BREAKAWAY (The Dartmouth Cobras) Read Online Free Page A

low for anyone but Jami to catch a word. "And I was born in Calgary."
    "What did you say?" Red stood and smirked at the snickering twits around her. "Speak up, girl! They need to hear you out on the ice when you're cheering the team!"
    Their uniforms—black and gold mid-drift halters with the Cobra logo, and black short skirts—might make them all look pretty much the same to some, but they couldn't be more different. Obviously not one of those bitches called Red on her shit.
    But I'm not one of them. Jami pressed her thumb down on the blade until it cut her thumb. The sharp bite of pain sent a cool, calming rush through her veins. She jutted her chin towards Red, then winked at Akira. "This is what happens when inbreeding becomes obvious."
    Akira covered her mouth with her hands. Her porcelain features lost the little color they had.
    Red's face looked like every blood vessel in her cheeks had exploded. "She said that?"
    "No. I did." Jami set down her skate. "Want to make something of it?"
    Please say yes.
    "As if." Red snorted. "Your daddy and his fuck friend run the team. I'm not stupid."
    Brow arched, Jami looked her over. "So you just wear the mask to impress people?"
    Tugging at her arm, Akira muttered under her breath. "Please don't fight with her. She's the most popular girl in the group and the judges already love her. Everyone knows why you're here, but no one can argue that you have skills. If you can dance, you're a sure bet."
    "What if I can't dance?" Jami winced when she realized she'd said that out loud. Not a good thing to share with the competition. She frowned at her bloody thumb, then stuck it in her mouth. Warm copper slicked her tongue. Yuck. A bit too much. She looked around for somewhere to spit and nodded her thanks when Akira handed her a towel. Mouth relatively clean, pressure on her thumb, she studied Akira, trying to figure out her angle. "Why do you care if I make it or not?"
    "Honestly?" Akira managed to maneuver her out of the locker room and into the hall before Red came up with a good comeback. Something about DP that was muffled by the closing door. The tiny girl released her once they were well out of hearing. "You're interesting, and so far you're not mean. I'd rather be out there, at the end of all this, with you than her."
    Fair enough. "So you don't resent me for butting in?"
    "Not at all. I think you would have made it anyway." Akira's smile faded away as three huge men strode towards them. She half hid behind Jami as they paused, side by side, completely blocking the hallway.
    Jami ducked her head as Dominik Mason, the Cobras big black defensemen, reached out to ruffle her hair.
    "I didn't know you were back, kid. How are you?"
    "Not bad. Just getting settled in." Jami couldn't tell him more. Not until she had a chance to talk to her father. He knew she was back, but that was about it. They'd argued enough about her moving into her own place—her grandmother saved her on that one by pointing out that she'd found the apartment and loaned Jami the money for first and last month's rent—and she really wasn't up to getting into why she was back just yet.
    Dominik's lips drew into a thin line as he studied her face. "May I ask you something?"
    "Sure . . . ."
    "Are you opposed to me telling your father we saw you here?"
    Okay, that was just scary. How the hell had he figured that out? She eyed the other two players, Sloan Callahan, the freakin ' team's captain, and Max Perron. These men, and several others on the team, had become like older brothers over the last five years, ever since her father had taken over as General Manager. They saw her around the Forum and treated her like she was still that awkward fourteen year old girl they'd first met. She didn't see Max telling on her. He had this sweet cowboy thing going for him and she didn't buy that he was a 'Dominant', but Dominik and Sloan . . . ?
    She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "I'd like the chance to tell him myself."
    "See