Page 54 of UnWholly Angels (Crestview Cardinals #1)

I covered my face for a moment in thought, my warm breath creating a wetness on my hand as I swallowed down my panic, when his next statement ripped through me in the worst possible way.

“That day you told us, as a team, that you would always choose Maya over us." Another puff. "So, I’m going to ask again. Why the fuck are you here and she’s there being protected by some shmuck you haven’t seen in years and his girlfriend?”

He was right. Again, I chose hockey over Maya’s safety, and I am in way over my head this time.

There’s no bars to hold me, no cells or bunkies to protect me.

Either this was finished, or we would both be looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives.

Right here and now, I vowed to finish this once I got home.

It ended now. I took in the scent of the ice, the inadequacy eating away at my psyche.

Was Maya safer with me? Because it felt like I was putting her in danger.

I knew I couldn’t keep choosing, or keep asking her to.

I kept trying to put the decision on her, so if I did become resentful, I had someone to blame, and that wasn’t on her; it was me.

“All I’ve ever wanted in life was to go pro, and I’ve done it. I did that despite everything that was thrown at me. Is it selfish to be afraid that there may come a point where I have to choose? I’m just trying to do the right thing, man.”

“I know buddy, trust me.”

I wish I could right now. I pulled up the sleeve of my hoodie to look at my watch. If I left now, I’d be able to sleep and eat before the game.

The doors came into view as I continued the walk from the tunnel.

Grunts and groans could be heard from another area, and I decided to investigate.

Approaching the gym, I could see the rookie and a few other guys making use of the gym, something I should be doing.

I just needed to get the rookie alone and have a little chat, purely to rule him out, not threaten him or anything.

The clank of weights and whirring of the treadmills sounded around me as I made my way to the current target.

It wasn’t hard to take in the high-tech room, though.

It was impressive, honestly, filled with digital screens.

Coach was able to add each player’s name and stats, so we knew where to start and what skills to work on.

We needed something like this. If anything, I might install something close to it in my home gym.

It was needed information to be the best.

“Not good enough, Petrov, again,” the coach said, trying to be encouraging to a fellow teammate.

While I didn’t like the kid, he was a fast skater, and if he kept working at it, I would be willing to bet he could out skate most of us.

But he already had a cocky attitude, and it would get him nowhere if he didn’t stop and listen.

He reminded me of the way I was when I was younger.

So sure I knew everything, hell, I’d been playing for most of my life, and I still had learning to do.

“Push it, almost there, kid.”

I leaned against the wall, watching him skate on the synthetic ice.

He leaned forward to try and gain more speed as his legs pumped faster.

His heart rate was elevated, and his speed was tracked by the tablet Coach held firmly in his hand.

His speed wasn’t enough, though. It was debatable whether he would move up a line this season.

A low growl ripped from him as he pushed himself to go as fast as possible.

I could see the sweat roll down the sides of his head as he worked, and his breaths were ragged from pushing himself too hard.

“Alright. You’re done,” Coach said to him, and one final slice of his skate against the fake ice caused him to abruptly stop.

“Did I hit it?” Petrov asked, running his hands through his shaggy, sweat-soaked locks. At the end of the day, he was a rookie trying to prove himself, and how hard he pushed would have made me proud in any other situation.

“You were close. Keep working at it.” Coach swatted at his arm with the tablet and walked away. Once he was a safe distance away, I asked Petrov if we could talk, and once he agreed, I led him into the locker room, which was slightly smaller than I was used to, but it worked.

Inside in the room, I closed and locked the door behind me before addressing him. “What did you do to Maya?” I said, malice and warning in my tone as I stepped closer.

He kept his composure, standing tall, knowing this conversation would go one of two ways. “I don’t know what you mean. We spoke about you, then she asked where to put the skates. That’s all, I swear.” He placed his hands in front of his face to shield himself, and I smacked them out of the way.

“I don’t believe you.”

My jaw tightened as my hands grasped his neck and pushed him against the wall, lifting him up slightly. His feet dangled as he took in breath after strangled breath.

“You didn’t see her fear, feel it? If I find out you had any part in this, I will destroy everything you love. Understand me? I will break your legs bone by bone and make sure you never hit that ice again.”

I let him go and turned away from him, unlocking the door so I could get some much needed sleep at this point.

Call me crazy, despite my suspicion of everyone right now, he was still a part of this team.

We needed his skills to win. Gritting my teeth, I forced the advice to crawl from the depths of my chest.

“You want to get faster, train your mind, not just your body,” I spit, leaving him choking and gasping for air, and every fiber of my being told me that was a mistake.

But that was the thing about being a public figure, everything had to be done in secret, especially if the other person would be noticed once they’d gone missing.