Tane’s hands flexed against his thighs. “I’ll protect him with my life.”
Antonio’s smile returned, softer this time. “I know you will. But protect that shoulder just as carefully. We need you whole for one more run. After that… We’ll talk about what comes next. Management. Advisory. Whatever you want. The family takes care of its own. Loyalty iseverything.”
The words hung between them. A promise, reminder, and warning in equal measure.
Antonio extended his hand. Tane took it. The grip was firm, brief, final.
“Drive safe,” Antonio said. “And keep your phone on.”
Tane nodded once, opened the door, and stepped back into the cooling air.
He walked to his car without looking back. The Mercedes didn’t move until he’d pulled onto the highway and disappeared around the first bend.
The drive back to the city felt longer than the drive out. Streetlights flickered on one by one, washing the dashboard in pale orange. Tane kept both hands on the wheel now, ignoring the protest from his right shoulder every time he shifted gears.
Tane thought about Jacob… probably pacing the apartment by now, phone in hand, wondering where he’d gone. The kid had texted twice during the drive, but Tane hadn’t answered. Not yet.
Tane needed the quiet first. He needed to let Antonio’s words settle.
FBI. Rival club. A player who could be compromised.
And Jacob—bright, reckless, trusting Jacob—square in the crosshairs if anyone decided to push. It was far from ideal. Tane could see how much potential Jacob had for a truly incredible, generational career on the ice. The last thing he needed was to be dragged into something murky or manipulated by the authorities.
Tane’s grip tightened until his knuckles whitened.
He’d meant what he said. He would protect Jacob with his life. No hesitation. No second thoughts.
But the shoulder throbbed in counterpoint, a reminder that his body might not let him keep that promise forever.
By the time he pulled into the underground garage beneath his building, the sky had gone full dark. Tane sat in the car another minute, engine off, breathing in the stale concrete smell.
Then he pulled out his phone.
Three missed texts from Jacob.
Tane thumbed a quick reply:
TANE: On my way up. 5 min.
With that, he stepped out, locked the car, and headed for the elevator.
Tomorrow was Game Seven.
Tomorrow the city would roar.
But tonight, Tane knew had a boy waiting upstairs who needed to know he was safe.
And Tane intended to make damn sure he stayed that way.
* * *
The elevator doors slid open on Tane’s floor with a soft chime. He stepped into the hallway, keys already in hand, the weight ofAntonio’s words still sitting heavy across his shoulders like an extra layer of padding he couldn’t shrug off.
The corridor was quiet.
Too quiet after the long drive and the forest lay-by that had felt like stepping outside the normal world for forty-five minutes.
Tane unlocked the apartment door and pushed it open.
