Page 2 of Heartless As Puck

“She’s my assistant. She’s here for work and deserves to be respected. Consider her off-limits.” I kept my voice low and steady. It wasn’t his fault he hadn’t known that, even if his behavior was unacceptable.

Most assistants didn’t attend team meetings, but Jane was invaluable to managing my schedule and keeping track of my life, so I always insisted she be present, unless specifically forbidden by the higher-ups. I wanted to be the best player I could, and she was an important part of that.

The rookie held up his hands defensively. “My bad.” He turned back to Jane. “Sorry. Maybe I can make it up⁠—”

“No,” I snapped and shuffled Jane past him and back to the sofa, determined that she wouldn’t have to tolerate another second of unwanted attention.

She sat and rifled through her bag, pulling out a tablet and turning it on. I hesitated, an apology on my lips, but she studiously ignored me, and I got the feeling she was annoyed with me for some reason.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could say a word, a whistle pierced the room and silence fell.

Assistant Coach Willets stood in front of the glass wall that overlooked the ice, his shoulders tense, his rangy frame stretched to its full height.

“Welcome.” He tried to smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Thank you all for coming in this morning. We have several important announcements to make, and I’d appreciate it if you could save your questions until the end. Understood?”

A murmur of ascent rippled around the room. My stomach tightened. What exactly was going on?

“As you might have heard, there will be several significant changes this season.” He put his hands behind his back, perhaps to hide the way he was fidgeting. “First off, I want to make it very clear that everything said within this meeting is confidential. You may tell your agents but no one else. If I learn that someone has spoken out of turn, there will be consequences.”

I exchanged a look with Nick. I could only imagine what kind of consequences Willets might dream up. I liked the guy, but he knew how to work a player until they almost broke.

Willets scanned the room, pausing briefly on each of us. “A few weeks ago, the Chicago Chaos was bought by Joseph Trent.”

My breath caught. What?

“Under Trent’s ownership,” Willets continued, without giving anyone a chance to react, “we’ll be instituting some changes to the coaching staff and the players.”

My head spun. Holy shit. Did the fact that Willets was giving this talk mean that one of those changes had been removing the problematic head coach?

All of a sudden, the absences I’d noted earlier took on new meaning. Had our captain and alternate been disciplined for their previous behavior… or, better yet, traded?

And if so, did that mean I had a chance to become captain? Could I really be that goddamn lucky?

Fuck, I hoped so.

To my left, Jane was furiously tapping on her tablet, recording everything that was being said.

Willets cleared his throat. “I’ll take questions now.”

“Are our positions on the team in danger?” Brian Taylor asked.

My gut flipped over. It hadn’t even occurred to me to wonder that.

Willets smiled and shook his head. “No. Everyone present for this meeting is guaranteed a place on the team for the upcoming season.”

Thank God.

Nick raised his hand. “Does this mean you’ll be reconsidering the team captain and alternate?”

Willets nodded. “We’ll be reevaluating everything under Mr. Trent’s guidance. Hopefully, our new leadership will guide the team to a brighter future.”

People elbowed each other. Some whispered excitedly. I straightened, thoughts whirring through my mind.

This was it. The opportunity I’d been waiting for had just been handed to me on a golden platter.

I would not screw it up.

Willets ended the Q&A session. “Please allow me to introduce your new head coach.” He gestured toward the entrance. “Coach Murray Dunn.”