Page 21 of Jason

It was what it was, and I couldn't turn my back on it. I had a plan, and I was going to make it a reality. I only needed to make sure Rory was with me every step of the way, and if that meant her flying out with me on the away games, it was okay. Because this sleeping without her shit was not going to happen again. And since all her patients were professionals, I was sure all of them would understand if she went away for a few days.

“How's your ankle?” she asked around a yawn.

It was late. By the time the bus took us from the stadium to the hotel and we had dinner and a drink in the hotel lounge, it was after midnight. I needed to let her go to sleep.

“It's okay,” I said, walking past Logan and Curt, who were in some kind of standoff. My guess, Curt fucked over another one of his clients. Ignoring Curt, I gave a chin lift to Logan and went to the elevators.

“No tension, limping, or anything like that?”

“Stop, baby. I'm fine. You did a great job. Besides, it's been a week since I was cleared for full-on play, and still I listened to you and didn’t run around as you call it,” tagging the button for the elevator with my knuckles I looked up at the red numbers going lower over the elevator door.

“Hey, man,” Logan said as he came to stand next to me.

“Hey.” I focused back on my call to Rory. “Okay, baby, I’m going to let you go now. I’m standing in front of an elevator, waiting to go up to my room to try to get some sleep.”

“Okay,” she sighed. “I love you.” Every time she gave me those words, I felt them hit the center of my chest, and the sweet pain made the breathing a little easier.

“I love you, too. Sleep tight,” I shut off my phone and put it into my jacket pocket.

“You want to have another drink?” Logan gestured with his arm to the lounge.

“No, I'm going to bed.”

I was just about to step into the elevator when Logan asked again, shifting from foot to foot. “You sure?”

Before I could tell him to fuck off and go find someone else to drink with, a low whistle came from somewhere. Logan looked that way then back and with a grin said, “Never mind. Have a good one.”

By the time I got to my room, all thoughts except sleep and Rory vanished from my head. That was until I opened the door of the room, only to find Mindy lying on the bed wearing nothing but panties and high heels.

Chapter Ten

Rory

The chime of my phone alerting me I got a message pulled me out of a very pleasant dream that had Jason starring in it. I reached out to the nightstand, not opening my eyes, and blindly tapped around it until I found what I was looking for. I brought the phone up to my face and nearly blinded myself when I engaged it.

It was a message from Logan.

It was also after three in the morning, so why he was texting me, I had no idea. He sometimes did that, texted me, but it was always during the day, and it always had a link to some funny post from social media or something along those lines. Tamping down the disappointment that it wasn't some sweet nothing from Jason, I touched the icon and opened it up.

It wasn't a text but a video.

Dread instantly filled me, since I could see the first shot was of some hallway. I wasn't in the mood for anything scary, but I pressed the play icon on the little square and watched the footage of Mindy coming out of the room, cupping her bare breasts, and sauntering in the opposite direction when the door slammed shut behind her. Whoever shot the video, slowly came down the hall to the door, so the room number was clearly visible, 531.

Jason's room number.

Jason's room.

I was still in numb shock when my phone chimed again, and exiting the video, I got back to Logan's text thread.

Logan: I'm sorry, sweet girl.

Logan: I told you to be careful.

Logan: I'm so sorry.

The three texts came one right after another in a second. I sat up, exited the messages, barely holding down the sob that started to travel up and out of my mouth, and dialed a number. I had to hold it together. I had to shove that image I just witnessed out of my mind long enough so I could get my stuff and go home, to safety…and there I could fall apart. There, I could let the hurt pour through and exit out of me in the form of tears. Not here. Not at Jason's place, where I didn't belong.

After five rings, the sleepy voice came. “'Ello?”