My Hockey Alpha Chapter 72

Nina

I woke up the next morning to the sun streaming in through the massive window of the spare bedroom that Enzo had taken me to the night before. As my memories of what happened in the forest slowly began to flood back, I remembered everything: Ronan being a werewolf and nearly dying, my chase with the stalker ending in her falling to her death, and being teleported for the first time. It all felt like a bizarre, and horrible, dream.

Feeling a pit in my stomach and hoping that no one else died in the night while I was sleeping, I quickly crawled out of the enormous king-sized bed and looked around for my clothes.

After I looked around for a minute, I finally found my clothes; they had already been washed and dried, and were folded neatly on a chair by the window. Had Enzo done this for me? I couldn’t help but smile a bit as I put on the clean clothes.

“Enzo?” I called, poking my head out of the bedroom door once I was dressed. I looked both ways in the dark hallway and didn’t see anyone, but I heard voices downstairs.

When I walked downstairs, Lewis and another man were talking in the kitchen in hushed voices. I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but by the time I was close enough to be able to hear anything, they both snapped their heads up as I approached and halted their conversation.

“Good morning,” I said timidly. “Have either of you seen Enzo?”

Lewis turned around to look at me. His face appeared weathered from years of hard work, but his green eyes were still bright, a stark contrast from his tanned skin. He wasn’t much taller than me, but he had broad shoulders and a muscular build. He wore jeans and a dirty denim jacket, as though he was dressed to do manual labor. The other man was dressed similarly, although he was much taller and lankier.

“Your prisoner woke up a little while ago,” Lewis replied, nodding his head toward the basement door. “Enzo is down there questioning him.”

I nodded and muttered a word of thanks, turning and walking over to the door. Lewis called after me: “I wouldn’t go down there if I were you, kid,” he said sternly. “It might not be pretty.”

I lingered for a moment with my hand on the doorknob, wondering if I should just turn back and wait for Enzo, but decided against it. “It’s alright,” I said, opening the door. “I’m the one Ronan was hunting, anyway.”

Lewis didn’t stop me as I headed down the basement steps, but I heard him pick up his conversation where he left off with the other man. Did I hear him whisper something about a hybrid?

As I descended into the cool basement, I heard the sound of Enzo’s muffled voice coming from a room in the back. Biting my lip, I quietly walked toward the door to listen in on what he was saying.

“Tell me who sent you, or I’ll take your finger,” I heard him growl, followed by a chuckle that sounded like it came from Ronan.

“I’m not telling you shit,” Ronan replied.

I heard the sound of skin hitting skin and a grunt, as if Enzo was punching Ronan. My eyes widened as I leaned closer to the door, horrified at what I heard on the other side.

Suddenly, the noise stopped. I heard the sound of approaching footsteps on the cement floor and jumped back just in time for Enzo to yank the door open with a concerned look on his face.

“I figured you were out here,” he said quietly, barring me with his body from seeing Ronan. “I don’t want you seeing this. It’s no place for a girl like you.”

“A girl like me?” I asked, folding my arms. “You think I can’t handle blood? I’m the one Ronan was hunting; I think I have the right to be here while you interrogate him.”

Enzo paused for a moment. There was blood on his knuckles and sweat caked to his forehead. Finally, after I glared at him for several seconds, he sighed and stepped out of the way. I walked past him to see Ronan tied to a chair in the middle of the room. He had a bloody cut on his cheek and a black eye.

“Ah, Nina,” Ronan said in a sing-song voice as I entered the room. “Lovely to see you. Would you be so kind as to tell your boyfriend that he’s wasting his time trying to get me to talk? It’s not gonna happen.”

Frowning, I glanced over my shoulder at Enzo to see him still standing in front of the door with an angry expression, his red eyes fixed on Ronan as he clenched and unclenched his jaw. I turned back to face Ronan, narrowing my eyes at him. “Why not?” I asked, slowly approaching him. I could feel Enzo’s eyes on the back of my head, but for some reason, I felt wholly confident that I could get Ronan to talk. It was almost as if there was something inside of me, giving me strength and confidence that I didn’t always possess before this moment.

I walked up to Ronan and placed my hands on the arms of the chair, leaning over him so that our faces were mere inches apart. His eyes flickered down to my mouth for a brief moment. He licked his lips.

“What, you wanna finish that kiss we almost had on the ferris wheel?” Ronan said condescendingly.

I could practically feel Enzo stiffen behind me, but I knew that Ronan was just trying to get under our skin.

“I realize now that I saw you the day after K almost killed me.”

Ronan’s eyes widened momentarily, giving me my opportunity to dig for more information. “You know him, don’t you?” I asked. “K? What’s it short for?”

Ronan, still resisting, shook his head. Suddenly, I felt something powerful take over me, and my hand shot out to grab Ronan’s face. His eyes immediately filled with fear.

“Alright,” he said through his teeth. “His name is Kole. We work for the same person.”

“Who do you work for?” I asked.

“I don’t know exactly,” Ronan replied. “She calls herself The Sister. We’ve only spoken via Mindlink, never in person. All I know is that she really wants you, Nina. And she threatened my family; she said that if I don’t bring you to her by the end of the year, she’s gonna kill my little sister.”

My eyes widened. I released Ronan’s face, instantly thinking of my own younger brother, Taylor. If anyone tried to hurt him, then I would do whatever it would take to protect him.

I finally stepped back, turning to look at Enzo. He was still standing by the door, his arms folded across his chest. I nodded, walking up to him. “He’s telling the truth,” I whispered as I glanced over to look at Ronan one last time.

“How do you know?” Enzo asked.

I shrugged, pushing past him to open the door. “Call it a sixth sense.”