Page 92 of Unleashed

The other guy—Marshall—bounced on his skates, that familiar hunger in his eyes. The kind that said he’d practice until his hands bled if that’s what it took to make the show. “One more time? Full speed?”

I checked the clock on the far wall. We’d already gone thirty minutes over our scheduled time, but that eagerness to learn... How many times had I been that guy? Begging for one more rep, one more drill, one more chance to prove I belonged?

“Quick one,” I said, settling into position. “Then I’ve got a meeting.”

Except when we finished, Hoss stood at the boards, shaking his head. His usual grin looked strained. “Meeting’s delayed. Jasper’s got the conference room.” He jerked his chin toward the stairs. “Some TV producer making a pitch.”

The words hit like a body check I should’ve seen coming.Some TV producer.

“Staff meeting pushed back an hour,” Hoss continued, following me to the staff lockers. “You want to grab coffee?”

But my attention had snagged on the conference room level. Television producer could mean a lot of things, but combined with the Renegades brass being in town... My gut twisted. I shed my skates, slid into a pair of Nikes.

“Rain check,” I said, already moving toward the stairs. “Need to check something.”

My knee held steady as I climbed, proof that the surgery had done its job. But my heart thundered against my ribs for entirely different reasons as I reached the upper level.

Through the glass walls of the conference room, I caught sight of perfectly styled hair and an expensive suit that screamed Hollywood. Malone. Looking exactly like he had in Austin, radiating that particular brand of smarm that set my teeth on edge.

But it wasn’t Malone that sucker punched me. It was the woman standing at the head of the table—Lily, all professional polish in a pants suit that made her legs look a mile long. Dark hair swept back in a sleek ponytail. The first time I’d seen her at the patio bar, she’d had her pretty hair swept up in a messy bun. Strands slipping free to tease at the curve of her cheek. The memory flashed in my brain, had me sucking in a steadying breath.

“Don’t believe that,” Malone’s voice carried through the door. “I fired her. That’s why she’s here, trying to scrape something together.”

Malone’s practiced smile flashed—the same smile he’d worn in Austin while demanding more drama, more controversy, more exposed vulnerabilities. While pushing Lily to compromise everything she believed in.

The truth hit like a sledgehammer. He was about to do it again. About to take everything she’d built here and twist it into something designed for clicks and views rather than actual stories.

“That’s not true!” Adele sprang to her feet, her voice sharp with fury. “We were already on our way out. After you threatened to fire her when she pitched the tribute episode. Called it ‘wholesome bullshit’ and said if she made it, she was done.”

Walk away, my brain screamed. Not your problem anymore.

Except I couldn’t. Not after watching that tribute episode she’d left behind. Not after seeing how she’d captured not just my career, but my heart. How she’d shown who I really was, even while I’d been too stubborn to let her explain.

She’d shown my heart, but she’d shown her own, as well.

I hung back in the hallway, instincts built over seventeen seasons kicking in. Scan the angles. Read the room.

Through the glass, Lily stood by the display screen, calm on the surface. But her fingers drifted to her wrist—tothatspot. The one she touched when her emotions felt out of whack.

“Perhaps we should focus on their current work—” Miller Pendleton’s voice carried through the door as someone shifted in their seat.

But Malone cut her off, his words slithering through the gap. “Why trust someone who’s already proven willing to sacrifice a player’s career for ratings?”

The accusation scraped against my nerves like a badly sharpened skate blade. Fucking rich, coming from the man who’d demanded more controversy, more drama, more exposed weakness. Who’d twisted everything until Lily broke under the pressure.

I could still hear her voice from that video she’d left me.I fell in love with you somewhere between trying to tell your story and actually seeing you.Raw honesty in every word, even knowing I might never watch it.

Through the glass, Lily might be managing to hold her neutral expression, but even at this distance, I caught the trembling of her hands. The way she squared her shoulders.

The memory of finding that thumb drive in my duffle rolled through me. Of finally watching it after too many nights drowning my anger in whiskey. Of seeing how she’d woven together not just my career highlights, but the quiet moments. The real legacy I’d built.

She’d risked everything to tell that story. To show the truth instead of chasing ratings.

And now here was Malone, trying to destroy everything she’d built since leaving Austin. Since choosing integrity over fame.

Walk away, that voice in my head warned again. She made her choice.

But she’d made another choice too. Had walked away from Malone’s influence to build a production company focused on honest stories. The youth hockey footage playing behind her proved it—raw talent and determination captured without manipulation. Real kids learning to love the game, mentors passing on their passion, a community coming together around shared dreams.

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