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Even though I’d won this round, a chill prickled down my back, dulling my sense of victory. “I won’t,” I said.
But I had no doubt that from here on, Mom would be looking for any possible way to turn the tables on me and regain the power I’d stolen from her.
And if she managed to, there’d be no takebacks. My men and I were screwed.
SIXTEEN
Luciana
Jasper sweptme up into the air, and I glided along over him with my arms stretched wide. The chilly rink air washed over me, but I took nothing but enjoyment from it.
Especially since my recent confrontation with my mother had come with one upside. Now that she knew I was skating and grudgingly accepting the fact, we didn’t have to hide anymore. Rafael had hooked us up with training times at a subdued but brighter and cleaner rink on the opposite side of town from our earlier digs.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t take total enjoyment from the lift itself. A pang of strain ran through my legs and up my back, and my balance wobbled.
Jasper sensed my wavering and caught me in his arms before I could outright fall. As he lowered me to the ice, I grimaced.
When we eased to a halt, I swiped at the sweat on my brow. “Sorry. I should have had that.”
Jasper waved off my apology. “Hey, none of us is perfect. You’ve been doing great.”
Niko drifted over to join us. “It’s understandable that you’re getting tired. This is the longest you’ve been able to stay at practice since you got to Austin. You’re going to need to rebuild your stamina now that you don’t have to be quite as careful about your time.”
I sighed, but I knew he was right. Even standing still, my legs still felt a bit shaky. The muscles in my calves ached. The physical workouts I’d done with the lackeys back at the mansion didn’t compare to getting out on the ice properly.
I let out a growl of frustration. “I hate that I’ve lost so much time. How am I going to catch up for Nationals even with the longer practices now?”
Jasper squeezed my shoulder. “You’ll get there, Punk. We’ve got a month to get totally into shape.”
Niko flashed a smile at both of us. “I’ve seen you accomplish more amazing things than that already.”
A hiss of skate blades announced Quentin’s approach. He circled us with a teasing glint in his pale eyes. “You’d better not give up after you forced me back into singles and all.”
I rolled my eyes at his gentle heckling. “You wouldn’t have qualified for pairs even if we hadn’t been in the running.”
He laughed. “I don’t know. Maybe seeing your skills scared the shit out of my partner and threw her off. I, of course, was totally unaffected.”
“Of course,” I repeated dryly. “Well, you don’t have to worry about it. There’s no way in hell I’m backing down.”
Quentin’s mouth stretched into a grin. “Just what I wanted to hear.”
A twinge of affection rippled through the sense of defiant resolve he’d provoked in my chest. He hadn’t actually been laying into me—he’d been trying to raise my spirits in his own way.
I was probably never going to receive gentle reassurance from Quentin Wolfe, no matter how badly he wanted to get into my pants.
I rolled my shoulders, revving myself up to take one last stab at the routine, but a text alert pinged out from my equipment bag. The sound I’d assigned only to my mom.
My pulse hiccupped. “I’d better see what that’s about,” I said, swallowing a lump of trepidation, and skated over to the stands. “It’s my mother. Probably nothing important, just her finding whatever way she can to still mess with my skating time, but if I leave her waiting, she’ll—”
My voice faltered as I took in the message that had popped up on the screen at the tap of my finger.
You’re going to need to continue gaining the respect of our employees if you expect to retain any of my good will. I’ve set up a meeting Thursday night with the Hellborn for an exchange of our steel merchandise. I want you to lead the hand-off. Make sure you’re properly prepared.
My stomach sank. Had she really not been able to wait to deliver her instructions in person, or was she so angry with me that she preferred to keep me at a distance for the moment? Or maybe she’d simply wanted to distract me from my practice like I’d initially figured.
But the real reason for my dismay was the job itself.
Jasper had joined me, peering at the screen over my shoulder. “The Hellborn? Somehow I’m guessing they’re not a boy band.”
