Page 54 of Puck You Very Much
“I’m upping the ante.” He reached into his pocket and dug out a thick roll of bills. “This is the coaching tool in my arsenal that I wouldn’t bring out any old time. Circumstances like this one seem to warrant it. You guys like making money, don’t you?”
I would’ve expected the room to fall silent at such a suggestion, even though he’d stated nothing explicitly. He didn’t have to. I knew what he meant from the second he flashed money at us.
“Here’s the deal: a thousand dollars for anyone who knocks a Larkin Lion out of this Saturday’s game.”
Now a rumble of voices rolled through the room. I must’ve been the only player that didn’t make a peep.
“You head that right. A thousand for knocking a player out of the game, but it gets juicier. Fifteen hundred if you can inflict a serious injury. Concussions. Broken legs. You name it. If they miss some time because of it, you’ll be handsomely rewarded.”
Despite it all, I feel weird saying Coach Mack’s suggestion made me feel nauseous. No, that’s wrong. I felt outright sick to my stomach. I know I was as active in that bar brawl as anyone, but that was heat-of-the-moment shit. Money wasn’t involved and no serious injury would’ve been intentional.
“I know this is something that any one of you guys would do for free, but it never hurts to sweeten the pot, and makesureit happens. Now, I’ve said I’ll pay up to fifteen hundred for a serious injury to a Lions player, but that only applies to most of the team. Some players are worth more, if you know what I mean. Those players deserve a bullseye on their backs.”
I didn’t care which player he meant. That expression alone frightened me. I made a conscious effort to steady my breathing and not let my objection show.
“Jakob Martin,” he said. “You all know who he is.”
Instead of a rumble of voices, the room erupted in a cacophony of the same. I wouldn’t have expected so many teammates to have taken issue with him in particular. This new turn made me feel cold all over.
“We’d all like to see something happen to him, wouldn’t we? He’s important to their team. Take him out and they’ll suffer. Cut off the head and the body will die.”
At least half of the room applauded. The others simply sounded off in agreement.
“So, to reiterate,” he said, “it’s a thousand dollars to knock a player out of the game, and fifteen hundred for a long-term injury.Twothousand if the player happens to be Jakob Martin.”
I honestly thought I might throw up. Even during my stupidest moments, I’d never considered intentionally inflicting an injury on another player, including a Larkin Lion. But my problem here was about to shift from bad to worse.
“Zane.” He eyed me in the back of the room. I might as well back been sitting up front. “I know there’s plenty of extra incentive for you to put a hurt on Jakob Martin, am I right?”
Everyone turned to see my reaction. For a moment, I honestly forgot to breathe. My mouth went dry. I would’ve asked if someone had cranked up the thermostat but knew I would give myself away. Turtling myself to escape responding would’ve done the same.
When I didn’t answer, most of my teammates continued staring, and I didn’t know what the hell to say. Jakob would’ve said I was a seasoned veteran of awkward moments. Even if that were true, I would still have felt uncomfortable in that team room.
“I trust that you all understand what I’m saying,” he said. “You’ll let me know your answer by what you show me on the ice.”
A tiny smile appeared on his face before he strolled out of the room. Nice dramatic touch, sure, but what he’d said sounded downright evil.
In truth, I’d never felt so glad to get the hell out of a meeting before. Something nagged me, and I didn’t know what to call it at first. I didn’t like what Coach Mack suggested. In fact, I hated it. And it wasn’t just about Jakob. It was about everything. Cut off the head and the body will die, for Christ’s sake? Give me a break.
Even before I had a boyfriend (oh my God, did I just say that?) I wouldn’t have been okay with any of that. I don’t care what happened at the Colter Bay Grill. I understood right from wrong.
God, much more of this morality shit would eat into my reputation as a neanderthal asshole.
I couldn’t escape this easily, though. Coach Mack had eyed me specifically during the meeting. No, he’d literally called me out by name and acted like I was the logical player to take out Jakob. That meant he expected me to lead the charge in terms of getting the job done.
But the team included a bunch of other guys.Theycould do the dirty work.
Wait, what was I thinking? I couldn’t just allow something like this to happen, could I?
I failed to reach the end of the hall before Jax Echlin caught up with me.
Oh, hot dog!
“Bro, that’s some primo dough Coach Mack is offering, isn’t it?” he asked.
I shrugged, lost for an answer.
“Come on, dude.” He clapped my back. “This could be huge for one of us. Maybe even a few of us. You know how this economy is.”
