Page 37 of Roughing
Not being pissed and complaining after the game took every ounce of willpower I had. I was frustrated and wanted to lash out at my circumstances.
At least Michella was here, the one bright spot in my life right now. I was trying to be a better man for her.
I played an okay game and so did Braden. For once, I didn’t berate him for the little things he’d done wrong. What was the point? We’d lose anyway. Nothing I said would stop this train wreck from careening off the tracks.
Dash walked around the room, doling out words of encouragement and praise for any small thing he could think of, as there weren’t many big things to compliment. We stunk the place up.
Steaming over the lopsided, humiliating loss, I showered and dressed, ready to lick my wounds or drown them in liquor.
I opted for liquor and tagged along with Slade and Jarrett to the Puck. They’d been my fellow coconspirators before I’d been suspended by the team. Now we kept our complaining to ourselves, even though nothing had changed to make us enjoy being on this team. My partners in crime had probably seen the handwriting on the wall after my incident and decided to lie low. Playing for the Icehawks was better than not playing at all.
I sat down at a table in the raucous bar and ordered a whiskey on the rocks. If I stayed much longer, I’d develop a drinking problem.
The crowd in the Puck was subdued after the Icehawks had been walloped by the second-worst team in the league. We had the dubious honor of being the worst team in the league.
“The girls are here.” Of course Jarrett noticed. That guy paid attention to everything and knew more gossip than I’d ever forget.
I jerked my head in the direction of the bar. My heart did a tumbling pass as energetic as an Olympic gymnast. Michella sat with Desmond, Everly, and Inez at a large table. Seconds later, my teammates rolled in, and Dash sat next to Everly. Trent, Drakos, Kirby, Grady, and Aspen pulled up seats, too.
Dash caught us staring and waved us over. Shit. I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t snub the captain, not with my negative track record, but I fucking wanted to. His good-guy attitude wore on my already raw nerves. On the other hand, there was Michella…
“We’ve been summoned,” said Jarrett.
Resigned to our fate, the three of us seated ourselves at the large table. I managed to finagle a seat next to Michella by sheer luck and a little wrangling by Everly. Was she on my side after what happened at her parents’ gala? Not possible. She had to hate me after that.
Surprisingly, every one of the women greeted me warmly while I grunted a response. The only one in their group who didn’t acknowledge me was Michella. She was involved in a deep conversation with Grady. I caught bits and pieces and realized she was talking with him about the night Pria went missing after leaving the bar.
Reminded of the scream from last night, I turned to Desmond. “Any update on that scream?”
He shook his head. “I guess it was nothing. We’re probably spooked by the women that’ve gone missing lately from this area.”
“Yeah, probably.” Something didn’t sit right with me. That hadn’t been the scream of an angry woman fighting with her boyfriend or a drunk woman losing her temper. That scream had been filled with sheer terror. It still echoed in my head.
“No one’s been reported missing since last night?”
“Not that I know of.” Desmond tilted his head and shrugged.
I slid my attention back to Michella, who was done talking to Grady, or maybe he was done talking to her. He’d turned his attention back to Aspen. I, on the other hand, preferred to forget the past three hours of torture. And to think I’d once loved hockey more than life itself.
“What’s going on?” I leaned close to Michella, allowing myself the pleasure of inhaling her intoxicating scent. Immediately, I was hard and glad I was sitting down. If she’d crooked her little finger in my direction, I’d have been on her heels like an obedient puppy.
“About what?” She quirked her lips like theMona Lisaand gave nothing away.
“Why’re you grilling Dash about Pria?”
“No reason, just trying to get a clearer picture.”
“Why?” I asked again, pushing her to answer me.
She lowered her voice so only I could hear and inclined her upper body toward mine. Her breast rubbed against my arm, and I choked back a groan. Clearing my throat, I once again reined in my libido. Michella’s sweet breath tickled my ear. All I had to do was turn my head and our lips would be touching.
“Carla wants me to ask around to see if anything new emerges.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. The more Michella poked the unknown bear, the more she might put herself in the crosshairs of this madman running around the streets of Portland.
“I keep suspecting Gordon, but Carla isn’t convinced.”
I didn’t point out that Carla had years of experience and Michella didn’t. I knew her well enough to know she made quick decisions and stuck with them longer than necessary. The guy could be anyone and not necessarily the obvious choices.
