Page 22 of Hat Trick Heart

I roll my eyes and then close them when I see another defensive player rolling into the boards with Emile. The two of them cross sticks over and over again and then Emile gets the upper hand and slams the puck to Iceman who takes off like a shot to the net. He jerks hard and then the puck whips out and slams into the other team’s net. Buzzers go off and there are lights flashing everywhere as the crowd screams out their approval.

Before the noise level goes down, another player from the other team lifts his stick high and whack Iceman across the knees, bringing him down.

Emile and his teammates see the hit and this is about to get real ugly.

“Oh shit!” I whisper. I look over and Becca is cringing. “Don’t do it, don’t do it,” I mutter to myself.

But it’s a foregone conclusion and the screaming bloodlust of the crowd intensifies as they all figure out what’s coming.

Every one of Iceman’s teammates, except for one who guards him against his attacker, picks one of the other guys and it’s on. Sticks and fists fly and I cringe and close my eyes.

“I can’t look, Becca! Tell me that they’re stopping.”

She sighs and hugs me tight again. “I wish I could tell you that. But those guys are really going at it.”

“Emile isn’t hurt is he?” I can’t stand the thought of him getting hurt, bleeding, broken.

“Ummm. Define hurt.”

I whip around, my eyes opening and groan when I see that Emile and the biggest defender are going at it, throwing punches left and right. They’re both missing their jerseys and they’re circling each other with their pads and helmets on. Emile leaps forward and slams into the guy and then that guy slams a fist into his middle, doubling him over.

Meanwhile, every person in this place is going crazy, screaming and cheering.

“How can they cheer for this? It’s awful.”

Becca shrugs. “It’s the nature of the game. It’s mean and dirty and they love it!”

“Well, I don’t.” I huff and cross my arms over my chest.

At the rate this is going, all of the guys might end up in the penalty box and it’s about to be one really boring game. I might like a little boring right about now.

At last, after what feels like hours, but was probably only a couple of minutes, they manage to separate the guys and the major instigators, including Emile are escorted over to the penalty boxes where the penalty timekeepers hold them until their time is up. I see Emile holding a pack of ice on his busted lip and eyeing the timekeeper and the play simultaneously.

I count the time down too and as soon as they nod at Emile I groan, “Oh shoot, here we go again.”

Becca grins. “Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s got this.”

I roll my eyes and sit back down, praying that this is over soon and we can go back home and I can ice up his various injuries and lecture him on why he shouldn’t have gotten involved in that dust-up.

Thank heavens there’s not much time left and the final buzzer rings with the Frostwolves up by two points.

I lean my head back and groan. I roll my head over to glare at Becca. “I blame you for all of this.”

She laughs. “I’m responsible for you finding the love of your life? I’ll take that!”

Emile said that I can go down to the hall by the locker rooms and wait for him.

I grin at Becca. “How’d you like to go down to check out some hot men?”

She grins. “Well, I broke up with Ben so considering that I’m newly single I’d love to check out some gods that might be looking for a little action.”

“Come on then.”

We walk down and I show the guy guarding the hallway the pass around my neck and one I got for Becca since I knew she was going to be with me.

Then we go stand and wait. And wait. Guy after guy comes out and then wanders off with a reporter or friends or family. Until we’re the only ones standing out in the hall.

My brow crinkles and I check my phone to make sure that I don’t have a message from Emile. There’s nothing.

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