Page 73 of Wicked Serve

Nausea threatens again, but I shove it down. I haven’t eaten since last night, so there’s nothing for my stomach to chuck up. Dad would scoff if he saw my stick shaking against the ice like this.

The whistle blows. I burst into action. I’ve been training all my life, so my body takes over, working on autopilot. My mind goes blank when I’m on the ice, and the second my skates hit the bench in between shifts, Isabelle’s face is all I see.

I let her run from me while she was reeling, even after she told me what Chance did to her. Even after I already hurt her that way once before. She asked if what we have is real, and I was too trapped in my mind to give her a fucking answer.

My hands are numb again. Trembling.

I can’t believe I let her go.

“Nik,” Evan says, clapping my shoulder with his gloved hand. I startle, looking around. I’m the only guy still sitting on the bench. “The period’s over. You okay?”

On the way to the locker room, Ryder stops me. “Cooper’s not going to make the game, so I need you to step up even more.” He sighs, brows drawn. “He’s dealing with a family emergency. Something with one of his siblings—son?”

I race down the hallway. Fucking skates. Can’t move in them off the ice. I skid into the locker room, shouldering past the guys, and pull my phone out of my bag.

It can’t be Isabelle.

Can’t be.

If something happened to her after I left—if after my own fucking panic sent me spiraling and I let her go, she ended up hurt—

No texts, but I have a new voice mail. I swallow as I raise the phone to my ear. I don’t recognize the number.

“Nikolai, it’s Sebastian. I got your number from Izzy’s phone, sorry.”

I sit on the bench with a thud.

“I know we don’t know each other that well, and I don’t know where you and Izzy stand right now, but she was at a party and she—she got hurt. She’s at the hospital. Bethel-Ross.”

My heart leaves my body. The trembles turn into full-on shaking. There’s more, but I don’t bother listening to it. I yank off my skates, shove my feet into street shoes, and grab my bag. All around me, my teammates are chatting and laughing, but I can’t hear them over my pounding heartbeat.

Fuck distance, fuck reservations, fuck secrets.

I have to see her. Now.

“What’s going on, man?” Aaron asks.

I sling my bag over my shoulder. “Tell Coach I’m sorry.”

“You’re leaving?” Mickey says.

I don’t bother answering. I can make apologies later, after I’m sure Isabelle is okay. On the way out the door, Evan meets my gaze. He does a double take as he puts two and two together.

“I’ll tell Ryder,” he says.

Chapter 36

Nikolai

“Isabelle Callahan,” I repeat breathlessly, swiping back my sweaty hair. “Where is she?”

The woman behind the counter looks me over, no doubt taking in the hockey uniform I’m still wearing, pads and all. I didn’t want to stop for even a moment to change; I raced to the hospital as fast as I could without getting pulled over.

“They just transferred her upstairs,” she finally says.

“What room?”

“It’s family only.”

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