Power Play - Brittney Mulliner Page 0,21

forgive me was more than I could have dreamed of. More than I deserved. We might have made some progress, but there was plenty left unsaid. Things neither of us mentioned. Things we couldn’t ignore.

Never in a million years did I think I would see her again. I gave that up the day I left. I packed her away. The memories and emotions were pushed into a vault in the back of my mind, never to surface again. Until this week.

I couldn’t deny that fate or destiny or whatever people called it was involved. There was no other explanation. We were meant to see each other again, whether for closure or to remind me of how far I’d come. And at what cost. Apparently the universe thought I needed a reminder of my mistakes. A mirror forced in front of me to pause and see what I’d lost––given up––over the years. The changes that formed me into the man I was today.

I thought of myself as a good person. I believed that, but Taylor’s mere presence had me questioning that. I was only eighteen when I left. Still a kid. Too immature to comprehend the impact of my decisions and the consequences that followed.

“Dumoulin. Where’s your head at?” Grant nudged my shoulder, and I returned to tying my skates.

“Nowhere. Just getting in the zone,” I answered vaguely.

“No, you’re not. I’ve been talking to you, and you haven’t heard a single word.” He twisted on the bench to face me. “No distractions. None. Your only purpose in life right now is to win this game.”

I nodded. He was right, of course. The series was tied one-one and we were back on their home ice. We couldn’t let them win, and we definitely couldn’t afford another injury. With the changes to the lines, Dad was moved to the second line and Porter Vaughn was now my center, and I had to watch him. Like Grant said, my only purpose was this game. I wasn’t one of the biggest guys on the team, but I was one of the fastest. It was up to me to get the puck to Vaughn and create opportunities to score. My speed also helped me get into positions to block others quickly. I might not join in any fights, but I would prevent the other team from even trying.

It didn’t help that my original contract was up at the end of this season. Two seasons seemed so long when I first signed it. I was excited about anything at that point, but I didn’t realize how fast they would fly by.

My agent was already in talks with the Fury’s general manager, and I was hoping to stay, but my performance through the rest of the series would greatly impact their decision. I’d only been with the Fury for two years, not quite long enough to cement myself as a key player. But I’d also been here for the past two championships. I helped get us there. That had to help my case. It was also an attractive feature for other teams. Unfortunately, what I wanted and what my best options were might not be the same. I might not even get the chance to stay. As much as I hated the waiting, there wasn’t anything I could do about it. The only control I had was playing my best and helping us win.

As if there wasn’t enough pressure on me. I shook my head as Coach Romney gave another motivating speech, and Hartman followed up with one to get us pumped.

“They think they already have this ‘W’ but we’re not going to let them win. We will give everything we have tonight. I don’t want anyone holding back.” He glanced at the tunnel where the coaches had already left to get to the ice. “We’re not normally a team that fights, but they don’t play by those rules. I’m not saying to start anything, but don’t be afraid to throw off the gloves. We have one of the best penalty kill percentages in the league. We can handle them if it comes to power plays.”

I wasn’t that surprised by his command. They played dirty, and we weren’t going to win by ignoring that like we had. He was giving us the green light to foul. We practiced four-man plays for this purpose. We weren’t necessarily sinking to their level, but we were preparing for what had to be done. None of us wanted to lose to the