Power Play (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 2)

I hear Wes calling me, so I grab my phone and rush to get downstairs. “You hear from her?”

I shake my head, reaching for my keys. “Nothing.”

“Man, that’s crazy.”

“Sure the fuck is,” I grumble, and while I know I shouldn’t think of it or even care, I have a game to play. It’s all I do.

The whole way to the rink, I make myself crazy trying to come up with a reason. Once I arrive, before getting ready, I head over to the offices to see if she’s there. She’s not, though. As I head back to the locker room, I check my phone to see if there is anything from her. There isn’t, but she saw my message.

Seen.

Those four letters taunt me. So, she saw my message but didn’t write back. When am I going to accept that this girl doesn’t want me? How many times am I going to allow her to blow me off? But even as I’m thinking that, it doesn’t seem right. Something is up, and I’m going to find out what. I head to Jakob’s office, and he looks up at me from behind his desk.

“Hey.”

“Hey, do you happen to know where Posey is?” He raises his brow, and I clear my throat. “I mean Coach Adler.”

“I haven’t seen her. I really think you should let this go, Hoenes. It’s one game, and honestly, if I don’t like what I see, I’m going to put you in.”

That makes me feel a little better, but I need to speak to Posey. “I appreciate that, Coach, but I think I would feel better if Coach Adler and I could discuss this further.”

He sits there for a moment, staring at me. I can tell he doesn’t want to do what I ask. He’s trying to protect Posey.

“I promise I won’t yell or get nasty. I just want to know what happened from when she and I spoke until the meeting.”

When he reaches for his phone, I hope he’s calling her. “Hey, sweetheart. Are you in the arena? Cool. Listen, Hoenes is looking for you. I see. Okay. So you want to set something up tomorrow sometime?”

I’m not sure how this is going to go, but like Posey has been saying from the rip, I don’t think things through. I grab Jakob’s phone and bring it to my ear, despite his shocked demeanor. “Where are you?”

I met with silence, and then in an even and assertive voice, she says, “I’m coming down the hall toward the offices.”

I hand him back his phone and say, “I’m really sorry about that.”

“Shit, I’m gonna sit your ass for that!” he yells at me, and I deserve it.

I head out of his office just as she rounds the corner. As much as I don’t want to be stunned by her beauty, I am. It’s a given, and it’s been like this since I met her. Her hair is up in a high ponytail, and her makeup is once again dark and dramatic. She’s wearing a tight black pencil skirt that goes to midcalf and a blazer with a purple shirt underneath it. Her heels are high, and even with how angry I am, I still want to see them beside my bed. She stops midstep, her eyes widening as her hand holding her phone falls to her side. She swallows hard, her eyes not leaving mine as she says, “What can I do for you?”

I come almost toe-to-toe with her. Not close enough where someone would know I want to kiss her more than I want to play on the power play, but close enough that if I need to lower my voice, she can still hear me. “What the fuck?”

She presses her glossed-up lips together as she looks up at me. “Like I said in the meeting—”

“No. Fuck that, Posey. What the hell? You said I was good until next Friday.”

“Things changed.”

“What? What changed?”

“I was told you didn’t look too hot in morning skate—”

“I wonder why?” I say incredulously. “I was up all night, and then I was in you.”

Her cheeks flush with color. “As I was saying… Because of that, I feel this is the best choice for tonight. Not for good. The Wild are tough to get around, number one in the league. You’re a bull in a china shop, and I need finesse to beat them.”

That’s such a bullshit answer. I lean in and ask in a low voice, “What did I do wrong?” Her eyes search mine, but she doesn’t say anything. She looks so small. Gone are her assertiveness and confidence. She looks terrified and unsure of herself. “What is going on? What happened? Did I hurt you more than you let on? Did you not want it? Tell me the fucking truth.”

I know the guys would give me shit for sounding so desperate, but I am. She’s messing with my heart and my career here. I refuse to accept what I am thinking. I need answers. I can tell she’s taken aback by my questioning, and something shifts in her eyes. She looks around as she bites the inside of her lip, but all I can do is stare at her.