The Price Of Treason
1215 Words
CHAPTER FIVE
The blinding white glare of the stadium lights violently stripped away the darkness, leaving them completely exposed on the open ice.
Riley shoved Brian away with a panicked force, her shoes skidding as she scrambled backward against the plexiglass.
Her heart hammered against her ribs, her lips still burning from a kiss that felt like absolute treason to the jersey she prized.
She whipped her head toward the balcony.
Standing beside the master light switches was Natalie Mercer, her face twisted in disgust and unadulterated fury.
The Sirens’ captain didn’t say a word as she marched down the concrete steps, the heavy clicks of her civilian boots echoing through the cavernous arena like gunshots.
“Natalie,” Brian said, his voice flat as he straightened up, smoothly skating into a position that physically blocked his sister’s path to Riley. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same damn thing, Brian,” Natalie spat, stopping right at the edge of the barrier, her knuckles white as she gripped the railing.
She glared past her brother’s shoulder, her eyes drilling straight into Riley.
“Are you insane? You’re sleeping with the Vipers’ captain? The night of the opening of the most important tournament cycle of our careers?”
“Keep your voice down,” Brian growled.
“Don’t tell me to keep my voice down!” Natalie roared, her eyes flashing with a competitive malice that mirrored her brother’s.
“I’ve spent the last two years bleeding for this organization, executing your plays, all to ensure the Sirens defend that cup. And you’re in the dark giving our playbook to the enemy? To her?”
Riley found her footing, her jaw clenching as her natural defensive instincts kicked through the shock.
She stepped out from behind Brian, refusing to let the rival captain look down on her.
“Nobody is looking at your playbook, Natalie. Your brother and I have a history, but don’t flatter yourself. The Vipers don’t need shortcuts to beat you.”
“Shut your mouth, Hart!” Natalie snapped, pointing a finger at her.
“You think because the media calls you a queen, you’re untouchable? You’re a liability. Your private medical files are plastered all over the internet right now, and now you’re lurking in our rink, manipulating my coach to save your failing career.”
“That’s enough, Natalie,” Brian intervened, his frame cutting off his sister’s line of sight entirely.
“Riley had nothing to do with this. I brought her here. If you have a problem with my loyalty, you handle it with me, not her.”
Natalie let out a bitter, cynical laugh.
“Oh, I am handling it. I’m going straight to Coach Reynolds and the league board the second the sun comes up. Fraternization with a rival captain during a locked tournament bracket is an automatic disqualification for the player and a contract termination for the coach. I’m going to watch the league strip your license, Brian. And I’m going to watch them ban her for life.”
The threat was like a blow.
A league ban wouldn’t just end Riley’s career; it would give her grandmother the ultimate leverage to execute the foreclosure on her father’s academy, destroying her family completely.
Brian took a slow step toward the barrier, leaning over until he was directly in his sister’s face.
His voice was terrifyingly calm, enough to make Natalie’s breath hitch.
“You go to Reynolds, and I walk away from the Sirens before breakfast.”
Natalie blinked, her confidence faltering.
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me,” Brian whispered.
“I designed the entire defensive trap that keeps you at the top of the leaderboard. Without my adjustments, the Vipers will tear your line to pieces by the second period of the derby match. You want to ruin my career, Natalie? Go ahead. But you’ll ruin your own championship run to do it.”
The siblings stared each other down in a silent, toxic standoff, the mutual stubbornness of their bloodline thick in the freezing air.
Finally, Natalie stepped back, her jaw tight with rage.
“You’re a traitor,” she whispered, her eyes darting back to Riley with a chilling promise. “Keep your hands off my coach, Hart. Because when we meet on that ice, I am going to target that leg until you’re carried out on a stretcher again.”
Natalie turned on her heel and marched back up the tunnel, slamming the heavy steel exit doors behind her.
The echo reverberated through the empty rink, leaving a suffocating silence in its wake.
Riley didn’t look at Brian.
The reality of what she had just risked rushed over her, turning her stomach to ice.
“This was a mistake.”
“Riley—”
“No,” she cut him off, stepping past him to grab her things from the bench. “She’s right. You planned the hit that put me in the hospital, and now I’m letting you mess with my head right before a tournament match. I’m going home.”
She didn’t let him answer, rushing out the private side exit into the early morning light.
By 8:00 AM, the Vipers’ training facility was buzzing with an anxious, heavy energy.
When Riley walked into the locker room, the usual pre-practice banter was dead.
Maya looked up from her stall, her expression laced with a rare, deep concern as she held a tablet.
The rest of the team was whispering in corners, their eyes darting to Riley before looking away.
“Riley,” Maya said quietly, standing up. “Coach Miller wants you in his office. Now.”
“Is it about the leaked journals?” Riley asked, her throat dry. “I can explain—”
“It’s not the journals,” Maya interrupted, her voice dropping to a tense whisper. “Just go.”
Riley walked down the short corridor, her heart pounding frantically against her ribs.
She pushed the heavy oak door to Coach Miller’s office open.
The grizzled veteran was sitting behind his desk, the blue light of his laptop illuminating a face that looked ten years older than it had the night before.
He didn’t ask her to sit down.
He simply turned the laptop screen toward her.
Riley’s breath completely caught in her throat.
It was a high-definition video, recorded from a hidden security angle on the balcony of the Sirens’ rink.
The footage was crystal clear, capturing the exact moment Brian’s mouth had crashed into hers, her fingers tangled desperately in his jacket under the blinding overhead lights.
“This was sent to the front office anonymous server twenty minutes ago,” Miller said, his voice entirely devoid of its usual warmth. “The sender didn’t ask for money, Riley. They left a single ultimatum.”
Riley stared at the glowing screen, her world collapsing into total darkness as Miller delivered the final blow.
“If your name is on the official roster for the rivalry match tonight, this video goes live to every sports network in the country. You’ll be banned for collusion, Brian Mercer will be fired, and the Vipers will forfeit the tournament. What the hell did you do, Riley?”
- Writer
