Page 45

Xander

W e took Gio’s helicopter this morning to Raleigh, after Rain filed the report at the Azalea Creek police station. Chief Whitaker was great from the moment we walked in.

I guess the MacAllisters really are royalty in town.

Once Rain explained why we were there, he handled the report himself. River’s statement helped too.

Now they have to contact Dennis and corroborate Rain’s claims before they can press charges. Since he lives out of state, it could take a while.

Rain is surprisingly calm. Maybe sharing with her family and getting their full support gave her some peace.

I’m just grateful I’ll be here for the next couple of days, in case she needs me.

“Are you going to the arena now?” she asks, stepping out of the bathroom, towel in hand as she dries her hair.

“Yes. I’m skating with Nico and Viktor for a bit, lunch at the facility, and then training.”

I tie my shoes and walk into our closet, where she’s shimmying into corduroy pants, still just in her bra.

“What are you planning to do today?” I ask, sliding up behind her and resting my hands on her waist.

She leans back into me.

“I have a meeting with the manager of a restaurant downtown. I told him about my experience in Azalea Creek, and since they specialize in Southern food, he wants to hear my thoughts on the menu. If I have ideas to improve it, they’ll pay me for my recipes.”

I smile and kiss her neck.

“That sounds wonderful, Cherry. I’m proud of you.”

She squeezes my hands and steps away to pick out a black top with white flowers.

“Thank you, Hotshot. I guess I’ll see you tonight for dinner?”

“Yeah, I’ll be home right after training is over. Do you want to go out?” I ask, not wanting her to cook dinner after a day of cooking for someone else.

“Hmm, I’m not sure. We can decide tonight,” she says, just as my phone vibrates with a message.

Coach : Xander, do you think you can come to the arena a few minutes before morning skate? Erik and I would like to speak with you.

Xander : Sure, Coach. I’m on my way.

“What happened?” Rain asks, her brows knitting in concern.

“Not sure, but Coach and Erik—the general manager—want to talk to me.” I slide my phone into my pocket.

Her phone buzzes on the vanity. She grabs it, and her face flushes as she reads.

I move beside her. She passes me the phone.

The moment I see it’s a text—from Dennis—my blood boils.

Dennis : I just got a call from the Azalea Creek Police Department.

Really, Rain? You want to press charges?

I have a wife and a daughter. Do you want to destroy my family?

All I wanted was to talk with you! I didn’t remember you being this bratty, but I guess people change—and it looks like you took a bad turn.

“The nerve of this guy,” Rain mutters, pacing the closet in tight circles, taking deep breaths.

I place the phone back on the vanity, jaw tight. I want to reply. Tell him he deserves this and more. But I won’t do anything to jeopardize Rain’s report.

“What do you want to do?” I ask.

“I want to tell him that’s what he gets for approaching you,” she says, then sighs. “But I think the smart thing to do is to contact Chief Whitaker.”

I nod and open my arms. She walks straight into them.

“Smart move, babe,” I say, kissing the top of her head.

She grabs her phone and taps a couple of times before putting the call on speaker.

“This is Chief Whitaker.”

“Hi, Chief. This is Rain MacAllister.”

“Hi, Rain. Everything alright?”

“Yes, sir. I just received a text from Dennis. I don’t know if I should respond.”

There’s a pause, some rustling on the line.

“What did he say?”

“He asked if I wanted to do this. Said he had a family. That I’d destroy it. Claimed he just wanted to talk.”

“I see. Do you want to talk to him?”

Rain scoffs. I press my lips together to keep from laughing.

“I don’t have anything to talk to him about. I don’t understand why he’s so adamant—he’s already reached out to my partner.”

“Alright. If you have a lawyer, I advise you to let him handle any contact with Dennis. We’ve already requested that he come to the station to give his statement. If he continues to reach out, we can use all of that as evidence.”

Rain looks at me, and I nod.

I pull out my phone and text Gio for the lawyer’s contact. He replies instantly. I show it to Rain.

“Sounds good, Chief. That’s what I’ll do. Thank you.” She ends the call and starts dialing the lawyer.

“Go,” she says, pressing the phone to her ear. “Find out what your coach wants. I’ve got this.”

I hesitate. I don’t want to leave her. I want to fix this. I wish I could just fly back to Boston and knock this asshole senseless. But I know better.

“Xander, go. I promise—I’m okay.” She lowers the phone for a moment to meet my gaze.

I look into her eyes. They burn with fire and resolve.

She’s ready to fight.

I kiss her softly. “Keep me posted.”

I step out of the closet, and she presses two fingers to her lips and blows me a kiss.

I catch it with mine, give her one last lingering look, and head out.

Now to figure out what’s going on at the arena.

“Coach. Erik,” I say as I enter the conference room.

They nod in greeting, and I take a seat.

“González, we didn’t address this on the road—we needed to stay focused on the games,” Erik begins, all business. “But now that we have sort of a breather, we’d like to know about the incident with the Boston staff member.”

I’ve been expecting this. I’m surprised they didn’t pull me in sooner.

“I was leaving the locker room to greet my family. A guy intercepted me—said he was a fan. Then he mentioned he’d been trying to contact my girlfriend.”

Their expressions shift.

“Rain already told me about a man who abused her years ago and recently started reaching out. The moment he said his name—Dennis—I knew it was him. I grabbed him and wanted to punch him, but Matt Boucher and my dad stepped in. They talked me down. I walked away.”

I stop, letting the facts hang in the air.

“Did she ever press charges?” Coach asks.

I shake my head. “She was eighteen. Scared. Embarrassed. She tried to move on. But after Dennis reached out to me, she filed a report.”

Erik lets out a breath, glancing at Coach. “Well, this is not what we were expecting to hear.”

“I’m glad you didn’t engage,” Coach says. “That would have put us in a tough spot.”

“Now that we know what happened,” Erik adds, “we’re behind you. I’ll contact PR—we’ll need to have a statement in case this goes public.”

I nod, then hesitate. “If it does, I’d prefer that you keep Rain’s name out of the statement. I don’t want her dragged into this any more than necessary.”

They share a look. I brace for pushback. If they refuse, I’ll walk away from this team. I won’t let Rain become collateral damage.

“We can do that,” Erik says. “The statement will say we’re not disclosing names at this time.”

I exhale through my nose.

“I appreciate all of your support,” I say, standing to shake their hands. “It means a lot.”

Knowing the team has my back lifts a weight off my shoulders.

“So, let me get this straight,” Cody says, his tone a mix of disbelief and anger. “That asshole assaulted Rain, and now—ten years later—he’s popping back up like it was nothing? ”

We’re in the locker room, the guys half-dressed, gathering their things, energy buzzing from our practice.

I’d pulled everyone aside before training ended.

Now that management’s aware and offering support, I wanted to let the guys know—just in case Dennis tries anything else or the media gets wind of it.

“Yup,” I say simply. “That’s exactly it.”

The room erupts in a chorus of curses.

“Good thing we play Boston in three weeks,” Nico mutters, dark and low. “And this time, it’s on home ice.”

Heads start to nod. They all know what he means. No one has to spell it out.

“No mercy,” Nico shouts.

The chants build as everyone joins in: “No mercy!”

I grin as I make my way around the locker room, fist-bumping the guys, gratitude burning through me.

With everything going on, I’d completely forgotten we’re playing Boston right after Thanksgiving.

This year, the holiday needs to be more than a celebration.

It needs to be a reminder—to Rain and me—that what we’re building can’t be broken.

Come hell or high water, Dennis won’t take our peace.

He doesn’t get to take anything else from her.

That chapter ends now.