Finn didn’t need to worry though. There was no cheerful reunion to be had with the rest of the players on the Wolves. Silas had left a team full of players he’d refused to build bonds with without a word. So, while it wasn’t uncommon for players on opposing teams to greet each other before the game, that wasn’t going to happen. Not tonight.
Silas just wanted to get in, play the game, and get out. Then he could start working on his relationship with Miriam again. She’d said she’d forgiven him after forgetting to text her back, but she hadn’t exactly been chatty either. There was still a huge wedge between them, and Silas needed to fix things as quickly as possible.
He shuddered and pulled his jacket tighter around him as the team walked up to the Wolves’ arena.
“Shouldn’t you be used to this kind of weather?” Finn said, coming up beside him.
“Can anyone ever get used to freezing their nethers off?” Silas asked. “I’m pretty sure only third generation Cheeseheads actually like it below freezing.”
“Good point.” Finn laughed, but quickly sobered. “What can you tell me about these guys? What do I need to look out for?”
Silas quickly rattled off three names and numbers. “They’re the top scorers.”
“I’ve looked at their roster and stats. I’m not going in completely blind.” He rolled his eyes. “What I mean is, what do I need to be careful about?”
Silas didn’t hesitate before telling Finn about the forwards’ weaknesses. There wasn’t an ounce of loyalty toward any of the Wolves. He was a member of the Storm. Why was it so hard to prove that?
“Good, good.” Finn slapped Silas’ back. “That’s really helpful.”
“I want to beat them, too, you know.”
Finn stopped walking and looked at Silas. “I know you do. So, let’s get warmed up, and make sure it happens.”
They won in overtime,with Cardosa scoring the winning goal.
After some low-key celebrating, they went to the airport late that night ready to fly home. The general manager would have sprung for another night at the hotel, but the team had unanimously voted to take a red-eye back to sunny Florida. Nobody wanted to spend another night in this frigid wasteland.
Silas looked for an outlet to plug his phone in while they waited for the flight to start boarding. He’d forgotten to charge it the night before, and it had died sometime during their game. He was eager to talk to Miriam, to know if she’d watched the game tonight.
Finn flopped down beside him. “Great job tonight.”
Silas wasn’t sure what to make with Finn’s sudden desire to be near him twenty-four seven. He jerked his chin at him. “You too, man.”
“I don’t think I would have blocked so many goals without your help.”
A corner of Silas’ mouth lifted in a disbelieving grin as he shook his head. They both knew that Finn didn’t need Silas’ five-minute breakdown of the Wolves’ offensive players to block their shots on goal. The keeper was a brick wall.
That said, Silas took the words for what they were—an olive branch.
They might not get that friendship they once had, but once Finn stopped antagonizing Silas over every little thing, the rest of the players would be quick to follow their captain’s lead. Or so Silas hoped.
Finn’s phone dinged, and he pulled it from his pocket. His mouth turned down in a frown when he looked at the screen.
“Everything okay?”
Finn nodded. “Just some drama at home.”
“Emmeline?”
Finn gave him a warning look. He may have extended the olive branch, but apparently Silas talking about Finn’s baby sister was still off-limits. He walked over to one of the giant glass windows overlooking the runway.
With Finn now gone, Silas continued his search for an outlet. He found one under his seat and plugged in his phone. The reboot screen came up only moments later. Now he could do what he’d been thinking about ever since the final goal had been made: talk to Miriam.
When his home screen finally appeared, there was a notification that he had a text message from Miriam. She’d beat him to it.
Miriam: Great game tonight.
Silas smiled as he started typing out a reply, but decided he wanted to hear her voice. It was a much better option than holding his breath while he waited for text bubbles to turn into messages. He hit the call button.
