Chapter nine

Hunter

There's a strange tension at dinner. As a matter of fact, there's always a strange tension when Travis and Michael are within ten feet of each other.

I considered not coming for dinner at all after what I had put my body through during the brutal practice with Travis, but somehow, I found myself showering and shuffling downstairs while trying not to groan and whimper. Now, I was wishing I had just said fuck it to dinner.

"You're in college?" My mother asked.

"Yeah. I'm gonna graduate in two months time, I can't wait." Zahara said while peeking at Travis like she had done all night.

Her presence at the dinner table had come as a surprise, and as I took her in again, I decided for the hundredth time that I didn't like our dinner guest. Apparently, she was the daughter of one of Mr. Moore's associates. I didn't need to be Einstein to know that they were being set up.

Travis had shown more interest in his broccoli than her.

That part I didn't understand.

She seemed nice and friendly, maybe a little too nice and friendly. Zahara was all beach blonde hair and big brown hairs, and she was dressed like she was headed to the White house right after dinner.

"How was practice?" My mother asked.

She had been trying and failing to start a conversation with Travis. He had barely said two words since, gaze laser focused on his plate.

"Travis?" She pressed. L"I asked how was practice?"

I didn't understand what game my mother was playing. She had already gotten Michael Moore wrapped around her little finger, so why the hell was she so insistent on thawing Travis out?

His dark head lifted, and to my surprise, his gaze landed on me first before shifting over to my mother. "Good."

"Just good?" She forced a chuckle. "When's your next game? I can't wait to watch it. I was never really_"

"I hope you don't have practice tomorrow." Mr. Moore cut in out of nowhere without even looking at his son. "You'll take Miss Ellis to that new Italian restaurant at the pier."

"I love Italian!" Zahara exclaimed. "Everybody's been talking about the new place, and the reservation is like a year long from what I hear. It would be amazing to go there."

"It's coach's daughter's birthday tomorrow. I'd already planned to go." Travis argued, gaze hard on his father who was still yet to spare him a glance.

I had no idea if he was lying about the birthday to get out of the date since no one had told me about it.

"It's a fucking kid's birthday. Send her a toy or something." Michael scoffed. "I'll have my assistant make the reservations, and you better not be late. It's not polite to keep a lady waiting."

"What would you know about being civilised?" Travis spat.

That got the older man's attention. It was startling how similar they looked. Even down to the way their mouths tightened into thin lines as they squared off against each other.

"Trust me, Travis." He dabbed the corners of his mouth with the napkin, then rise to his feet. "I know a lot about being civilised."

There was something in his voice. A warning. A call to order. But it had me stiffening in my seat as he walked past my seat to get to the door leading off from the dining room.

He paused at the door, glancing over his shoulder at Zahara with a stiff smile. "Make sure miss Ellis gets home safe after her meal. Goodnight."

Not a suggestion. An order.

And from the look on Travis' face, he knew it too and didn't care to be ordered around. What the hell was going on here? Why was his father such an ass to him? I couldn't believe I had lost our bet earlier and my chance to find out what the friction between them was about.

"Are you ready to leave?" He asked the blonde.

"I'm not done with my_"

But he was already walking out of the room. Zahara rolled her eyes and stood up too. My mother and I watched in baffled silence as they left.

"Weird ass family, right?" I turned to look at her, and froze.

Instead of confusion, a thoughtful half smile played on my mother's bright red lips. She stood up next and patted my shoulder.

"We're a part of this family now too. Never forget that."

I limped to my room after that, my appetite for the dinner delicacy completely gone. Being able to say no to food was a luxury I didn't think I'd be able to afford anytime soon. But now, here I was, living in a castle, and living out my hockey dreams.

Unable to sleep, I moved over to my gaming set up, hoping it could as least make my brain tired enough to want to join my whole body for some shut eye. I didn't know how long I had been on the game when I heard the sound of tires crunching against gravel.

Travis was back.

It was none of my business, and I knew it. Staying out of this entire drama was the smart thing to do. What the hell was I even going to say when I finally stood face to face? Travis and I were still far from anything close to a friendship.

"Go back to your room you moron." I muttered to myself

"Can't sleep?"

My head shot up at the sound of my mother's face. "I should be asking you that. Why are you skulking around?"

She stepped closer, a smile curving her mouth. "It seems there's trouble in paradise. Travis has a deadline on his hockey dreams, after which he's expected to start training to take over the family business."

My eyebrows climbed up. "That's not possible. With Travis stats, he's set to be one of the biggest hockey players ever. Why would Michael want to take that away from him?"

"I don't know the full details." She shrugged. "The whys don't matter. I want you to take over the business."

"What are you talking about?"

Her eyes glinted with an emotion I didn't recognise. "People like Travis, born with a golden spoon and handed everything on a platter, no matter what happens to him, there are a million back up plans for him to fall back on. You don't have that luxury. I want you to have this life, Hunter. Everything I've done has led up to this moment."

She shook her head, gripping my arm. "It's not fair how we've had to scrape and beg for every inch we've gotten. And the moment Michael decides to kick me to the curb, we'll lose everything too in the blink of an eye."

My heart was thumping so hard now that I feared it would rip out of my chest. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to get close to Travis, win his trust and in the final moment, I want you to convince him to choose hockey." My mother whispered fervently. "Once he goes against the path Michael has set for him, he'll need someone to take the place of his uncooperative son, and you're going to be right there. Waiting."

"He'll never choose me over Travis, mother. Don't be ridiculous."

"Yes he will." She laughed. "You don't know him like I know him. He's a_" she trailed off, and I felt the hand that was still gripping me tremble a little. "It doesn't matter. All you need to know is that if you play your cards right, all of this will be ours."

I swallowed past the lump in our throat. "What cards do I need to play?"

"Zahara Ellis." She smiled. "She's the most valuable card, and you're going to make sure you're the one holding it at the end of the game."