“I believe in reincarnation.” Logan smiles. “So never say never.”
“Never,” Jake deadpans. “I am saying never.”
As the two of them argue, I pick up my phone to text Kennedy about Logan’s asinine theory, only to remember she turned hers off.Shit.
Sloane strolls in twenty minutes later, and when she spots the four of us taking up every seat in her office, she pulls up short and closes her eyes. “I’m not even going to askhowyou got in here.”
She sinks into the space on the couch between Jake and Cole, dropping all pretense of professionalism with a heaving sigh.
“When Cameron loses his shit,” she tells them, “I expect one of you to tackle him so he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
Jake salutes her while Cole gives a singular nod. Logan practically levitates out of the armchair with excitement.
“You know what happened?” I ask, impressed by the turnaround, but not surprised.
“Yes, and I’m telling you as your friend, not a Bobcats employee, so if it leaves this room, I will make all your lives hell.”
Logan opens his mouth, but I shake my head. “She’s not kidding, Clark. You think you know people’s shit? Sloane collects secrets like a fucking FBI agent.”
Sloane lifts a perfectly arched brow. “Don’t test me. I’d be more than happy to tell the world about the secret account where you post about sourdough starter and cute dogs you see.”
Logan gasps like we’re in a daytime soap opera. “How do you know about Dogs and Dough?”
“I also know you can’t ride a bike.”
“Circle of Trust!” Logan shouts, banging his hands against the armrests of his chair. “Circle of Trust. No one can repeat that. Ever.”
She side-eyes him. “What?”
“Circle of Trust,” he huffs. “It’s a blood oath we took, and once it’s invoked, you can’t repeat the secrets you’ve heard.”
“She told us before you invoked,” Jake says, clearly already brainstorming ways to use this information against him. “It doesn’t count.”
“It’s also not a literal blood oath,” Cole reassures her. “But we won’t repeat anything you tell us, Sloane.”
She glances at each of us before nodding. “Certain investments by NHL players have to be disclosed to the team for insurance and liability purposes,” she explains. “It’s not approval, per se, because players can invest in whatever they want; it’s just informational. It’s standard protocol, but most players don’t even know about it because their agents handle it. So when Cameron invested in Crumb & Co., the paperwork went through the system.” She pauses, her throat working. “Gigi found it.”
The pit in my stomach grows into a full-size ball of lead. I wish I was shocked, but somewhere deep in my gut, I knew she was connected. How did I ever think I loved her? What I felt for her is a burned-out match in comparison to the fucking wildfire that burns inside me for Kennedy.
“You’re sure?”
She purses her lips. “She saw you two together. You and Kennedy.”
“They’re dating,” Jake points out. “Of course she’s seen them together.”
“No.” She shakes her head, her focus never leaving me. “I mean she saw you at the practice arena. On Sunday.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. Everyone at this table knows that Sunday was the anniversary of my mom’s death. They all sent texts but left me alone, knowing I prefer to spend the day on my own. Except this year, Kennedy sat with me in an empty arena for two hours, not saying anything, just letting me skate until my body felt numb and then holding me until I could feel again.
Sloane studies my face, reading my expression. “I guess Gigi told security to alert her if you went to the practice arena after hours, which is how she knew you were there?—”
“And then she showed up, saw me with Kennedy, and decided to, what? Leak compliance documents to hurt me? To hurther? That’s…”
“Illegal,” Cole finishes for me, voice sharp.
My jaw clenches so hard it aches, and I run my hand through my hair, feeling too much and nothing at all.
“The Bobcats will do an internal review, and the league is launching an investigation into the breach,” Sloane admits, shoulders slumping.
