Page 79 of Roughing
The Icehawks practice facility. Center ice.
I didn’t start my car right away. Instead, I stared at the newest card. Why would the final clue lead me to the Icehawks practice rink unless it was a trap? I narrowed my eyes. Had Briggs concocted all this in concert with Carla?
I called Carla. “Are you working with Briggs? Why am I going to the Icehawks facility?”
“My, you’re suspicious. Your two best friends work there. Did you consider that? Maybe they helped me. You’d better hurry. You have ten minutes to get there or fail the test.”
“Thanks.” I ended the call, suspecting this treasure hunt wasn’t a PI test but knowing I had no choice but to go through with it.
Six minutes later, I was in the parking garage at the practice facility. I ran to the elevator, took it to the rink level and hurried toward the practice rink, only to be thwarted by a security guard. “Players and staff only beyond this point.”
“Please let me in. I could lose my job if you don’t.”
He cocked a skeptical brow. “Sorry. I can’t.”
“Call Inez in Icehawks admin. She’ll give me permission.”
He sighed but did as I asked. After a phone call that took way too long, he turned back to me. “You can go in.”
I almost knocked him down in my haste to get to the rink in time. I had forty-five seconds. Bursting through the main doors, I sprinted down a short hallway and scrambled onto the ice. My feet shot out from under me, and I slid on my ass about ten feet before coming to a stop. Sitting up, I glanced around. I was here. I’d done it. Now what?
The rink was deserted and relatively dark except for one light, illuminating center ice. A box rested there. Carefully, I stood and shuffled across the slippery surface to the box. My name was on it in a bold, familiar script that wasn’t Carla’s but…
Briggs.
I’d been right to be dubious about this supposed test. Something else was going on, and Briggs was behind it.
The box had been placed on a large rug, and I was grateful to be on solid ground. I bent down and picked up the box and took off the lid. Black and gold tissue paper, Icehawk colors, filled the interior. I groped around inside until my fingers found a smaller box. I removed a velvet jewelry box and let the rest fall to the floor. This must be the stolen item. I flipped it open. The diamond that sparkled back at me was so huge and dazzling I almost dropped it. I’d never seen a diamond this size, and I did love my bling.
I’d done it. I’d found the stolen item. It had to be a fake, but it was a good fake.
I heard the familiar swish of ice skates and turned. Briggs skated toward me in street clothes but wearing his hockey skates. He looked damn fine in faded jeans and an Icehawks T-shirt. Good enough to…Whoa, girl. Don’t think like that.
“Why are you here?” I mustered up as much indignation as I could, even though I was intrigued and my curiosity was getting the best of me.
“You found it.” He pointed toward the open jewelry box.
“I did. Did you have something to do with this?”
He nodded.
“Did Carla ask you to help her?”
“It was my idea.” His sexy smile was hot enough to melt the ice I stood on.
“Why?”
“You don’t know?” He was way more amused than he had a right to be, and I was annoyed.
“Carla sent me to find something that’d been stolen. This ring.”
“That’s not what was stolen.” His intense blue eyes held my gaze and refused to let me go. I was missing something, something big.
“Then what was stolen?” I worried this might not be the last clue after all, and my time was up. He broke eye contact and shifted his weight from one skate to another. I realized this man was nervous. He played hockey in front of twenty thousand people, and I made him nervous?
“My heart. You stole my heart.” He clasped his hands together over his heart and disarmed my doubts with his hopeful smile.
“Your heart?” I repeated the words as if to make sure I’d heard him right.
