Page 26 of Slap Shot (Charm City Chill #3)

O liver

The locker room felt normal for the first time in days.

No sideways glances, no whispered conversations that died when someone walked by, no undercurrent of resentment about salary disparities.

Players moved through their routines with the easy confidence that had been missing since the leaks started.

Oliver laced his skates while listening to Dmitri argue with Mateo about whether Swedish fish or gummy bears were the superior pre-practice fuel.

"Swedish fish have better texture," Dmitri insisted. "More substantial. Gummy bears are for children."

"Gummy bears have variety," Mateo countered. "Different flavors, different experiences. Swedish fish are just... fish."

"Exactly. Consistency. Reliability. Like Swedish defense in World Juniors."

"That makes no sense."

Oliver found himself grinning at the ridiculous debate. This was what he'd missed, teammates being teammates instead of walking on eggshells around each other.

"Chenny's looking happy today," Kane observed from across the room. "Like, suspiciously happy."

"Maybe he finally got laid," Mateo suggested, never one to let a topic drop. "About fucking time."

Heat crept up Oliver's neck as he thought about last night, Heather admitting she loved him, the way she'd felt in his arms, waking up with her hair spread across his chest. But that warmth was immediately followed by anxiety about keeping it hidden.

"I'm just glad those cyber attacks are over," Oliver said carefully. His teammates knew there had been security breaches affecting the team, but they didn't know about his personal connection to any of it.

"We all are," Dmitri added. "Team feels different now. Like we can breathe again."

"Speaking of breathing," Jax called from across the room, "Sven, did you change your deodorant? Something smells like a flower shop exploded."

"It’s my new cologne," Sven replied defensively. "Swedish women like men who smell sophisticated."

"Swedish women aren't here, genius," Liam pointed out. "We are. And we don't appreciate smelling like we're trapped in a Bath & Body Works."

"You are all uncultured swine," Dmitri declared. "No appreciation for fine grooming."

"Fine grooming doesn't require chemical warfare," Marcus added, waving his hand in front of his nose dramatically.

Oliver listened to the familiar banter while his mind churned through complicated thoughts.

Should he tell them about his connection to the attacks?

They deserved to know that their teammate's past had put them all at risk.

But explaining would mean revealing his criminal history, and he wasn't sure he was ready for that conversation.

On the ice, Coach Vicky had them running line rushes—three-on-two drills designed to build chemistry and timing. Oliver lined up with Kane and Dmitri, their usual combination finally clicking again after weeks of dysfunction.

"Chenny, you're the trailer," Vicky called. "Kane, drive the net. Dmitri, find the soft ice and be ready for the pass."

The first rush was poetry in motion. Kane carried the puck up the middle, drawing both defensemen toward him while Oliver stayed back to create a triangle.

When Kane fed the puck back to Oliver, he had time and space to survey his options.

Dmitri had found a lane on the far side, calling for the puck in that thick Russian accent.

Oliver threaded the pass through traffic, hitting Dmitri perfectly in stride. The winger didn't hesitate, ripping a shot that caught the top corner with authority.

"Fuck yeah!" Dmitri hollered, pumping his fist as he skated past the bench. "Is like riding bicycle made of pure skill!"

"Your analogies need work," Kane laughed, bumping gloves with both his linemates.

The next group came up. Mateo, Ethan, and Jax tried the same drill against Noah and Marcus on defense. Mateo tried to get too fancy, attempting some kind of between-the-legs pass that sailed wide of its target and into the corner.

"Save the highlight reel shit for warm-ups," Vicky barked. "Make the simple play first, then get creative."

They ran it again. This time Mateo kept it basic, drawing the defensemen toward him before hitting Ethan with a clean pass. The rookie buried it five-hole, then immediately looked toward the bench for approval.

"Better," Vicky nodded. "Trust your linemates. The fancy stuff comes after you master the fundamentals."

Oliver's line was up again. This time the defensemen adjusted, with Noah cheating toward Dmitri's side to take away the cross-ice pass. Oliver read it immediately, keeping the puck longer to draw Noah out of position before hitting Kane, who had snuck behind Marcus.

Kane's shot was labeled for the far corner, but Liam made a spectacular glove save, snatching it out of the air with a mitt that seemed to appear from nowhere.

"Fucking beautiful save!" Kane called, tapping his stick on the ice in appreciation.

"As always," Liam shot back.

The drill continued with increasing intensity. Players were getting comfortable with each other again, taking chances they wouldn't have attempted during the toxic atmosphere of the salary leak fallout. Passes were crisper, movements more confident, communication clearer.

They moved into full scrimmage mode, splitting into two teams for some competitive hockey. Oliver found himself on whites with Kane, Dmitri, Noah, and Liam. Reds countered with Mateo, Ethan, Jax, Marcus, and Sven in net.

The pace was immediately intense. No mercy for teammates, no pulling punches because it was just practice. This was hockey the way it was meant to be played—fast, physical, and with enough skill to make every shift exciting.

Oliver carried the puck through the neutral zone, reading the defensive coverage. Jax was backing up, trying to force him to the outside while Marcus pinched from the weak side. Oliver saw the trap developing and made his decision.

Instead of trying to beat Jax one-on-one, he dropped the puck back to Noah, who had followed the play up from the point. The defenseman had time and space to pick his spot, rifling a shot that Sven never saw coming.

"Screen shot!" Noah called, pumping his fist as the puck found twine.

"Bullshit," Sven protested. "Dmitri was standing in my kitchen like he owns the place."

"Is called positioning," Dmitri replied innocently. "Maybe you should be taller."

The reds answered back immediately. Mateo won the ensuing faceoff, sliding it back to Marcus, who immediately looked for the stretch pass. Ethan was flying down the right wing, calling for the puck with the enthusiasm of a rookie trying to prove himself.

Marcus threaded the pass perfectly, hitting Ethan in stride just as he crossed the blue line. The kid had a step on Noah, enough space to get a clean shot off. But Liam was ready, dropping into his butterfly and absorbing the shot with his chest.

"Nice try, rookie," Liam called. "But you're gonna have to do better than that."

"Just warming up, old man," Ethan shot back.

The competitive edge was exactly what the team needed. Players were chirping each other with affection instead of malice, pushing each other to be better without the underlying resentment that had poisoned everything during the leaks.

Oliver's next shift was pure chaos. A loose puck in the corner led to a board battle between him and Marcus that quickly escalated into a full-line brawl for possession.

Bodies crashed into the glass, sticks got tangled, and somehow the puck squirted loose toward Kane, who was lurking near the slot.

Kane didn't hesitate. One-timer, bar down, the kind of shot that would have brought twenty thousand people to their feet in a real game.

"Fucking snipe!" Dmitri hollered, celebrating like they'd just won the Stanley Cup.

"Try it again," Marcus challenged.

The scrimmage continued with increasing intensity. Sven made a series of spectacular saves that reminded everyone why he'd been signed as the backup. Mateo finally connected on one of his highlight-reel passes, finding Jax for a goal that had the entire bench appreciating the skill involved.

During a brief stoppage, Oliver noticed Coach Vicky watching from behind the bench with obvious satisfaction. The team chemistry was back, the competitive fire was healthy instead of destructive, and players were pushing each other in all the right ways.

As the scrimmage wound down, Oliver found himself thinking about Heather, about last night, about how different everything was now that they'd admitted they loved each other.

But underneath the happiness was a growing anxiety about how to navigate their relationship without destroying either of their careers.

In the locker room, the post-practice atmosphere was relaxed and positive. Players took their time changing, continuing conversations and planning weekend activities. For the first time in weeks, it was like a real team instead of a collection of individuals worried about their own situations.

"Anyone want to grab lunch?" Kane asked. "That new place downtown?"

"I'm in," Dmitri said. "Need real food after all that exercise."

"Chenny?" Marcus looked at him expectantly.

Oliver was already thinking about calling Heather, about seeing her again, about continuing the conversation they'd started last night about what their relationship meant and how they were going to handle it.

"Rain check," he said. "Got some plans." The less they knew about his life outside hockey, the safer they'd be if his past ever surfaced. Some risks weren't worth sharing.

"Plans," Marcus repeated with obvious curiosity. "Personal plans?"

"Something like that."

Kane was watching him with the sharp attention that made him a good captain. "You've seemed different lately. In a good way, but different. Everything okay?"

The concern in his captain's voice made Oliver's chest tight. These guys cared about him, had his back through everything, and he was keeping secrets that affected all of them. Not just about Heather, but about his role in the cyber attacks, his criminal past, everything he'd worked to keep hidden.

"Yeah, just figuring some things out," Oliver said, which was as close to the truth as he could manage.

"Good things?" Kane asked.

Oliver thought about Heather's smile, about the way she'd looked at him when she'd said she loved him, about the possibility of building something real with someone who understood both his strengths and his vulnerabilities.

"Yeah," he said, unable to keep the warmth out of his voice. "Really good things."

Kane grinned. "About time, man. You deserve some happiness."

As Oliver gathered his gear, he caught Marcus and Kane exchanging a look that suggested they'd figured out more than they were letting on.

But instead of feeling anxious about it, he was almost relieved.

Maybe keeping secrets wasn't as necessary as he'd thought.

Maybe his teammates would understand more than he gave them credit for.

Walking to his car with Charlie, Oliver pulled out his phone to call Heather. The conversation about their future couldn't wait any longer. Not when everything else in his life was finally falling into place.