Page 19 of Traded

Boone glides toward center ice, shaking his head. He skates to the other side and tosses his stick over the safety glass to an ecstatic-looking kid. Other members of his team follow his lead before they all meet, clapping shoulders.

I wait for Carter to emerge from the heap. His helmet is off, and his face is tense as he skates for the locker room without waiting for the handshake. “Shit.”

Liam follows with Jonas, the rest of the team staying behind.

Underneath the celebration, the cold sensation returns to my chest. Katie tugs at my arm. “He’s being careful, that’s all. C’mon. Family room. I need wine. And an orgasm from a sexy hockey player, but Ethan won’t be done for an hour. Coming?”

I stare at the doorway to the locker room for another minute. “Yeah.”

Just a precaution.

Chapter five

Snake Hips and ‘96

Pursing my lips, I look at the empty doorway. Again.

“Elena will be giving him a hard time.” Ethan runs a hand over his hair before kicking his legs out and crossing his ankles. “Why don’t you come upstairs with us, Ro?”

This room was full an hour ago, before players started trickling in to meet their families.

Now only Ethan and Katie are still waiting.

With me.

In an otherwise empty room.

I wave my hand, feigning carelessness. “Eh, I’ll hang around. He might not want to do the party if his shoulder’s pulled again, you know? They know I’m here.”

Katie hugs me once more. “You sure?”

“All good.” I mumble it into her shoulder. “Say hi to snake hips for me.”

“Snake hips?” Ethan demands as we break apart, his cheeks reddening. “Who the fuck issnake hips?”

Katie tries not to laugh as she takes his hand. “Calm down, Elmo. Feed me and I might tell you.”

Whatever she whispers in his ear makes the tips flood scarlet as they slip through the doors, and I flop back down into my seat, turning my phone over in my hands.

Nothing on the group chat. My messages haven’t been read, and I blow out a breath.

That was a hard hit. On top of an injury.

I end up staring at the clock with nothing better to do. The faint hum of bass sounds from the floors above, impromptu celebrations kicking off in chaotic style.

Twenty minutes turn to thirty before I give up on waiting and head down to the player levels, flashing my badge to the guys on the door.

Everything is… silent. Every room is dark, except for the very end of the corridor. The door to Elena’s office is closed, and I wander past it to the faint glow.

“Did you know there’s a pool running on how long it’s been since you last left this place?” I prop myself against the doorway as Eddie turns. “1997 was my guess. The earliest was 1901, but Ryker can’t count for shit.”

Half a broken stick sits in each bear-sized hand, and I frown. Jonas is the only player who uses lime green tape, but he didn’t break any sticks tonight. “Is that Jonas’s stick?”

“Boy goes through them like pencils. Have a word.” Eddie’s gruff face breaks into a smile. “And I started that pool, you know. It was ’96. What you still doing down here?”

“Looking for my errant alphas.” I wiggle my eyebrows. “You seen them? I’m guessing Cart is still with Elena, but I haven’t seen Liam or Jonas either.”

Eddie frowns. “Elena headed out a while back. Haven’t seen any of them since. They’re not at the party?”