“Yeah, okay.Fine.” Graham let out an annoyed grumble, even though he knew Thad was right.
“Good.” Thad reached out and squeezed his side.
Graham leaned in, finding comfort in his touch as he thought about what Thad had said.
If this Harriers team ever had the opportunity to lift a Cup, Graham wouldn’t only be doing it for himself, or his teammates. He’d be doing it forThad. Even if his name would never appear on it, it would be for him too.
Graham glanced over at Crawford. “Hey, I don’t think I said this earlier, but I appreciate the assist, man.”
“Yeah, of course.” Crawford slapped his shoulder with his uninjured hand. “Got your back. You’re gonna owe me a drink the next time we’re out there though.”
“Done,” Graham promised with a laugh.
Crawford glanced at Thad. “And don’t worry about whatever bullshit Bobby said. People give ex-cons a bad rap and some of ’em deserve it, but I know plenty of decent guys who had some bad fucking luck and ended up in the prison system. That shit’ll fuck you up too.”
“Tell me about it,” Thad said with a sigh. “I have some stories that would?—"
“Does someone want to tell me what the hell is going on in here?” The doors opened slowly to reveal a distraught-looking Gavin, who shouldered his way in. “Why thehelldid security notify me about an altercation taking place in the locker room?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
No one moved or spoke as Gavin glared around the locker room and Graham shifted uncomfortably, not sure what exactly he should say.
“Guys …” His tone was filled with warning.
Connor stepped forward. “It was Bobby Tucker causing trouble, Gavin. We handled it.”
Gavin narrowed his eyes. “I’m going to need a few more details.”
Connor gave their GM a succinct rundown of what had happened and when he was done, Gavin ran a hand through his hair, sighing. “Guys, when I said I wanted you to bond and have each other’s backs, this isn’tquitewhat I meant.”
“It’s working, isn’t it?” Jesse asked with a trace of humor.
“Mmm.” Gavin let out a skeptical noise as he glanced around the room. “Thatremains to be seen.”
“Connor was right. We handled it,” Crawford pointed out.
Gavin’s gaze dropped to where he was still icing his hand, and he gave him a disapproving look. “I can see that. This isn’t how I’d like you to handle conflicts in the future, however. While I agree we don’t needGrahamout with a hand injury, we need you on the ice too.”
“Ahh, I’ll be fine.” Crawford lifted the ice pack away and flexed his fingers again. “No permanent damage.”
“Therebetternot be,” Gavin said warningly. “But still, you go get checked out by the trainers before you head out on the ice, okay? I’ll let Hoyt know why you’re not out there.”
“Yeah, okay,” Crawford grumbled.
“And if you can spare me a little bit of your time after practice, I’d like to speak to all of you. I have a story I want to tell you about why my hockey career ended the way it did that I think you need to hear. We’ll meet back here once everyone’s showered.”
“Sure,” Connor said slowly as he glanced around like he was checking to be sure everyone was on board. “We’ll be here.”
“Now finish getting dressed for practice, ” Gavin said. “Hoyt is waiting for you on the ice.”
As the team settled into their stalls, freshly showered and dressed casually, they looked confused.
All the ancillary staff had cleared out, except for Thad who leaned against a wall near the closed doors. He had a look of bored indifference on his face, but Graham knew he wasprobably feeling anxious as hell about what his brother was about to say.
“As you all know, Thad and I are twins.” He nodded toward him. “But the summer of our draft, he and I both made choices that would permanently impact the rest of our lives …
Everyone listened intently as Gavin continued to talk about what had led to the burglary and Thad taking the fall for the crime.
