went hard enough at Bast to knock him out, he wasn’t even thinking of besting his brother to win Henri’s approval. He was thinking of making his mark, separate from the Durands. Forging a path that won him a contract, a team where he could belong, a home with his dog and the woman he loved.

He no longer cared what his stepfather thought, not really.

All he cared about was Kennedy.

Kennedy, who was already packing her suitcase and turning her face to the sun. Away from the darkness that was him.

The medic came out and Henri pounced on him. “Is my son okay?”

“Sure. He’s concussed but awake. Busted nose. Wrist fracture.”

Henri’s expression turned even darker. “His wrist? But that’s eight weeks, minimum.”

The medic looked sympathetic. “Yeah, usually he would have been able to brace himself but he probably lost consciousness first and fell badly on it. Give the docs a few minutes. They’ll be transporting him to Riverbrook Memorial for X-rays and to set the fracture.”

Henri turned to Reid and jabbed a finger in his shoulder. “His wrist, Reid. You know what that means? He’s out of the Olympics. Probably the rest of the season.”

Reid’s heart plummeted to a new personal hell. “Dad, you know I didn’t intend for that to happen. I would never want to hurt him.”

“Sure. You think I don’t remember how rough you were on him as a kid? Still jealous, I see.” Henri shook his head in disgust. “Just stay away. He doesn’t need to see you right now.” He headed out to see his son.

Nadine squeezed his arm. “Just give him time, Reid. You know how invested he gets.”

Sure, with one of them.

Alone, Reid collapsed on a sofa in the lounge, every bone and muscle in his body suddenly giving out at once. On the ice, he had played hard and rough, determined that no one would come away thinking Bastian Durand was the only talent in the family. If he could take it to his brother, he would prove he was in the right place with the right team. He wouldn’t need Henri or Bast or Kennedy because he was here where he deserved to be.

Instead he had acted like a barbarian.

He had become Henri.

His phone buzzed with a message from Kennedy. She’d already called three times.

Is he okay?

When he didn’t respond, she called again, her pretty face flashing on the screen. He had freeze framed it one night when she was FaceTiming him, a moment that captured her mid-laugh, a ball of sun in his dark world.

He pressed ignore.

She would want details, maybe even to talk to Bast. Reid was sick of himself and speaking to Kennedy would only highlight everything that was wrong with him.

A screen in the lounge broadcast the game on mute. The third period was starting, the Rebels already down by two, owing to the power play the Hawks got when