Page 76 of Icy Pucking Play

"You’ve got real talent, Evan," Clark had said about me once, back when we were teammates. Before everything. "Let me help you manage it. Your image, your brand... your family's future."

I'd trusted him then.

Right up until I found him with Chelsea.

I look at Ryland, who's followed me off the ice. "Is this true?"

He shifts uncomfortably. "I was going to tell you..."

"When?" My voice comes out harder than intended. "After you signed with him? After he…"

I cut myself off, too aware of Sophie watching with those sharp reporter eyes. The same eyes that see too much, that make me want to tell her everything. That make me want to trust again.

"After he what?" she asks softly.

"Nothing." I force my fists to unclench. "Ryland, hit the showers. We'll discuss this later."

"Uncle Evan…"

"Later."

He goes, but not before giving Sophie an apologetic look. Like he knows what's coming.

"Well," Clark says into the tense silence, "this has been fun, but I've got other clients to see. Sophie, looking forward to our meeting tomorrow."

Meeting?

"What meeting?" I spit the words out of my mouth.

"Just a friendly chat about the hockey scene." Clark straightens his tie. I feel a fresh wash of bitterness toward him as I see the familiar motion. "Maybe discuss some background for that feature she's writing. I've got some great stories about the old days..."

The threat is clear in his tone. All these years later, and he still knows exactly how to hit where it hurts.

"Sophie's feature is done," I say coldly. "She doesn't need any background."

"Actually," she cuts in, and something in her voice makes my chest tight, "I think getting multiple perspectives could add depth to…"

"No."

She blinks at my tone. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. No meetings with Clark. No additional perspectives. No…"

"You don't get to dictate my sources." Her voice has gone neutral. The way it does when she's hurt but trying to hide it. "I'm still a reporter, Evan. This is still my job."

"A job that's gotten remarkably personal, wouldn't you say?" Clark's smirk makes me want to punch him. "Amazing access you've gotten. Very...intimate coverage."

Sophie pales slightly. "That's not…"

"Stay away from her." I move between them before I can think better of it. "Both of you, stay away from my family."

"Your family?" Sophie's voice cracks slightly.

"That's not what I…"

"Because last I checked, I was just doing my job. The one you agreed to. The one you said you trusted me with."

"Things have changed."

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