Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
RHETT
I push my way through the door to the locker room and make a beeline for my corner with a grin on my face.
“You missed warm-ups, dickhead.” Spencer says from beside me.
“I had other plans.” I say as I start to change.
“Did those plans include a dark-haired mafia princess?”
“I’m not telling you shit. I’m the captain. When you become captain, then I’ll tell you.” I tease, which earns me a punch in the arm.
“Fuck that. I don’t want the C that bad. Besides, I saw the interview on the screen, and I spotted you in the background.”
“I just wanted to make sure she was alright. You know how Raven can be.”
“She’s a vulture, especially since you turned her down last year. You might want to warn Francesca.”
“Chessie held her own and even got in a few insults. After everything we’ve been through since she’s been back, the last thing I want to tell her is that a reporter hit me on. It didn’t matter to me last year, and it sure as hell doesn’t mean anything this year.”
“Sometimes women want to know these things. ”
Is he fucking for real? No woman wants to hear that another woman threw herself at him.
Ever.
“Bullshit. That is the sort of thing that can jumpstart an argument.”
“I don’t believe it. You’re not mad that she had a life these past two years. You aren’t going to use it against her.”
“Of course I’m not, but it’s not like I had a life besides hockey and Marino family business.”
“And that was your choice.”
Yeah, he’s right. It was my choice to stay single and celibate, but how could I replace Chessie? Even for one night.
“Why are we even debating this? There’s only one woman for me and when she left two years ago, I knew I’d wait my entire life for her to come back.”
“I’m just fucking with you. I’m happy for you, even if that means you skip warm-ups to be with her.”
“It will be your turn sooner or later. Just wait and see.”
“No way. Between the Sharks and Arturo, I have no time to even try to have a relationship. I’ll stick to the puck bunnies.”
“That will get old. Trust me. Once you find a woman worth keeping, your entire outlook on life will shift.”
“I’ll just leave the settling down to you. When’s your wedding, by the way? Did you two already elope?” He lets out a laugh before grabbing his phone out of his locker.
“I haven’t asked her yet.”
Yet, but I will ask her soon.
“But you want to.”
“Of course I do. Nothing would make me happier, but now isn’t the right time. One day, when life settles down.”
“She’s like a tornado, and her family is the mafia. Life won’t ever settle down. You should just ask tonight.”
“Why tonight?”
“Because there’s no time like the present.”
“When I do propose, it will be an entire planned evening with no work for either of us.”
Not some half-assed proposal because I’m an impatient fucker that wants her to be mine in every sense of the word, including the mother to my children.
“Good luck with that. You might be proposing on your deathbed.”
“I can promise you the proposal will happen before I am old and dying.”
The locker room door opens and Coach Bobby walks in. “Two minutes guys.”
Before I put on my skates, I head to the bathroom to empty my bladder. Playing with a full bladder sucks and makes the period drag on for what feels like an hour.
I quickly put on my skates and follow the team down the tunnel to the ice. The lights turn off as the announcer gets the crowd hyped for our entrance .
“It sounds like a full house out there tonight.” Joey says behind me.
“After our past two seasons, it would be a miracle if we sold out.” I grumble.
I love having the crowd cheer for us. I love seeing the excitement and wonder on children’s faces, but the reality is no one wants to cheer for a losing team.
The announcer introduces the teams as the crowd continues to cheer. I take the ice and glance around the packed arena.
“I guess everyone was excited to see the team owned by New York’s mafia boss.” Spencer teases Joey.
“Oh, yeah, people love the fucking gossip. It’s like the Page Six of the south.”
Spencer glances at me with a questioning glare, but I have no fucking clue what Joey is talking about, so I shrug.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Joey glances between the two of us. “You know, Page Six.”
At our confused faces, he says, “Page Six is a gossip column. It’s where New Yorkers get the inside scoop on all things beauty, fashion, shopping, celebrity, and news about the royal family.”
I interject. “Like the British Royals?”
“Yeah, those royals. We might be free from them, but Americans love their gossip and news.”
“I never would have taken you to be the one that’s caught up on all the gossip.”
“I’m not. That’s my sister and cousin’s thing. I just know about Page Six because my family has been featured several times.”
That makes sense.
The crowd goes silent as the announcer introduces the singer for the National Anthem. I stand in my normal spot between Joey and Spencer before taking my spot as the team’s starting right winger.
I take a deep breath as the puck is dropped, and the game begins. Spencer wins the faceoff and passes the puck to Joey.
He pushes past a couple of opposing players and tries to pass the puck, but it’s taken by the other team.
We skate after him, trying to get the puck away from our goalie, Anderson.
The announcer’s voice gets louder, ringing through the arena. “The puck is stolen and the opposing team has a chance to be the first to get on the board with this incredible breakaway.”
Anderson makes a great save and shoots the puck toward me at the blue line.
I get possession of the puck and head straight toward their goalie. Someone slams into me from behind as their stick falls in front of my skate.
I slam down hard on the ice.
That motherfucker.
The attacker kicks the side of my knee while I am still laying facedown on the ice. The crowd boos.
At least they haven’t completely given up on our team.
I roll over onto my back to get up, but the motherfucker pretends to fall down and kneel on my arm, preventing me from getting up .
He leans closer and says, “Don’t think the league doesn’t see what’s happening with the Sharks. We aren’t blind. Once they get proof that the Sharks are involved with the illegal mafia business, your team will be sold, you’ll go to jail, and the innocent players will be traded.”
He stands and skates away, like he didn’t just threaten me, my teammates, Chessie, and her entire family.
Referees blow their whistles as the team’s trainers hurry over to look me over and help me off the ice.
My favorite trainer, William, glances me over before asking, “Where does it hurt? Do you think anything is broken?”
Their hands lift my arm and leg, trying to gauge my pain level.
“I don’t think anything is broken, but my knee hurts like a bitch.”
They help me up and help me through the tunnel back into the locker room.
William points to the chair in the corner as the other trainer, Chad, heads back out to the team’s bench. “Sit and I’ll get some necessities.”
I take off my skates, pants, and pads. My knee is bright red and throbbing, but it isn’t too swollen.
There’s a chance I can still get back on the ice tonight.
William comes back carrying a tray full of medical supplies. He squats in front of me and checks out my knee.
I wince when he touches the spot that was kicked.
“I’m going to give you a shot in the knee to ease the swelling and the pain, but you need to be out for the rest of the game.”
“No. Hell no. It’s the first game of the season. I can’t be out after thirty fucking seconds.”
He sighs his normal exasperated sigh. “There will be more games to play if you rest and let your body heal. If you continue to skate on it, you may do irreparable damage. Think about your future.”
“So that’s it? I’m done playing tonight, and there’s nothing I can do?”
“You can go home, see your woman, and let her distract you all night from missing the rest of the game. I hear women love taking care of hurt men that take care of them. If you know what I mean.”
“I can’t skate, but I can go home and take care of my woman?”
“Hey, I don’t make the rules.” He says as he pushes the needle deep into my knee.
I groan at the pain. “You’re lucky I like you, William, and you’re also lucky I made a promise to my woman that I intend to keep.”
“As long as you don’t overexert yourself and fuck up your knee worse, or if you do, you better lie through your ass because I’m not taking the blame for you.”
I let out a laugh as the locker room doors open and Francesca runs inside, looking pale and scared.
“Hey, Chessie. What are you doing here?”
She walks over to me, looking me over to make sure I’m alright before whispering, “It looked really bad from up in the suite. ”
Tears fall from her eyes, and I swipe them away with my thumb. “It hurts like hell, but I’ll be back to playing in no time. Tell her, Doc.”
William rolls his eyes and chuckles. “I’m no doctor, but Montgomery’s knee isn’t broken, so he might only miss one to two games.”
She turns her attention to me. “What did that guy say to you when he had you pinned?”
The smile on my face disappears.
There’s no way I can tell her what he said right now with her emotions all over the place, especially in front of William.
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”
Her eyes widen and her mouth parts as she takes a step back. Anger fills her gaze and her lips tighten into thin lines.
She’s pissed.
“I’m tired of you guys making decisions for me and without me. I’m very much a part of this family whether or not you like it, and sooner or later all of you will need my help, but it will be too late. I’ll be gone, and you all will have yourselves to blame.”
She turns around and walks away.
“What the hell was that about?” William asks, just as confused as I am.
“I’m assuming that outburst was more than me not telling her what was said on the ice.”
“You might have some groveling to do tonight.”
He tapes up my knee and puts a pill on the napkin on the tray.
“Take a pain pill and change, then go make things right.” He says before cleaning up and heading back to the ice.
The period should be over soon and I don’t want to answer a hundred questions about what’s going on.
William can tell the staff and team about my diagnosis during intermission.
Without showering, I throw my clothes on and head up to the suite to talk to Chessie. The climb up the flight of stairs is much slower than I expected, but I can’t rush my knee to heal.
By the time I get up to the suite, the period is over. Glancing around the large room, my heart pounds as I see she’s not here.
I slowly walk over to Arturo.
“Rhett, how bad is it?”
“I’m out for a game or two, but it’s not broken, so that’s a plus. Have you seen Chess since she came downstairs to check on me?”
“A game or two means nothing when you’re this early in the season. You’ll bounce back. I know you will. And to answer your question, no, I haven’t seen her.”
“We had a disagreement of sorts. She must have left.”
Where could she have gone? Her apartment? Her dad’s house?
I grab my phone and call her.
It rings and rings before going to voicemail. I immediately redial, but once again, there’s no answer.
I type out a message.
Hey where are you?
She doesn’t respond, so I text again.
Please let me know you are somewhere safe.
I wait a few moments before calling her again. No answer, yet again.
“We should have included her in all of this. She’s upset.”
Arturo turns toward me and says, “She will be alright. She will come to her senses and call you back. Just give her time and space and let her calm down.”
I can’t wait. She’s out there angry and not thinking straight.
Shit, I’m not thinking straight.
“I need to find her.” I say as I get up and walk out of the suite.
Instead of taking the stairs, I head to the elevator. I can’t drive after taking the pain pill, but I can head home and hope she calls me back.
As soon as I walk through the front doors, I breathe in the cool night air and call Chessie again.
This time, though, I leave her a voicemail.
“Chessie, I’m so sorry. Please call me back and let me know you’re safe. I will search every house here in Savannah if I don’t hear back from you in thirty minutes.”
Even if I make enemies out of every resident in this city, I won’t lose Francesca again.