Mila:Good. Then Chase can work with that.
I slid the phone face down. “Theo—text Tori.”
He was already on it, fingers quick, no wasted motion. He typed one line, sent it, then locked the screen.
“What if she doesn’t answer?” Jax asked.
Theo didn’t look up. “She will.”
The confidence there—quiet, iron—made me believe it.
“Coach?” Jax asked.
I rubbed a hand across my jaw. It was a damn good thing Coach had taken a call before we got off the ice. “I’ll call him at seven tomorrow. Before the rumor crew has coffee. He hears it from me. Basic. No details about Avery he doesn’t need but enough he doesn’t get blindsided by whatever Logan’s planning to whisper about the fight.”
Jax’s mouth flattened. “Logan’s a vulture.”
“Then we stop bleeding where we can. You and Avery stay dark on socials. If anyone asks, we’re focusing on the next game. That’s it.”
He gave me a look. “Avery’s not a no-comment kind of girl.”
“Then text her before she torches herself in a comment thread,” I said. “Tell her the plan. Tell her I said please.”
That pulled a faint smile out of him. “You? Please?”
“Don’t get used to it.”
Theo’s phone buzzed. He opened the message.
“Time?” I asked.
“In a half hour. Coffee place on Grove.”
“Good,” I said.
We let that settle. The plan had substance. It wasn’t pretty, but it would do.
Jax leaned back against the counter, eyes on the far wall. “What about Chase tomorrow? Where?”
I pictured him. The version of Chase before tonight—loud, loyal, a fist you wanted on your side. And the version after—fury with nowhere to go. I picked the only place that made sense.
“The pier,” I said. “Early. He can see his exit if he needs it.”
“You want me there?” Jax asked.
“Not for the first ten minutes. If he’s calm, I’ll text you. You’re close, you walk up slow, you say your piece, and then you let him work it. If he swings?—”
“I won’t.” Not bravado—a line drawn in concrete.
Theo put his phone down, arms crossing over his chest. Silence settled between us. Not hollow this time. Full. Intent spilling into the room carrying weight.
Jax broke it first. “And Mila? You two back on?” His chin tipped toward my phone.
I didn’t hesitate this time. “Yeah. We are. But it’s not smart to go public right now. Not until we know Elise’s next move.”
Theo leaned forward, arms braced on the table. “So you keep her in the shadows?”
“For now.” The words grated, but they were the only play. “When we move, it has to be clean. Permanent. Not another weakness Elise can spin or a way for her to hurt Mila.”
