Edge by Brenda Rothert Page A

He was a cool guy who told me about his Russian immigrant parents and his hope to one day make the kind of money that would allow them to retire.
    We’d eaten steak and passed out in our rooms. It was the best night of sleep I’d had since getting here. And even though I was hungover, I felt recharged. Hanging out with Niko reminded me of Ryke. And it was damn good to get the hell away from V for the night.
    The rink was empty when I passed it on my way to the locker room. I was early to the pre-game skate because I wanted to see Dell. Somehow I knew she was right – today would be better than yesterday. Her encouraging words from last night made me wish I could sweep her up in a hug of thanks. I wasn’t normally a hugger, but something about her made me want to. I’d be able to smell her and feel her body against mine. This not touching thing fucking sucked.
    Only Mikey was in the locker room when I walked in. He was lining up equipment, slow and meticulous as always.
    “Hey, man,” I said with a wave.
    “Morning, Mr. Hudson.”
    “Luke. What’s new, Mikey?”
    He shrugged and laughed nervously. Poor guy seemed to be afraid of me. He was about half my size, but I wasn’t an intimidating asshole or anything.
    “Uh, did you need a new stick?” he asked.
    Oh, right. Last night I was an intimidating asshole.
    “Thanks, but I’ve got extras. I haven’t broken a stick like that in years. It was just a really shitty game.”
    “I’m sure you’re anxious to get back to your team,” he said, brushing his hand over one of the hanging game jerseys to get rid of some lint.
    “Nah, it’s not so bad here.” I pressed one of my feet onto a bench, stretching into a lunge. My body was itching to go. I needed to go lift light weights before the pre-game skate.
    “Is there anything I can do for you?” Mikey asked.
    “Yeah, when Dell gets here can you tell her I need to see her? I’m going to the weight room.”
    “Yes, sir.” He was in his 20’s, but he was so lanky and awkward he seemed like a kid to me. A good kid.
    “Thanks, man. Hey, you want to get a beer after the game tonight?”
    He looked side to side to see if I was talking to someone else. “Me?” His voice cracked and I couldn’t help smiling.
    “Yeah, you.”
    “Sure,” he said quickly. “Yes, I’d like to.”
    “Cool. I promise not to break any sticks tonight.”
    I headed for the weight room, glad it was empty. I didn’t like talking when I was lifting, even when it was light weights.
    With my headphones in, I got lost in my pregame playlist. I’d been at it more than 45 minutes when Niko came in and nodded in greeting.
    “Hey, is Dell here yet?” I asked, sitting up on a bench and wiping a sheen of sweat from my forehead.
    “Didn’t see her.” Niko put in his headphones and we both worked in silence. Scroggins came in a few minutes later and I asked him about Dell, too.
    “Don’t know, man,” he said. “Maybe she’s in her office.”
    I grabbed a towel, wiped my face off and headed that way. The training room that doubled as her office was empty and the lights weren’t even on yet. I went out to the hallway and paced a couple times. Where the hell was she? The locker room was filling up, and she was always one of the first here.
    Though I needed to get my skates on, I wanted to talk to her first. I leaned against the wall outside her office to wait.
    “Hudson.” Tanner walked past without even glancing my way, meaning I was supposed to follow him into his office. I pushed off the wall with a stab of aggravation.
    Once I got into his large, sparsely furnished office, I stood in front of his desk, hands folded in front of me. I’d learned to respect my coaches from an old school one in high school who made us skate laps to make up for flopping into a chair in his office without permission or asking him what he wanted.
    “Have a seat,” Tanner said, settling into his dark wheeled chair. I sat down and waited. He organized a