Chapter 10
Ten
After the game, the locker room was silent save for the hiss of showers in the distance and the clatter of equipment being tossed into lockers.
Cassie made her rounds. She interviewed the captain Tanner Brooks, who repeated clichés about “turning the page,” and looking ahead to the next game.
Then she headed toward Elias’s stall. He sat with his head down, still in his shoulder pads, his hair damp, jaw set.
She waited until another reporter finished asking about the team’s slow start before stepping forward.
“Elias, can you talk about what went wrong on the penalty-kill?” she asked, recorder in hand.
He didn’t look up. “No,” he said flatly. The word hung in the air.
Cassie blinked. “Can you walk me through the holding penalty in the second period?”
Elias lifted his gaze, ice blue eyes sharp. “Did you watch the game?” he snapped in accented English. “Why would you ask me that? You write what you want. It doesn’t matter.”
Heat rushed to Cassie’s cheeks. She swallowed the urge to fire back. She’d been stonewalled before, but rarely so rudely. “Okay,” she said quietly. “Thanks for your time.” She turned to leave.
Two stalls down, Luke had been lacing his skates. His head snapped up at Elias’ tone. Cassie caught the flash of anger in his brown eyes. He said nothing with media around, but she could feel the tension radiating from him.
Cassie finished her interviews and retreated to the hallway to await Coach Scott Parker’s postgame press conference.
When the last reporter joined the waiting scrum in the hallway, voices rose in the locker room.
She heard Luke’s deep baritone, low but firm.
“You owe her respect,” he said. “We all had bad games, Elias. Don’t take yours out on someone doing her job. ”
Elias muttered something too soft to catch. Luke’s reply was sharper. “It’s not her fault you couldn’t keep up tonight,” he said. “Next time, answer the question or say you’ll talk tomorrow. Don’t be an ass.”
The reprimand stunned the room into silence. Cassie pretended to reread the postgame box score in her hand, heart pounding. A minute later, Luke emerged, jaw tight. He didn’t look at her as he walked past, but his fist brushed her elbow, a small gesture of apology.
That night, Cassie’s gamer detailed Elias Johansson’s struggles but didn’t include his snap.
She knew better than to make herself part of the story.
Still, the incident lodged between her ribs like a splinter.
Later, in the quiet of her apartment, her phone buzzed.
A message from Luke: “Sorry about Elias. You deserve better.” Her reply came quickly: “Thank you for saying something. I appreciate it.”