Walking On Thin Ice

CH 19: Old Dogs, New Tricks

I don't recognize the number so I put it on speaker.

"Hello?"

"Kiondra! Kiondra! Branson is..." I hear heavy breathing on the other line. The voice belongs to Troy.

"Troy calm down and tell me what's going on" I say trying to keep calm although panic is rising within me. Isis looks at me and I give her an 'I don't know' look back. Coco and Loco are whining like babies. They've never done this before. I hear another man tell Troy to give him the phone.

"Kiondra?"

"Yes who's this?"

"James London the team captain"

"Hi what's going on?" I demanded unintentionally.

"Branson and Kev have been rushed to the hospital" it seems like all of the air has been knocked out of me. "They both mentioned having flu-like symptoms a couple of days ago but Kev wasn't feeling well enough to play so he didn't. Branson however did and he collapsed on the ice. Kev was found in the locker room in a semi-comatose state..." Isis has already started to grab bags and clothing.

"We're getting on the next flight to LA. We'll be there by morning."

"Troy was calling to tell you the company jet will be taking you guys to us since we don't know their condition yet. When I'm done talking to you I'm going to call for a chauffeur to take you guys to the landing port."

"Thank you so much. Send them to Branson's address and we'll be ready."

"See you soon." After I hang up Isis calls Josselynn who agrees to watch Coco and Loco and is en route to see us. We frantically run around getting clothing for ourselves and other necessary supplies.

We give Josselynn everything she'll need for Coco and Loco as well as my spare apartment key to get Tank as well. Briefly we tell her about the situation and what was on the news. I think Kevin and Tamara had something to do with this.

After a short drive with the chauffeur, Isis and I are on the jet praying that our worst fears won't come to life.

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~ Branson ~

My body hurts. My head hurts. My mind hurts. What happened? Looking around, I see the painfully white walls and I know I'm in a hospital. There's an IV in my arm bit everything feels so slow moving that I can't recall what caused me to get here. I mean, I've just been feeling sick.

Maybe it's just good poisoning. The PR side of the company sent Kev and I a custom marble ice cream cake to congratulate us on our relationships with Kiondra and Isis. And damn that cake was good! We are it all by ourselves with the exception of James, Troy, and our two other buddies Michael Bellino and Anthony Claveaux. But the only had some tonight. That's the only thing that's been different in my life.

I want to ask questions but I'm so groggy and exhausted that all I can do is shut my eyes.

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~ Kiondra ~

Isis and I arrive at the hospital and have to maneuver through paparazzi. They don't pay us any mind but when we reach the receptionist area, security escorts us to a room that's full of Hawks employees.

Aside from James who always seems to be dressed like he has a photoshoot, two other players move two seats over so we can sit with them.

The first is Michael Bellino. He's more of the reserved type and ladies swarm his ass. He's got those big chocolate brown eyes that you could almost drown in, shoulder length brown-black hair that looks like silk, short facial hair that outlines the scar that runs down his chin and that smooth olive skin. He's under the radar a lot but women worship him. The one thing I like about him is that he's fairly classy and I know he doesn't settle no matter how much "fun" he has. I keep sneaking peeks at his plump lips. My goodness he's a looker!

Then there's Anthony Claveaux the quiet French-Canadian. He strikes me as the eclectic type and he has this mystique about him. His sandy brown hair is pushed back out of his face even though you can tell he used his fingers. I swear he's a magnet for women with his emerald green eyes that hold untold depths of emotion. He's not one to say much unless he's comfortable but once you hear that smooth French accent, you'll do almost anything to hear him speak again. He has this comical vibe to him (especially with the small gap between his two front teeth) but there's this intensity that pulls you in. He makes you feel naked under his stare and it's so attractive! Man if I didn't have Branson...

Trying to redirect my thoughts I take a good look at James. His large green eyes always seem to sparkle with mischief and it almost seems like you're an opponent and he's sizing you up. His chestnut brown hair is a contrast to his pale face (considering it's still cold). But he tans pretty quickly. His strong jawline and muscular body seems to make him Adonis-like for women. Too bad he's so damn picky! He's one to pick the model or dancer type women and he likes them tall. I've heard of him rejecting women because they're too short or not athletic enough. He does so much modeling and interviews that to me he's overrated. Yeah he may be a fan of rock music, but I don't see anyone mentioning the fact he's almost 40. Seems lonely to me.

Chuckling a little bit at my antics, the national news comes on and Kevin and Tamara's interview come on. The whole room is silent until after it ends and there are cries of outrage and words of encouragement. Isis and I know we're not whores.

"THE CAKE!" We all turn to see a tomato-faced Troy look like he's about to hurl. Instead, he falls to the ground and is shaking. Someone runs out to get a nurse and I jump over the table to aid to him. "Kiondra I had cake with Kev and Branson from the PR side..." he didn't have time to tell me anything else because he was rushed to a room on a stretcher.

Once again there's a stunned silence. But I speak up.

"Did anyone else eat the cake given to Branson and Kev?"

James, Anthony, and Michael say yes. I go get more nurses and quickly explain my suspicions to them. They take the three men back but still say they're not ready for Branson to have visitors yet because of his condition. His toxin screening results should be back shortly.

I sit back down with Isis who's sleeping but has a restless expression on her face. There's palpable confusion in the air and people are trying to link the pieces together. But I have my own hypothesis:

Kevin and Tamara poisoned the players...

*Hey y'all! Let me know what you think!

Did you see that twist coming?

Why would Tamara and Kevin calm Isis and Kiondra whores?

Why do you think Tamara and Kevin are protesting?

Do you think Tamara and Kevin had anything to do with the player's illness?

Will Branson and Kev recover?

Could this end the Starling Cup playoff dreams for the Hawks?

Check out my other story COLOR BLIND!

Thanks and much love!

•Deeja