Page 14 of Blood on the Rocks

Before anything could be exchanged, whether it was a slap, a yell, or a scream, the door opened up and Brandon Thorpe walked in, decked out in nearly his entire uniform minus the protective pads and the mask goaltenders were required to wear. He seemed to recognize that something was going on, his pale green eyes looking at Seraphina and then Alan, and then back at Seraphina again.

“Is there a problem?” he asked, and from the way Brandon looked at her, Seraphina assumed he was addressing solely her despite Alan being in the room as well. Brandon’s voice was short, firm, and a little bit protective, though maybe Seraphina’s mind was filled with too much adrenaline that she could be hearing things.

“No.” She clenched her jaw, wishing her voice didn’t sound as shaky as it did. She swallowed and then forced herself to continue. “My uncle was just leaving.”

Her eyes returned to Alan’s, and without saying a word, she told him that now would be the best time to get out and never come back. It looked as though he wanted to argue with her, he wanted to stay and get the last word in, but he didn’t. Which actually surprised Seraphina nearly as much as his sudden burst of anger because the one thing that might have mattered more to Alan than greed was his pride. And Seraphina had just insulted it. He said nothing else as he pushed past Brandon Thorpe, walked out, and slammed the door behind him.

Seraphina plopped back in her seat, completely exhausted. She wished Thorpe didn’t have to see witness her family problems, but it couldn’t be helped. In a way, she was almost glad he was there because who knew what would have happened if Thorpe hadn’t shown up. Especially if he had killed Papa.

She didn’t want to think about that. She needed to calm down. Dropping to her knees, Seraphina willed her heart to slow down, willed her mind to stop thinking. She leaned forward and began to collect the papers and folders her uncle had pushed off the desk. At least it gave her something to do, something to concentrate on.

“Is everything okay?”

Thorpe’s voice caused her to jump. She had completely forgotten that he was even here. But there he was, bending down, helping her. He murmured an apology but his eyes were intense. To Seraphina, it felt like he wanted her to answer his question.

Was he really that concerned?

“Uh, yeah.” She shook her head, her eyes on the floor. She didn’t want to talk about any of her problems, especially not to Brandon Thorpe. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Oh.” He seemed taken aback at her abrupt change of subject. “I wanted to thank you, actually. For playing me in the third period.” He cleared his voice, suddenly sounding uncomfortable. “For having faith in me.”

Well. She wasn’t expecting that. Not in the least from Brandon Thorpe. He seemed so standoffish and independent to the point that it was hard for Seraphina to imagine him thanking someone, especially for having faith in him. A warm feeling spread through her body, and that was when Seraphina felt her heart beat back at a normal rate.

“Well, it’s like you said,” she said, brushing off that comforted feeling. “You’re good. And I really do believe we need to stand together, especially if people are going to take us seriously as a team.” She stood, along with Brandon, and both placed the papers and folders on the desk. Her work would have to wait; the game was about to start. “You should probably get going. They’re about to announce the team.”

“I’m sorry for everything you’re going through,” he said. Again, his voice was abrupt, but it sounded like he meant it.

For whatever reason, that meant a lot to her.

She forced a smile, still unsettled by everything that had happened. “Good luck tonight,” she said in a quiet voice. “I’ll be out there soon.”

This is worth it, she thought to herself as Brandon closed the door gently behind him. It has to be.

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