Oh crap!
I swallowed, then asked, “This is your place?”
“Yes, but that didn’t answer my question.”
I nodded at the door I sat next to. “I came in through that door.”
“So did you pick the lock, or do I need to fire someone?”
The corner of my eyes pulled. I shrugged, and he laughed. A full-on belly laugh. Was he demented?
“Well, that didn’t work the way I hoped.”
My brow pinched at his words. What did that mean?
“Can’t fire myself or the wife, and since we were the last toleave last night, it’s on us. Which means, I know you picked the lock.”
I swallowed, nodding my head as I said, “Yes, sir.”
“Humph. Well, I guess you have two options. One, you can pick up the keys, unlock the door, and disappear, or two…”
ONE
AIDEN
The ice glowed under the dim lights of the arena. The smell and the cold air enveloped me, filling me with a peace unlike any I’d ever known anywhere else.
Home.
This rink and the couple who were trying hard to keep me from seeing them. I smiled as I ran through some more edge drills. The slicing crunch coming from my skates echoed across the expanse of the rink and bounced off the boards. It was a sound I’d never tire of hearing.
I loved it.
Another thing I loved…
My parents. Coach and Anya were awesome. And as much as I loved living with them, I was looking forward to being on my own. The year I spent at the local junior college was great because I got to experience college but still live at home, since the JUCO coach and Mikal knew one another so well.
All that would change in a couple of weeks.
A whistle cut through the air, drawing my attention. Ice flew from my blades as I skidded to a stop. Turning, I smiled and waved at Coach and Anya. One smiled back, and the other tapped their wrist. No clue who was who.
Skating over to them, Coach said, “You need to take it easy, kiddo.”
“As if he is any different than you ever were, Mikal,” Anya said.
I bit my lip at her, admonishing him. She wasn’t wrong. I learned my dedication to training at his hip. I still remember the day I met him. And I chose the second one. It had been too good to pass up.
“Come, let’s eat and discuss what we will do tomorrow.”
Coach and Anya moved off, and I made my way to the locker room for a quick shower and change of clothes. I’d be back on the ice for morning skate with the youth league kids as soon as they started pouring through the doors, putting them through their paces, but Anya wouldn’t let me eat unless I had washed off the stank. Not that I blamed her or felt she was wrong. I gagged myself once I pulled off the gear and got a good whiff.
I rushed through my shower, pulling my long, reddish-brown hair into a knot on top of my head as soon as I toweled it dry, and then I dressed in a hurry. My stomach growled angrily. The bane of being a hockey player—near constant hunger and funky-smelling locker rooms.
My phone dinged as I closed the door to my locker, making me realize I’d not grabbed it or my headphones. The sounds of incoming skaters echoed in the hallway outside the locker room doors as I snatched up my devices, slammed the door shut, andrushed toward the exit. I had no desire to be in the locker room with a bunch of kids.
The door burst open just as I got to them. Sighing, I stepped out of the way as people spilled into the locker room. I leaned against the wall, checking my phone to avoid all the greetings and chatter from the kids passing me by.
Morrison
