The silence Jace left behind was louder than any slap shot.
I stood at the edge of the ice long after the tunnel door slammed shut. My phone was still warm from his grip. His voice still echoed in my head—you'll be safer than anyone who ever loved me—and I couldn't decide if I wanted to scream at him or chase after him. The emergency lights buzzed overhead. The ice stretched out like a frozen wound. Somewhere in the distance, the Zamboni hummed to life, a low mechanical growl that meant my cleaning shift was starting without me.
I didn't care. I couldn't move. Gregory Kingston had called me on speakerphone while his son held my phone, and Jace had threatened to expose everything, and now the boy who swore he'd never let anyone close had just pushed me away harder than ever.
I should ha
