Page 49 of Rule Breaker

“I had my mask on. My head doesn’t hurt,” Maddox muttered. “I’ll be fine.”

“Kayden, head back out,” Banning replied. “I’ll put Sean in for the rest of the game. Johnston, get Maddox to the hospital.”

“I’ll text Groeling to see if he can stand in for me for the rest of the game,” Johnston added as he pulled out his phone and started typing.

“Is everyone else okay?” I asked Coach, then glanced at Maddox. His hands were shaking.

“Bruises and scrapes. Reswell’s out of the game. But honestly, what the hell was Silas thinking by getting up in Reswell’s face? The last thing we needed was a goddamn bench brawl. We’re lucky he only got a five-minute penalty.”

There was nothing I could say. If I was Silas, I’d probably react the same way. Being hit hard like that, and after the whistle, was uncalled for.

“Call me when you’re done at the hospital,” I said to Maddox.

He still had his head down. No response.

“Move it, Kayden. We still have the rest of the game to play,” Coach warned.

I headed back out to the box, where all my teammates were gathered.

“Where’s Maddox?” Axel asked.

“He’s going to the hospital with Johnston,” I replied. “Possible concussion.”

“Fucking hell!” Ethan shouted. “Reswell gets a game misconduct, and that’s it?”

I glanced across the ice at Boston. They were like us, gathered around in their box, and givingusthe stink eye. Fucking assholes.

“We still got one period left,” Dane added. “Let’s stay calm and focus on what we need to do to win. Then we can rub their faces in it.”

“Dickheads,” Finn snapped.

“Like Dane said, let’s do this,” I called out. “The best revenge is winning.”

At that moment, though, I was thinking more about Maddox than the game.

Maybe it was the frustration from that clusterfuck of a period, or maybe it was knowing one of our own was injured, but when the intermission was over, the guys went all out.

Dane scored within the first three minutes of play. Cougars 1, Boston 0.

It was still anyone’s game, but we hung on. And when the final buzzer sounded off, there was relief and pure exhilaration. But I hardly felt like celebrating. I wanted to get out of here and go to the hospital to see Maddox.

Everyone was joking around as usual, but I wasn’t in the mood. After I’d showered and changed, I was ready to haul ass.

“I’m out. See you later, maybe?” I said to Dane and Jace.

“You coming to the party?” Jace asked.

“Not sure. Probably. I want to see how Maddox is doing first.”

Dane nodded. “I’ll go with.”

“Thanks, Dane.”

I pulled out my phone and texted Maddox, but I didn’t get a response. My stomach clenched hard. Then I spotted Johnston entering the building as we were leaving.

“Where’s Maddox?” I asked him. “Is he okay?”

Johnston nodded. “They checked him over. CT scan. No concussion. He’ll be discharged soon if he isn’t already.”

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