Page 15 of Finding the Forward: Part One
“That was a good game,” Elias started, shifting his weight. He’d been nursing a hip injury in the off-season.
“But it wasn’t enough, was it? Shit. I worked fucking hard.” Anguish tinged my voice. How much more could I give?
“I know. You’re an asset to this team. You put in the work, you do your job, and the team likes you. Also, you make Double D happy, and the team likes a happy goalie,” Winston assured, his arm around his packmate.
“While we all know you played the shit out of last season so you could be with Double D, something elsehadto be in play that last game to make it so phenomenal. Who else was watching? Did someone say something to you? Think hard about what you did differently,” Elias added, rubbing his bare chin.
There was that hockey superstition. I couldn’t simply have a good game. Something had to have made the game good.
I raked my hand through my damp hair. There was only one thing left. A sigh escaped my lips as I looked away. “I can’t find her, okay?”
“Wait, do you think it’s her who made you play like that, not us? Is that why you’ve been thinking of her?” Dean, now dressed in a suit, came over and draped an arm around me.
I put a hand over my face, suppressing an inward groan. “Of course it was you, not her, that made me play that well. But I’ve triedeverything.”
Like I’d made a list and systematically worked my way through it.
Elias shrugged. “Oh. Well, if it’s as simple as that, let’s get her. It can’t hurt.”
“I told you, I can’t find her. I even called her university. She withdrew, and they won’t tell me where she went.” Even before the season began, I’d looked for her because Dean wanted his sweatshirt back.
Also, I’d wanted to check on her. Her fear still haunted me.
“We’ll give the social media team a pic and they’ll find her,” Winston suggested.
I shook my head. “That’s a nice offer, but I’m not ready to plaster her picture all over social media yet.”
“Did you try hiring a private investigator?” Winston’s head cocked.
Oh. That would’ve saved me a lot of time.
“Whatever you need to do, do it,” Elias told me. “I want you to stay on the team.”
“We can check with the Maimers, too,” Dean assured me, giving me a squeeze.
“The Maimers. That’s it. Her sister was trying for a discovery league in Rockland. If I can find the sister, maybe I can find her.” I snapped my fingers.
“You can also hire a PI like a normal person,” Winston replied.
Or I could keep looking at pictures of Verity online like a creepy stalker. “I’ll work on it.”
Returning to my stall, I finished getting dressed.
“Tito’s?” Dean asked, doing up the buttons of my shirt for me. We always came and went from the arena in suits.
“Sure.” I didn’t enjoy going out after games, but I did it to be social. And, well, he did want a slow dance. I checked my phone.
AJ
Meet you at the car.
“Oh, Lucky’s riding with me,” Carlos called, halfway out of the locker room.
“Great,” I chuckled. Carlos was really into the whole imaginary cat thing.
We got into Jonas’ SUV in the parking garage. AJ slid into the car wearing a custom suit, expensive shoes, and sunglasses nestled in his dark and wavy hair, like the international man of mystery he was.
“Good game.” He fist-bumped all of us.
