Marcus Vance did not attend Ironbrook's practices unannounced as a rule — he preferred, Beckett had learned over four years, to make his appearances feel like scheduled events, occasions that demanded a certain gravity. So when he appeared at the arena Friday afternoon, standing at the glass during a routine drill session with no advance notice at all, Beckett knew immediately that something had shifted.
"We need to talk," Marcus said, the moment Beckett skated over during a water break. "Now. Not after practice."
Whitfield, noticing the exchange from across the ice, gave Beckett a small nod — permission to step away, an acknowledgment of exactly how much weight a conversation with Marcus Vance carried in this program's ecosystem.
They walked to the empty stands, Marcus choosing a seat
