Page 20 of Heart of a Fighter

“I agree.” Zach’s eyebrows pinch together. “I wish I could remember, but everything’s still fuzzy.”

“I can pull video footage and see if I can find anything.” Madison’s newspaper credentials and contacts should prove helpful. “There were thousands of fans in those stands, all with a slightly different perspective. Odds are, we can find the answer there if we can’t get it from the official footage.”

“Ask Coach if you can sit in with the team during the replay,” Zach suggests. “Not likely I’ll be there for it in the morning.”

“My internship’s been terminated.” I take a deep breath, even more bummed than before. “Granger’s father delivered the news personally.”

Zach’s eyes widen in shock. “What? Why?”

“He didn’t give a reason.” I hesitate, Zach’s former warnings ringing loud and clear in my head. “Other than Dr. Evans would give me a recommendation despite my breaking regulations.”

“I’m sorry, Lauren. I didn’t want any of this for you.” Zach wraps his big hand around mine, frustration evident in his expression. “Is this about patching up Granger or something more?”

“All of it. I don’t know.” I look down, unable to look Zach in the eye. He warned me, and I didn’t listen. “It’s just, I care about him, Zach. A lot. We agreed to keep our distance until after my internship, but we have this connection that I just can’t explain.”

“I think we understand without an explanation, right, Zach?” Madison rests her hand on Zach’s shoulder. They hold each other’s gaze long enough for me to feel like a voyeur who’s dropped in on an intimate moment.

“Yeah, we do.” Zach looks back at me and squeezes my hand.

“I don’t want this to change things between you two.” I smile, grateful for Zach’s understanding. “You’ve been best friends for years. He has his faults, but we all do.”

“I know.” Zach’s eyes soften. “Granger’s important to both of us. If you see something in him, then maybe I need to take another look so I can see it, too.”

I smile, feeling at least a sliver of hope. “I just hope we can figure out what happened tonight before the league sanctions him.”

Zach tugs on my hand, pulling me into him. “We will. No matter what, we’ll get to the bottom of it together.”

“Three amigos,” Lauren chirps. “Sounds like I have a story to snoop out.”

CHAPTER 11

JUSTICE

***

Lauren

The next few days are a whirlwind of uncertainty and emotion. Granger has been radio silent, not returning my texts or calls. The news buzzes with replays of Granger tackling Mark mere inches from Zach. The talking heads say it’s only a matter of time before the league takes action and expels Granger from the league.

I keep my mind occupied by taking extra shifts at the hospital with my sweet patients, but my thoughts continue to return to Granger and the fallout that’s splashed all over the media.

I take a midmorning break and step outside for some fresh air. It’s crisp and cool out, refreshing on any other day. I check texts, hoping for one from Granger, but it’s Madison.

Madison: Found something. Meet me at the area ASAP.

My heart races as I run four flights upstairs to the nurse’s station to grab my keys and jacket. I hate to bolt during a volunteer shift, but whatever Madison’s found has got to be important.

“Come on, you need to see this,” Madison says as I sprint to the main door of the arena.

She leads me to the press conference room and opens her laptop. She hits play on a video, and my breath catches. It’s footage from the game, but not the broadcast that’s played on repeat for the last few days. It's a fan’s phone video with a direct line of sight the moment Zach’s head hits the ice. Seconds into the video, it zooms in on the moment Mark went after Zach while he was vulnerable. The angle shows what official cameras missed–Mark’s skate blade aimed dangerously at Zach’s head.

A second later, Granger intercepts Mark, pushing him away just in time. My stomach recoils, imagining what could have happened if Granger hadn’t been there. Tears pinch and sting at my eyes and nose as the truth sinks in. Granger’s heroic efforts saved Zach.

“He was protecting Zach,” I whisper, my voice shaky. “Has Zach seen this? Does Granger know you have this?”

“Not yet. I hauled tail over here as soon as the kid that filmed it handed it over to me.”

Armed with the video, we head to the locker room to find Zach. My heart pounds, anticipating seeing Granger for the first time in several days, not knowing where exactly we stand.

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