Page 3 of Rule 3: Never Fake Marry the Coach's Son

“Well...?” Dmitri asks, his tenor, accented voice cutting through the room.

I flick my gaze toward him, and his gaze crumples.

“Oh,” he breathes.

I nod.

There’s nothing I can add.

Daniela’s eyes narrow, and it occurs to me that most conversations involve more than grunts and eye contact.

“Dmitri,” my father says, his voice calm and collected. “Unfortunately, the Blizzards are not able to secure a visa renewal for you.”

“We did all we could do,” Vince says. “We’re very sorry. We know this is terrible news for any international athlete.”

Dmitri presses his lips together.

“We are as upset about this as you,” Daniela assures him. “You have been an asset to the team.”

Dmitri’s fingers jolt, and he rearranges every one of his perfect facial features into a sneer. “If you were as upset as me, you would find solution.”

Daniela and Vince exchange a look that’s a mixture of befuddlement and irritation. Dmitri isn’t supposed to deign to protest.

“You were traveling out of status on multiple occasions,” Vince says. “The government frowns on that.”

“I traveled with team!”

“All the same, the government was supposed to be notified of any travel.”

Dmitri squirms. “My agent should have taken care of that.”

“We know,” I say. “It’s not your fault. He was a terrible agent.”

“He was on list of recommended agents!”

“Obviously, we will no longer recommend him,” Daniela says smoothly. “You can rest assured that future international athletes here will not be subjected to that experience.”

“No one could have anticipated the meth addiction and flight to Mexico with everyone’s money,” Pappa says.

“That’s not a common next business move for agents,” Daniela adds.

Dmitri’s sneer only strengthens. Because we’re not telling him there’s a solution. We’re not telling him there’s a way he can stay.

“It would have been easier to fight for you if you hadn’t already had a police record,” Vince reminds him.

Dmitri glares. “One bar fight. Mere scratches. No big deal.”

“A big deal to US immigration though,” Vince says.

“Someone wanted to say he hit Dmitri Volkov. Not my fault.”

“As you know, we travel to Canada often. We can’t have a player who can’t leave the country,” Pappa says. “This is the middle of the season. We need to find a replacement for you.”

Dmitri swallows hard. “I see. Do you have someone in mind...Am I still with the team?”

“We play Canada in ten days. We’ll need to secure a player before then. I expect we’ll announce your replacement in a few days. We’ve just learned the news ourselves. We really wanted you to stay.”

“We’ll miss you,” I manage, hating how my voice betrays me.