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Silence fills the air as the three of us wonder.
Was all of this done in vain?
Will I still have to look over my shoulder and worry about being kidnapped again?
Will my baby have to worry about losing both its mother and father?
Is it too late to escape this life?
Chapter Twenty-Two
JOSEPH
I passRhett the puck as the announcer notifies the arena of the last minute of the third period.
“You take it. You’ve earned it,” Rhett says as he passes the puck back to me.
I shuffle the puck back and forth and bring it behind Knox Anderson.
“Hell of a game Marino.”
I give him a head nod and pass the puck down the ice to our center, Easton Hall. We are able to pass the puck around the ice and keep it away from the Texas Titans.
Spencer passes me the puck right as the buzzer sounds, and the crowd stands to cheer for us.
I follow my teammates through the team’s tunnel to the locker room. Jerseys and pads immediately hit the floor before skates are taken off.
Coach Bobby walks in with the biggest grin on his face. “Now that’s what I’m talking about, Marino. Way to keep your head in the game and stick with it.”
The guys clap and congratulate me on my hat trick.
Coach Bobby continues. “Because Marino got that hat trick and you guys listened and played like a professional team. You can have tomorrow off. Enjoy your night. Now hit the showers. I’m ready to get home to my wife.”
This was the best game I’ve played in years. Probably the best game of my NHL career.
Chase Williams and Phoenix Young walk over to me. Young punches Williams. “Man, tell him tonight’s plan.”
Williams laughs and says, “We are going to the black light club downtown. I made reservations for the VIP lounge for the entire team. It comes with unlimited bottles of booze and as many babes as you could want.”
There’s only one babe I want and she definitely won’t be at the black light club tonight. Not unless she recently got a job there.
“I don’t think so, guys. Thanks for the invitation, though.”
Young drapes his arm around my shoulders. “Aww, don’t be a Debbie-downer. You earned a night off. How many hat tricks does a hockey player get in his lifetime? You got one tonight and deserve to celebrate.”
They continue to beg me to come out with them.
“Let me shower in peace, and I’ll let you know before I leave.” I grab my shower stuff and leave the two of them to pester other teammates.
I want to celebrate, but I can’t. It feels wrong to party and have a good time with my teammates after everything I’ve put Alexandra through.
It’s been three days since the attack on Giuseppe Rossi.Three very long and sleepless days.
The fucking bastard ended up escaping his house. The question I’ve been asking myself on repeat is how? How did he get away when we were circling the house? We never saw a car leave. We never even saw him.
Where was he?
I don’t have any answers. No one knows where he was or where he went. He hasn’t surfaced since before the attack.