Page 104 of The Last Inch Of Ice
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A week later, walking into the arena for a morning skate, Kai is ambushed.
They’re waiting outside the players’ entrance—a group of maybe twenty people, their faces twisted with hate. Security sees them too late.
“Faggot!”Someone screams it loud enough to echo off the concrete.
“Go back to Toronto!”
“You’re a disgrace to hockey!”
His security team forms a protective circle, trying to push through the crowd. But not before someone throws a drink, a Slurpee or something similarly sticky and bright blue, that hits Kai square in the chest, soaking through his jacket.
“Keep moving,” his head security guy mutters. “Don’t engage. Just get inside.”
Inside, in the safety of the tunnel, Kai stands there dripping fluorescent blue while his teammates stare in horror.
“What the fuck,” Stanley breathes.
“I’m fine.” Kai’s voice is mechanical. “It’s fine. Just give me a minute to change.”
The press reports it with salacious glee.Homophobic Attack on Wardens Forward.FHL Star Targeted by Hate Group.Callahan Relationship Sparks Controversy.
His phone explodes with messages. His agent. His PR team. Teammates. People he hasn’t talked to in years suddenly are very concerned for his safety.
AndNazar.
Nazar:your security is useless
Nazar:let me hire someone. i know guys. Ukrainian ex-military. they won’t let this happen again.
Nazar:answer me
Nazar:just write ‘yes’. i’ll give them your number. i’ll handle everything. i’ll pay.
Nazar:i know why you didn’t meet me in Vancouver. i went too far. whatever I did, I’m sorry. it won’t happen again.
Nazar:i’m giving you a week. space. whatever you need. but then I will come for you. and then I’m not responsible for my actions.
The last message makes Kai want to scream. Want to throw his phone against the wall and watch it shatter into a thousand pieces.
Because that’s exactly what Nazar would do. Show up. Demand answers. Force his way back into Kai’s life.
They need to wait at least two weeks. Then he will talk to Nazar and explain all of this.
He deletes them all. Every single message. Then, when Vyachovsky calls five minutes later—probably at Nazar’s request—Kai silences the call and shoves his phone in a drawer.
31
Chapter 31 Nazar
Normally, the familiar burn in his muscles quiets the noise in his head, the repetitive count of reps providing a structure his chaotic thoughts can’t penetrate. Ten. Nine. Eight. The weight of the barbell becomes the only reality that matters.
Today, it’s not working.
The burn does nothing. The structure collapses. His mind is a wasps’ nest, thoughts swarming and stinging, and at the center of it all—like always, like fuckingalways—is Kai.
Nazar drops the barbell back onto the rack with a metallic clang that draws annoyed looks from nearby lifters. His hands are shaking slightly. Not from exertion, from the effort of not punching something.
