Page 73 of Ice Mechanic

Poor guy is yelling at empty air.

Gunner’s head pops out under Renthrow.

Theilan and Watson follow.

They look like four peas in a naked little pod.

Gunner is the first to realize he’s being watched. His chilly stare angles upward at the security camera. I do a chin-up gesture, returning his glare with a greeting.

The four heads disappear.

A moment later, Gunner steps into the hallway. I burst out laughing when I see the tiny speedo he’s wearing. I left the speedos in the locker room long before they arrived at the arena. They’re sparkly, pink, and several sizes too small.

Eyes narrowed, Gunner turns and gestures to the others. Slowly, the rest of the WWW file out. Theilan is covering his speedo with both hands as he inches along in embarrassment. Watson keeps picking at the material, walking crookedly.

Renthrow is at the front of the pack, but today, he’s not walking like he’s leading an army. Instead, he’s crouched over, making small, shuffling movements, and jumping at every sound.

From the camera, I see a trio of dancers moving in their direction. Gunner glances back and forth nervously.

The rest of WWW freeze.

As if an alarm went off, the men make a sharp turn and scramble back to the locker room. Theilan goes sprawling. None of the others go back for him. He looks over his shoulder with wild eyes, crawls desperately on all fours and pushes himself to two feet again.

My stomach is about to split apart.

Tears leak from my eyes.

No wonder they were laughing so hard when they pranked me. I’m enjoying the show and I don’t even have audio.

Vindicated, I head back down to meet them.

As I get closer to the locker room, I hear Gunner saying, “Renthrow, you take a hit for the team. Go find some clothes and I’ll get your daughter those tickets toStar Princess Girlthat you’ve been asking about.”

I freeze in my tracks.

Renthrow has a daughter? Since when?

So then… is the Hello Kitty themed gym bag and slippers not his aesthetic? Does it have something to do with his kid?

“Theilan should go. He’s the one who isn’t afraid of showing off his body online.”

“Making exercise videos on the beach isnotthe same thing,” Theilan objects. “Watson should go!”

With a grin, I step into the room. “That won’t be necessary.”

“You!”

“Where the heck are my clothes!”

A pack of glittery-speedo-wearing athletes charge at me, all yelling at the same time.

Renthrow moves to grab me by the collar, but I stop him by lifting my phone.

“Smile for the camera, boys.”

Immediately, they halt in their tracks, cover their faces and yell for me to put the phone down.

Gunner glares at me, but even he backs off.

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