Chapter 29 – Zane
twenty-nine
Zane
The plane lands and I turn airplane mode off and wait for the messages to come through.
I see emails start to come in and then some texts, names pop up and I hope like fuck one is Victoria. But she hasn’t sent me anything. I texted her yesterday, but she told me she was going home with a massive migraine, so I didn’t want to bother her.
This morning, I sent her a text, asking her how she was feeling, and she didn’t answer me. I look down at the phone and pull up the text thread anyway, pushing away the worry starting to unspool in my chest.
Me:
Just landed.
I then go over to see my emails as the plane is starting to slow down. I see two from Ken, one of them that is marked Urgent.
I open it up and read it right away. Seeing that he’s cc’d Brad, Cam, and Eric.
To: ZG@
Subject: Owen, Hutson, Arber, Brady, Markus.
Gentlemen,
It’s come to my attention that five players on the team have requested a trade. The requests were made official through their agent.
I am going to get on a call with their agent this afternoon to see if there is something I can do to try and get them to stay.
I’ll let you know.
I look over and see the five guys in question all hanging together.
Brad responds within seconds.
Ken,
I’m going to need to be on the call. I’m assuming I know why they are asking for a trade.
I shut the phone down, not bothering to answer the emails. I get up, grabbing my backpack and look over to see Cam with the guys. He turns his phone and shows them the email, and I want to walk over to him and snatch his phone from him.
“Is he showing them the email?” Eric says. “What an idiot.”
“He’s not worth it,” I say, walking off the plane and heading straight to the bus. I look over at Cam when he walks in.
“I’m guessing you got the email.” His face goes a little white when he sees my expression, but he quickly recovers.
“Yeah, I was asking them what it was about.”
“Save the bullshit,” Eric snaps, “I can’t deal with it. Eyes notice you always with them, I have to wonder if you’re the little bird in their ear?”
“Whatever,” Cam replies, sitting in the seat across from us.
We get to the hotel; everyone has a key waiting for them. I get into my room and my phone rings. I look down seeing it’s Ken calling.
“Hello,” I answer, putting the phone to my ear.
“Hey,” he says, breathing heavily, “I thought I would call you.” I swallow, thinking this must be it. “Just got off the phone with Steph,” he says of the agent that represents them all, “they are requesting either a trade or that we get rid of you.”
I sit on the bed. “Well, I don’t know what to say.”
“I will tell you I told him to fuck off, no one tells me what to do with my team, but that’s just because he pissed me off. I do have to tell you; Brad is already making the plans to replace you.”
“He’s been making the plans to replace me before I even started,” I tell him, putting my elbows on my knees, “so that doesn’t surprise me.”
“You have a big game ahead of you,” he says. “Why don’t you get through the game and we can figure things out when you get back?”
“Ken, is it worth it?” I ask him. “All of this. Is it even worth it?”
“The team is playing like shit and I’m sorry, but it has nothing to do with you. We know that at least those five are going to do what they need to do to make sure we lose the game.”
“I can’t bench them,” I tell him.
“No, you can’t,” he agrees, “but that doesn’t mean they need to have their full ice time minutes.” His voice goes low. “You pull off a win against Florida and there is nothing they can say about it.”
“If this works,” I tell him, “I’m going to want to sit down with you when I get back to go over a couple of things. If I’m going to stay, I’m going to need more support than Eric.”
“You have Cam,” he points out.
“I don’t,” I admit to him. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I can’t depend on him.”
“He’s been with the organization a long time, Zane,” Ken reminds me. “So before you bring this further, think about it.”
“I will.” I take a deep inhale. “Can I mention to the guys that I know about this, or is it supposed to be confidential?”
“Don’t give a shit. If they took this to their agent, confidentiality went out the window. I’m going to have to do what I need to do, and I needed you to know.”
“Thanks.” I put the phone down beside me and want nothing more than to call Victoria and talk to her about this. Just even to hear her voice.
That night, I pick up the phone and call her, and it rings twice and then goes to voicemail. I wait for it to beep and finally talk.
“Hey,” I say softly and close my eyes, “just calling to see how you are feeling.” I wait for a full five seconds before I say, “I miss you.” Then I hang up the phone.
I send her a text also.
Me:
Just called you. Checking in.
Beautiful Goddess:
Hey, sorry, on a conference call. Talk later or tomorrow since there is a time difference.
Me:
Okay, hope you are feeling better.
I put the phone down and stare out the window.
The next day I get up and I’m the first one in the bus as the team heads over to the rink for practice.
I wait to be the only one in the dressing room with Jaxon before I say something.
“Just wanted you to know, five players are asking to either be traded or have me replaced.”
The shock fills his face. “I knew there was tension for sure but to ask to be traded?” he snaps. “Who?”
“I’m not naming names, but just wanted you to be aware of it.
” I look over to see Kirby walking in. “The two of you, I’m going to be giving you extra ice time tonight, but I’m not announcing it.
” Kirby and Jaxon share a look. “Let’s get on the ice,” I urge, walking past them, knowing that Jaxon will fill him in.
The practice is light since we play tonight and when we head back to the hotel, I look over at Eric. “I want to go over something with you.”
We walk into my hotel room, review the lines and I finally make my play. “They get less ice time,” I finally share. “I hate cutting the bench, but I’m not fucking around. You can’t be a team player; you don’t get to play on the team.”
“About fucking time,” Eric declares. “I’ll handle the lines.”
“Let’s do this.” I slap him on the back and that night when I get to the arena, I can feel a difference in the room.
Jaxon and Kirby are quiet as they look around and take in everything.
Knox just scowls at everyone, and I can’t help but chuckle.
“Gentlemen,” I say before we take the ice, “not only are we playing the reigning Stanley Cup champions”—I look at the room—“we need these two points more than you know. Let’s go out there and fuck things up,” I say, clapping my hands and heading out.
The crowd boos us as soon as the players skate on the ice, and I look up at the board with a deep sigh. Eric and I decided we are going to play the lines like normal and slowly take time away.
Every fucking minute I feel like I’m holding my breath and when we finally score first, I can’t explain how exciting that feels. This team is the best of the best. They didn’t change anyone from last season. It doesn’t take them long to respond, and we end the first period tied.
When we start the second period, I look over to see Cam huddling with the five players, but who really knows what he’s saying.
Things between us have still been tense and I’m not so sure he’s being helpful.
The first shift they get on, they fuck up the play and lose the puck, lucky for us, Jaxon blocks the shot.
When he comes back to the bench, he leans over Kirby. “You guys think you cannot fuck up like that again?” he asks them, and they just look over at him, giving him the stink eye. The second period has a lucky shot that bounces and there is nothing our goalie can do to stop it.
We start the third period trailing by one.
“We can still tie this game,” I state to the bench as Cam stands there with his hands behind him, rocking on his feet.
Eric is giving the five players less and less ice time, and they are glancing at each other, sharing a look, and then looking at Cam, who continues to side-eye me, the tension growing between us.
“Three minutes to go, we pull Sammy,” I instruct Cam, who shakes his head. “I’m not asking you; I’m telling you, at three minutes to go, we pull him out of the goal.”
“Big mistake,” he replies and then smirks, “but you’re the boss.”
I look over at Eric, who just shakes his head when Sammy comes to the bench, giving us an extra attacker on the ice. We have no choice but to put in Owen, who skates into the zone and then does the stupidest play known to mankind when he ices the fucking puck.
I shake my head, looking down, seeing we have twenty-nine seconds to go. “Another loss.” Cam shakes his head. “Ridiculous.”
Knox, Aaron, and Lane are on the ice with Kirby and Jaxon playing defense.
The puck drops and the goalie comes over skating, giving us a chance to get an extra attacker on there.
Josh jumps over the bench as Jaxon brings the puck into the zone and almost loses it when they poke check it away from him, and he saves it from going over the blue line.
“Shoot the fucking puck!” I yell and he shoots it at the opposing team’s goalie, but it looks like it’s going off to the side when Knox comes to stop it, and it flies into the back of the net with eight seconds to go.
I swear you would think we won the Stanley Cup the way we all get up and celebrate.
I shake my head and look over to see Knox coming to the bench to get high-fives.
Eric comes over to me and shoves my shoulder as I look up and see the replay.
The period ends, sending us to overtime.