Page 5 of On Thin Ice (Calgary Mounties #1)

Chapter Five

OFF TO A GOOD START

Lincoln

OCTOBER

The start of the hockey season is my favourite time of year.

The anticipation running through the team and the fans is addictive, determined that this is going to be a good year.

Other guys on the team hate the pressure after our Stanley Cup win a few years ago, but not me.

I thrive on the pressure. It fuels my drive to be the best I can be.

Ever since we got back from Tahiti, I’ve been living in Seth’s home gym, determined to be in the best possible shape before training camp. It’s a contract year, after all, and the whispers of possible trades have me feeling a little off-balance.

Seth’s safe. He’s a Mountie for life and played his one-thousandth game with the franchise last season. But three teams traded me in the seven years before the Mounties signed me on three years ago.

I’ve told my agent to take any necessary steps to keep me here, because this is my home now, but there’s still no guarantee that will happen.

So, the best shape of my life and positive affirmations it is .

“How are you feeling about the new lineup this season?” Colin, one of the team reporters, asks, as I’m coming off the ice after the last practice of training camp.

“We’re off to a good start and looking strong,” I reply, rocking from one foot to the other while I balance on my skates.

All I want to do is get in the locker room and have a shower. I’ve just skated hard for several hours and everything hurts. We’re hitting the road tomorrow for Vancouver for the first preseason game, and if I’m going to be any use to the team, I need a session with my trainer before I leave.

Colin seems to take pity on me and waves me on past, and I breathe a sigh of relief while I continue on down the tunnel.

I’m the last to enter the locker room, and it’s a relief to finally collapse on the bench in front of my cubby.

“Are you coming for dinner tonight?” Seth asks, slinging a towel over his shoulder as he heads for the showers.

“What kind of question is that? How else am I going to get food?” I strip my practice jersey off and toss it into the oversized laundry hamper that Josh, our equipment manager, has pulled into the room.

“You know, you could just get a personal chef, too, right?”

“Nah, yours is too good. I’ll just let him feed me.” I grin and Seth shakes his head before disappearing around the corner.

I did actually have my own personal chef last season, but Seth’s seems to offer more variety, and I haven’t started back up with mine yet.

No point when I’m not home, right? Things will change once the season starts in a week, though.

I try not to impose on Seth and Kylie as much when they don’t get to see each other as often once we’re on the road.

I limit myself to around five visits a week then.

Seth heads home while I head for the training room in search of Alanna, the new trainer that I’ve been assigned to.

Dean steps out of the door just as I round the corner, a disgruntled look playing across his face as he yanks the door closed behind him.

“What’s up with you?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing,” he replies, his tone indicating that he is definitely lying.

Hesitating for a moment, I watch my friend as he stomps past, shaking my head before turning back and opening the door.

“What?” Alanna snaps as soon as I step through, and I freeze, staring at her with wide eyes.

“Um… Hi?”

“Shit, sorry O’Malley. I thought you were someone else.”

I’m not stupid enough to ask who that someone might be. One - Dean had an equally annoyed expression on his face when he left. And two… well… because she can be damn scary when she wants to be.

Deciding it’s absolutely none of my business, I give her my most charming smile. “Nope, just little old me.”

Noticing the way I wince as I rub my lower back, she directs me to the treatment table and I make my way over, just managing to keep myself from face planting onto the table.

“Jesus, what the hell have you been doing?” she asks in her cute Kiwi accent, digging her elbow into my left glute.

She only comes to my shoulder, and the feisty redhead is the first female trainer the Mounties has ever had, with only a few others in the entire league. I’m pretty sure that’s why she works extra long hours and always seems like she has something to prove.

What I do know for sure is that there is a surprising amount of strength hidden within the petite little New Zealander’s body, and it’s taking everything in me not to cry like a baby as she digs into my muscles, showing no mercy.

“I potentially went a little too hard during dry land yesterday,” I reply, clenching my jaw when she finds another spot.

“Well, if you don’t want me to start forcing you into the ice baths, maybe take it a little easier.”

I hate ice baths, and she knows it. I also know it’s not an empty threat. She can be particularly blood thirsty. I swear she likes inflicting pain. Or maybe it’s because my muscles have seized up and I’m one wrong move away from injuring myself.

“Fine. But just get me in shape for tomorrow, please.”

My phone rings, and I glance down at my smart watch to see my agent’s name.

I sigh, glancing back over my shoulder at Alanna. “I need to take this. Can you give me a sec?”

She nods, grabbing a basket of towels as she heads out the door. “Holler when you’re done, I’m just going to take these down to the equipment guys to throw in with their laundry.”

Sitting up, I swing my legs over the side of the table and limp towards my backpack, fishing my phone out.

“Hey Mikayla, how’s it going?” I lean against the bench running along the wall behind me.

“Not great. Where are you?” she asks, and I straighten up, on high alert due to the stress in her tone.

“In the trainer’s room. Why?”

“I’ve just had a meeting with management. I’m coming to you.” She hangs up, leaving me staring at my phone.

I knew she was meant to be meeting with management about a few of our contracts today, but I hadn’t realized she’d flown in for it. Since I’ve been with the Mounties, I’ve been one of her less high maintenance players, so she tends to sort of keep me on a need-to-know basis most of the time.

Two minutes later, she strides into the room, Alanna right behind her.

The two of them are complete opposites in appearance, with Mikayla standing tall on sky-high stilettos, wearing a figure-hugging pencil skirt and blouse, her bleach blonde hair pulled back in a severe bun.

Alanna, on the other hand, is barely five feet, with her red hair piled into a messy bun on top of her head.

Her team polo is swimming on her, hanging over her black athletic tights.

But the pair of them both have the ability to scare the crap out of me when they are annoyed. Which they both seem to be right now.

“Give us a minute, honey,” Mikayla says, swinging around to wave Alanna back out into the hall.

Alanna slowly raises an eyebrow and looks at me, pursing her lips. Both women can be formidable when they want to be, and I’m not interested in getting caught between them when I need to know what’s got Mikayla so twisted in knots.

“Sorry Alanna, it’ll just be a minute,” I say, trying to give her my most charming smile, even though my anxiety is spiking.

She humphs and pulls the door closed behind her, leaving me and Mikayla alone.

“What’s going on?” I ask, eyeing her warily as she begins to pace.

“I’m going to cut straight to the chase. Did you, or did you not, partake in a threesome with the CEO of the team’s biggest sponsor and his much younger wife after the end of last season?”

I feel the blood drain from my face as I stare at her, open mouthed.

“Taking your stunned silence as a yes,” she says, sighing.

“How did you know that?” I ask, finding my voice again after a moment.

“It seems as though one of his business partners got a hold of the video and has plastered it all over the fucking internet. ”

I swallow hard, as a ringing starts in my ears. “The whole thing?” Nausea swirls in my stomach.

She shakes her head. “No, just some kissing and stuff. Guess the business partner didn’t want to get sued for revenge porn but just wanted to destroy his reputation. Which he has done, because the board apparently voted him out a few hours ago.”

“Shit.” I release a long breath, my mind racing.

I just knew that night was going to come back to haunt me. How could I be so fucking stupid?

“Management is pissed, obviously. I went into that meeting expecting yours to be the easiest negotiation and was completely blindsided when they brought this to my attention.”

My eyes widen as I process what she’s saying. “Wait… Is this going to affect my chances of being re-signed at the end of the season?”

She nods. “They have made it clear that they won’t be discussing your contract for the time being until they see how much damage this is going to do to the team’s reputation.”

“What?” I ask.

“You know this team is all about being family friendly, Lincoln. And regardless of how progressive the league is becoming; the Mounties don’t consider one of their players being caught up in a bisexual sex scandal as being very family friendly.”

I feel myself sway a little and slump back against the bench. “So, they’re going to trade me?”

She purses her lips as she surveys me. “I’ve convinced them to hold off on making any decisions for the time being, until we see how it plays out.

But I think we need to consider what we can do to get you back in their good books.

You’re one of their highest scoring players, and they love the dynamic between you and Seth, because of how popular you are with the fans.

But that can change. So, you need to come up with a way to salvage that charming reputation, and quick. ”

She lectures me for a few more minutes, but I barely hear her as the shit storm I’m caught in whirls around in my head. When she finally stomps out, Alanna peeks back into the room, concern written all over her face.

“Everything okay?” she asks.

“Nope. I need to go. I promise to alternate between ice and heat for the rest of the evening though,” I say, knowing exactly what she was going to say.

She nods, studying me closely. “Okay. I’ll see you on the plane in the morning,” she says, and I nod, grabbing my backpack and heading out of the room.

All I’d wanted to do tonight was have dinner with my best friend and his wife before having an early night. Now, I’m pretty sure I won’t be getting any sleep.