Breakaway (Penalty Kill 1)

Chapter One

Levi

“Yo, Carr!”

I snap my head at the sound of Gavin Harper’s voice. “What is it now?” I grumble. We’re doing a simple prank at rival James Wayne University, and my teammates are acting like we’re working with explosives instead of lining helmets with Vaseline and cutting slits into laces, so when the Wildcats go to tie their skates, the laces will break in two.

“We’re done,” Harper states once I’ve arrived from being the lookout down the hall.

Oh. I enter the locker room and do a mini inspection while the team gathers at the door, waiting for the verdict. It’s good enough to grate their nerves and that’s my mission. Ever since I met Trevor McCarthy back in my senior year of high school, he’s been a pain in my ass. He was the new kid who moved to town. Within two months, he stole my captaincy from right under my skatesand to add insult to injury, my then girlfriend dumped me for him.

Now I’m a junior over at Roxboro University and a proud captain of the Lions hockey team. McCarthy is the captain here at our biggest rival, and I try my best to make his life hell. Messing with their gear is just a kick. It’s tradition almost for our teams to mess with the other, but I try to take it a little farther when it comes to Trevor McCarthy. That jackass. I’ve been brewing up a special prank just for him, but none of my ideas have deemed worthy enough yet.

“Did you put the gum in the fingers of McCarthy’s gloves?” I ask Gavin.

“Yep. Stuffed them in there good enough that they won’t fall out.”

“Good. He deserves the special treatment. Okay, let’s get out of here.”

The eight of us that came exit the building without any trouble. Outside, along the sidewalk leading to where we parked, a girl is walking our way. I can’t tell much about her with it being three in the morning, and she’s in the darkness between lamp posts. Other than the fact that she’s not looking our way, she doesn’t seem concerned there is a group of guys walking towards her. As we get closer, the small talk between the guys stops when the girl walks under a lamp post. She’s a redhead with shoulder length hair and she’s curvy.

Now as we are in the process of passing her, Andrew Nichols snags her elbow and says, “Hey, aren’t you McCarthy’s little sister?”

Sister? McCarthy doesn’t have a sister.

“Hey, aren’t you a back up for the Roxboro Lions?” she snaps before I can give the sister comment much more thought.

“No,” he growls.

“Well, you should be. Now let me go.” Her voice is cool as if she’s not the least bit worried.

“You little bitch,” Nichols says, infuriated.

“Let her go,” I demand. “We don’t have time for this.”

A bit roughly, he releases her and she strolls off. We stuff ourselves into my black Tahoe like a bunch of clowns and take off back to campus. The girl is hot, that’s for sure. Who doesn’t love a busty redhead with a slender nose and light brown eyes with plump light pink lips to match?

“Hey,” I say as the thought reappears. “McCarthy doesn’t have a sister.”

Nichols pops his head between the front seats and says, “Yeah, he does. I’m almost positive that’s his twin sister. They went to different high schools because of their parents’ divorce.”

“He’s right,” Jere confirms. “That girl I’m seeing is her best friend. She’s McCarthy’s twin.”

“No shit. What’s her name?”

“Presley,” Jere answers.

Presley. Presley McCarthy. Even her name sounds enticing with how easily it rolls off the tongue. I was a bit surprised that she didn’t back down with Nichols. He’s mostly rung tight 24/7 and has a quick temper. It doesn’t take much to set him off and send him spiraling with rage. Based on Presley’s comment, I’m going to assume that she knows her hockey because lately, Andrew has been playing sloppy. Back on campus, a faint smile takes over at her back-up insult as we unload and head our separate ways.

I can’t help my grin as my team warms up. McCarthy and his team are sending glares our way left and right. No doubt they were pissed at having to clean their helmets and lace their skates again. McCarthy probably wasn’t too happy to know that he got a little extra with his gloves. I chuckle at the thought with a glance around the arena. JWU and RU games always brings a bigger crowd and tonight is no different. Behind the net where our goalie will be most of the game, I catch a glimpse of a redhead laughing with some chick. She looks out over the ice and sure enough, it’s Presley. No time to dwell on her, though. It’s game time. I prepare for the faceoff with McCarthy.