Page 82 of Bro Code

She glared at him like she was making up her mind about what to do, then snatched her briefcase off the table and snapped it open. “Delete it. All of it. Immediately. And don’t ever fucking bring anything like this to me again.”

Louis sat numbly, watching as she snapped the briefcase shut, yanked it off the table, and walked out. His ears were ringing, and his heart was beating so fast he couldn’t breathe. He wondered if this was anything like as scared as Riley ever felt on the ice.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Riley

In the quiet of the empty rink, the scrape and rasp of Riley’s skates echoed and magnified until he could hear nothing else. This was good. This was exactly what he wanted.

He’d requested time alone to skate again, and he was determined to make it count. The first two games of their East Coast tour had gone abysmally. One game he could’ve been forgiven for: that was just working out the kinks from a week of recovery after his concussion. But two games in, he was expected to at least be performing to the level he had been before the injury.

Tomorrow was the last game of the week, against the Rangers. Riley was trying not to think about it. When he imagined taking the ice against guys who’d been in the locker room with him, convinced he was cursed and holding up crucifixes to scoot past him to the shower, it made him sick with fury.

At least Lindholm would be there. He was pretty sure they were still friends, although he hadn’t heard from him since the Okafor thing.

He was sprinting down the left wing with his head down, chanting Track track track under his breath, when a door opened somewhere in the arena. He pulled up at the boards and looped back up the ice, scanning the bleachers, and sure enough, there was Louis. Wearing a big NHL parka with the furry hood up, and the beanie Riley had gotten so used to seeing him in when they started this in California. A flicker of hope lit in Riley’s chest: Louis would have something. He would know what to do.

He called out to him, then skated to the bench and met him at the dashers. Louis didn’t say anything as Riley pulled up, panting. “Hey! I didn’t know you were coming. I think I need to practice with the tennis balls again.” He looked him up and down. “You didn’t bring your stuff?”

Louis wasn’t carrying his usual backpack. He shook his head, pulling down the hood of his parka. The way he met Riley’s eye made Riley suddenly feel very nervous. He hesitated, shifting his weight, skates scraping the ice. “What’s up?”

Louis took a deep breath, sticking his hands in his pockets. “I can’t help you with this anymore.”

The words seemed to hook Riley by the throat. He swallowed. “What do you mean?”

“This. The stuff we’ve been practicing. It isn’t the way you should be dealing with this. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Riley stared at him. “But it’s working.”

“Is it?” Louis glared back. “Then why have your last two games been such dogshit?”

That landed like a fist in the ribs. “That’s not fucking fair, asshole.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t–”

“I thought you were on my side. I thought you had my back.”

“I do have your back.”

“Then why are you quitting on me?”

“I’m not a psychiatrist, Riley! This isn’t a solution. You need real help.”

“I need you!” Riley cried, and then caught a breath and tried to suck the words back in as they went up into the rafters.

Louis flinched. They listened to Riley’s words fade. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said quietly. “I’m not…going away. I just can’t do this anymore. The behavior stuff. I could lose my job. I’m sorry.”

“They would fire you for helping me?”

“They would fire me for using your data without permission. Or worse.”

Riley felt the wind go out of him. “Worse? Like what?”

“I don’t–” Louis sighed. “It doesn’t matter. But if I lose this job I can’t pay for my mom’s treatments, and if I don’t pay for the treatments–” His voice cracked, and he tipped his head back and blew out a long breath that clouded over their heads. Riley stared at him. He’d had no idea Louis had been risking all that.

“Why would you do that?” he said. “Why would you risk all that?”

Louis looked down and shrugged with his hands in his pockets, looking helpless. “Because I like you?”