Page 227 of Sin Bin

“Hello, Meadow.” Her name rolled off his tongue like poetry. “What a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

Scarlett smacked his tattooed arm. “Cut it out, Romeo. She’s taken.”

“Is that so?” Undeterred, Traeger smiled and moved closer to Meadow. “Who’s the lucky guy?”

Scarlett smirked at him. “Bruiser.”

Traeger backed off so quickly that everyone burst out laughing.

Scarlett and her bandmates needed to finalize their set list before they performed. So Meadow and the others left them and headed down to their seats, still accompanied by an escort.

Meadow, Nadia and Jess were attracting plenty of attention in their customized denim jackets. People pointed and stared at them as they walked past. Their expressions ranged from curious to delighted to downright jealous. The jealousy came from bunnies, who looked them up and down and rolled their eyes. At the same time, they were stopped by a number of gushing women who wanted to take a selfie with the star players’ girlfriends. It was a weird dichotomy, being simultaneously celebrated and despised for who you were dating. Meadow didn’t think she would ever get used to it.

With twenty minutes to go before puck drop, the Pepsi Center was rocking. The stands were packed, the music was pumping and the air was positively electric.

Meadow and the girls had phenomenal seats right behind the home team’s bench. As they sat down and began chattering enthusiastically, Meadow could feel her heart pounding with nervous anticipation.

It had been an emotionally grueling week for Logan. Though his mood had improved over the past two days, she knew he was still reeling from his father’s visit and the devastating revelations about his mother. Every time she looked into his eyes, she could see how much he was grappling with his feelings about the past. Being there for him was her top priority, but she knew she couldn’t save him. She knew better than to even try.

As she sat in that electrified arena surrounded by thousands of excited fans, she reflected on the ways hockey had changed Logan’s life and given him purpose and joy. As the clock ticked closer to seven o’clock, she hoped and prayed he would be able to channel his pain and anger into playing the game he loved.

Chapter Thirty-One

LOGAN

“Listen up, gentlemen.”

You could hear a pin drop when Hunter strode to the middle of the locker room. All eyes followed him as he began prowling up and down like a field general, looking every player in the eye while the coaches stood back and let him do his thing.

“It’s do or die time, boys. We need everybody to step up tonight. Everything matters. Every shift, every play, every decision you make—every fucking thing matters.”

A hearty murmur of agreement went up from the group.

Hunter looked evenly around the room. “No mental hangups. No distractions. Let’s go out there as a team, reach way down deep and lay everything on the ice. Everything, you hear me? Everything you got,” he commanded, pacing in front of his teammates. “You know what they’re saying? They’re saying we got this in the bag. That the series is pretty much over. Fuck that. You go out there and fight like an underdog, like your very life depends on it. Give no quarter, boys. Show no fucking mercy.”

As the team roared and stomped their skate-clad feet, Hunter’s sweeping gaze came to rest on Logan. He gave an imperceptible nod.

Logan nodded back.

Hunter looked around with an almost sinister smile. “Now let’s go fuck some shit up.”

A tribal roar erupted over the locker room.

Hunter led the team down the tunnel to the pounding grind of Off The Grid’s “Fahrenheit 32.” Everyone was fired up and focused, ready to get out there and wreck shop.

When the team was announced, they exploded from the tunnel and poured onto the ice to thunderous cheers and applause. They skated in every direction, feeding off the invigorating energy and excitement of their fans.

Logan was already scanning the sea of faces for Jupiter. His heart skyrocketed when he saw her behind the Rebels’ bench. She was on her feet clapping and cheering, her face glowing brighter than the fiery pyrotechnics exploding over the ice.

When she beamed at him, everything inside him lit up.

Over the deafening cacophony of noise, he could hear his name being chanted, could hear women squealing and screaming their devotion.

But nothing else mattered but Jupiter.

Her belief in him. Her faith and trust.

Her loyalty.

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