Chapter 7

Mo

Anytime, mi amor. Love you.

My grip on the steering wheel tightens as the tail end of Nico's phone call plays on my mind. I can't remember the last time I said those words to someone who wasn't my sister.

Seeing Nico's face light up when he answered the phone triggered something inside of me. The full-fledged grin and crinkled eyes showed every emotion passing through his body as he spoke to whoever was on the other end of that call.

Happiness. Excitement. Love.

God. Does he have to be so expressive?

Annoyance seeps through me as I turn my attention to the other aggravating issue on hand: Nico Montez won't get out of my car.

Engine rumbling beneath us, I make a show of looking at my watch.

"In case you hadn't noticed, we've arrived."

Nico ignores me and continues to stare out the window. I grit my teeth and survey the nondescript varsity residence building. The front lawn is perfectly maintained, offering a vibrant green to the dull backdrop of the beige building.

Tapping my fingers impatiently, I clear my throat, "Do us both a favour and don't strip in my car. You can keep the clothes."

He looks like he is drowning in those shorts, but I decide not to vocalize that comment.

Nico stays silent, his body completely still. If I couldn't see the tension in his shoulders, I would think he had fallen asleep.

"Montez." I wait until he turns to look at me. "You can go home now. I'll make sure your car is taken care of."

"Right." Shaking his head, Nico blinks as if he had forgotten where he was, "Guess I owe you a thank you for that, huh?"

"Don't worry about it." I let my eyes drift over his shoulder to the door, hoping he"ll take the hint and leave. Nico nods and reaches for the door handle.

Finally.

Pausing just as his hand reaches the latch, Nico turns and looks at me, "What are you doing for the rest of the day?"

I frown, seeing where this conversation is going, "We aren't spending the day together, Montez. Twelve hours was more than enough."

He gives me a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, "Babe, I was just making conversation. No need to read into it."

Grinding my teeth together, I can"t stop the growl that leaks out, "I told you not to call me that."

"Did you?"

"Numerous times." Counting to ten in my head, I think of all the reasons Uber was invented.

"Bad habit I guess." He turns and looks back out the window, making no move to exit the vehicle.

"The bad habit is over-staying your welcome."

He flinches at my harsh tone, but I can't bring myself to feel bad about it.

"Roger that, Coach. See you next practice."

Finally extracting himself from the passenger side, I wait until Nico shuts the door to hit the gas. The Cadillac roars to life as I punch it, ready to clear my head and get on with my day.

I"ve almost made it out of the parking lot when I give my rearview mirror one last glance. My foot eases off the gas pedal when I see Nico standing exactly where I left him, staring mindlessly at the visitor lot. Craning my neck, I follow his gaze and suck in a breath.

Fuck.

A pickup truck idles next to the doors of the varsity residence, casually waiting to pick someone up. It's not the location that's the problem, it's the truck itself.

A black F-150. The exact make and model as the one from last night.

The lack of broken windows tells me it's not actually the same one, but Nico wouldn't know that. Cursing under my breath, I whip around the parking lot back to where Taber's lacrosse goalie is still standing. He glances over just as I roll down my window.

"Get in."

Relief washes over Nico's features as he plants his ass back in my passenger seat. I hit the accelerator before he can buckle up.

"Where are we going?"

I sigh, "The police station."

Nico hoots as we pull out of the parking lot and I can't help but notice this time his smile reaches his eyes.

"I see."

Officer Duncan looks at us with suspicious eyes, his thick black brows creeping towards his hairline. I glance at Nico and find an encouraging thumbs up waiting for me.

Amateur.

"I don't believe in words, sir. I believe in data." Pulling out my phone, I open up the email my family lawyer forwarded me this morning. Turning my screen sideways I place my phone in front of the officer.

"You realize any evidence you present will convict you of vandalism." He leans forward, looking me dead in the eye, "And as of right now there are no charges pressed against you."

"I understand." I gesture towards the phone, "This is the security footage from the gas station just outside of Taber. You should be able to pull the license plate from the video."

"The license plate of the truck you damaged." Shaking his head, Duncan looks between Nico and me before taking my phone.

"The license plate of the men who beat up an innocent bystander."

Nico opens his mouth to say something, but a sharp look quickly changes his mind.

There is no sound on the video but it's pretty easy to guess what is playing out on the screen based on the queasy look on the officer's face. By the time he puts my phone back on the table, Duncan's eyes have started to glisten.

"You know, my boy came out to us a few months ago." Looking away, he clears his throat, "Got into makeup and all that stuff. I've seen him wear similar outfits when he goes to that club on the outskirts of town."

Nico grins, "Lifestyle always brings out fashionistas."

Duncan gives him a nod, "Henry moved to a big city as soon as he could. Guess the people there are a lot more open than country folk."

"Glad to hear your son found a safe place to land." Interrupting the history lesson, I lean forward and open the other email my lawyer sent this morning, "Based on the amount of damage caused my lawyer has drafted a bail agreement and sent it over for you to sign. All you have to do is approve it and we can be on our way."

Duncan's brows pull into a frown as he reviews the document, "In case the vandalism charges are pressed against you, this covers your bases?"

"That's correct."

Nico shifts uneasily beside me but I don"t spare him a glance. Lawrence MacLaren has been representing my father's family for decades and there is no way in hell he would let something as simple as property damage be his first slip up.

"May I ask why you decided to turn yourself in?" Duncan slides my phone back towards me but I make no move to take it.

"I always take accountability for my actions. There's no point in waiting for the storm to hit if you can stop the storm before it begins."

"I see." Nodding his head, Duncan pushes back his chair and rounds the desk, "Thank you for taking the time to stop by Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Montez. I appreciate you looking out for Taber's citizens."

"Oh, I'm actually just a university student. I'm not from here." Nico shudders, "Too many corn fields for my liking."

Jesus Christ.

Duncan laughs, holding out his hand for Nico to shake, "Can't argue with you there. Pleasure meeting you both."

He turns to me with a smile, "I'm assuming that fancy lawyer of yours sent a copy of that footage to the investigation office?"

"Should already be in your inbox."

"In that case, you are free to go."

I frown, "Sir, about the bail agreement-

Duncan waves a hand, "I ain't seen no sign of vandalism on that video. The old camera must have cut out right when you walked out looking mean with a baseball bat." He winks, "Henry would have been proud of what you did."

I'm momentarily speechless, "Officer, the law really isn't up for debate. I would feel better if you took the agreement."

Duncan grins, clapping a hand on my back, "Don't worry son, the law around here is in good hands. I'll make sure those boys are fined with assault charges. You worry about getting good grades in school."

My frown deepens, "This isn't protocol. And I'm not a student."

"He's my assistant coach." Nico cheerful interjects the comment and I shoot him a glare, "Which is why he's not used to the way things work around here. Thank you so much Officer Duncan, we will leave take our leave now so you can get on with your day."

Grabbing my arm, Nico pulls me towards the door. I sigh, giving Duncan one last look over my shoulder, "The agreement is in your inbox as well if you change your mind."

"Like I said, nothing to change my mind about. Have a good day, son!"

Nico

"Babe, we've got to go celebrate."

Pulling down Mo's expensive vanity mirror, I grin at my own reflection, "We just got off scot free and took down a group of homophobic rednecks. Time to get drunk."

Keeping his attention carefully focused on the road, I see a tiny smirk pull at Mo's lips.

"I'm not sure alcohol is what your system needs right now."

"Alcohol is exactly what my system needs right now." Snapping the mirror shut, I adjust the oversized collar of Mo's shirt, "I'm thinking a round of tequila. Maybe a vodka cranberry to wash it down."

"It's 2PM."

"And the problem is?"

Mo gives me a wry glance, "Happy hour hasn't even started."

I smirk, "When you're with me, Maurice, every hour is happy hour."

He chuckles and the sound has little Nico stirring back to life. Shifting to get a better look at Mo's side profile, I have to hold back a sigh when I take in his chiseled features. The cold blue eyes are framed by dark lashes that somehow look intimidating rather than pretty. My eyes trail down the high cheekbones and I have to grab my seatbelt to stop myself from leaning over and planting myself on those full lips right here, right now.

God, and don't get me started on the hair. The perfectly styled strands of brown hair are just long enough to run my fingers through but short enough to maintain the professional business persona Mo has got going on.

"Incoming phone call from Jonathan O'Brien."

Jumping back against my seat, I stare at the navigation system in horror, "Did your car just talk to us?"

"Yes because my car isn't from the 1970s." Mo glances at me, "Pretty sure that bumper I saw yesterday was older than my father."

Cheeky. I like it.

I open my mouth to respond but he cuts me off with a serious look, "I need to take this. Please don't say a word."

Shocked he asked nicely, I nod and make a show of zipping my lips closed. He rolls his eyes and presses answer.

"I just got off the phone with MacLaren." A harsh silence fills the car and I see Mo grit his teeth beside me.

"There was a situation that required his services."

"Do I need to remind you what"s at stake here?"

I feel my eyebrows raise as I try and figure out Mo's relationship with the faceless speaker.

"No. I made a mistake and now it's been fixed."

"Thanks to MacLaren." Teeth clenching, Mo grips the steering wheel tighter and falls silent.

"You took two weeks worth of vacation so you could re-live your glory days before taking your corporate position to the next level. I allowed it because I thought it would help straighten out your priorities." My mouth falls open but the cold voice continues, "And now I find out that you are spending your time getting into bar fights in the middle of nowhere and putting the O'Brien name to shame."

Slowing to a stop for a red light, I try to make eye contact with Mo but his gaze doesn't leave the road.

"They were going to kill him, father."

Father?

My mouth snaps shut as I glance at the navigation screen. The name Jonathan O'Brien screams back at me and I want to slap myself for not putting it together sooner.

"Then you should have called the police. What did I teach you about fighting other people's battles?"

"You only fight your own."

"That's right."

Silence ensues and I shift uncomfortably in my seat. I am a sucker for family drama, but this shit is above my pay grade.

The light turns green and Mo calmly presses the accelerator. His entire posture screams tense but it hasn't affected his driving in the slightest. It's as though he's been trained to stay on autopilot.

Sadness hits me and for once it's not about the fact that a smouldering man is within touching distance but off-limits. I'm finally starting to understand where Mo's intensity comes from and it's not from a happy family life.

Mo clears his throat, breaking my train of thought, "It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't." Jonathan hangs up without another word and I wince.

"Guess your family isn't big on I love you, hey?"

It's a pathetic attempt to lighten the mood but I'm desperate.

"You could say that."

Mo doesn't crack a smile as he flicks the indicator for the university exit. A twinge of disappointment hits my chest at the thought of our day together ending so soon. The car doesn't slow down until we drive past the university and I heave a sigh at the sight of my residence building.

"Thanks for letting me tag along today. It was… interesting."

Mo glances over with a frown, "Who said anything about it being over?"

My heart stutters when we roll by the exit for my building. A massive smile takes over my face when I see what's coming up ahead.

"Just wanted to get the words out sober."

A smirk pulls at his mouth, "Sure. You ready to get drunk, Montez?"

"The answer to that question will always be yes."

"You and me. Pool. Now."

Stumbling off my barstool, I hiss in pain when my battered body hits the counter.

"Didn't realize you enjoyed losing so much." Mo grins, his face slightly flushed from the six rounds of tequila shots we did.

Was it six or eight rounds? I can't really remember.

Steadying me with his arm, Mo helps me wobble over to the pool table tucked in the corner of the dim sports bar. Purposefully leaning in closer, I shamelessly inhale the expensive cologne wafting off his skin. Smelling the scent on the man himself is one hundred times better than walking around in his clothes.

"Babe, you smell fucking delicious. What cologne do you use?"

He smirks, "Obsession by Calvin Klein. You can order it from Amazon."

"I'm ordering a bucket when I get home."

Mo laughs and leaves my side to round up the cue stick.

"You know how to play 8-ball?"

He grabs the rubber rectangle from the wall and puts everything in position. His shirt stretches across his broad back when he leans over the pool table and my level of intoxication skyrockets.

Who the fuck needs tequila when you have an assistant coach who looks like this.

"Hell yeah, I do."

"Good. You can break." Passing me the cue stick, Mo gives me a devilish grin, "Figure you could use the head start."

Lust and tequila race through my system as I snatch the cue stick from him.

"That was your first mistake, Maurice. The name Nico Montez causes fear in pool players everywhere."

Mo lets out another laugh and I all but swoon. This is the most carefree I have ever seen him and to say I am loving it would be an understatement.

"We'll see about that."