Chapter 71
TYLER
“Yo.” Bruge skated up to me the next afternoon and held out his gloved hand. “We got this.” He glanced my way but turned his attention to the Montreal skater I’d been watching for the last couple minutes.
It was warmups. I wasn’t supposed to be standing on the red line, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave. I hated this fucking guy, Daniel Connors. The second he’d taken the ice, he was skating around with his helmet off, eyeing our bench. Like he was daring Rain to come out.
“You should be stretching if you’re going to stand here.”
I grunted at Bruge.
“Coach is starting my line.”
“What?” Now he had my attention. Bruge was our enforcer. “Why’s he doing that?”
“Why do you think?” He went back to watching Montreal’s captain. “Same as with Boston. Both teams know what’s going to happen.”
“What if he doesn’t fight?”
Bruge laughed. “Are you kidding me? I could make him fight me right now.”
I smirked. “Do it.”
Bruge shook his head. “I’ve got a feeling Connors has no idea what’s in store for him tonight.”
“What was that?” The guy we were speaking about had skated past us but now pivoted back in a tight circle. I’d been dealing with his assholery all my life but knowing how he’d treated Rain growing up just made me angrier.
Before Bruge could say anything, I was in Connors’s face. “Step the fuck back, Connors. We can say whatever we want about you until that puck drops.”
“Oooh. Big guy, huh? You’re so tough now?” he taunted.
The crowd noticed what was going on and began cheering. Boos broke out as well. They wanted blood, and we were in our hometown. They wanted Connors’s blood specifically. The sport was brutal sometimes.
“Okay. Enough of this.” A ref was between us in no time, his hands up. “Save it for the game. Get back to warmups.”
“How’s my sister? She still a brat like she always was?”
I saw red. Reaching for him, I tried to yank his jersey since the fucker didn’t have his helmet. I wanted him close so when I hit him, it would land. I didn’t want him to be able to skate out of the way.
The crowd went nuts.
“Hey! Stop it. Both of you.” Two more refs got between us and shoved us away from each other.
“Keep fucking talking,” I told him. “Keep doing it.”
“Dude.” Sunny skated over, shoving me back. “You’re mic’d. Are you crazy?”
Shit. I’d forgotten. What a game to be mic’d up.
Connors was laughing. He craned his neck around the ref and his teammates that had come over to help. “I have a better question. How’s your sister doing? I’m in town for the holidays. Maybe I’ll give her a call. See how she’s doing myself.”
I went for him again.
“Fuck. Griffin. Stop.” Sunny and Jesse both helped the ref push me back.
I needed to get my shit together. If I didn’t, the refs were going to give me a penalty before the game even started.
Daniel continued laughing, loud and caustic-sounding, then suddenly it dried up. His eyes got unnaturally big, and he froze in place. His gaze moved past me.
I looked, cursing when I saw that Rain had stepped out into the bench along with a couple of the other assistant coaches.
Her eyes were on her brother, but they held no fear.
She wasn’t shaking or trembling. She’d told me she could compartmentalize, and I was seeing it in action.
Her chin lifted, and her eyes were cool. Rock solid.
She took in the scene before her eyes returned to her brother. “Still the bully, I see. You have two little girls, Danny. Do ’em a favor. Grow up for them.”
Rage transformed Daniel’s face. His nostrils flared. He looked like a bull about ready to charge, and he lunged for her. But there were too many people between him and Rain—me, Bruge, Sunny, Jesse, three refs, two of Daniel’s own teammates, and now Meester and Brick as well.
“You shut up about them. They’ll never meet you—”
“Hey!” One of the Montreal’s coaches got on the ice, holding his clipboard.
He stepped close in front of Daniel, and Daniel did nothing more except shoot Rain a nasty look and skate away.
The coach turned around and focused on Rain.
He didn’t approach, but his gaze cut past all of our players to find her. “Keep to your bench.”
“She is on our bench.” Marken bristled next to her.
Rain, to her credit, didn’t look ruffled at all. “How about this?” she said. “You control your player, and there will be no problem.”
“Hey.” Daniel had returned, slinking behind his coach. He lifted his gaze to a corner of the stadium, giving it a meaningful stare before grinning almost maniacally at Rain.
She followed his gaze, and when she saw whoever he wanted her to see, she paled. The blood drained from her face, and she swallowed.
He laughed at her. “It’s a family reunion, little sister.”
I cursed under my breath. There, in one of the suites, I recognized Dane Connors.
He was wearing his jersey and had two little girls and a woman next to him.
She held an infant. There was an older man with them as well, and I knew in a heartbeat it was their dad.
He and Daniel had the same reddish hair, and there was a jawline all the Connors shared.
He wore Daniel’s jersey, as did two other little girls in the suite and another woman.
“I’m going to fuck you up,” I growled, going at him.
People pounded on the partitions and started a cheer, but I couldn’t make out the words. I just wanted to hurt him, as badly as I could. I wanted to feel his blood on my hands.
Suddenly Bruge was in between us, his back to me, and he went after Daniel instead.
The refs had to scramble again. Bruge was our enforcer for a reason. He was big and efficient. When he swung, his hits landed every time.
All of the refs were between us now, and more of the Montreal staff joined the fray.
Coach Hines came out and barked, “Clear out. Everyone. I mean it. Griffin, you need to warm up.”
One by one, we skated away, reluctant. The refs lingered, having a word with Coach and the other coaches who had stayed with Rain.
I shot at the net and then circled behind to get in line from the other side, but my focus was still on our bench.
I could see Rain shaking her head at something the ref had said.
Daniel’s teammates formed a physical barrier so he couldn’t go over to our side.
For the rest of our warmups, I went through the motions, but my attention was on the other team. Daniel kept trying to skate by our bench, his face twisted in a cruel smile, and no doubt he had some form of taunt ready for his sister. He looked like he was living for this moment.
“Shows you right there what a piece of shit he is.” Sunny sidled up next to me, both of us looking over. “That’s how he talks to his own sister?”
We got the alert we needed to head off the ice, but Bruge stopped in front of us, skating backwards as we started for the locker room. “I’ll take care of him.” His dead-serious eyes found mine.
I wanted to be the one to take care of him, but I nodded. “Yeah.”
Sunny laughed. “You really think he’s going to be good with fighting just one of you?” He whistled under his breath. “This entire game is going to be on replay for the NHL highlights. It’ll live forever on YouTube. I can’t fucking wait.”
Rain was still on the bench, going over something on her tablet. She didn’t look rattled anymore. Annoyed, maybe.
The guys went past me, heading for the locker room.
I lingered when I reached the bench. “Hey,” I said softly.
She lifted her head and fixed me with a chilled stare.
I fought against wincing, because it wasn’t there because of me. I knew that. Yet I couldn’t prevent how my stomach twisted up at seeing it.
I didn’t say anything else, but she read my question on my face.
“I’m good,” she said. “Go ahead. Coach Hines has things to say to everyone.”
I nodded. She was in full professional mode. She was fully locked in.
But how big would the fallout be after this game? I supposed we’d deal with it later. Until then, I was going to fuck up her brother.