“They’re heading for the bus,” she said. Already stepping back. Already putting space between me and the inevitable. “We have to go.”
Then she slipped past me and pushed the door open without looking back. The door closed again, the echo of her sigh following her out.
I stayed where I was, staring at the scuffed concrete, that knot setting up shop in my gut like it planned to stay awhile.
She sat apart from me on the bus, and ducked out as soon as we got back to the arena. It was all too obvious. My hopes of making things right were slipping away, and fast.
“This is all very dramatic, even for you,” Hunter said, freshly showered after practice.
I’d texted him to meet me in the room next to Bob’s office. It was cluttered to the ceiling with old gear and accessories, and smelled like wet dog.
“I need to ask you something, and I need you to say yes without questioning me about it.”
His smile faltered, thrown off balance by the distinct crease of a frown. “Is this about the scan?”
I ignored the way he immediately broke the ‘no questions’ rule, and said, “I need you to throw the game tomorrow night.”
22
Reese
The coach’s office was quiet except for the shuffle of papers and the occasional scratch of a pen. McAvoy leaned back in his chair, flipping through the folder I’d brought him, while Holly sat beside him and craned her neck to see.
I kept my hands folded in my lap, forcing my shoulders to relax even as my chest pinched. Too tense, but carefully hidden.
“Thanks for taking point on this,” McAvoy said, glancing at me from under his brows. “God knows, admin hates me almost as much as I hate admin. Having you take point on all this? Saved my ass.” He grinned, a little crooked, but I just forced a tight smile in return.
Holly leaned over a sheet, scanning the numbers and notes. “Oh, wow, this is great news,” she said, eyes flicking toward me with something in them that made my throat tight. “Really, great news.”
I swallowed, knowing they’d finally reached Theo’s report. “I know, right? I couldn’t believe it either.”
McAvoy looked closer. “Well, shit, Hopper. I knew taking over for van der Berg was the right move. You got the kid ready to play.”
“This is amazing,” Holly said, although I wished she’d move on already. “Report looks clean. Says he’s fine to play.”
I kept my hands folded tightly in my lap. “Yeah. Healing well,” I said, letting the words hang.Fine,I thought, feeling the weight of that word settle in my stomach.Always fine.
Holly’s grin widened, excitement spilling into her words. “The fans are going to love this. They get their ironman back for finals.”
“Well, maybe from game two or three,” McAvoy corrected. “The boy hasn’t seen a practice in weeks. He’ll need to limber up.”
I nodded, the pull of guilt curling tightly under my ribs.
The truth: Theo had a partial labrum tear. Surgery optional, recovery long, months he couldn’t afford to be off the ice. Finals? Probably gone. But the world didn’t need to know that. And neither did he. Not yet. Not if I could keep him moving, safe, and focused.
McAvoy looked at me, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Better get your interview boots ready, Hopper. With work like this? You’ve been doing outstanding work, and the evidence is right here.”
I glanced down at the report he waved—Theo’s fake report— and the word burned into my mind. Yes. That was evidence, alright. Evidence that I’d shredded the original and replaced it with one that said Theo’s injury was just a minor thing. Like the tweak in Mason’s knee, or Tucker’s constant wrist niggle. Nothing that could stop him from showing up for the team.
Sure, the thought had occurred to me to let the results speak for themselves. But he’d be crushed if he missed the last round. Missed his shot at making things right. I couldn’t let that happen.
“I was right to trust you,” McAvoy said, tapping the folder. “This is just the news I needed. The fire to make sure the guys seal Round 3 tonight.”
Those words, the whole meeting, hung over me all day like a dark cloak I couldn’t shrug off.
Theo hung around during practice, and was annoyingly chipper all through our rehab session. I almost asked about his pain level, but didn’t want to open a can of worms I couldn’t put back. Thankfully, it was game day, and there was enough to keep me busy so I could avoid any confrontations.
Pre-game check and prep went smoothly, and the guys were on their best behavior, clamoring to get out there and seal the deal against Colorado Avalanche.
