Page 153 of Irresistibly Wild

“There are over a dozen other skaters here, Penelope.”

“There’s only one I’ve ever worried about,” she admits, facing me again. “I want the best from you because you’ve always brought out the best in me.”

“You’ll definitely get it.”

“Good.” She steps back and heads to the door.

“Wait,” I say as she grabs the handle.

“Yeah?”

“There are two bobby pins sticking out of your bun in the back,” I say. “Judge Reddick is a stickler for stupid shit like that, and I’d hate for that to be the reason behind your upcoming loss to me.”

“Me too.” She smiles. “Thanks.”

She leaves the room, and Miss Price rushes in.

“Oh, thank god!” She places a hand on her chest. “I thought you two were finally fighting it out after all these years.”

“No, we were just having a conversation.”

“I hope it was about how you’re moments away from beating her today.”

“It was.”

* * *

An hour later

Penelope launches into a triple-toe loop,drawing stunned applause from today’s audience of thousands.

She’s floating on the ice, securing every spin and jump in a way that confirms her moniker, “The Perfect Feather.”

There’s supposed to be a double lutz next, but she deviates, going for a triple salchow and back-to-back triple lutzes instead.

The arena explodes in applause, and as much as I want to ignore the hype, I clap as well.

She completes a parallel spin, and then her routine unfolds precisely how I’ve seen it before.

Pure perfection.

Out of nowhere, she makes another deviation. Instead of a final triple lutz, she attempts a quad, and I brace myself for another round of applause as she spins in the air.

She doesn’t come down like she should, though.

She falls face-first onto the ice, and the white surface beneath her becomes bloody red.

Oh my God…

ACT 14 & A HALF

BACK THEN

TATIANA

Chicago, Illinois

Ipush my way through the horde of reporters clogging the lobby. Making a beeline for the freight elevator, I take one of the interconnected hallways and find Penelope’s room.

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