Page 295 of Wrong Pucking Player

“I know, baby,” he whispers. “I’m sorry. The last couple of days since the burning incident have been a blur. I know I’ve been more absent than usual.” He hugs me and kisses the top of my head. “Once we know what’s happening to the Saskatchewan Pincers and your internship, we’ll request some time off, okay?”

“Random trip to Moscow?” I try to tease, but my voice is missing that uplifting beat. It makes me realize the ‘me’ from the beginning of this internship is a lot different from the ‘me’ now. Sometimes, change like that is for the better, but a part of me feels it’s fast and may bite me in the butt if I don’t slow down.

“Anything, Xandra,” he assures me, and we slowly kiss. “Anywhere with you is good enough for me.”

We share one more hug and a kiss before I see him off.

Not a moment later, my phone begins to buzz.

“Hey, Caren. What’s up?” I only use her alias because I’m not sure who’s listening around here. I decide to head down the hall, only for my feet to come to a stop at the sound of the voice on the other end.

“Caren can’t talk on the phone right now. However, I think you could be of assistance to me, Andrews.”

Biting my bottom lip to stop myself from cursing, I try to remain calm as I decide to acknowledge the person on the other end.

“Good afternoon, Frankie. Whatcha still doing in Strattonville when the hockey initiative is almost over? Actually, that’s probably not even important since I’m sure you saw us lose,” I stress. “Why do you have Caren’s phone?”

“She wasn’t feeling very hot and encouraged me to call someone to come and assist her.”

He’s obviously lying, but I have to go with it if I want to ensure she’s safe.

“I’m sure you’re still at the Stadium after the madness the world got to witness on the ice. A shame your team lost in such a disgraceful way, though I’m not in the slightest bit sad about seeing Winchester’s downfall. In fact, this is a brilliant day to celebrate, so maybe I’ll be a good boy today and help your new best friend out.”

“Help her out,” I whisper and begin to walk down the hall toward the exit.

I need to get to the Harvey’s house.

“You’ll see when you get here. Alone. If you try to call Cyrus Jr. or that teenage brat, I’ll change my mind and slit Katherine’s throat for shits and giggles.”

My heart skips a few beats, knowing damn well this is a clear setup.

“Understood.” Fernandez loves it when you obey orders with little fuss.

“I’ll see you soon. I know you’re a fast runner.”

He hangs up before I can make a comment, leaving me to stare at the phone in my hand.

“Great,” I whisper. “Can’t call Wyatt or Leo…”

Let me get running first.

I leave anything important in my nursing office and change into my running shoes. With my phone in hand, I’m soon out of the Stadium via the back entrance and entering the nearby woods.

I easily find the trail that would lead to Harvey’s residence. I remembered Mikayla and I used to run it during our crew days, the path leading to Harvey’s backyard.

The area has always been safe, so they never put up additional fencing.

That has to change.

When I reach the halfway point, I take the chance to call Oscar, knowing my phone is encrypted and won’t be as detectable as Wyatt’s and Leo’s phones.

He picks up on the first ring.

“Yes, Kenzie?” He sounds irritated, as if he’s either been working or in a really bad mood.

Then again, he may have witnessed what happened on live television between the Vipers versus Pincers.

“I’m in trouble.” I get to the point, knowing I have his attention. “Caren got called in for work. She’s the nurse for Ace Harvey’s grandma. She just called me, but it wasn’t her. It was Fernandez.”

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