“And you protect me, too,” he says so quietly I know no one else can hear as the fire pops and crackles beside us. “Without you,” he whispers, “I don’t sleep.”
FIFTY-FIVE
FAUST
Sylvan’s nose is bleeding, but he doesn’t seem to care.
After battling for the puck in the corner with the Horse’s (yes, really) Trent, something happened, and Sylvan dropped his stick immediately, his gloves right after, then didn’t pause before he shoved the D man against the boards. Two refs are there, forming a semi-circle around the boys as our crowd roars in the stadium.
Sylvan punches Trent, knocking his helmet off, and the defensive player is gripping Sylvan’s jersey and trying to twist his face away, but as I charge down the ice, there’s a look of smugness in Trent’s expression that causes anger to boil in my gut.
I duck past the refs as Sylvan hits Trent again, blood on my teammate’s face that must have gotten there somehow in the skirmish for the puck, and when I grab the back of Sylvan’s jersey to steady myself, he says exactly what it is that caused him to go off the fucking rails despite the fact we’re winning 3-1.
“He said he was going to fuck Neve,” he snarls.
And I let him hit Trent again.
That knocks the smugness from his face as his head tips back, and nowhehas blood streaming down his throat.
I’m surprised the refs haven’t intervened; we don’t get away with as much fighting as the pros do, but when more of my teammates and Trent’s all appear around us, I hear the whistle blow, and a hand from a black and white striped uniform reaches out and jerks Sylvan back.
As captain, I’m supposed to help stop the fights.
I wedge myself between the sweaty bodies, but I’m facing Trent, not Sylvan.
Trent’s light eyes connect with my dark ones and I memorize his face. He’s nothing special, just a body for the Horses, or else I’d already know what he looks like.
As the refs pull Sylvan away and some Horse tells me to “fuck off,” I grin at Trent, shake off my glove casually so it looks like an accident, and reach up quick, pinching his throat as hard as I can.
“You come near her,” I whisper pleasantly, “you’re fucking dead. I’m sure you’ve heard how that goes.” Then I wink at him, grab my glove, and turn away, my eyes colliding with Sylvan’s, mutual understanding passing between us.
“What happened out there?”Neve asks as we stand at the bar on either side of her, the commotion of Royale’s grating on my nerves after the game. We came here because no one else is supposed to be here, all favoring Slyth’s or Casket’s to get a glimpse of us, but we are definitely not alone.
I want to be in bed with Neve, but she and Sylvan wanted to go out, so I’m out.
Monday, I have a photoshoot in the evening—thrilled—for a sponsorship, so I’m taking all the time with them I can get, no matter where I have to be for it to happen. Besides, Nolan Devine hasn’t yet been found, neither Neve nor Cynthia have returned to Darkmouth, and even the bookstore has been closed.
Neve is insistent the killer isn’t her brother.
I have many mixed feelings onthat.
I don’t want her out of mine or Sylvan’s sight as much as we can help it until the creepy fucker is found. Whether he murdered four people at Drayton U or not, the little message he sent by ripping up Neve’s textbook makes me want to slit his fucking throat.
I hope neither Sylvan nor I are the ones to find him.
He might not make it into custody.
Sylvan pushes a lemon drop shot her way, then nudges the Stella toward me, taking a sip from his own old fashioned as the bartender deposits our drinks with a flirty smile for Neve, clearly not giving a shit about hockey.
That’s fine.
But he better give a shit about getting too close to a hockey player’s girlfriend, never mindtwoplayers.
Neve takes her pale yellow shot, grinning at both of us as she slams it down on the counter.
I roll my eyes but Sylvan smiles at her. He reminds me of a serpent with that expression, but the allure is heightened, too.
“Tell me,” she whines, and I like it. The fact she seems to have let her guard down with us tonight. Not as cold, not as closed off.
