Page 93 of Vicious Butterfly
When I approach, the gate opens for me. Huh, maybe theycansee the lightning? The tall guard at his post nods.
“Coach, VanCourt. We were told to expect you.”
They were told to …? Ah, that’s what Ethan’s text meant. I would have been fine without his interference, but I guess I have to admit that it helps. I’m accosted by their sorry excuse for a coach, Bruce, by the time I hit Student Services. He’s the typical military build, stocky, tall, trying to emulate that he eats nails for breakfast.
“Coach VanCourt, this is a surprise.”
“Yes. I’ll be conducting many impromptu audits. I need your office and your hockey captain.”
He stills, licking his lips. Cool eyes try to assess what I’m up to. He’ll never figure me out. Maybe he’ll be suspicious, buthe won’t have proof. Coach Bruce is like me, though. We share threads of darkness.
“He’s in drills right now.”
“I don’t fucking care. Get him.Now.”
He nods, jaw firm. “The dean wants to speak with you first, if you don’t mind.”
Except I do mind. Unfortunately, I have to play nice. “Lead the way.”
Kazimir Soloyov isn’t just any dean. There’s a reason he’s earned his position with one of the most revered schools in the Pacific Northwest. North Point is a complicated situation. A mix of students sent here by parents richer than God to control them, and students with less affluent parents, though still well off enough to pay North Point’s ridiculous tuition fees. To some, it’s a college for focus, discipline, and the confidence to succeed in any scenario. Joining the military isn’t a requirement, but many do.
To others, it’s a beautiful prison.
Kazimir balances all of that, making sure the twain never meet, but he doesn’t do it alone. He’s got his officers and the parents of the ultra-rich like Henry Savage, but he makes the decisions and greases the cogs.
He’s an officer, of course, with a standard military fade and a longer patch of hair on top, but he’s in the black sweats he wore for his workout, and a black T-shirt with North Point’s logo on the front.
Before Ryan, he would have been my type. I used to have a thing for cool and calculated. Now, Ryan’s my only type.
“Thank you for coming, Coach,” he says with a hint of a Russian accent. “Have a seat and tell me what you’re doing at my college.”
As a rule, I never let on whether I’m the smartest person in the room or the stupidest. Something Uncle Jasper taught me. Right now, I could be the latter. It’s hard to tell. But I want this over with as quickly as fucking possible, so I can get to Ryan. This isn’t the best time for me to talk to someone like Kazimir, but refusing to talk to him would have made him suspicious.
“I think you’ve formed your own opinion, Kazimir. Why don’t you tell me what you think I’m doing here?” I make myself comfortable in the black leather chair—this man likes black.
“The commissioner has never liked North Point’s style. He’s soft. He’d rather see us leave the Pacific Conference, but we’re a founding college, so he’s forced to put up with us.”
I shrug. “Commissioners come and go. North Point’s survived a lot of them.”
Kazimir nods along. “You’re right, Coach. I’m not worried he’ll take us out, but I prefer not to have problems. What do I need to do to make the problem go away?”
Now, why couldn’t Patrick have been more like Kazimir? Kazimir likes to make deals. I can appreciate that level of darkness in a person. “You’re making it sound like you have a problem. Should I be concerned?”
“You can fuck off with that bullshit, VanCourt. I know a snake when I see one.”
“Look, Kaz—can I call you, Kaz?” I don’t wait for an answer. His eyes narrow, so I’m gonna go with he doesn’t like that. Don’t really give a fuck. “Great. I’m willing to work with you, but what I report to the commissioner depends on what I see.”
“So, then you’re going to make a problem for me.”
“I’m going to write a report with my suggestions. The safety of our players is of utmost importance.” He can’t argue player safety.
He’s still sizing me up, his suspicious brain going into overdrive. He’s the opposite of Patrick, and I can’t help but like that.
“What if you were the coach of my hockey team?”
“Wouldn’t that be a little difficult with the position already filled?”
He shrugs. “He can be demoted. He does what I tell him to do.”
