Chapter 7 - Knox
SEVEN
KNOX
“Relax, Stone,” Coach says under his breath as I stare intensely at the ice as one of my team members gets checked hard against the boards.
“They are holding their own out there. Your job today, while your ass is on the bench, is to study their techniques and look for improvement. You’re here to teach them, not be their damn babysitter,” he mutters.
My leg bobs up and down in an anxious state. Every part of my body is begging to be out there with them. I gnaw on my mouth guard out of habit as my hands white-knuckle my stick.
I get what Coach is saying. It’s not a secret that I’ve always been very protective of my team and have no problem stepping in and kicking ass when I feel someone is stepping out of line.
Another hard hit has me standing up and gripping the railing.
“Let me in, Coach,” I say with conviction. “The game is almost over. I’m not letting these fuckers tie us.”
I know it’s only a preseason game and doesn’t really count, but a win is a win. Our top lineup has barely played tonight, which is normal for a preseason game, but I want us to end it.
Coach glances up at the scoreboard, and I know he wants this win too, even if it doesn’t count for the season. “McCormick, Hayes, Foxx, and Kane,” he yells, grabbing my guys’ attention, causing me to grin.
They stand up with eager smiles to match my own.
“Don’t make me regret this, Stone. I need you all this season, so no taking risks. Just get out there, take control of the damn puck and win this fucking game.”
“Understood, Coach,” I grin, causing him to rub his hand over his face in agitation. I know I’m unpredictable on the ice sometimes, but I’m not stupid enough to get myself injured right before a season starts. There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun, though.
The ref calls an offside, and Coach signals the line change as my skates hit the ice.
Our crowd goes wild when they see us line up.
I take my place at center with McCormick and Hayes flanking both of my sides.
Foxx and Kane take their positions behind me as they guard our goalie.
I know it’s killing Cayden right now not to be in front of the net, but we need him too much to use him for a preseason game.
It doesn’t matter now anyway because if I have my way, our goalie won’t be seeing any more action.
I can tell the player across from me is surprised I’m out here.
He must be a newbie because I don’t recognize him.
He’s not the one I want to have a little fun with, anyway.
I glance at their left winger and make eye contact with the one who’s been playing dirty this whole game.
He scowls back at me, and I can’t help but grin in his direction.
I throw in a little wink for added effect, pissing him off even more.
I hear Hayes chuckle as he gets into position across from the douchebag.
“Not the best way to start off the season, rookie,” he says, loud enough for me to hear. “You’ve pissed off Stone,” he tsks. “I would skate fast if I were you…very fast.”
The others on my team laugh as the ref blows a short whistle.
“That’s enough, guys. We have five minutes left. Let’s keep it clean so we can all get out of here.”
He skates into position, and I bend down low with my stick to wait for the puck to drop. I get into my zone as the crowd around me disappears, and I focus all my attention on the round black object as it’s dropped onto the ice.
I quickly take control and pass it to McCormick as he comes up on my right. He handles it with ease and dodges his opponent as he shoots it back to Foxx at the center line, who whips it over to Kane. Kane sees Hayes in the corner and shoots it down the side.
Douchebag picks up speed, and I know exactly where he’s headed.
Not on my watch.
I dig my blades into the ice and tear off across the rink, ramming him into the sides right before he reaches Hayes. He grunts at the hard impact as he struggles to remain upright on his skates.
“That’s for being a dick to my team,” I throw at him before returning my focus to Hayes, who’s in control of the puck behind the net. Taking my position at center, I wait for the right moment. I make eye contact with Hayes, and he knows the move. We’ve practiced it a million times.
The other player tries to block me, but I spin around just as Hayes shoots the puck to McCormick, who passes it right back to me as I fake a high shot and slide it easily through the goalie’s legs.
The red light goes on just as the remaining seconds go out on the clock, giving us a win.
“Fuck yeah, Stone,” Hayes says, skating over and raising his arms as the rest of the guys surround me.
“Nice shot, captain,” Kane grins and slaps my back with his glove.
“I thought the rookie was going to shit himself when you came at him,” Foxx laughs.
“That was the plan. Damn, it felt good,” I grin. “Nice assist, McCormick.” I hold out my glove as he knocks his to mine.
“I’m just glad I’m on your side now and not the one you just hit into the boards,” he chuckles. “Can’t say I’m going to miss that.”
“You deserved every one of them.”
“Yeah, I probably did,” he laughs as we skate back to the bench to celebrate the win with the rest of the team.
“Nice teamwork out there,” Coach says, coming over. “Could have done without the hit, Stone.” His eyes narrow at me, but I can tell by the humor in his eyes that he didn’t mind it as much as he’s letting on.
“Just a little teaching moment, Coach,” I grin as he tries to suppress a smile.
“Get your asses in the locker room,” he says to the rest of the team. “Stone, Blade…you have press in twenty minutes. Shower and wear something nice. I’ll be in the conference room waiting.”
Great.
I know it comes with the territory, but I loathe being in front of the cameras.
Especially when they try to dig into my personal life.
I pay good money to keep my past buried, and it’s none of their business what I do outside of the rink, even though they love to be thoroughly invested in who I’m seen with.
After a quick shower, I change into dark slacks and a white button-down dress shirt, leaving the collar loose under my suit jacket. I meet Cayden outside the locker room, looking freshly showered with a similar outfit to mine.
“Ready?” He asks, shoving his hands in his grey slacks.
“No,” I reply without hesitation, causing him to chuckle.
“They wouldn’t be so hard on you if you would keep your mouth shut and stick to the basics. You make good TV when you throw those insults, and now they love to get you riled up just for the views.”
“Yeah, well, they need to stick to what’s important—the game and the charity. Anything else, they can shove it up their asses.”
“Exactly my point,” he laughs, opening the door as we reach the end of the hallway. “Let’s get this shitshow over with,” he says quietly as we step into the room full of hungry wolves.
“Amen to that,” I mutter, following him to the table with the mics set up as cameras start to go off in a hurried frenzy.
“You have twenty minutes with my boys. Make the questions count,” Coach says into the mic as we take our seats.
“How does it feel, Knox, to be back in your hometown?” The question is fired at me from the back as I brace my arms on the table and lean forward to answer.
“It feels good. We have a great team this year, and I’m looking forward to learning from Coach Goldman.”
“Cayden, what are your thoughts on Redman this season? I’ve heard he’s the new frontrunner for the Vezina Trophy this year.”
Blade leans casually forward with a smirk on his face. “Come on, Harold. You’ve got limited questions, and you waste it on that?” He asks as the reporters break out into laughter. “I don’t have any thoughts about Redman. The trophy will be mine again, just like it was for the last two years.”
“Stone, will you be able to work with McCormick this year, or will we be seeing some tension between teammates out there on the ice?”
Another dumb question. I force myself not to eye-roll as I speak into the mic.
“The best teams leave any past grudges behind. We’re teammates now and will be working toward one goal, and that’s winning the cup this year.”
A few more questions are asked about the upcoming season, and I start to relax that it’s going to go off without a hitch when I hear a voice from the back speak up that makes my blood begin to boil.
“Word has it in the small town of Blue Haven that you are living with a dark-haired beauty named…” My eyes narrow at the piece of paper in his hands, and I grab the mic.
“Shit,” I hear the coach say under his breath seconds before I speak.
“Her name doesn’t touch your lips,” I say quietly in the mic as his head shoots up to meet my furious scowl.
“Do you have nothing better to do in your pathetic life that you have to live through mine? I’ve told you before, Scott, and I’ll tell you one last time.
My personal life is none of your fucking business.
Stick to the game talk, or I’ll have your ass fired. ”
I get up and storm out. I briefly hear Cayden thank everyone hurriedly before I hear his footsteps fall behind me.
“Well, that’s going viral tomorrow,” he chuckles when we are alone in the hallway.
“Ask me if I give a fuck,” I ground out, heading straight to the exit.
“Are you really living with someone? That’s not your MO,” he laughs softly behind me.
Sighing, I stop in my tracks as my hand grips the door handle. “She’s… a friend.” Truthfully, I have no idea what to label Savi. Do friends want to kill each other one minute, and then in the next minute, want to rip her clothes off and sink my teeth into her?
The Montgomerys are like family to me. They are my only family. I’ve tried in the past to put Savi in the little sister category, and it easily worked when she was just a kid. Now, though…now it always fucks with my head when my mind wants to picture her naked.