Chapter 1
SLOANE
“Get away from that fence, Sloane.”
I didn’t turn around. I knew the voice.
My hands stayed hooked in the wire fence outside the ice rink.
“It’s a public sidewalk,” I said. I looked up at the big building. The team logo glowed blue in the dark sky. “I can stand here if I want.”
“Standing turns into watching,” Marcus said. He was the main security guard. He walked up behind me on the crunchy gravel. “Watching turns into talk. Your dad still owns this team. His rules didn't change while you were away at school.”
“I know his rules.”
“Then get in your car and go.”
I let go of the fence. The cold wire had made red lines on my skin. “I just wanted to see it again.”
“Does it look the same?”
“It looks bigger,” I said. I pulled my coat tight. “And worse.”
I walked back to my car. The engine started with a low hum. I didn't want to go to my dad's house yet.
So I drove down the back streets near the river.stopped at a small bar near the back door of the rink. It had a small red sign over the door that flickered in the dark. The Penalty Box.
It was old, quiet, and mostly empty on weeknights.
I pushed the door open. A small bell rang above my head.
“Just water,” I told the man behind the bar.
I sat on a wooden stool in the corner. The room smelled like cigar and stale beer. I picked at a loose thread on my sleeve. I told myself I would stay five minutes. Just five minutes to sit in the quiet before I went home to unpack my bags.
Then I looked across the room.
At the far end of the long bar, a man sat alone under a yellow lamp and he was looking right at me.
My throat went dry.
“Rhett,” I called.
He didn't answer fast. He picked up his glass, took a small sip, and kept his gray eyes on me. He looked bigger than he did four years ago. His hair was short. He had a small white scar over his left eye.
He wasn't wearing his team coat, but he still looked like the team captain, he probably still was.
He put the glass down on the table and it made a soft sound.
“You came back,” he said.
“I finished school,” I said. My hands stayed flat on the bar. “And my dad gave me a job in the office.”
“I heard.” Rhett turned his glass in a small circle. “He didn't tell the team you were coming back today.”
“He doesn't tell you everything.”
“He tells me what I need to know.” Rhett stood up. He walked down the side of the bar. His boots made a sound on the floor and he stopped right next to my stool. He didn't sit down. He just stood close.
He looked down at my face for a long time. “You shouldn't be here,” he said softly.
“Are you going to tell him?”
“No.” He reached out. He pushed my water glass an inch closer to me. His fingers touched mine and his skin was warm. Mine was cold. Neither of us made plans to move away. “I won’t tell him things about you.”
“Rhett—”
The front door banged open against the wall.
“Look who it is!” a loud voice called out.
I pulled my hand back fast and felt my heart hit my chest hard.
Maddox Keane came in. He shook his wet dark hair like a dog, threw his keys on a table and walked right up to us. He was big, with broad shoulders and a big smile.
“I knew I smelled something,” Maddox said. He sat on the stool on my other side. He leaned in close. His eyes were still that bright blue and sharp. “Look at you. Back in town and already breaking rules.”
“I’m just sitting here, Maddox,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.
“Sure you are,” he said with a laugh. He hit the bar with his hand. “Your old man would lose his mind if he saw you this close to the captain. Right, Cap?”
Rhett didn't look at him. His jaw was tight. “Be quiet, Maddox.”
“Just saying.” Maddox turned back to me. He rested his chin on his fist. His voice was hard, like he was trying to start a fight with me, but his eyes were soft. “You look small, Little Mercer. Did school tire you out?”
“I worked hard so I wouldn't have to talk to you,” I said.
Maddox smiled bigger. “I missed you too.”
The bell above the door rang again, Maddox stopped smiling. While Rhett looked toward the door.
Someone came in.
He looked different, but I knew him right away. He was not as big as Maddox, but he was lean.
He had dark circles under his eyes, his coat zipped all the way up to his chin.
He carried a big black bag over one shoulder.
He looked around the room. He saw Rhett. He saw Maddox. Then he looked at me.
Seven years felt like nothing.
Jules stopped in his tracks. He didn't speak. He just stared at me.
He was my best friend when we were kids. Now he looked at me like he was afraid to step any closer.
“Jules,” I said softly.
He swallowed hard, opened his mouth, but no words came out. He looked down at his shoes.
“We are leaving,” Rhett said. His voice was cold. He stood up from the stool and put some money on the counter. “Let’s go, Keane.”
Maddox sighed, but he got up too. He put a hand on my shoulder for two seconds before he let go. “See you at the rink, Little Mercer. Try not to get caught on day one.”
Jules held the front door open for them. He didn't look at Rhett as he walked past. He didn't look at Maddox. But right before he stepped out into the rain, Jules looked back at me. His dark eyes held mine for one long, second. Then he was gone.
The room was silent again.
I sat alone on the cold stool. My hands were shaking, my heart beating too loudly.
I had been back for six hours and I had already broken my own rules. I had stayed in the same room with all three of them. I had let Rhett touch my hand. I had let Maddox talk to me. I had looked at Jules.
Stay away from the team. That was the main rule.
I took a deep breath. grabbed my bag and walked out into the rain. I got into my car, locked the doors, and closed my eyes.
My phone lit up on the seat next to me.
It was a text from a number I didn't know.
I picked it up and read the words on the screen.
Private team party tomorrow night. You should come.
