Page 21

Chapter 21

Ambushed

Jamie

L uke passes me the puck and I take off on a breakaway, skating as if I had the devil on my heels.

Keene is in front of me, ready to intercept me and steal the puck, but I dodge him easily. Of course, if this was a real game, there’s no doubt that he would have pushed me against the boards. But we try our best not to get too aggressive during scrimmages. The last thing we want is to get injured before the season even starts.

That doesn’t mean that we don’t give one hundred percent when we practice. Coach Harrison is always watching, and he expects nothing but our best every second we spend on his ice.

There’s only one obstacle left between me and Tucker’s crease.

Connor is like an impenetrable wall, advancing on me with the intention of taking the puck from me and going on a breakaway of his own.

It’s one of his signature moves. He’s one of the highest scoring defensemen in our conference, probably in the whole Division One NCAA league.

The thing is, I’m not going to let him have his way. There’s one reason why I was the second highest scorer in our regular conference last year, despite our team missing the playoffs. I can read a D-man’s body language like an open book. If the D-man in question is my teammate? I could do it in my sleep.

I fake shooting the puck to the left, like I normally do. Luke is there but Lev, one of the freshmen, will be on him the second he gets the puck.

Lev is the opposite kind of player compared to Connor. He plays offense, but he often helps the defense when the opposing team is on a breakaway. He’s fast and has great instincts.

But I’m more experienced and at the last second I shoot right.

Connor wasn’t covering my non dominant side, and I get the puck in Tucker’s five hole. The lamp lights up and Coach calls the end of today’s practice.

“Great job today, ladies. Hit the showers, and I’ll see you all tomorrow for morning skate, bright and early.” Coach Harrison’s expression is as stony as usual, but the glint in his eyes is worth a thousand smiles.

We’re looking good and we all know it. If we keep this up and don’t fuck things up, this year we could go all the way to the playoffs. Maybe even all the way to the Frozen Four final.

The vibe in the locker room reflects our good form on the ice. Everyone is laughing and horsing around.

“Hey dude,” Luke’s hand lands on my shoulder. “Tonight the Bridgeport Warriors are playing the Washington Elks. We’re ordering pizzas at the Gamma house. Are you joining us?”

I’m glad our captain seems to be happy in the Gamma house, after giving up his room in our condo to Bex. I’m sure the fact that Shane has the room right next to him must have sweetened the deal.

Usually, I would love pizza, a beer and a NHL game with the team. But tonight I have different plans, so I shake my head. “Nah, man. Not tonight. I have some work to do for my statistics class and it’s been kicking my ass.”

I say that louder than necessary, spotting Connor changing by his locker right next to mine.

I’ve known my roommate since freshman year and I know he’s too much of a Good Samaritan not to ask if I need his help. Connor is a genius with anything that has to do with numbers.

“I was gonna go watch the game at the Gamma house,” he says, pulling up a pair of black joggers. “But if you need my help, I can skip that and come home.”

Bingo. I stifle my smile and look surprised. “Would you really do that? We have a test tomorrow that’s going to count for our final grade. I would really owe you.”

Connor nods. “Sure. Did you drive here?”

I didn’t on purpose. “No, I came straight from a massage session, so I walked.”

“We can ride home together, then. I have my truck.”

I clasp his shoulder. “Awesome. We can still order pizza, my treat. And we can still put the game on in the background while we study.”

“Sounds like a good deal,” Connor says, grabbing his bag.

“I’ll be right out. Just give me a sec.”

As soon as he walks out of the locker room, I shoot Bex a quick text.

Me : I’m coming home with Connor to “watch the game” and study. If you join us, I think this could be a great opportunity to find out if he was the guy behind mask number 6.

Bex : I’m just finishing up at the Zeta house. We’re making decorations for the inauguration of the new art center. I’m going to be home in twenty minutes. Candace is driving me home.

Perfect. If she walks in on our study session, it’ll look totally casual.

Me:

Make sure Candace doesn’t stick around. Keene is going to watch the game at the Gamma house, so it should be just the three of us.

Bex :

Ok. I’m a little nervous.

Me :

Are you ok? If you have changed your mind, we can just watch the game and eat pizza.

I want to make sure Bex is ok with my plan and she feels safe. I must admit that I’m more consumed than I thought with our “fake” relationship. I like being her boyfriend, but I want to make sure that she doesn’t have a crush on someone else. Just in case there could be a chance to keep dating for real after graduation.

Besides, adding someone else to the mix could be fun. As long as she feels comfortable with it.

Bex :

I’m fine. It’s the kind of excited nerves.

Good.

I order pepperoni and mushrooms pizza, Bex’s favorite.

Me :

Great. See you at home in twenty.

We arrive home before Bex.

“Pizza should be here soon.” I say, opening the fridge to grab two beer bottles. “Let’s set ourselves up on the couch. So we can put the game on in the background.”

Connor opens a little pot of a luxury brand of cat food and arranges it on a small plate. “Sure. Just let me go check on Poonani first. Keene asked me to give her some wet food for dinner.”

I chuckle at the level of attention Connor puts into arranging the food on the plate. “Are you worried she won’t like the presentation?”

He shakes his head. “I got precise instructions to make sure the food is spread evenly but not too close to the rim of the plate.”

Is he being serious?

“Come again?” I laugh.

“Yeah, Poonani is very finicky and she won’t eat if the food isn’t a certain way. Keene said she won’t eat from a bowl, no matter what.”

I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if I was to criticize how Keene spoils his cat, if I didn’t do the same with our family dog. There’s no way to resist those beady eyes. She’s the member of my family I miss the most since I came to California for college.

Once I graduate and get settled, I plan on getting a dog. Maybe even two.

The thought hits me the second I imagine walking two small dogs in a park somewhere on the East Coast. Who knows if Bex is a dog person? In that image in my head, she’s right by my side.

The doorbell saves me from overthinking how much I like being in a relationship when I thought I wasn’t cut out to be someone’s boyfriend.

Maybe, I think as I tip the pizza delivery guy, I just like being Bex’s boyfriend. That’s some serious food for thought.

Connor

“Poonani,” I call, entering Keene’s room. “Come here kitty, kitty. I have some delicious gourmet food for you.”

The room is dark, and there’s no sign of the small black cat.

“Poonani.” I call again. “Where are you?”

The window is closed, so I doubt she went outside.

“Jamie, have you seen Poonani? Is the door to the deck open by any chance?”

My teammate sets two large pizza boxes on the coffee table. He has paper plates and paper tissues.

“Nope. It was closed. Why?”

I look left and right, checking the living room for any sign of Keene’s cat. “She isn’t in Keene’s room.”

Jamie rolls his eyes. “Have you checked the vanity cabinet under the sink in Keene’s bathroom?”

He’s right. That’s one of Poonani’s favorite hiding places. Shortly after we moved in, Keene got into a real panic because he couldn’t find her. We looked everywhere around our condo and we even printed fliers to give out around campus, in case she had slipped out without us knowing. After a frantic afternoon looking for her everywhere, we convinced Keene to come home and resume the search the day after. When he turned the shower on and opened the cabinet to grab a towel, his cat jumped out as if nothing had happened.

“She’s not in here.” I call out, disappointed and a little worried.

“Maybe she snuck into one of our rooms,” Jamie muses. “You know she considers this entire place her territory.”

“Nope,” we both sigh as we reconvene into the living room. “She’s vanished.”

Jamie rubs his chin, deep in thought. “We haven’t checked Bex’s room.”

I’m not convinced. “But she hates Bex.”

“That’s exactly why she might be there.” He says. “Cats are assholes. She knows Bex is scared of her claws, so she’s probably hiding somewhere in her room, ready to attack her when she comes home.”

I hesitate with my hand on the door handle. “You go in first. It feels wrong to go into someone’s room without their permission. But she’s your girlfriend. You’ve spent more time in there than I have.”

Jamie chuckles. “I guess. But we aren’t trying to snoop around, we’re here for Bex’s safety.”

“The fuck?” I gasp when my fingers find the light switch.

Keene’s cat is curled up on one of Bex’s nightstands. But she isn’t simply sleeping there. Poonani is wrapped around Lady Marmalade’s fishbowl.

“ Meow .” She greets us calmly, almost lazily.

Her green eyes are fixed on me and Jamie when she dips one of her paws, skimming over the water. Her paw barely gets wet, but it creates a ring of ripples on the surface.

Lady Marmalade swims as far as possible from the ripples and from the cat’s paw.

“Poonani,” I call, showing her the plate with the cat food. “Look what I’ve got for you.”

“Meow.” she answers looking almost offended by my offer.

She dips her paw again, her black tail moving with lazy satisfaction at the fear she’s instilling in the little goldfish.

“Shit.” I whisper to Jamie. “It looks like she wants sushi for dinner.”

Jamie takes a few steps toward the nightstand. “Not on our watch. If something happens to that goldfish, Bex is going to be devastated.”

As if summoned by her boyfriend’s words, Bex’s voice reaches us from the doorjamb. “Oh my God. Lady M!”

That seems to spur Poonani into action. The cat jumps off the nightstand, landing on the carpeted floor with sinister grace.

“ Meow .” she repeats, but this isn’t the lazy sound of a second ago. Her fur is standing at attention as her back curls, ready to attack.

I don’t know what comes upon me. I must have a fucking death wish. “Come on, Poonani,” I scold her, bending down to pick her up in one fluid moved. “Bex means you no harm. Let’s go eat dinner in your room.”

I half-expect for her to slice me like fresh sashimi, but to my surprise, she sniffs at the plate I’m still holding in my other hand.

“ Meow .”