Read Online Cage's Misconduct (NHL Scorpions #3) by Nikki Worrell - Free Book Online
Authors: Nikki Worrell
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out a lot, but hockey was my life. Always has been, always will be, I think. Mom didn’t have any extra money for new equipment or good skates, so I used whatever equipment I could buy with money I got from working around the neighborhood. I’d fix things for some of my classmates’ parents and stuff. You know, clean their pools, rake leaves, mow lawns, fix cars. You can imagine how that went over. I’m sure you know the story. The poor kid working for the not-so-poor kids. Since I was a decent looking kid, the bored housewives were always extra nice to me, and I admit, I took advantage of that. Eh, it was a long time ago.”
Maybe that explained why he lived in such a modest cottage. From what I’d seen so far, the only thing Cage owned that indicated he had money was his BMW. “I’ll bet you make sure Jaden has the best equipment though, don’t you? Probably Ethan, too.” I knew I was right when Cage remained silent. “Told you.”
His eyes had been closed as we talked. He turned his head to me and just barely opened them, looking at me with a squint. “Told me what?”
“That you’re a good guy. Good guys take care of their families, and their family’s friends. You don’t have to do that. I’m sure your mother could get along just fine. She did when you lived at home, didn’t she?”
“Yeah. You know it’s funny. We didn’t have much, but we never wanted for anything either. We always had food on the table, clothes on our backs, and even went to the occasional movie or had pizza delivered on a Friday night. I never felt like money was important, I just felt like I had to make things better —e asier for my mom. She was always working. So maybe I assume the worst of people before they can show their true colors and disappoint me. People leave. And they only seem to care about you as long as you can do something for them. I heard from people I hadn’t heard from in years when I made it to the NHL and my salary was public knowledge.”
I knew first-hand how hard it was to grow up in a not-so-perfect environment. That was something Cage and I actually had in common, which meant…“You know, you and Jody were almost the same age when you lost your fathers. He didn’t get that hard edge around him though.”
“You’re kidding me, right? Your brother hits first and asks questions later. No, scratch that. He never even asks questions!”
He had a point. “Yeah, but he’s not mad at the world, and he doesn’t have a problem making friends.”
I think maybe I pushed too hard because I could actually see his anger surfacing. His mouth pulled into a thin-lipped, cynical smile, and even that faded quickly. He leaned his head back again, shutting his eyes, and I noticed the grip on his beer bottle was pretty tight. I was pretty sure it was me saying that Jody didn’t have a problem making friends.
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe I’m just an asshole. So tell me why Jody’s so damn protective of you. It seems a bit of overkill, you know?”
I decided to let his comment go. If I had to guess, I’d say Cage didn’t take part in a whole lot of soul searching conversation. Our current talk was probably the deepest one he’d had in a while, but I didn’t love the change in the subject. My experience with Freddy was not something I talked about much. So, I took a page from Cage’s book.
“That’s just the way he is. You know, kids stole my lunch money when I was little—that kind of stuff.” Even though we seemed to have this connection, I wasn’t going to share all my baggage if he was going to withhold his, right?
“I call bullshit. Protective brothers are one thing. Jody’s singular mission in life to beat any guy who looks at you is another.” He gingerly touched his previously broken and now realigned nose. “All I did was say how nice your—never mind, it’s not important. Anyway, there’s more to the story. Your brother broke my nose so I think you owe it to
Maybe that explained why he lived in such a modest cottage. From what I’d seen so far, the only thing Cage owned that indicated he had money was his BMW. “I’ll bet you make sure Jaden has the best equipment though, don’t you? Probably Ethan, too.” I knew I was right when Cage remained silent. “Told you.”
His eyes had been closed as we talked. He turned his head to me and just barely opened them, looking at me with a squint. “Told me what?”
“That you’re a good guy. Good guys take care of their families, and their family’s friends. You don’t have to do that. I’m sure your mother could get along just fine. She did when you lived at home, didn’t she?”
“Yeah. You know it’s funny. We didn’t have much, but we never wanted for anything either. We always had food on the table, clothes on our backs, and even went to the occasional movie or had pizza delivered on a Friday night. I never felt like money was important, I just felt like I had to make things better —e asier for my mom. She was always working. So maybe I assume the worst of people before they can show their true colors and disappoint me. People leave. And they only seem to care about you as long as you can do something for them. I heard from people I hadn’t heard from in years when I made it to the NHL and my salary was public knowledge.”
I knew first-hand how hard it was to grow up in a not-so-perfect environment. That was something Cage and I actually had in common, which meant…“You know, you and Jody were almost the same age when you lost your fathers. He didn’t get that hard edge around him though.”
“You’re kidding me, right? Your brother hits first and asks questions later. No, scratch that. He never even asks questions!”
He had a point. “Yeah, but he’s not mad at the world, and he doesn’t have a problem making friends.”
I think maybe I pushed too hard because I could actually see his anger surfacing. His mouth pulled into a thin-lipped, cynical smile, and even that faded quickly. He leaned his head back again, shutting his eyes, and I noticed the grip on his beer bottle was pretty tight. I was pretty sure it was me saying that Jody didn’t have a problem making friends.
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe I’m just an asshole. So tell me why Jody’s so damn protective of you. It seems a bit of overkill, you know?”
I decided to let his comment go. If I had to guess, I’d say Cage didn’t take part in a whole lot of soul searching conversation. Our current talk was probably the deepest one he’d had in a while, but I didn’t love the change in the subject. My experience with Freddy was not something I talked about much. So, I took a page from Cage’s book.
“That’s just the way he is. You know, kids stole my lunch money when I was little—that kind of stuff.” Even though we seemed to have this connection, I wasn’t going to share all my baggage if he was going to withhold his, right?
“I call bullshit. Protective brothers are one thing. Jody’s singular mission in life to beat any guy who looks at you is another.” He gingerly touched his previously broken and now realigned nose. “All I did was say how nice your—never mind, it’s not important. Anyway, there’s more to the story. Your brother broke my nose so I think you owe it to
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