Page 105 of Ice Queen

We spend the next half-hour talking about her and some guy named Chief. How Lucas wasn’t a fan of him at first and went all overprotective with the help of Blake, Rory’s half-brother. Who Lucas is not related to, because of something about their moms. I don’t know, the woman speaks too fast and jumps from thought to thought faster than I can keep up.

Soon, the lights dim, and Rory rubs her hands together. “Show time!”

The guys skate out onto the ice, making circles around their net. Spotlights with one in the shape of a giant hawk decorate the ice. The national anthem plays, and I can hardly contain my excitement to finally get to see Markus do what he loves.

The lights come back on, and Lettie reaches over, tapping my arm. “You get the best view of them throwing fits from here.” She chuckles. “I’ve never seen so many grown men slide down the bench and throw something. It’s hilarious.”

“Oh!” Rory says. “We should take bets on who throws the most in this game.”

I pick up my beer, watching as the two of them take guesses about who will be the winner. Movement on the ice catches my eye, and at first I see Markus skating to a blue circle in the middle. But then my eyes slide to the bench, and my blood runs cold. Beer falling from my hand as my eyes land on a head of brown hair.

Oh holy shit, no. Every time I brought up hockey, he’d change the subject. “It’s too painful to think about the life I should be living, Kaitlyn.” Yet here he is, coaching a professional team. Is this some sick sort of revenge?

“Is this the guy who pushed Markus to the point he split open his chin?” I ask, not looking away from the side of Wyatt’s face.

“Yeah, Coach Sterling,” Hannah replies.

My jaw clenches more than is probably healthy for my teeth. Coach Sterling. I bet he loves hearing that. Blood rushes through my ears, and anger seeps from my pores, poisoning me from the inside out.

“Kait, are you okay?” Lettie asks, but she sounds like she’s miles away. I’m not here, she’s not here. This isn’t happening.

“Kaitlyn.” She’s turned me around to face her, but my brain is offline.

“Hey.” She snaps her fingers in front of my face. I’m vaguely aware of the sounds happening on the ice. I know the game is being played. I know if he gets off the ice and sees me frozen, he’s going to freak out.

So I do the only thing I can think of, and run out.

Lettie, Hannah, and surprisingly, Tate all pile out of the tunnel when I’m on my second lap of pacing. I look up, my eyes immediately filling with tears. The girls are missing their husbands’ play because of me. Because I’m having a freaking meltdown and I don’t know what to do about it.

“Wanna tell us what’s wrong?” Lettie asks.

I shake my head no, but the words fall out before my brain can stop them. “I need to talk to Markus.”

Hannah’s hand softly lands on my arm. “Kait, this is the biggest game of their life. They need to be focused.”

“Hannah, please,” I beg. The tears begin to fall faster the longer we stand there.

To the outside world, I’d look scared or sad. But the only feeling I have running through me is anger. Anger so potent that I feel like I’m being burned alive.

The girls look at each other before Hannah nods once.

“Tate,” Lettie says. “Abby’s got her watch on right?”

“Probably,” he grunts.

“I need you to tell her to get Sammy to the PT room during intermission.”

He pulls out his phone, fingers flying across the screen before saying, “Done.”

“Okay, come on,” Lettie says, looping her arm through mine.

“I can’t go back out there.” I dig my heels into the floor. “I can’t, not until I talk to him.”

“I’ll stay with her. You two go,” Tate says. “I have the key to get back there, anyway.”

They nod and disappear back into the arena. Tate and I walk in silence through the back hall, and as soon as he pulls the therapy room door open, he sits in the chair at Abby’s desk.

“Are you okay?”