Page 95 of Left-Hand Larceny

I say nothing.

Tristan watches me, tilting her head. “You really care about her.”

“A-and she’d rather I-I-I d-didn’t,”

“Well, duh, Ragnar.” The look Tristan gives me could shrivel my balls. “Because she’s fucking scared.”

“She doesn’t h-have to b-be scared o-o-of me.”

“No,” Tristan says softly. “But imagine you spent your whole life hiding and then one day someone looks directly at you. Shejust doesn’t know what to do with someone who actually sees her. She’s spent so long convincing herself she’s not worth the effort. I don’t think she knows how to let someone prove her wrong.”

“She’s w-worth everything,” I say before I can stop myself.

Tristan smiles. “Good. Because I like her. And there are only so many women in the org. I’d prefer not to lose this one because of dumb boys. Fix it, Rags, or I’ll tell every news station in a fifty-mile radius that you’re dying for personal interviews.”

The locker room smells like sweat and tape and whatever cologne Spags insists on spraying in the air like it’s Febreeze. I peel off my chest protector and let it drop to the floor with a dull thud, my shirt clinging damp to my skin.

There’s that ache again in my knee—dull but persistent. I wrenched it during a weird drill, but it’ll fix itself. I ignore it. Stretch it out. Roll my shoulder. It was a good skate. Not perfect, but solid. I made saves that mattered. The kind that leave marks. The kind you feel in your hips and wrists and lungs.

I’m halfway through unlacing my pads when my phone buzzes from inside my gear bag.

Angelo the Agent:

Check your email. Edge Line wants to talk.

I freeze, still hunched over one shin guard. My fingers spasm and I force myself to finish before sitting up to swipe open my inbox.

Sure enough, there it is. Fresh subject line.

Subject: Re:Brand Partnership Reconsideration

Mr. Ólaffson,

We hope this message finds you well.

We’ve been following your preseason return with excitement and wanted to extend our congratulations on the strong start. Your resilience and commitment, both on and off the ice, have not gone unnoticed.

In particular, we’ve admired the traction your recent social media presence has gained. The authenticity and quiet confidence you bring to your content align with the evolving voice of the Edge Line brand.

In light of this, we regret the timing of our prior decision to pause the partnership and would be open to resuming discussions regarding future collaboration.

If you’re open to it, we’d love to reconnect and explore what a refreshed partnership might look like heading into the season.

Warm regards,

Carl Mendoza

Senior Partnerships Manager

Edge Line Performance

My agent addsa brief note at the top.

Let me know your questions. We’ll set up a video call soon.

I read it once. Twice.

Then again, before I drop the phone on the bench next to me and rub a hand down my face.

---