Page 68 of On Ice

He flinches at my harsh tone.

Guilt makes me soften my voice. “Is this situation great? Fuck no. But at least I’m alive, and it won’t last forever. I can put up with this if it means everyone I care about is safe, and I’m still above ground.”

He pales. “Obviously I’m glad you’re alive. I didn’t mean to imply death would have been better.”

“I know, but I really need your support right now, not your judgement. I told you the truth, just like you wanted. Don’t make me regret trusting you with this.”

He winces and puts his hand on my leg, shame fluttering through his eyes. “I’m just worried for you.”

I smile weakly. “Hell, I’m worried for me. But if I go along with Luca, I’m sure it’ll be fine. At least he no longer needs me to throw games. That means we have a good shot of getting in the playoffs, right? I’d rather think about that.”

He clenches his jaw. “You’re right.” There’s still obvious concern in his eyes, but I can see he’s trying. “Fuck this drama. Let’s do everything we can to get in the playoffs.”

Relieved he’s at least pretending to be on board, I start stripping off the rest of my gear. “My plan is just to push through this insane situation until it’s over. If we get in the playoffs, that will make everything worth it.”

His smile is strained. “Absolutely.”

“I need a shower.” I stand, meeting his eyes. “But I don’t want to go home right away. Do you want to grab something to eat? I shouldn’t have the carbs, but I sure could use a fucking drink.”

He stands too, nodding. “Some of the guys are meeting up for wings at Becky’s Barbeque. They wanted us to join them. Maybe we should.”

“Let’s do it.” I want to think aboutanythingbut Luca Barone. A big plate of wings and a few beers is just the thing I need to wipe that motherfucker from my brain.

“I’ll drive.” His eyes flicker. “Unless you have to ride with that beefy security guy you arrived with this morning.”

I scowl at the thought of Luca’s man, Sammy, who’s supposedly my driver now. I may have to follow a lot of Luca’s rules, but I’m a grown man. If my friend want’s to drive me somewhere to grab some beer and wings, I don’t need Luca’s permission.

“No, I’ll ride with you.” I smile and Noah appears happy at my response.

“Cool. I’ll wait for you in the parking lot.”

“Sounds good.” I finish undressing as he heads out of the room. Tonight, I’m going to pretend my life isn’t a nightmare. I’m going to let loose and do my best to remember how life felt before I met Luca Barone.

Chapter Eighteen

Luca

“What do you mean he refused to ride with you?” I growl at Sammy. I’d expected Evan home hours ago. I planned to have dinner with him, maybe ease some of the animosity hanging between us recently. Hell, I was even considering introducing him to my family, if only to shut Isabella up. Instead, I find out he not only refused to ride with his security team after practice, but also went out drinking with his hockey buddies. “I specifically ordered you to drive him to the arena and then back here. No deviations.”

Sammy grimaces. “I know, but he was determined to go drinking with his team.”

I lean toward him and rumble, “You still should have been the one who drove him. Instead, you just let him jump in someone else’s car?”

Sammy’s big frame visibly wilts under my anger. “Boss, short of dragging the guy into the car, there wasn’t much I could do. You told me to keep a low profile. His buddy was there with him. I didn’t want to make a scene.”

I’m angry and frustrated as I snap, “Does Evan have an actual death wish?” While I’ve put the word out that Evan is off limits, there’s no guarantee everyone got the memo. It’s way too soon. “So he’s just hanging out alone at that bar with no security?”

“Franko stayed on scene.”

“Well, that’s something,” I mutter, scowling. “Tell Danny to bring the car around. I need to go talk some sense into that guy. And tell Giulia that Evan and I won’t be eating with the family after all.”

Apparently Lover Boy had wings for dinner.

“You got it, boss.” As he hurries toward the door to my study, Sammy looks only too happy to exit the room.

I finish up a few calls and then head outside to the car. Danny opens the door for me, and I slide into the Mercedes. I miss Marco. His surgery went well, but he won’t be back to work immediately. I could really use his calm support right now. I’ve taken for granted what a soothing influence Marco is on me. I’m only aware of it now because dealing with Evan is driving me nuts. My attraction to him makes it difficult to handle him the way I’d usually handle anyone else. But Marco isn’t here to bounce things off of, so I’m left to wrestle with my muddled thoughts alone.

When Danny parks the Mercedes in front of the chicken wing restaurant, I’m underwhelmed. I’ve never been a beer and finger-foods kind of guy, but if I was, I wouldn’t go to a place like Becky’s. The eatery squats between a laundromat and a convenience store in a strip mall that’s seen better days. Neon beer signs flash in the windows, their glow reflecting off the puddles in the cracked sidewalk.

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