“What’s wrong?”
“Can you do it?”
“Yes.”
I sighed in relief. Ewen’s hand curled over my shoulder, turning me toward the lobby. Ollie stood at the reception desk, his eyes growing wide and round.
“Tell Slone and Will that I’ll be back later. Storm and I have something to do.”
Ollie nodded without comment, something I would’ve found strange if I had my head screwed on straight. Ewen led me through the building, away from the front entrance.
“Where…”
“To my truck, out back.”
I nodded, trembling. With a deep breath, I locked down my muscles to hold myself together.
Ewen pushed open the employee entrance, ushering me through the door to a large, blacked-out truck with no decals or insignia backed into a parking spot right next to the door. The truck chirped.
“Get in,” he said, following his own instructions as I got Hawk and I settled.
When his door closed, he turned and asked, “So, where are we going?”
“The hospital.”
“Oh, shit. Okay. Hang tight.”
I moved Hawk to the floor between my feet as Ewen dropped the truck into gear and stomped on the gas. We flew out of the parking lot, the truck tires squawking when we careened out onto the street.
“What happened?” he asked, the truck swerving around the late-night traffic. EDGE wasn’t far from campus, but the streets were busy as fuck.
“I’m not sure. All I know is somebody found Aiden’s Jeep in a ditch, and he’s in the hospital.”
“Did the police call you? How did you…”
“His parents called me.”
“All your players’ parents have your number?”
My face flamed, and I croaked, “Only the ones I played hockey with.”
“I don’t know of any players named Mercer?”
My hand rubbed Hawk’s head, mumbling in reply, “Because his dad is Mikal Rustav.”
Ewen’s shocked face turned toward, allowing me a glimpse from the corner of my eye. “Mikal Rustav, as in your teammate and best friend? The same guy who…”
“Yes,” I grunted. “The best friend who smacked me in the head with a puck… Fuck!” I yelled, the truck lifting off the ground, when Ewen took a corner. We bounced as the wheels touched down. “If I were looking to die from erratic driving, I could’ve driven myself.”
“Quit being a baby, I’m a Marine. I can handle this.”
“Like a baby handles a crayon,” I muttered as the truck tires squealed around another corner. The hospital lit up the night sky not far ahead. Thank fuck.
When I looked over at him, Ewen was looking at me with this expression I couldn’t decide if he was going to chew my ass or laugh.
“What?” I asked.
“That was a good one.” He looked back at the road, then asked, “Does he know?”
