Rushing the Goal (Assassins #8)(129)

“Of course. Hey, let me say bye to your mom.”

“Okay. Here, Mom,” she said, handing the phone back.

Holding it in her lap, Lucy felt him looking up at her but she couldn’t put him in his spot yet.

“I’m driving, sorry you’re getting my double chin.”

He laughed. “No, all I see is my gorgeous girlfriend.”

She grinned as she turned onto his road. “Yeah, yeah, sweet-talker. I’m almost home.”

“It could be your home,” he suggested and she shook her head.

“Shh, you. Can I call you later? I gotta get inside to do some work before taking Angie to practice.”

“Yeah. Listen, I’ll be at the game, but I’m gonna call you before we have to hit the ice. To check on you.”

“Okay,” she said, pulling into the driveway.

“It’s gonna be okay. Call me before if you need me.”

“I will,” she promised as she parked and held the phone up. When she saw he had tears in his eyes, she was breathless. He loved Angie so much, and he was just as pained as Lucy was. She prayed what he said was true. That they would both be strong through the ordeal, that it was going to be okay.

But she was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be.





Lucy’s heart was in her throat.

Her body was vibrating with nerves.

Her stomach was a mess.

And she was two seconds from falling apart.

She couldn’t do this.

No. She could do this.

She would do this.

Mindlessly, she stroked the back of Angie’s head as she looked out the window, hoping that Angie couldn’t sense her anxiety. She was sweaty, a little stinky, but Lucy didn’t care. She needed her to know she loved her because she was terrified that Angie would hate her after this—if this went the way her father said it would. How was she going to stand there and allow Rick to take her away? God, this was going to suck.

But maybe he would just let her be.

“Grandma, why are you coming?” Angie asked then, bringing Lucy’s attention back to her.

“We are going wedding shopping after we drop you off. So we figured we’d take you so I can make Mommy go,” she said with a laugh and Angie smiled.

“I want to go wedding shopping! Maybe Dad won’t make me go with him,” she said, her eyes full of hope as she met Lucy’s gaze.

“Yeah, let’s hope so,” River said before Lucy could. “But remember, baby, there is a chance he will and you’ll have to go.”

“But I don’t want to,” she said simply and Lucy’s lip started to quiver. She hated feeling so f*cking weak. Why couldn’t she control this? Why couldn’t anything go the way she wanted? The only good thing was Angie and Benji. Well, when they were both with her.

“I know, baby, but we might not have a choice,” Autumn explained, turning in her seat.

But that didn’t work for Angie. Turning to Lucy, her gaze bored into her mother’s as she asked, “Mommy, you won’t make me, will you?”

She shook her head. “No honey, I won’t. I promise I won’t. But he can make you.”

Angie’s face twisted in confusion and maybe a bit of horror as she looked at her. “So I might have to go?”

Lucy’s eyes started to flood with tears and she cupped Angie’s sweet little cherub face. “Yeah, but remember what Benji said? It’s only two days and then you’ll be back home.”

Angie bit into her lip as she looked out the window. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry, Angie. I wish we could just go shopping.”

“Me too,” she answered, and then Lucy’s stomach dropped when she realized they were in the parking lot of Walmart.

No. Not yet. Fuck. Shit.

When her phone vibrated, she looked down to see it was a text from Benji.

Benji: You’ve got this. Keep your cool. Don’t give him any fuel for his f*cked-up fire. Okay?

She was shaking too badly to text him back, and when she looked up, she saw Rick’s car. Her heart dropped into her stomach as River stopped in the spot beside him. Lucy hit her dad’s name in her phone and he answered but she didn’t speak, holding it in her hand. She went to turn, tell Angie that she was sorry again, that she loved her, but Angie took a deep breath and opened the door, her chin held high. Lucy almost lost it. She felt like she was falling apart, and she knew she would never remember getting out or walking around the car.

Before Rick could say anything, Angie took Lucy’s hand and said, “I don’t want to go to your house, Dad.”

He snorted, folding his arms over his chest. “That right? Your mom tell you to tell me that?”

“No,” Lucy said, her hands shaking at her sides as her mom and River got out of the car.

He laughed. “Brought the cavalry, I see. Where is that boyfriend? He off cheating on you again?”

Lucy’s head tilted to the side, her eyes narrowing. She’d had no reason to assume so, but now she was pretty sure Rick had something to do with that website. With Nikky Jiggler. “Why would you say that?”

“Word on the street—or blog, I guess,” he snarked and Lucy’s glare deepened.

“So you’re following hockey blogs now?”