AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That’s when the guilt sets in.
I could’ve whooped Cole’s ass on the ice a little less literally. I could’ve defended Sloan’s honor without endangering my career. My dad’s voice is echoing in my head, too. He swore I’d want to be like him one day. Which begs the horrifying question I refuse to answer…
What if I already am?
I shake my head and glance back up when I see the scoreboard change. The Wave is down by three as the buzzer sounds for the first intermission. I wait until I hear the thunder of approaching footsteps, then the team filters in. Not a single one of them looks at me as they troop past. They’re disgusted.
And it’s my own damn fault.
Coach is the last one in. He looks at me and points at his office door. I’m about to take a beating. Deservedly so, but knowing I’ve earned it won’t make it feel much better.
I walk in and he slams the door shut behind me. He walks around his desk and slams both fists down on the surface. “The fuck did you think you were doing, Daniels?” I open my mouth to answer and he shakes his head. “No. Shut the hell up. I didn’t ask you a fucking question.”
I don’t correct him because even I know when to keep my trap shut.
“I don’t have a choice but to suspend your dumb ass.” He throws his hands up. “Fucking Christ, Beck. You broke his jaw before the puck even dropped! This one is going to hit your wallet hard.”
Yeah. There are going to be league fines. I knew it as soon as my fist connected with his properly rearranged face.
“You’ll be lucky if the league doesn’t hand down a suspension, too.”
The door behind me slams open and the owner, Hank Floyd, stomps in, towering over me. If Coach was pissed, Hank is absolutely nuclear. His mustache is twitching furiously and his cheeks are beet red. “You’re out of here this time, Daniels. I’ve had enough of paying you to sit on the fucking bench because you can’t keep your ass out of trouble.”
“I—”
He holds up a hand to stop me. His voice softens, if only a bit. “You’re a good player, Beck, but you act like you’re irreplaceable. You’re not. At the end of the day, I have to do what’s best for thisorganization. Foreveryonein this organization, not just you. And you’ll bring a lot more money if I trade you now than if I wait for you to finish making a mockery of this team.”
“Listen, I?—”
“No.” He shakes his head in disgust. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. I just want you out of my arena.”
Jaw clenched tight, I stand and walk out of the locker room. Dixon catches my eye and gives me a nod. If anyone is going to understand why I did what I did, it’s him. He’ll have my back.
But for now, I’m alone.
I walk out of the locker room and down the tunnel. I’m almost at the end when Sloan steps out. Her eyes go right to my bandaged hand and her mouth twists to the side. “Same guy who walked in on us?”
I nod.
“And now, you’re in trouble?” When I nod again, she closes her eyes. “Because he said something shitty about me?”
I nod a third time.
She shakes her head and brushes past me. “What the hell, Beck? Did you never hear about sticks and stones?”
“What?”
“Are you out of your fucking mind? That’s what. Sticks and stones may break your bones—along with angry girlfriends who don’t need you to step in and act like a caveman because someone said something you didn’t like.” Her eyes are darker and angrier than I’ve ever seen.
“Sloan, I was defending your honor.”
“Who needs you to? Who gives a shit? I was having kind-of public sex with my boyfriend. If that perv said something ugly, who cares?”
“Sloan, he said?—”
“No, Beck. I don’t care what anyone says; I care that my kid has someone to look up to. Someone who makes decisions that we’re proud of.”
That one hurts. “AndIcare that my kid knows how much I care about his mother. that he knows that I’ll wipe the floor with anyone who dares disrespect her.”
