Chapter 37 – Zane
thirty-seven
Zane
Eric comes over to me and slaps my shoulder and then squeezes it. My eyes are on Cam as he looks up at the Jumbotron. I walk to him and whisper in his ear, “Get the fuck off my bench.”
“Fuck you,” he hisses at me, “you don’t tell me how to do my job.”
The horn blares, telling us the game is done, and the guys are jumping over the bench, heading to the ice to celebrate with Sammy.
I look over my shoulder at them, skating over to the middle of the ice, holding up their sticks to the crowd who are on their feet.
I stand in the tunnel as Cam walks out. “Dressing room. No press,” I snap.
He looks over at me and if I didn’t know he was gunning for me before this, the look on his face solidifies it.
I look at Eric. “I need you to find Ken,” I tell him. “Get him to the dressing room.” He nods at me and looks back at Cam. “This ends tonight. I just hope it ends in my favor.”
“I have your back.” He slaps my shoulder as he starts to walk off to find Ken.
The first couple of guys come off the ice, my fist is closed to hit theirs. “Way to fucking play, boys,” I praise as they trickle off. I’m not expecting Owen to fist bump me, but he does.
“Nice play there,” he says, nodding before pushing off his helmet and heading to the locker room.
“I want no press in the room!” I shout down the hallway as the crowd roars, and I look up to see they announced Knox as the third star. He does a circle by the bench and then comes back down the tunnel, holding up his hand.
“The comeback king.” He smirks at me. “Who would have thought you had it in you?” he jokes with me, hitting my shoulder with his.
“Shit is going down,” I tell him quickly. “I need you to make sure no one leaves the dressing room until I get there.”
“You got it, Coach,” he assures me, taking off his glove and walking down the hallway as Kirby skates off the ice.
“Not going to say that was one of the best moments of my life,” he declares to me, “considering I found the love of my life, but that comes in the top five.”
“Top five?” I ask him.
“I’m going to have kids, that’s going to come above this. But if it makes you feel better, it’s number one on the job front.” I chuckle as he walks past me and toward the locker room.
I hear Jaxon’s voice as he takes an interview on the ice.
“Yeah, it was a play Coach came up with,” he explains, “and to make it come to fruition was pretty great.” He looks up at the crowd.
“I don’t know about you guys,” he says, “but who else is looking forward to lighting this place up for the playoffs?” The question makes the crowd roar even more. “It’ll be a fun ride, no matter what.”
He comes out of the tunnel and toward me. “Aww, are you waiting for me?” He takes off his gloves and unsnaps his helmet. “Aren’t you sweet?”
“Good game out there, Captain.” I slap his shoulder. “It’s been an honor.”
“Why are you talking to me like you’re about to break up with me?” he questions as he turns and the two of us walk to the locker room. I look down the hallway and see Eric coming down with Ken beside him. Ken’s face is tight, and Eric looks down.
I look at the press surrounding the locker room. “No press in the room,” I issue to them, looking over at Timothy. “I don’t even want you guys next to the door.” I look at them. “Clear them out,” I tell security, who nods at me as he ushers them to the media room as I look up at Ken.
“What the fuck is all this about?” Ken asks between clenched teeth as I walk into the locker room. Half the guys are celebrating, the other half know shit is about to go down. Cam is standing on the side, his back to the wall, one of his legs cocked up and his foot pressed to the wall.
I walk in and go to the other end to get as far away from him as I can, or else I’m afraid I’m going to throttle him.
The door closes behind Ken and Eric. “Gentlemen,” I start and everyone looks my way as they start to get undressed, “that game was incredible.” I put my hands in my pockets.
“And it was all because of the leadership on and off the ice.” Ken just eyes me.
“With that being said, I have to also apologize to you all.” The looks the guys give me are of confusion.
“I put my trust in someone who I thought had the team’s back, and he didn’t.
” I look over to Cam. “I don’t even want to think about the times we were in this situation and instead of helping his team win, he sabotaged us every step of the way.
He was looking out for him and only him.
” I turn to look at Cam. “You fucked up for the last time. You went out there and gave them the wrong play on purpose.” I wait for him to say something, but he just rolls his eyes.
“We went over the play three times in the room between the second and third period, and yet when it was time to play it, you were going to lead the team out there with the wrong instructions.”
“I wrote it down wrong,” he starts to say as if it’s no big deal.
“It’s him or me.” I look at Ken. “I refuse to coach with someone who doesn’t have the team’s best interest.” Ken’s face gets tight.
“Actually, scratch that. I quit,” I declare and gasps fill the room.
I see Kirby and Jaxon share a look and then Jaxon looks back at me.
“If this is the way the organization wants to lead,” I point to Cam, “it’s not for me. ”
Ken looks at Cam. “Is what he’s saying true?” he asks him and Cam scoffs at him.
“I’m not going to dignify that with a response.” He stands, his shoulders square. “He’s the problem here.” He points to me. “He can’t lead the team. I made one mistake.”
“That we know of,” Owen throws out and all heads turn to him.
“I have to wonder how many times you made a mistake with the plays that ended in us fucking up.” He stands up.
“Which then led to us losing. Which ended with some of us being crucified in the press.” He shakes his head.
“Which ended in some of us doing things we shouldn’t have done. ”
“I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it wasn’t his first time.” Jaxon stands up. “I’m not playing for anyone else but Coach Gilmore,” he declares, and Kirby stands up.
“Same here,” he adds. The guys all stand up, even the ones who have threatened to not play for me.
“This is bullshit,” Cam spits out. “You can’t fire me.” His smile is more of a sneer. “You have no proof I did any of this.”
“Clean out your office,” Ken orders and the color drains from Cam’s face. He turns to storm out of the locker room.
“We’ll see what Brad has to say about this.” He grips the door handle in his hand before pulling it open and stepping out.
“I don’t know,” Ken’s voice stops him. “I’m pretty sure the only thing Brad likes is winning.” Cam storms out and I close my eyes and look down at my feet.
“Okay,” Eric says to the guys, trying to not let the whole scene with Cam get to him, “tonight was a big win. Two points and we clinched the spot in the playoffs.”
“Yeah.” The guys clap their hands.
“The fight isn’t over,” I announce. “It’s just starting. There is hockey”—I look at the guys in the room—“and then there is playoff hockey.” Ken nods his head. “It’s a different breed.”
“We wouldn’t know,” Jaxon says, chuckling, “but we’re about to fucking find out.”
“Okay.” I clap my hands. “We need to do press, and then we have a celebration to get to.”
The guys start getting up and getting undressed as I walk out of the room and head to my office. “Well, that was something,” Eric says, walking in followed by Ken.
“Is the shit going to hit the fan?” I ask Ken, who just shrugs.
“Wouldn’t be us if we weren’t ruffling feathers,” he states and the phone rings in his hand.
He looks down and then up. “Time to go see the boss.” He holds up the phone and puts it to his ear.
“I’m on my way,” he says, walking out of my office and then stopping.
“We going to have to have a debrief tomorrow morning?” I nod at him, and only when he walks out of the room do I let out the breath I’ve been holding.
“That was intense,” Eric remarks, and I put my hands that are balled into fists on the desk. “I don’t know how we didn’t see it before.”
“He fucked us so many times.” I think back to all the times the plays were fucked up on the ice. “And I thought it was just the plays on the ice.” I shake my head.
“Tonight we celebrate,” he says and the phone beeps on my desk.
Beautiful Goddess:
Proud of you.
Beautiful Goddess:
I love you.
“Yeah,” I agree.
“Tomorrow we fuck things up again.” He laughs. “Now, let’s go and take some questions from the press.” He motions with his head, and I pick up my phone and put it in my pocket.
“Let’s do this.” Walking out of the room, knowing that sooner rather than later I’ll be with my girl, and for once it won’t feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders.