Chapter 60

KNOX

“Are you okay, my man?”

The driver is annoyed that I’m wasting his time.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

I climb out of the car and stare at the entrance gates to the campus.

Puckford University.

I play it all through my head.

The entire process of being scouted by the university.

Meetings with me, my father, my coach, university people…

Everything so intense yet so focused.

My father teaching me to stay that way.

Probably teaching me that since birth.

Focus. Plan. Prepare. Act.

Going through so many conversations and motions until the final handshake happened.

A full ride at PU.

From the day I stepped foot on campus, Coach Damon made me his number one goalie and never looked back. I probably had no business walking into the locker room the way I did, but I backed it up. My first game playing for PU I had a shutout.

Hockey was all I knew in life.

Playing goalie made sense for me.

Right up until… today…

I swallow hard and walk onto campus.

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not bailing on PU.

I will play until I graduate.

I’m going to be funneled right into the pros though.

I trust Cooper.

No idea why… maybe it’s the dressed down, drinking beer out of a glass vibe… I don’t know.

But from here on out, my future rests in the hands of Cooper.

Now I just need to handle some other business.

I really don’t know what’s going to happen next.

I’m not a fan of that.

In reality I should leave campus and regroup a little.

I should make a call or two. Send a few texts.

Get some things in order.

I’m not going to do that though.

What’s happening next is too important.

My first stop is my dorm.

Only I can’t get into my dorm.

Someone is waiting for me.

When I see Jax waiting… and then I see the look on his face…

I start to panic.

I hurry toward him.

“Jax, tell me-”

Jax grabs my shirt and literally picks me up off the ground.

He throws me across the hallway.

I hit the wall with a booming thud and pain spreads across my back.

Jax throws a punch.

I duck and his hand hits the wall.

I lunge forward and plow my right shoulder into Jax’s stomach and drive him back to my door.

Jax elbows the middle of my back.

I gasp for a breath and have no air.

I fall to one knee.

He tries to then knee me in the face but I manage to block him and shove him back.

I have no fucking clue what’s going on.

Other than Jax wants to kill me…

By the time I get to my feet Jax is coming for me again.

We tangle up.

He grunts and growls.

“What the fuck, man?” I manage to say.

“You hurt her and I kill you,” Jax growls.

He slams me into my door and punches me in the stomach.

I throw my right arm forward and catch him around the neck.

It’s like a pro wrestling clothesline move, but I really don’t want to fight him.

As Jax starts to fall, he grabs my shirt and takes me with him.

We both end up on the floor in the hallway.

Now we’ve got an audience.

A good chunk of the people living in the building have come out to see what the noise is.

Just two hockey players fighting… not sure why…

“Hurt her,” I manage to say. “What are you talking about? I told you what to do…”

“You’re bailing on her because you’re having a girl!” Jax roars.

He swings at me and I roll across the floor.

He punches the floor and yells in pain.

“How do you know we’re having a girl?” I ask.

Now I’m starting to fill up with rage.

I get back to my feet. So does Jax.

I move toward him and make a move, putting him in a headlock and I bend him forward.

My wrist is at his throat.

“Try one fucking move again, I’ll squeeze and you’ll be out in a second,” I say as I’m trying to catch my breath. “Now tell me what the hell is going on here.”

“Something fell out of your pocket,” Jax says.

He points to the floor.

“Yeah… and…?”

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Might just be.”

“Holy fuck, Knox,” Jax says. “What the fuck is happening?”

I release my hold on Jax and he stands up and turns to face me.

I get it.

He’s just trying to protect Willow.

But from what?

From me?

“Oh, man,” Jax says. “This is all messed up.”

“Where is she?”

Jax shakes his head…

“I’m sorry, Knox, but she left to go home.”