Page 15 of The Puck Stops Here

‘Astrid here is an award-winning journalist,’ Stella said.

‘A journalist, you say.’ Yeah, he could see that. The inquisitive gaze behind the glasses. The notepad and pen at the ready. The way she already had him wanting to get up close and personal. ‘Good for you. Though I fail to see what this has to do with me.’

‘It has everything to do with you since you’re the reason she’s here,’ Stella explained. ‘Her feature articles demand quite the attention. Her words have the power to transform people’s views in a mere page or two. The way she breaks down an individual and pieces them back together in a way that the public can understand and indeed empathise with really is quite something.’

‘Thank you,’ Astrid said, her smile seeing off another of his brain cells.

Aiden was smiling too.

Hell, everyone was smiling bar him.

Hang on. They couldn’t be saying what he thought they were saying.

‘No offence, but I wouldn’t know,’ he said warily. ‘I don’t have much time for reading.’

‘Astrid wrote the profile piece on Marcus Tanner last year,’ Stella continued. ‘Used his life story to turn what was hatred and fear into something akin to reverence. It was impressive to say the least.’

Blake huffed. Marcus ‘Mad Dog’ Tanner was a headcase who played for the NFL. He couldn’t care less what the glorified ball thrower did with his time, or what people thought of him. But that wasn’t the point, was it? They were talking about him. Blake.Hewas Mad Dog Marcus in this context.

Well, fuck that.

‘So, you can imagine how pleased we were when Astrid approached us with the idea of a profile piece on the Titan Twins,’ Stella said, confirming his fears, suffocating him from the outside in as the idea took a vice-like grip around his throat. ‘A deep dive into your past, to paint a rosier present. It’s the perfect solution to our current predicament.’

Christ, was that how she’d pitched it? Astrid. All to gain access and drill him for the thrill of her readership. Because she didn’t know him from Adam, she had no reason to save his ass, only promote her own.

‘And a way for you to secure your future with the Titans,’ the GM added. ‘She’ll become your shadow for the next few weeks, longer if need be. Until she gets what she needs to write the article thatweneed.’

Blake was shaking his head. ‘Now isn’t the time to have some hot chick poking around. We’re supposed to have our head in the game, not…’ He flicked her a look and wished he hadn’t. Damn, she really was hot. And fuck, he was scraping the barrel for excuses not to go along with this. To give away anything but admitting the truth. He didn’t want to talk.

‘A shame you didn’t think that way when you got into that fight,’ Stella said. ‘You’re lucky charges weren’t pressed, because then we’d be having a very different conversation.’

He’d heard those words once before. A veryverylong time ago, and he had no interest in revisiting that day… not in his head and certainly not in any ‘deep dive’ chat with Foxy the Hot Reporter.

‘Indeed. But everyone loves an underdog,’ the GM said, his smile smug. ‘They just need reminding that’s you.’

‘Anunderdog?’

‘Why not? An article about the legendary Titan Twins, their journey from the streets to stardom, ought to do it.’

‘We weren’t on the streets,’ he heard himself say as an icy shiver ran down his spine.

‘I was speaking metaphorically. It’ll be down to Stella’s team and of course, Astrid, to come up with the right angle.’

‘Sure, I have plenty of ideas, but…’ Astrid glanced his way, her tender tone abrasive as it raked along the open wound. ‘I wouldn’t go with anything that made you uncomfortable. I’ll involve you every step of the way. Make sure you’re happy before we go to print.’

‘Happy?’ he choked out. ‘You’ll be lucky to get that far, because I ain’t talking.’

‘You don’t have a choice,’ the GM said. ‘This is how you fix a train wreck of a season PR-wise and if you’re lucky, still get to start when we hit the playoffs. Because we will get to the playoffs; whether you’re a part of them remains to be seen.’

‘Are youfuckingserious?’

The entire room tensed. Apart from the GM who was holding his own remarkably well. Probably because of the desk between them. And he paid the bills.

‘If we have to trade you, Blake, we will. Before the NHL takes the choice out of our hands and renders you worthless.’

‘But it won’t come to that because you’re going to play nice with Astrid. You and’ – Stella looked to Aiden, her smile imploring him to assist – ‘your brother.’

‘And while you’re doing that off the ice,’ Coach said, readjusting his Titans’ training jacket, ‘we can get our heads back in the game and focus on what we should’ve been all along, wiping the ice with the opposition.’

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