Cole still flew across the ice like he was made of smoke and heat.
Then he caught the puck again—right out in the open. The crowd rose around me like a wave. Even I knew what that meant.
One more goal and he gets…something. A hat trick? Something with hats? People throw hats?
He sprinted toward the net, faster than I’d ever seen him move. My heart rattled painfully against my ribs. He was going to do it. He was—
A huge Chicago player lunged at him.
Cole dodged. Of course he dodged. He always dodged. But another Chicago player—just as massive—came in from the other side. I couldn’t tell if he’d seen him, if anyone had. They were coming from both directions like closing jaws.
It didn’t look intentional.
But it also didn’t matter.
They slammed into Cole at the exact same time.
His body snapped between them, lifted clean off the ice, and then he crashed down, his head hitting with a sound that made my stomach drop to my shoes.
He didn’t get up.
Chaos erupted instantly—whistles, shouting, players rushing over—but all of it faded under a thick, roaring silence inside my head.
My hand flattened uselessly against the glass.
“Cole,” I whispered, voice cracking. “Please…get up.”
He didn’t move.
Not even a twitch.
For a second—maybe longer—I couldn’t hear anything.
Not the screaming crowd. Not the refs’ whistles. Not even the pounding in my own skull.
Just the awful stillness of Cole lying there.
Chapter eighteen
Penalty Kill - Defending while short-handed due to a penalty.
Phoenix
I didn’t realize I was moving until I felt someone grip my arm—firm, grounding. Ignatius. He stepped between me and the glass, blocking my view like he knew I was about to fall through it.
“Phoenix,” he said sharply. “Look at me.”
I tried. My vision kept sliding back to the ice.
To Cole.
To the pile of players kneeling around him, waving frantically for the medical team.
Ignatius’s hand tightened. “We’re going. Now.”
“I—I can’t just leave—”
“You aren’t leaving.” His voice softened just enough to sound human. “You’re going where he’ll be taken.” The words hit hard enough to jolt my legs into motion.
