“Four hundred miles. I know. I looked. Plane's an hour twelve. There's a direct twice a day.”
“Four hundred miles.”
Harlan's voice drops a notch.
“Maddox. Listen to me. I know what's in your head right now. I don't know everything that happened in that arena tonight, and I don't want to, because I'm your agent and not your priest. I know enough. I know there is a person in Frosthaven you do not want to be four hundred miles from. I hear you. I'm still telling you this offer is real and the offer has a window, and the window is forty-eight hours, because Orrick has another guy and the other guy's agent is on a plane.”
“Forty-eight hours?”
“Yes.”
My jaw sets.
“Harlan.”
“Yeah.”
My hand goes flat on my thigh. Stays there.
“I need to think.”
“Think. Tomorrow noon, I call you. If you say yes, I fly you to Blackridge Monday morning for a physical and a press conference Monday night. If you say no, I call Orrick at twelve-oh-one and you tell me what else you want to play for because I am not going to let you sit out a season on a personal conduct shelf, Maddox; I am not going to watch that happen to your career.”
I nod at nothing.
“Twelve tomorrow.”
“Twelve tomorrow.”
I close my eyes.
“Okay.”
“Sleep if you can.”
He hangs up.
I put the phone on the bed beside me. I put my hands on my knees. I breathe.
Four hundred miles.
An hour twelve in the air.
Two direct flights a day.
Four point two.
Four point four.
Option at five.
Numbers that mean I could buy a house, a car, a dog, a ring if I wanted a ring. Numbers that mean I could put a down payment on a kid's freedom if the kid needed it. Numbers that also mean a city I've never lived in and an arena I've never skated in and a team that is not the team that trained me and a practice rink that does not have the stall I have sat in for eight years.
Frosthaven is over.
I say it in my own head. I try it on.Frosthaven is over, Maddox.My chest doesn't cave. That's the part I note, the way I noted my knuckles not splitting. Frosthaven was over the second Callahan walked into that office. I just hadn't caught up.
Blackridge is on the table.
