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The moment the puck hit the ice, they dropped the gloves and squared off. The ref blew the whistle to stop play as Eli locked eyes with Bradiere.
The Las Vegas crowd, re-energized by the fight, screamed their approval as he ducked Bradiere's first punch and grabbed hold of his jersey.
He might not be the most skilled fighter or the biggest guy on the team, but his rage over what had happened to Fally had reached the boiling point. The memory of his friend's screams still echoed in his ears.
It was time to make this fucker pay.
Bradiere landed a solid punch to his cheek, and the force almost knocked him off of his skates. Somehow, he regained his balance and managed three quick punches to his ear, then ducked when Bradiere swung again.
They spun around, hanging on to each other's jerseys as they struggled to land effective punches. Both of their helmets came off as they wrestled around, looking for the best chance to take each other down. Eli saw an opportunity and swung, landing a brutal hit square on Bradiere's jaw.
Evan staggered backward, and they both fell to the ice. Eli took one more swing before the officials pulled them apart.
The crowd roared their approval at his victory, and the boys tapped their sticks against the bench. He gave them a head nod as he skated off toward the penalty box.
Even if they didn't end up winning this game, Evan Bradiere wasn't smirking anymore, and that was good enough for now.
* * *
"Babe, are you okay?" Penn asked, putting a hand on her arm.
Holly stood ramrod straight, every muscle in her body tensing as her heart galloped along in her chest. Bile rose in her throat as Eli traded punches with Evan Bradiere, the player who'd crushed Fally against the boards.
Eli was holding his own in the battle, and even though she knew he was a pretty good fighter, that knowledge didn't ease her anxiety when Evan landed a right hook to his cheek that nearly knocked him over.
"I'm fine," Holly replied, fighting to keep her voice even. "It's just weird seeing him fight."
The crowd roared their approval when Eli's punch knocked Bradiere down, sealing his victory.
Stifling a sigh of relief, she swallowed hard and ran a hand down over her hair. It was over, and he was fine, despite getting punched.
"It's okay to admit you were worried about him, you know," Penn said as they took their seats.
"He's just usually so easygoing and happy. Seeing him all wound up and throwing punches is weird. I've seen him fight before, so I really shouldn't be surprised."
"Yeah, but this time is different. You're going home with him tonight, so it's not like it was before."
"True."
The announcer rattled off the penalties for both players, and Bella waved a hand. "They're each getting five minutes for fighting. That's fair."
Hannah peered up at the scoreboard. "I'd like to think we have a chance to tie it up, but I'm pretty sure we're taking the loss for this game."
Penn's phone buzzed with a text. "It's Zoe. She's down in the family room. They took Fally to the hospital. Nic's going too, and she'll keep us posted."
"Are Fally's parents here tonight?" Holly asked.
"No, they're in Toronto. They'll be at the next game. They must be a mess after seeing what happened," Penn said, shoving her phone back into her purse.
For the next eight minutes, the crowd tried to rally the team, but the Kingsnakes ended up taking the loss, and San Jose stayed alive to play another game.
"Hopefully we can just grab a win next game and move on," Hannah said. "I'm just glad this one is over. This whole thing with Fally has got me freaked out."
"Yeah. It was a tough night." Holly shook her head. "I feel so bad for Fally. He won’t be back for the rest of the playoffs, I’m sure."
Penn nodded. "Now they have to find a way to win without him. Fally's such a huge part of the core. It's going to be a challenge."
"They'll rise to it." Holly glanced down at the rink as the guys headed off the ice and into the tunnel. "They have to. They've got no other choice if they want to win."
