Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 25255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
I want to murder him. I want him dead.
I want to see his blood on the ice. All of it.
My muscles are flexed and I’m feeling twitchy all over as fantasies of vengeance run through my mind.
But then Jane’s beautiful face runs through my mind and it calms me a little.
I think of last night and holding her in my arms and it calms me a little more.
She’s all that matters. Not some prick talking shit about me online.
I still want to make him pay.
But I won’t.
My girl comes first.
Always.
It’s the second period and Maddock is acting cockier than ever. He’s skating around the ice like he owns the joint.
It’s one cheap shot after another and I’m trying to remain calm. I’m trying to keep my composure.
I’m doing this for Jane. I’m doing this for us.
Edvard is skating along the boards after passing the puck to Austin. Maddock goes charging over with his stick in the air. When the ref is distracted, he swings his stick down like a tomahawk and cracks Edvard on the wrist.
The refs may not have seen it, but the crowd does and they are not happy. Roars of outrage and then collective booing fills the stadium.
I’m watching from the bench with my blood boiling.
“McKinstry,” Coach yells. “Get in there and teach that prick another lesson.”
I hop over the boards as Edvard comes off, clutching his arm and wincing in pain.
I take my position as the play goes on. Austin shoots on the net and it ricochets into the crowd.
The ref blows the whistle and the guys ease up, some heading for the benches for a line change. I just got on so I stay on the ice.
Maddock comes gliding over with a shit-eating smirk on his face. My hands clench around my hockey stick as I stare him down.
“I saw your pretty little whore in the front row,” he says with a grin. “Maybe she wants to come into our locker room after? I’ll start a train on her.”
I’m about to go for his throat, but I see Jane’s blonde hair out of the corner of my eye. I turn and look at her, and then swallow my rage down.
I skate into position instead.
I can hear the prick laughing as he lines up on the other side of the circle.
The ref drops the puck and sticks slap each other as Sebastian and the other center try to get it.
Sebastian hooks it and passes it back to Harris, but just as it arrives, so does Maddock. He slams his shoulder into Harris’ face—another fucking cheap shot—and the veteran drops to a knee. Maddock isn’t done. He hovers over him and pushes his shoulder.
I rush over and grab Maddock’s jersey, pulling him away from my friend. I might not be fighting tonight, but I’m not going to let him walk all over us either.
Maddock turns and grins when he sees me.
He drops his gloves and squares up. The crowd goes wild, excited to see another epic fight.
Any other night, I’d be tossing my gloves down and going at him with reckless abandon, but Jane is here…
I don’t want her to be disappointed in me.
The entire arena is standing on their feet. All eyes are on us. I can feel the electric charge of excitement in the air.
I let out a breath, hold onto my stick, and skate away.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Maddock shouts, but I can barely hear it over the boos.
I skate by Jane and she’s smiling nervously at me.
The boos get louder.
These people can boo all they want.
The only opinion I care about is hers.
She’s the only one that matters.
Chapter Eleven
Jane
“That guy is such a bully!” I say as my pulse starts speeding. He just hit someone from behind and laughed as he skated away.
The crowd doesn’t like it and neither do I.
I’m sitting in the front row with Alina and she gets furious every time Maddock hits her Sebastian. I think she might climb the glass, hop onto the ice, and kick his ass herself.
“Come on!” a loudmouth guy shouts from behind a few rows back. “McKinstry needs to get out there and kick his ass!”
The people around him all seem to agree.
I smile nervously at Alina. I know she wants Tucker to kick his ass too.
Butterflies are filling my stomach as I think about my man going out there and getting hurt. I can still see his swollen bruised face and that was a fight he won! What if he loses the next fight? I can’t bear to see him like that. I don’t even want to think about it.
The puck comes flying toward our zone. The players take off after it, but Maddock pushes our goalie—that nice boy Nolan we met at the restaurant—and he falls to the ground. Maddock is laughing as he skates away.