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Watching her enemy take in her performance, Lou grimaced but didn’t try to intervene. I couldn’t imagine she liked him seeing this part of her life, the part she’d carved out through so much effort from the past he represented. But it’d been the only way I could think of to solidify our case.
Sheeran had tipped forward just slightly, his gaze now glued to the screen. The sneer was fading from his face. At the next set of jumps, a sequence hard for even pros to pull off, his eyes widened.
He was bull-headed but not stupid. He could tell there was no way Lou had simply picked up those moves in a few days’ practice.
Niko watched the other man’s face. His voice came out quiet but firm. “Thisis what Lou is in Boston for. It’s the only reason she’s here. She doesn’t have time to worry about your criminal activities while she’s training for the competitions.”
I lifted my chin. “It’s taken her years of practicing every day since she was a kid to reach that level. A lot of peopleneverget there, no matter how hard they work at it. Are you so much of an imbecile that you think she did all that just to sell a cover story one day? A cover story no one in your line of work would believe anyway?”
Sheeran’s lips parted at the lift-throw sequence we’d been working on so painstakingly. He shook his head, but not in denial, only as if trying to sort out his thoughts.
“I—” Sheeran yanked his eyes away from the screen with apparent effort. He looked at me and then Lou with a dazed expression before his shoulders came up slightly with a hint of shame.
“Itdidsound ludicrous,” he said grouchily. “And I was specifically told otherwise—that you were here on a mission for the Deadly Rose.”
Rafael hummed to himself. “Let me guess. Your tip came from a pale guy with a big nose and acne scars. Maybe you even dug enough to find out his last name is Haggard?”
Sheeran’s attention snapped to him. “How did you know that?”
“That prick used to work for the Deadly Rose.Used tobeing the important part of that sentence. He’s got a vendetta against her and everyone associated with her. He was only trying to stir up trouble for Lou for his own gain, and you bought into it hook, line, and sinker.”
Sheeran grimaced. “What was I supposed to think? His version made a lot more sense than hers.”
I glared at him. “Well, now you know. So, you’ll pass on word to your boss that she isn’t a threat and leave her alone from now on, right?”
Lou piped up before Sheeran had to answer. “We’re going to take care of Haggard, so you don’t need to worry about him. And if you back off on me, we’ll leave all the Harvester’s business and your own reputation alone. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than keep track of what I’m up to anyway. Seems like a pretty sweet offer.”
To my surprise, Sheeran looked back at the video still playing on Niko’s phone before answering. He watched me and Lou whip through our final sequence with bewilderment in his eyes.
As Niko tucked the phone away, the gang boss inclined his head to Lou. “Fine. I can see I made a mistake, and I’ll fix that as long as we’re even. Consider it a done deal.”
TWENTY-FIVE
Luciana
One pairof our competitors spun across the ice in their free skate routine, creating an image I could appreciate even as my stomach knotted with apprehension. I rested my hands against the boards, resisting the urge to fidget.
In some ways it was a good thing that Finals were being held in Boston this year, so we’d been able to stay in the same city and perform in an arena we were familiar with. But when I glanced around the vast space, I couldn’t help flashing back to our qualifying competition performance.
The jolt of panic that’d raced through me. The wobbles and stumbles.
The shame of hearing our score and knowing it might not be good enough.
Jasper and I had performed our short routine yesterday without any significant errors, but the caliber of the competition was much higher at Finals. All the best pairs from across the country were here, and we’d only ranked fifth.
That was okay. We both knew that the free skate was where we really shone, and with the adjustments we’d made, it’d earn us all the points we needed to boost us up the ranks. It counted for twice as much of the total, after all.
As long as we didn’t screw it up. As long asIdidn’t fuck it up.
We had to make it into at least the top three to be sure of getting accepted into the National Championships, the stepping stone to the international circuit. If we failed here, it’d be nothing but minor local competitions until the qualifying round started again next year.
I can do this. I just have to keep my cool, and I’ll nail it.
The music wound down. The skaters struck their ending pose, bowed, and glided over to the stands.
There were still a couple more pairs to go before it was my and Jasper’s turn, but my stomach clenched even tighter. This was going to be our first time showing off our new move in front of any audience. And a faint ache still radiated through my ribs despite the cortisone.
I’d rest some more, for at least a few days, after we got through today. That was a promise to myself.
