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“Honestly? Yes. The team is hungry.”
“They’re playing Minnesota now, right?”
Nerves prick the skin at the back of my neck. “Yeah.”
“I’m excited. I would love to see the cup back in Vancouver.”
“You and me and the rest of Van,” I say, coming to a stop outside of the clinic doors, Hades heeling beside me. Marco’s phone starts to ring as he opens the door for us, and I hurry inside while he answers it.
Micaela is gone, and the clinic is empty, the floors shining from the much-needed mopping I asked her to do before she left. I take a long look around and exhale.
This is all mine, yet I don’t feel any pull toward it. It doesn’t feel like I’ve really accomplished anything, even though I know that is the furthest thing from the truth.
“Sorry about that. Would you like me to help you close up, or are you okay on your own? I hate to take off, but my mom’s at my house an hour early with dinner, and she forgot her key,” Marco rushes out, his cheeks flushed with the worry I find in his eyes.
“Go. I’ve closed alone more than enough times. Enjoy your dinner. And thank you for the company.”
He smiles warmly and reaches to squeeze my forearm. “Anytime.”
I take Sapphire’s leash from him and watch as he quickly collects his bag and coat from his office and then rushes out the door, waving at me from inside his car before he peels out of the parking lot. A frustrating pang of jealousy hits me as I think of how that could be my mother and me if my father would just back off and stop trying to control everything.
“Let’s go get you both tucked into bed before I get lost in my thoughts,” I tell the two dogs before locking the front doors and leading them back through to the shelter.
If I fall into that rabbit hole, I won’t be able to climb back out before the game tonight.
* * *
I’m running late.
My hair is a mess, and there’s still dried drool on my chin—Hades or mine, I’m not sure.
Falling asleep in Hades’ pen wasn’t part of the plan, but he convinced me to sit with him for a while after I got Sapphire put away and started getting him settled in by giving me those damn pouty eyes, and apparently, I was more tired than I thought. If it weren’t for the weird spout of barking a few minutes ago, I probably would have spent the entire night in his pen.
Now, I’m rushing out the door, feeling groggy and a bit out of my body. This feeling is exactly why I try not to take naps. More often than not, they mess you up more than they help.
It’s dark outside as I slip out the clinic doors and lock up. My feet carry me slowly through the parking lot as I pick my car key from the very cluttered key chain in my hand and click the button to unlock the doors.
The sound of breaking glass beneath my shoes has me finally looking up. Despite the warm weather, a cold breeze travels down my spine.
The only car in the parking lot is mine, and while I didn’t notice it before, there’s a puddle of broken glass on the pavement by the driver’s door. I swallow my fear and take a couple of steps toward it, finding the front window smashed.
My legs freeze, muscles turning into lead as I use shaky hands to pull out my phone and dial Maddox’s number. It rings and rings and rings before his voice fills the night, telling me to leave a message.
I curse myself out for falling asleep, realizing that he’s probably already at the rink.Stay calm,I tell myself. Blowing out a breath, I start to back away from the car and call Cooper. I blink back tears when he answers right away.
“Hey, love.” His voice is so soothing it makes my body shake with relief.
“Can you come to the clinic, please? There’s glass all over the place, and I need . . . I need you to come get me.”
Why didn’t my car alarm go off? Did I have anything important in my car? Where’s the person who did this?
“I’m on my way. But what do you mean, there’s glass everywhere?” His voice has gone steely, and I clutch the keys in my hands.
I keep moving backward until my heels hit the concrete step in front of my building. I go to step back onto it when a force at my back has me flying forward. A gasp leaves my parted lips as my phone flies from my hands, skittering across the parking lot. I slam my palms to the pavement to catch my fall and hiss at the pain that flares as they scrape and tear open. My head hits the pavement, and I bite down on my cheek to avoid crying out.
I hear a muttered “Shit” as I try to push myself back up, and by the time I look for the asshole who pushed me down, I’m alone. Just like I thought I was in the first place.
35
