Rookies Hit It Better Read online

  Rookies Hit It Better

  Book 3 in The Minor League Mayhem Series

  Heather C. Myers

  Contents

  1. Knox

  2. Beth

  3. Knox

  4. Beth

  5. Knox

  6. Beth

  7. Knox

  8. Beth

  9. Knox

  10. Beth

  11. Knox

  12. Beth

  13. Knox

  14. Beth

  15. Knox

  16. Beth

  17. Knox

  18. Beth

  19. Knox

  20. Beth

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  Acknowledgments

  1

  Knox

  “What did you do this time?”

  Knox snapped his head up from the pristine holding cell, only to look into a pair of familiar hazel-green eyes. Beth’s head was tilted to the side, eyes narrowed, lips pressed together to keep from saying something too judgmental. She was a sight for sore eyes, that was for sure.

  “Let’s just say, the Strawberry Farm golf course did not appreciate bull horns as an accessory,” Rodrigo Hernandez said from behind her, holding a clipboard.

  The bulky booking officer wore his dark uniform that didn’t quite match the rest of the Irvine Police Department because booking officers and police officers were two separate things. However, the guy was nice and was a fan of hockey so he let Knox get away with a lot. Also, he thought the shit Knox did to get arrested in the first place was funnier than a lot of Irvine’s typical arrests, so the fact that he could be amused by things made him lighten up compared to the domestic abusers and the drunks in public.

  “Are you serious?” Beth’s question was directed at Knox, not Rigo. Crossing her arms over her chest, she took a step back from the white bars and glanced over at the officer. “Was he with anyone else?”

  “Three other guys,” Rigo said with a nod. “They’re in the holding cells down the hall. No alcohol. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”

  Beth pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. Knox knew he was going to get a lecture in the car, and maybe he deserved it. But right now, he just wanted to leave. He had an early skate tomorrow that he could not be late for.

  “I take it I’m springing all of them?” Beth asked, turning so she could face Rigo.

  Knox felt like he could breathe again. Every now and then, Beth would get this flicker of disappointment in her eyes when he did something particularly stupid, and he couldn’t stand it. She had the power to make him feel guilty without saying a thing. Always had, ever since kindergarten.

  “That’s what they say,” Rigo told her. “But I can hold them for exactly twenty-three hours and fifty-nine minutes if you want to make sure they learn their lesson.”

  Beth’s lips flickered up at that, and Knox felt a pang of something hit his chest. He didn’t like that other people could amuse her. It was stupid and completely not like him at all, but he liked being the only one that could make her laugh.

  “As tempting as that is, I doubt they’d learn anything,” she said. “All right, let’s see the paperwork. How much am I signing?”

  Knox glanced over at Beth and found her staring at him. She arched a brow and he lifted a shoulder. They could say a lot to each other without saying a thing. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head, and he grinned.

  “Right this way.” Rigo gestured down the hall where Knox knew his office was.

  Beth lifted her brows one more time, almost as though she was saying she would see him soon and to please stay out of trouble until she got back, before following Rigo to his office.

  “Oh, thank God she came,” Steve said from the holding cell across from Knox. His tall, lanky frame was pressed against the bars, arms sliding through the gaps between them. Somehow, he had lost his shirt at some point, so his tattoo-covered body was on full display. “I wasn’t sure she was going to show up after last time.”

  “You mean when we were hanging out at the old people home?” Brandon said. He was in the cell to Knox’s left, shaggy hair in his face. “Or when we forced all the dogs at the dog park to go through that dog obstacle course?”

  “Oh, yeah, I remember that,” Knox said through a chuckle.

  “How is it you still even have a job, bro?” Ryan asked from Knox’s left. His long blond beard still had grass and leaves hanging from it, though Knox doubted Ryan even noticed. “Doesn’t the NHL like, frown on that sort of thing, or whatever?”

  Knox wasn’t actually sure. “I mean, it’s not like I’m being charged, you know?” he said. “I’m just an annoyance rather than an actual deviant.”

  “I don’t know,” Brandon said. “I think maybe you have some kind of fucking angel looking after you, dude. Because if I were that hot owner, I would have taken one look at your ass and fired the shit out of you. Even if you play a decent game.”

  “What would you even know about hockey, man?” Knox asked, shifting his weight. “You’re a surfer. Maybe stick with that, huh?”

  “Hey, man, fuck you,” Brandon said. “Hockey is the easiest shit in the world. Get a rubber puck in the back of the net. Score the most goals. The end. Try balancing on fucking water with sharks and shit just waiting…”

  Ryan and Steve began to snicker. Knox ignored him. Brandon always got like this when he was overly-tired. It was like Brandon was a toddler. Too much stimulation caused him to get cranky.

  “I don’t understand how your biggest fear can be sharks if your job literally requires you to get in an ocean,” Knox murmured. He was amused by it - he always found amusement in most observations - and leaned back in his cell.

  “Most of the world doesn’t make sense, man,” Brandon said.

  At that moment, Rigo and Beth came back. Rigo had keys in his hands and Knox and the guys began to cheer. Beth crossed her arms over her chest while Rigo rolled his eyes. Knox bit his bottom lip to keep himself from laughing. It really wasn’t funny. And yet, it was. There was a reason his grandfather called him a rabbit’s foot; he was just naturally lucky. Things tended to work out for him, even when they shouldn’t.

  Maybe especially when they shouldn’t.

  Rigo began to unlock the cells and file everyone out.

  “Hey Beth,” Brandon said, standing obnoxiously close to her. “Hope you can fit all of us in your car.”

  “Oh, Bran,” she said, turning to look at him. “Your size is the last thing I know I need to worry about.”

  Knox burst out laughing, as did everyone else. Beth typically didn’t join them when they were being particularly stupid, but she was witty enough to be able to hang if need be. It was one of the things he admired about her. Then again, he wouldn’t be surprised if that wit was thrust upon her due to his friendship with her. She might have had to learn it.

  “Thanks, Rigo,” Beth said as the guys began to head out the back door. “I hope they pay you enough for what you’re doing.”

  “They don’t, but at least I’m amused when they get arrested,” he pointed out.

  “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not,” Beth murmured, hanging back.

  Knox did too. She reminded him of this mother duck, wanting to make sure all of her ducklings were gathered before she crossed the street with them in tow.

  “Really, Knox?” she asked in a low voice. “Blow horns at Strawberry Farms?”

  “You would have laughed,” he pointed out. The two accidentally bumped shoulders as they followed the rest of the guys out into the police department’s parking lot.

  “Maybe so,” she admitted. “But that doesn’t mean it’s funny. I have to drop you of
f for a meeting with Seraphina Hanson,” she said. “Apparently, your boss heard about the arrest and she wants to talk to you.”

  “What could she possibly want to talk to me about?” Knox asked, his voice getting low and raspier.

  “Hmm, let’s think for a minute,” Beth said, pressing her index finger to the tip of her chin and tapping a few times. “Probably, I don’t know, the fact that you got arrested again.”

  “Yeah, but -“

  “You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Knox,” she said, purposefully bumping shoulders with him. He could feel the warmth radiating from her even through the thin material of her Mushu shirt. “But I kind of get why she might be over it. You’ve been arrested, what, three times? Four? In the last few months? She might be over it.”

  “Yeah, but it’s like getting a traffic ticket,” he tried to explain. “They just wind up giving us citations. They arrest us to appease others. Sometimes, it’s because Brandon is drunk or -”

  Beth shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be fair,” she pointed out. “Unfortunately, you are a public figure and there are certain expectations that you’ll have to live up to, especially since you get paid the big bucks for it.”

  Knox opened his mouth but paused, taking her words in. She had this knack of explaining things to him in a way that made him see some kind of reason, even if he didn’t want to, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. He wasn’t about to be a pussy and pout, but sometimes he wanted to revel in how unfair things were at times. Beth just happened to call him on his shit all the time.

  They piled into her Prius that Brandon lovingly labeled the pussy car, and not because it was easy to get pussy while in the car. Knox sat in front - his usual spot, right next to Beth - while the rest piled in the back. It looked like they were going to Brandon’s place on Fifteenth Street in Newport. As a surfer, Brandon lived right on the beach. His place wasn’t huge, but it was perfect for him. Everyone would sleep it off and be up by the evening.

  Knox had no desire to go to Brandon’s place anyway. Even if he didn’t have this meeting with Seraphina, he’d probably want to grab some food and chill. With a morning skate tomorrow, he tended to refrain from staying out too late. Just because he didn’t need much sleep didn’t mean he wanted to indulge when he didn’t have to.

  The drive from Irvine to Newport was nice. Beth had the windows rolled down so the gentle, winter breeze tickled the skin. There wasn’t much traffic, either, even though she took the side streets. Knox leaned his head against the window, watching the green scenery pass him by. The guys were talking in the back, but he wasn’t paying attention. He was tired, he realized. He was twenty - how could he be tired? Was he really this much of a bitch?

  Beth dropped them off at Brandon’s place before pulling into the Pacific Coast Highway. Seraphina’s office was at the Ice Palace, which was where both the NHL Seagulls and the Irvine Mayhem played out of, despite the ice rink being located in Newport Beach with a spectacular view of the ocean.

  “If you want to text me when you’re out -“

  “Actually,” Knox said. “Would you mind coming with me?”

  Oh yeah. He really was this much of a bitch.

  Beth wrinkled her brow, but he knew she would say yes. She said yes to anything he asked her.

  “Okay,” she murmured, not sounding sure at all.

  The two headed into the rink and took the elevators up to the third floor. Beth kept looking around. Knox forgot she had never been back here before and he made a mental note to make sure to take her on a tour at one point.

  Seraphina was expecting him so the door to her office was open. Beth hesitated until Knox placed his hand on the small of her back and urged her inside. Her eyes stopped when she noticed the bloodstain - this was where Ken Brown had been murdered after all, and Seraphina had refused to remove it - but she quickly got over it and sat down.

  “Ms. Hanson, this is my friend Beth -“

  “I know Beth,” Seraphina said. “We spoke on the phone. She is your emergency contact after all.”

  Beth expected to be sent out of the room. Instead, Seraphina gestured for both of them to sit down.

  “I’m glad you brought her, Knox,” Seraphina said. “Because I’m hoping if I can’t get through to you, she can. I heard about your arrest earlier today. I called you into this meeting because if you get arrested one more time, I’m going to have to remove you from the team.”

  2

  Beth

  “Wait, what was that?” Knox asked, looking over to Beth, as though Beth would have all of the answers he was looking for.

  “You heard me, Knox,” Seraphina said. She gave him a small smile that Beth noted seemed genuine. Even so, she couldn’t help but tense at the possibilities of what Seraphina could mean by that. “I can’t have you get arrested only to touch the ice and get ice time. I don’t think that sends the right message to the team or to the fans.”

  “They don’t even charge me with misdemeanors,” Knox pointed out. “I get a citation, pay a fine. They only arrest me to…”

  “To…?” She arched a brow. “It’s like the IPD has to put you and your friends in timeout.” She let out a long breath. “Look, I think that some of the stuff you do is funny. I’ve read about your arrests. The blow horn thing was hilarious. I would have paid to watch that. But if you’re a Mayhem, I can’t have you being a prankster or whatever you guys call yourself. There’s this old hockey saying - you play for the name on the front of your jersey, not the back. When you indulge in selfish behavior, you’re playing for yourself. You don’t stop and realize how it could negatively impact the team. For one, it makes me look bad because it shows I can’t seem to reign you in. Granted, I have no intention of controlling you. Not only are you a grown adult, but I’m not your parent and that isn’t the sort of relationship I want to have with you anyway.”

  Beth glanced down at the laces in her Converses. This was exactly what she had been trying to tell Knox in the PD parking lot. She wished he would take what she had to say seriously.

  She wished he would take himself seriously, if she was being honest.

  “However, I am responsible for this team and for getting fans into seats,” she said. “At the end of the day, I’m a business woman, and I need to make sure the money I’m investing turns a profit. People are not going to pay to see you play if they know you like to be a public nuisance. Be a nuisance on the ice. Don’t go out - to a gold course, of all places - and fuck with people who are most likely season ticket holders.”

  Beth’s eyebrows crept up at Seraphina’s use of fuck, but she didn’t comment on it.

  “I don’t want those snooty assholes as fans, anyway,” Knox said, waving his hand. “They treat the staff like shit. They don’t even wipe their own asses.”

  “As much as I want to know how you even know that, I’m going to refrain from asking,” Seraphina said. “And, to your point of their character, I get it. Trust me, even though my grandfather had more wealth than any of them, he purposefully stayed out of their world.” She paused and shifted her eyes over to Beth. “What do you think?”

  Beth blinked. She sat up straighter, not expecting to be put on the spot at all. What did Seraphina Hanson care one way or the other about what she thought of Knox? Beth was Knox’s best friend; she’d be the last person who had an unbiased opinion on the matter.

  “What do you mean?” she managed to get out, ignoring the way Knox leaned forward, cocking his head to the side.

  “You bailed him out from jail, right?” she asked.

  “I picked him up,” Beth corrected.

  Seraphina lifted a shoulder. She didn’t care about the trivialities. “I doubt it was the first time,” she said. “What do you think about that?”

  “I mean...I’d do anything for him, ma’am,” she said. Beth wasn’t sure what Seraphina was looking for but she wasn’t going to condemn Knox. “He’s my best friend.”

  “Do you think his behavior
is professional?” she asked.

  “That’s not for me to say,” Beth replied, looking at Seraphina easily.

  “It might be,” Seraphina replied, “seeing as how he brought you to this meeting because, I’m assuming, you offer him a level of support he needs.”

  “I don’t understand the point of dragging me into this conversation, though,” Beth said, trying to be respectful.

  Seraphina smiled, surprising Beth. That wasn’t exactly the reaction she expected. Seraphina turned her attention back to Knox.

  “I hope you realize what you have in her, Knox,” she said.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, nodding once.

  Beth glanced at him curiously from her peripheral. Did he know what he had in her, she couldn’t help but wonder?

  “No more getting arrested or I will suspend you,” she said. “No matter the circumstance. No matter what. Do you understand?”

  Knox nodded again.

  “You’re a good player, Knox,” she continued seriously. “I’ve watched you play. I don’t want something like this to ruin your chances of your shot at the NHL.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You can go.” She caught Beth’s eye. “It was lovely to finally meet you, Beth.”

  The two walked out of the office and back to the car without a word. Beth started the engine and pulled out of the lot.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked in a low voice.

  “Not really,” he replied.

  She bit her bottom lip and nodded. They were silent the rest of the drive back to his place.

  After dropping Knox off after the meeting with Seraphina - which Beth definitely did not expect to attend - she decided she deserved some McDonald’s chocolate chip cookies. She hated going to the police department, hated springing Knox and his cronies from jail because they acted stupid, because she felt like she was a mom to them and not their friend, not their equal.