Page 39 of On Thin Ice (Calgary Mounties #1)
Chapter Thirty-Seven
SHITS ABOUT TO BLOW UP
Lincoln
That was honestly one of the worst games of my career. And I’ve had some really crappy ones.
We file off the ice in silence. Except for Dean, who has decided to become very vocal about every mistake he thinks we all made. As we file into the locker room, his gaze falls on Alanna, who is busy dealing with Ollie’s injured shoulder, and his scowl deepens, leading to more grumblings.
I don’t have the energy to deal with his attitude right now, or try to work out what his problem is with the trainer, so I block him out, but Volkov looks like he’s seconds away from pummelling the goalie into the ground.
“Give it a fucking rest, Thomas,” Anders says, collapsing onto the bench beside me and bending to undo the laces on his skates with a groan.
“We all played shit, including you. Yeah, the players got by the defence, but you’re the one between the pipes.
So maybe focus on your own game and shut the fuck up. ”
It takes a lot for Anders to talk like that, and it’s a sign of just how much Dean has been pissing everyone off lately. I know he’s been feeling the pressure with our rookie goalie, Mark, starting more often as the season has progressed, but that’s not on us.
Dean continues to grumble, but no one pays him any further attention, and he eventually runs out of steam.
Once I’m out of my gear, I hit the showers, letting the water wash over my head and wishing it could take the memories of the last twenty-four hours down the drain with it.
While I’d been able to draw some comfort from Adele’s presence, I’d still been unable to shake the feeling that things are about to get even worse for me, and it had kept me up most of the night. Which then led to a distinct lack of energy on the ice.
I’m not arrogant enough to think that the entire team’s performance was my fault, but it’s hard not to take at least some of the blame over how badly we played tonight.
When Robertson had started chirping to get a rise out of me, my temper had taken over, and the next thing I knew, I was throwing punches.
I can’t even remember what he said now, which just adds to the shitty feeling.
If it’s not something worth remembering, then it’s not worth the time in the penalty box.
At least he was thrown into their box as well, so I didn’t leave the team entirely shorthanded. Still felt crappy though.
I’m one of the last ones out of the showers, and the majority of the team has cleared out by the time I arrive back at my locker and start getting dressed.
“You okay?” Seth asks, leaning against the wall beside my cubby, already dressed in his suit.
I sigh and roll my shoulders as I button up my shirt, the exhaustion feeling like it’s seeped deep into my bones. “Not really. I just have a feeling that shits about to blow up, and I can’t shake it off.”
He cocks his head to the side. “What do you think is going to happen?”
I shrug. “No idea, man. But with the way Alistair was acting yesterday, I have a feeling that all my hard work trying to keep my nose out of trouble was for nothing and he’s going to find a way to fuck me over.”
He sighs, leaning his head back against the wall. “Hopefully you’re wrong, but yeah, I get the feeling he’s not going to let this go. Although… Surely, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to risk his own career over a ridiculous personal vendetta.”
I wish I shared his optimism, but he didn’t see Alistair’s face yesterday.
Trying to shake off the dark cloud I’ve been under for the past twenty-four hours, I follow him out of the room, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. We meet Kylie and Adele out in the hall, and I pull Adele into a hug, resting my head on her shoulder while she runs her fingers through my hair.
“Are you alright?” she asks, and I allow myself a brief moment to take comfort in her closeness.
“I’m fine. Just been a long day,” I reply, not wanting to drag her down with me.
Over her shoulder, Seth raises an eyebrow, and I shake my head slightly before stepping back and taking Adele’s hand in mine. He shrugs, and the four of us head down to the players parking lot. I’d picked Seth up earlier and then the girls drove over in Seth’s car.
“See you at dinner,” Seth says, nodding towards us before sliding into the driver’s seat.
Through the windshield, I see him pick up Kylie’s hand and kiss her fingers before reversing out of his space.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Adele asks when I climb in beside her.
“I’m okay, babe. Really,” I reply, turning the car on before reversing out of the space.
She reaches across and combs her fingers through the hair at the back of my head, resting her hand there while she gives me her strength in that simple touch. I know she doesn’t believe me, but I can’t handle the idea of ruining her night like I did last night.
It’s so rare for me to get down like this, but the past few months are starting to take their toll, and I’m determined not to bring Adele down with me.
We drive in silence to the venue that the team booked for tonight’s dinner. I hand the valet my keys and lace my fingers through Adele’s, drawing her into my side so I can press a kiss to her temple.
She sighs and turns to face me, looping her arms around my neck. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
I nod, my arms circling her waist. “I do. It’s just been a crappy day, that’s all. Let’s just get this dinner out of the way, then we can crash, yeah?”
She studies my face for a moment before nodding. “Okay. Let’s go.” She pulls her arms away, and I catch hold of her hand again, squeezing gently before leading her inside.
We join the rest of my teammates and their families. Only a few of the players have kids, so there’s not many running around. Those of us without the younger generation to worry about head for the bar to drown our sorrows.
Coach Stevens comes up beside me while I’m ordering drinks for Adele and myself, clapping a hand on my shoulder.
“You doing okay, O’Malley?”
Jesus, I must be giving off some pretty maudlin vibes to have everyone asking me that.
“I’m fine.”
He gives me a look to say that he doesn’t believe me, but doesn’t push it, which I’m grateful for.
Once I’ve got our drinks, I move to join her while she talks to Seth and Kylie, avoiding the glare Alistair shoots my way from where he’s standing nearby, talking to his wife.
Sarah and Ollie eventually wander over, and we chat a little while we wait for dinner to be ready.
Dean eventually saunters over, looking a little less pissy.
The puck bunny hanging off his arm probably has something to do with that, and I recognize her as one of Bethany’s friends.
I’m surprised, cause Dean knows what he’s getting himself into with that group of women.
But I won’t be passing judgement, given the night he’s had.
Eventually, they finish setting up the buffet, and we busy ourselves with piling our plates full of food.
Eating is a matter we all take seriously after a game, and most of the players are quiet while we fill our empty stomachs, letting our partners and children do most of the talking while we refuel.
As I’m finishing my second plate of food, I hear a few people’s phones going off at the same time, which is odd. Seth pulls his phone out of his pocket, frowning as he looks down at the screen.
“What’s going on?” Kylie asks, looking over his shoulder.
My own phone vibrates in my pocket, and I retrieve it. A message from an unknown number is showing on the locked screen, and I open it, trying to work out why we all seem to be getting the same message at once. Everyone is here, so it’s not like it’s a text from management.
But what I see makes my blood run cold. It’s a news article with the words “Mounties player involved in threesome with former CEO of team sponsor” in bold letters across the top. I speed read the article, feeling sick when I see my name alongside Declan and Elena’s.
But it’s the link to a video that makes my heart stop, and I know this is it. This is the moment that all my hard work proves to be for nothing .
I look up to find Seth’s eyes on me from across the table, his face pale, and I know it’s just as bad as I knew it would be. I push my seat back, refusing to look at any of my other teammates, before walking outside and promptly throwing up every single bite of my dinner into the garden.