Page 50 of On Ice

He nods, but looks uncertain. “Might have to have Sal handle him if it comes to that. Like I said, I owe the guy my life.”

I narrow my eyes. “Oh, really?”

His face flushes. “He could have left me, Luca. He stayed.” I can see he’s conflicted and it makes me feel weird.

“What if he decides he wants revenge against me or something?” I ask, voice hard. “You still gonna protect him?”

“Fuck no,” he says angrily. “That would be different. If it’s him or you, I’m always gonna protect you, boss.” His eyes glitter with a mix of anger and hurt. “You must know that.”

I mostly know it, but I still like hearing it. The life I lead has a lot of betrayal and uncertainty. If Marco ever betrayed me, I’d give up on humanity. Still, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit there’s a tiny,tinygrain of uncertainty at the back of my mind. Maybe one day he’ll get sick of my shit and turn. Anyone can turn. All they need is a reason. All they need to do is convince themselves it’s okay because I deserve it.

“Luca,” he says softly. “Never. No fucking way I’d ever turn on you.Never.”

I grit my teeth, but then force a smile. “I know.”

He relaxes slightly, although his eyes stay on me. An uneasy silence stretches, and I clear my throat.

“Anyway,” I say, “I’m going to tell Evan my thoughts tonight. We’ll see what he says. If he rejects the idea there won’t be much I can do to save him.” I really hope he falls in line. I’d hate to have to let him die.

“Maybe threaten his family. That usually works. He’s not going to agree without… uh… incentive.”

“Yes.” I rub my jaw. “Or I could play it a little different than I usually would and offer to pay for his mom’s care. He doesn’t respond to threats like most people. He might, however, respond to an offer of help. He’s obviously struggling with money, judging by the shithole apartment he has. He makes plenty of money, so I’m sure it’s because he’s keeping his mother in that expensive nursing home, and paying off his dad’s legal debt. If I play his knight in shining armor instead of threatening him, he might be very grateful to me.” I bite my bottom lip, trying not to smile. “If you get what I mean.”

“Oh, I get what you mean.” Marco grimaces. “He might go for that, and he might even be very… grateful. But I suspect he still won’t throw games.”

I let out a tired breath. “I agree. I don’t think he’s capable of turning on his team. It’s just not in his DNA.”

“So then, what good is he? What good is owning the Ice Hawks if you can’t manipulate the way they play?”

I adjust my gold cufflinks. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot. There are other ways to make money off the team that don’t involve them throwing games.” I meet his curious gaze. “What if I bought the Ice Hawk’s arena?”

He raises his brows. “Huh. That’s an expensive option.”

“It is, but it’s also one that would lead to even bigger profits. Plus, then I don’t have to depend on the players to do what I tell them to do.”

“True.”

“Evan’s absolute unwillingness to throw games is a problem I wasn’t anticipating,” I grumble. “I’ve never met anyone more stubborn. His loyalty to his team is too deeply entrenched. IfI want Evan alive, I’ll need to find other ways to recoup my investment in the team.”

“You could try using another member of the team to sabotage games.”

“I get the feeling they’re all the same: disgustingly honorable.” I sneer. “They’re more like a family than a hockey team.”

“I wouldn’t argue with that. They do seem very close.” He takes a sip from a pink plastic water cup, holding my gaze.

“Fortunately for me, the arena is owned by a private corporate entity rather than the city. Dealing with a private corporation instead of the city means less red tape, which I always prefer. With the stadium privatized, that cuts out government oversight.”

“Very true. Even when you pay off the city officials, there’s always some fucking do-gooder who tries to screw things up.”

“Absolutely.” I scowl. “I’m going to reach out to the CEO later today.” I crack my knuckles, smirking. “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

He chuckles. “I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before.”

My lips twitch. “Have you? Huh. That’s weird.”

“I’m sure they’ll accept your offer.” His frustration returns. “If they don’t, I hate that I’ll have to miss all the fun of changing they’re mind.”

“I’m not worried. Once they take the offer, that opens up a whole new world of opportunities. Even without going the gambling route, there are a lot of ways for me to make money with the team. I can take a cut of everything sold. Tickets,concessions, merchandise, parking, all of it generates cash. I can also inflate sponsorship deals. I’ll just turn what was going to be a gambling opportunity into a money laundering operation instead. It’ll be a gold mine without Evan ever throwing a game.”

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