Page 23 of Blood on the Rocks

Well, since Seraphina couldn’t breathe at the moment for a slew of different reasons, breath-taking would probably suffice.

He took the offered seat, sliding into it with a grace that was tainted with controlled strength, and crossed his leg so his right ankle rested on his left knee. For whatever reason, Seraphina found this quality to be incredibly attractive and masculine; her Uncle Ryan would always cross his legs similar to that of a woman, and this always made her feel somewhat uncomfortable due to how feminine it was. Not that she had a prejudice against those who did it but she preferred the way Brandon crossed his legs.

“Are you okay?” Seraphina couldn’t help but ask. It was hard for her to believe that she actually had a conscious thought about the way Brandon Thorpe crossed his legs and that she was actually attracted to it, and she needed to say something in order to get those ridiculous thoughts out of her mind.

“What? Yeah.” He nodded his head, his wrists hanging limply from the armrests. “I was released from police custody last night. Well, I guess since I was never officially arrested, I could have left whenever I wanted, but I just” – he raised his arm to reach back and cup the back of his neck – “I just wanted to cooperate. When they realized they didn’t have enough to get a warrant to arrest me, they let me go.”

“Why are you here?” Obviously, Seraphina had yet to master thinking before speaking, and as a result, a telling blush began to slither across her face. “I’m sorry. The question was rude. I just figured you’d be at home, sleeping, or at least getting some kind of massage.” At his confused look, Seraphina felt her new pink color crimson, and she explained, “You know. For your back. Because of the chairs. Surely they must be uncomfortable.”

Brandon’s lips curled up and he started to chuckle, slowly at first, but it continued to build up. Seraphina wasn’t certain if he was laughing at something she said – though, looking back on the conversation, she didn’t think she said something funny – or if he was laughing at her – a much more likely scenario – but she felt herself force a tight smile and nod, as though she, too, were in on the joke.

Which she wasn’t.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. Apparently, he wasn’t going to explain just what was so funny. “No, my back is fine. Well, maybe I’ll schedule one for later. I actually came here for another reason.”

“Oh.” Oh. Well, duh. Seraphina couldn’t believe the thought hadn’t struck her before. “The team already left for Vancouver for the game,” Seraphina explained. Her voice sounded more certain now that she knew why he was here. “If I had known you would have been released last night, I would have told Henry and they would have waited for a bit.”

Brandon shook his head about halfway through her sentence. “No, that’s not it either,” he told her. He opened his eyes, locking them with her own. Seraphina inhaled sharply, once again stricken by how piercing they were. Like they could see right through the armor she had so diligently placed not only around her heart, but her very soul. “Actually, I wanted to thank you.”

What?

“What?”

She wasn’t sure she heard him right. He wanted to thank her? For what, exactly?

He smiled again, slowly, and Seraphina’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of it. “I wanted to thank you,” he said again. “I know I’ve said it before, but I just wanted to tell you, again, how much I appreciate the fact that you’ve consistently believed in me. But...”

Ah. There it was. There always seemed a ‘but’ anytime a man said something sweet.

“I think maybe it would be better if I didn’t resign with the Gulls.”

Tension suddenly swarmed into the room, with as much determination as mosquitoes following an unsuspecting family on an outdoor camping trip, and filled as much space. Immediately, Seraphina’s eyes narrowed at the man before her and her muscles tightened. All thoughts of transparency and skipped heartbeats vanished from her mind. Now, they were talking business, and it seemed that Brandon Thorpe wanted to quit when things got rough. Nothing annoyed her more than when people gave up without actually trying, whether it was business, boys, school, and family.

And right now, Brandon Thorpe wanted to run away.

“Excuse me?” Perhaps her voice was a tad shrill – she absolutely hated that word – but Seraphina couldn’t help her reaction even if she wanted to. She had no patience for people who would rather take the easy way out than stay and deal with problem at hand.

“Yeah.” If Brandon detected the added sharpness to her voice, he didn’t show it. He was looking at her with a passive expression, his body completely relaxed. Those eyes still have nothing away. And this seemed to only add more to her increasing aggravation with the net minder. “I just feel” – finally, he dropped his arm in his lap – “that it’ll just be easier for everyone involved. You’ve seen the fans at the games, you’ve heard them booing me. It’s likely that they’ll turn from just me to booing the entire team, which means the team takes a hit, both financially and emotionally. You’ve just been ripped to pieces in the press, even before I became an official suspect, and it’s only gotten worse for you” –

Seraphina held up a hand to cut him off. “I’m fine, thanks,” she said in a voice that was anything but. “I can take care of myself. I always knew I’d be criticized in the press for the way I run this team, especially during the beginning and especially because I can’t replace my grandfather. That’s the job. It’s something I have to deal with. And if fans turn on the team they’re not really fans.” She paused, taking a deep breath. She looked him in the eyes – whether they could see through her or not – in order to convey just how serious she was. “This was always going to be hard for me. But for whatever reason, my grandfather chose me. And I have to believe in that. It’s what keeps me going, despite how the press writes about me. My grandfather was never going to trade you. I believe that with every fiber of my being. Don’t ask me why I believe that, I just do. But if you want to leave for your own personal reasons, that’s fine. But don’t do this for me or for the team or for anybody else except you. Now if you’ll excuse me...”

In all honesty, Seraphina had nothing else to do, but she didn’t want to continue this conversation with Thorpe. And she didn’t want to say anything stupid or annoying or funny, especially when the last way she wanted to come across was funny.

Wait a minute... Seraphina glanced at the digital clock once again. She actually did have something to do. “... I have a meeting,” she finished. She looked at Thorpe, hoping he would get the message. In fact, he did because he stood. But that calm look still tainted his face. Every aspect of it, save for his eyes. Those eyes were inquiring, looking at her enigmatically. She couldn’t read them. And she didn’t think she wanted to.

He left.

Just then, Seraphina heard an unfamiliar tap-tap-tap against the hard floor leading up to her office. At first, she thought it was Thorpe walking away from the room, but the sound was coming closer, and Brandon had been wearing flip flops.

Not that she had noticed or anything.

Since Brandon had left the door the door open, Simon breezed in, leading with his cane. Underneath his arm were the financial books Seraphina had requested. He was dressed rather formally – much like he had been in Earl James small practice – down to the pressed white gloves.

“Here you are,” he said. He smiled warmly at her as he handed her the books. “I wanted to mention something to you, Miss Hanson. The numbers in the books don’t show it, but your grandfather came to me with the hopes of selling the team in order to retire so he could spend more time with you and your sister. Of course, I completely respect whatever choice you make in regards to the hockey team, but I thought it was only right for you to know.” He began to turn, giving her a curt nod, before he headed out the office.

There it was. The missing piece.

Click.

She would have to call Katella.

But then Simon Spade stopped and turned his head so he stared into her eyes. Not like Brandon Thorpe did, but still, as though he could see straight through her. She shivered.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Miss Hanson,” he said in a quiet voice before tap-tap-tapping away.

---