Brick Walls

Brick Walls L.A. Witt Contents About Brick Walls Author’s Note 1. Sol 2. Josh 3. Sol 4. Josh 5. Sol 6. Josh 7. Sol 8. Josh 9. Sol 10. Josh 11. Sol 12. Josh 13. Sol 14. Josh 15. Sol 16. Josh 17. Sol 18. Josh 19. Sol 20. Josh 21. Sol 22. Josh 23. Sol 24. Josh 25. Sol 26. Josh 27. Sol 28. Josh 29. Sol 30. Josh 31. Sol 32. Josh 33. Sol 34. Josh 35. Sol 36. Josh 37. Sol 38. Josh 39. Sol 40. Josh 41. Sol 42. Josh 43. Sol Afterword About the Author Don’t miss these hockey romances by L.A. Witt! This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Brick Walls First edition Copyright © 2023 L.A. Witt Edited by Mackenzie Walton Cover Art by Lori Witt All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher, and where permitted by law. Reviewers may quote brief passages in a review. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact L.A. Witt at [email protected] Ebook ISBN: 978-1-64230-147-2 Trade Paperback ISBN: 979-8-37792-980-2 Hardcover ISBN: 979-8-37792-993-2 Created with Vellum About Brick Walls Cary “Sol” Solomon isn’t just in a slump—he’s a mess. His stats have plummeted. Fans hate him. After he caps off two awful seasons with a catastrophic playoff flop, his team is done with him. Worse, thanks to his downward spiral, the addiction that’s nearly cost him his career before is rearing its ugly head. As luck would have it, though, the Seattle Sasquatches are desperate for goalies. When they snatch up Sol off waivers, maybe he has a chance to turn things around… if he can stay sober and get back on his game. Except Sol isn’t the Sasquatches’ only new netminder. Once destined for the hall of fame, Josh O’Brien is a trainwreck thanks to an injury and a messy divorce. His illustrious career is a disaster, and now he’s an unrestricted free agent who nobody wants to sign. He’s on the brink of losing the only thing he has left: hockey. Then Seattle comes knocking with an offer he can’t refuse: a huge pay cut, but a shot at redemption. One that means being teammates with the ex whose name still raises Josh’s hackles all these years later. Now Josh and Sol are stuck on the same team, proximity dredging up emotions they’ve both kept buried for years. Which wouldn’t be so bad if the only things coming to the surface were anger and resentment. As they remember all the sparks and feelings that once drew them together, neither can decide which is worse—being together or apart. And that’s before Sol’s old demons start showing up. But they’re not just coming for him this time. CW: On-page struggle with cocaine addiction. If you would like clarification or other additional information about this content warning, please feel free to email the author at gallagherwitt at gmail dot com. Author’s Note This book is centered largely around cocaine addiction, which may be a difficult, sensitive subject for some readers. Representation includes on-page struggles with cravings, characters exhibiting signs of active cocaine use, conversations and internal thoughts about what drives a person to use, and the like. If you would like clarification or have any other questions about how this subject matter appears in this book, please do not hesitate to reach out to the author at [email protected] If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP or by visiting their website, https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline, or reach out to available rehab and information services in your country. Chapter 1 Sol Startling Hail Mary for Seattle Defense: Desperate Sasquatches Acquire Netminders Solomon, O’Brien SEATTLE – In a surprising development to an already chaotic tale, the Seattle Sasquatches have signed two goalies no other team in the league would touch. The end of this year’s hockey season brought with it a cascade of bad luck for the team’s goaltending. Backup goalie Liam Farson suffered a career-ending hip injury in the runup to the playoffs. Less than two weeks after Seattle’s elimination from contention, emergency backup goalie Cole Archer announced his retirement due to persistent concussion symptoms. Then came the killing blow for Seattle: star netminder David Barnaby decided to test the market as an unrestricted free agent, in which he quickly landed a lucrative five-year contract with the newly crowned Cup champions, the Montreal Royales. With Seattle’s net suddenly and ominously empty, and with no prospects ready to make the leap, Sasquatches’ general manager Lon Caldwell reportedly searched for goalies on the free agent market. According to rumors, he tried a number of trades as well, possibly even offering up valuable players from the top offensive lines and defensive pairs. Today, Seattle’s front office announced that, in addition to bringing up rookie Payton Sweetman from the minors, the Sasquatches have made two shocking acquisitions: Cary Solomon and Josh O’Brien. A Phoenix Firebird for all nine of years of his professional career, Solomon, 32, was recently put on waivers after back-to-back disappointing seasons followed by a series of catastrophic errors in the playoffs that led to Phoenix’s first-round elimination. Many have feared that the struggling Solomon is on track to fall back into old habits—namely, the cocaine addiction that saw him suspended for twenty games during his second season. Sources have speculated that these fears may have prompted the unusual move of putting a player on unconditional waivers during the off season: that the Firebirds, seeing Solomon as a serious liability, intended to buy out his contract in order to jettison him as quickly as