Page 36 of Ice Devil

“You know exactly what I’m getting at.”

“Maybe I don’t at all, Matt. From what I could tell, they simply play a good game, amazing in fact. They have real talent.”

“You’ve only been covering hockey for a couple months, Sloane. You wouldn’t truly comprehend real talent. That’s nothing against you. That will take time.”

“Whoa. Hold on. I’ve now watched almost three quarters of the games in a season. That’s sixty-nine to be exact. I’ve watched players from various cities, from different backgrounds and trained by some of the best coaches in the business, many of which were star players themselves. I’d read other articles and books on the subject and I’ve talked to countless experts as well as hundreds of fans. I’m curious. How many games have you caught this year?”

The numbers 6 and 9 lingered in my mind. I must be really tired if I could equate the number of hockey games I’d watched to a sexual act.

The jovial, almost condescending expression faded. “I’m not a hockey fan. Obviously, you are.”

Did he just give me a onceover? God. He had.

“Of course you’re not, but you do insist you’re an expert on the game. Hell, on the industry.”

“You should remember who you work for.”

I laughed and when he took a step closer, a moment of repulsion hit me. “You wanted me to write a scathing article on the brothers. My guess is going along the lines of the haters I’ve seen.”

“I want you to correctly address a concern that thousands of fans have. I knew you’d be perfect in providing the truth because you aren’t jaded by anyone or anything. If they are cheating, they deserve to be thrown out of the league.”

“Jaded. You mean including with money.” The little jab didn’t go unnoticed, but he left it alone.

Good for him since I wasn’t in the mood to back down.

“You care about that hockey player. Perhaps you’re losing your ability to look at all sides.”

Ah, was he jealous? I believe he was. Matt had never been very good at hiding his emotions. His determination to control me had been one of the reasons I’d broken off our… entanglement before things had gone too far. “Are you talking about Beck or Ford?”

“The man you concentrated the piece on.”

“That would be Beck Kendrick, a former player with the Cincinnati Icemen. He’s not a bad guy from what I can tell, but I don’t know him, only what he agreed to share. Liking the personality of someone doesn’t mean I’m planning a wedding, Matthew. I learned long ago to be very cautious when it comes to men. Most are snakes.” I cocked my head, offering him a look and he knew exactly what I was getting at.

When he dared take another step closer, I refused to back down. He’d never tried to intimidate me before because he knew better. I might be a woman with integrity and someone who understood authority, but that didn’t mean I would succumb to bullshit. He didn’t try to come closer, running his hand through his hair instead.

“There is no reason for us to be adversarial, Sloane. The article was amazing and captured the heart of hockey fans and the hard work required to become a star in the sport. All I’m saying is that the Kendrick brothers are different. Unusual. Now, maybe they don’t overtly advertise using their significant skills, but don’t you think there’s a remote possibility that when push comes to shove, they resort to who they really are?”

“Who they really are? You mean humans who just happen to have wolf DNA in them?”

His face lit up again as if I’d just figured out what he was trying to tell me. Now I had the need to vomit all over his shoes. “Exactly. They do. They can shift into creatures most of us would be terrified of. I give them credit for not doing so on the ice. However, that doesn’t give them a pass if they utilize their extra strength, keen eyesight, hearing. I’m sure they have other… skills that the puck bunnies love as well.”

I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation. “Did I mention I’ve been to a number of games?”

“You did.” He was growing as weary as I was with the conversation.

“There are other shifters in the league, including another set of brothers. Right here in Chicago.”

“I’m aware.”

“Not once have I seen or heard about a single player shifting. I also haven’t heard anything from a totally human player about being angry they had a shifter on their team. That has to say something.”

He nodded, clearly frustrated I wasn’t accepting his point. “The best journalists cover all sides, no matter how disturbing or even if some versions are against their beliefs. You know that because you’re one of the best journalists I’ve worked with. I’m not just saying that because we were close once.”

Now his forlorn look pissed me off.

“So what do you want, Matthew? Revisions on the article?”

“Not necessary. You have a prime opportunity to provide a well-rounded article on two sets of brothers with the upcoming game in Chicago.”