Page 45

CHAPTER 45

ARIELLA

S itting behind the protective glass, I pulled Zaiden's jacket tighter around me and pulled my feet into the seat. My gaze followed Zaiden as the team moved in unison during warm-ups before running drills on the ice. The sounds of their skates scraping the ice together filled the quiet arena. Each player dropped on all fours. The frog stretch. Leaning on their elbows, they let their knees slide wide on the ice, stretching their groin muscles.

The weather was shifting from summer to fall, and it was colder than usual for this time of year, but inside the ice rink, it was freezing. My chair shook as Journey and Mila dropped into the seats on opposite sides of each other.

"Please tell me I had to get up this early for something good." Journey dragged her beanie lower over her ears, sinking deeper into the seat until only her eyes were visible above her scarf. "Like Mark Matthews professed his love for me last night on his live, and I missed it."

A laugh bubbled up before I could stop it. Journey shot me a glare, which only made me laugh harder. Mark Matthews was a famous vlogger from the UK who didn't even know Journey was alive. "No, but we found Kacie's phone this morning."

The scrape of skates on ice suddenly seemed deafening in the silence that followed.

"What? Where?" Mila's voice cut through the sudden tension.

I gripped the cold metal of the bleacher seat, the chill seeping through my jeans. "My mom's closet."

Journey's gasp formed a larger vapor cloud. Mila went still, her normally expressive face frozen in shock, like the very ice beneath the players.

Journey's fingers curled around the sleeve of my borrowed jacket. "Why would your mom have Kacie's phone?"

"Zaiden's dad told him they never recovered the phone, but—" I paused, my throat dry. Each word felt like stepping further onto a frozen lake, testing which truth would hold my weight.

"So, unless they found the phone after he told him, I can only think of one reason."

Journey shook her head, eyes locked on mine. "Your mom is something sometimes, but I can't see her wanting to hurt Kacie."

I shrugged. "Yeah, honestly, I can't either, not even if Kacie found out about my mom and her dad, but I could see her going after Anne."

"Holy shit." Mila's voice dropped to a whisper, her eyes wide. "Kacie was driving Anne's car that night."

The pieces were falling into place—a puzzle I never wanted to complete.

I nodded, tracing a slow pattern on the arm of the chair. "I just can't figure out how she got Officer Tanner to help her."

Mila chewed her lower lip the way she always did when working through a problem. "Maybe everything that happened with Officer Tanner was a coincidence."

The puck skidded across the ice as Zaiden lined up his shot.

"Maybe."

The crack of a stick against a puck echoed through the arena. The goal light flashed red.

"Or maybe she paid him."

"Do you think she was responsible for his overdose?" Journey leaned in, her breath fogging between us. "Because that seems like a bit of a stretch, even for your mom."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, eyes closed. "Maybe he really did overdose."

Journey's hand landed on my shoulder, gentle but insistent. "So, what are you going to do?"

"If Zaiden finds out it was actually my mom?—"

My voice died as I watched him on the ice—the weight of unspoken words pressed against my chest.

A defender lunged. Zaiden slammed into him—no hesitation, no mercy. The player sprawled across the ice, a tangle of limbs and wounded pride.

He was a beast on and off the ice.

Another skater approached from behind. In one fluid motion, Zaiden pivoted, his body a weapon of calculated precision. My stomach tightened as #45 Hawk clutched empty air where Zaiden had been just a heartbeat before.

I remembered the look in Zaiden's eyes when he talked about Kacie, his little sister, his responsibility. The rage that simmered beneath his careful control.

"He'll probably kill her," I whispered, the truth of it hollowing me out.

Their eyes widened. "How do you feel about all this?" Journey asked.

"You know she's left me questioning everything about who she is this last year, but this—" I shook my head as I swallowed back the tears threatening to fall. The cold air burned my lungs with each breath. "This is insane that she would kill?—"

"Wait." Mila cut me off, her voice sharp enough to slice through the chill.

The arena seemed to grow quieter as if the very air was listening.

"What if Zaiden's dad was part of it?"

I narrowed my eyes, the implication hitting me like a body check. My gaze drifted to Zaiden on the ice, to the embroidered name on his jersey. The same name that opened doors all over town.

"Zaiden's dad has the power and money to influence a cop to brush something under the rug."

"Why would he—" My voice trailed off as I realized maybe he wanted Anne dead too, then immediately shook it off. "He knew they switched Kacie's car that night. He would have known that he was cutting the breaks to the car Kacie was going to drive. He's a lot of things, but Kacie was his little girl. He wouldn't hurt her on purpose."

Mila tapped her fingernails against the metal bleacher. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

"I think I need to confront my mom." The words tasted bitter in my mouth. "Ask her why she had Kacie's phone."

Journey's eyebrows shot up. "You really think she'll tell you the truth?"

I tugged at a loose thread on Zaiden's jacket sleeve. "I can tell when she's lying." A chill that had nothing to do with the rink crawled up my spine. "But I can't take Zaiden with me. He won't let me out of his sight because of everything going on."

"You probably shouldn't go by yourself." Journey twisted her scarf tighter around her neck, her eyes never leaving mine.

"My mom wouldn't hurt me." I swallowed hard. "Or at least I don't think she will. Especially if she knows I have no proof." I glanced between my friends. "You two can ride with me. Wait outside in case I need you."

Mila exchanged a look with Journey before leaning forward. "Okay."

"Zaiden has early practice every day this week. I need to convince him to leave me at his mom's one morning."

Mila's forehead creased. "His moms?"

"Oh, yeah." I raised my brows, realizing I'd forgotten part of the story. "We are staying at his mom's for now because he doesn't think it's safe to stay at his dad's."

Mila nodded, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "Probably a good idea." She drummed her fingers against her thighs. "So what's the plan then?"

"I will try in the morning to get him to let me stay at his mom's," I whispered. "If it works, then I'll text you both."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then I'll try again the next day until it does work."

Journey checked her phone, thumbs flying over the screen. "Okay." She glanced up. "So, we'll pick you up and take you to your mom's once you get him to leave you."

I pulled my knees tighter to my chest and nodded, watching Zaiden score below. "But not a word to Zaiden." My voice hardened. "Or anyone else."

Down on the ice, Zaiden caught my eye and flashed a quick smile before Coach called him back to the drill. I attempted to return it, but the gesture felt foreign on my face.

I didn't know if this was the best idea. The weight of Kacie's phone, now hidden in my backpack, seemed to burn through the fabric. But I needed to know the truth even if the words didn't come directly from her mouth.