Page 113 of Slew Foot
“Dude!” Logan protested. “I don’t know what part of, ‘I can’t do this anymore’ isn’t fucking clear, but?—”
“How about all of it?” Mickey snapped, stepping forward again, getting up in Logan’s face, a roaring sound filling his head. He couldn’t believe the nerve of this guy. “You could have fucking talked to him about it instead of giving him the cold shoulder.”
“Oh, you wanna talk about a cold shoulder?” Logan sputtered, stepping closer and glaring at Mickey. “How about the fact he wouldn’t have said goodbye to me at all when he left Minnesota? We were supposed to befriendsabove all else.”
“Youhurthim,” Mickey snarled. “What did you expect? That he was going to?—”
But before Mickey could finish, someone grasped his arm and pulled him away, while someone else stepped between them, talking to Logan in a low voice that Mickey couldn’t hear over.
“Let me go.” Mickey tried to shrug the grip off, but his arm was bent awkwardly behind his back in a firm hold he couldn’t shake without hurting himself in the process. He glanced around and belatedly realized it was Gavin Racine who stood in front of Logan and his twin brother, Thad, who’d grabbed him.
“C’mon,” Thad said, finally letting go of Mickey’s arm to grasp his shoulder and steer him across the lobby. “Let’s take this argument away from the public, Krause.”
Mickey’s skin heated, embarrassed he’d lost his temper. He hadn’t eventhoughtabout where they were or who could see them.
They followed Logan, held in a similar grip by Gavin, and ended up in a meeting room. Along with Rafe.
Rafe glanced over, his gaze worried, and Mickey took a deep breath to calm himself, then stepped closer to offer Rafe some reassurance.
A little of the roaring in Mickey’s head had cleared, enough he could hear their general manager firmly tell Logan, “I donotappreciate you showing up like this and making a scene like this, Walker. It was inappropriate and juvenile.”
“I wasn’ttryingto make a scene,” Logan protested, still radiating frustration and tension. “Krause here is the one who got all combative. I wanted to apologize!”
“Do you apologize to every guy who you injure in a game?” Gavin asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Well, no, but it isn’t that many anyway andbesides?—”
“Besides, you wanted to speak to your ex-boyfriend,” Gavin added, his tone very dry.
“I …” Logan’s shoulders slumped, and all of the fight seemed to go out of him. “Yeah, okay. I did feel bad about Mickey’s concussion though, I swear. Since I didn’t have his number, I tried texting Rafe to apologize. He never answered.”
“We were a littlebusy,” Rafe said as Mickey argued, “I don’t have a concussion!”
Gavin gave him a stern look. “Your test results wereinconclusive.”
Logan looked between them, clearly slightly confused. “Well, I felt bad about the accidental slew foot either way.”
“Accidental?” Mickey protested, bristling at the idea.
Thad stepped forward again, speaking in a low, calm tone. “Hey, let’s take this down a notch, guys. We’re not on the ice right now.”
Mickey gritted his teeth.
An exhausted look crossed Gavin’s face and he let out a big sigh.
“My brother is right. Youallneed to take some deep breaths. The bus to the airport will be leaving in five minutes. Rafe, Mickey, I expect you both on it. Thad and I will give you all a few minutes to talk but underno circumstancesdo I want any punches thrown. Do you hear me? There will bemajordisciplinary action if you do. Understood?”
“Understood,” Mickey said, and Rafe said the same.
Gavin looked at Logan. “You’re not my player, but believe me, I won’t hesitate to let Asa know about your behavior if it goes beyond this. You were the instigator showing up like this and it won’t look good for you if this escalates.”
“Got it,” Logan said, jaw clenched.
“Now, work this out in acivilized manner,” he said, sweeping his gaze across them warningly before he stepped back and walked toward the exit.
Thad followed.
“Hey, thanks for the assist,” Gavin told his twin quietly as they stepped out into the lobby.
