Power Play - Brittney Mulliner Page 0,32

is really nice. I don’t know how to thank you.”

She waved me off, fluffing the pillows on the couch. “Don’t worry about it. I stayed here for a while when I first started nannying, but it just became easier to stay in the main house.”

That was a relief. At least I wasn’t putting anyone out by being here.

“I’ll let you get settled. The wifi password and a key are on the counter. If you need anything let me know.”

“Thank you so much, Sydney.”

At the doorway she paused. “If you’re feeling up to it, tonight you can meet the rest of us.”

She was gone before I could respond. Once again, I doubted I had much of a choice, and how could I refuse after all these women had done for me?

12

Jason

The past few days had been a blur. Half the time I didn’t know what side of the country I was on. All I did was show up where and when I was told. I was too exhausted, too sore, too discouraged to do anything more.

The last game in Raleigh broke me. Most of the team probably felt the same but wouldn’t admit it aloud. There was only so much we could take and push through. Romney forfeited his normal rant after losing the game, telling us he saw how much heart we had. Tonight it would all be over. We would lose the series, the season would officially end, and we could rest.

Despite our inevitable defeat, our fans flooded the streets of downtown. There were parties and large screens set up on corners so the game could be seen by all. From the bit of news I heard, we had the support of the rest of the league. They knew the injustice we endured. It didn’t seem like many people wanted the Storm to win, or thought they deserved it.

As much as I appreciated the love, it didn’t change the fact that we were going to lose. The Stanley Cup would no longer be ours for the next year. We would get it back eventually. Well, the Fury would. I might not be included in that for much longer.

“You good, Dumoulin?” I looked up at Colin seated across from me. We were waiting for our turn with the press before the game, and he looked about as enthusiastic as I felt.

“I’m fine,” I mumbled.

He was sporting a black eye from the fight he got into during the last game. I might not have had injuries as visible, but if I took my shirt off, people would cringe.

“One more night,” he whispered, and I nodded. He was willing to admit it too. “Where were you last night?”

“My family’s in town, so I hung out with them.” The rest of the team—those who were well enough to attend—had a dinner to commiserate. I couldn’t bring myself to go.

“Well, you didn’t miss much. Chloe and Madi were trying to make it a celebration for making it this far, but it was pretty somber.”

I wouldn’t have expected anything less from the Pride. They would cheer for us until the very last second.

Coach gave a decent attempt at a pump-up speech, but it was hard to get in the right mindset when so many weren’t dressed out. There were too many new faces, players we had to pull up from the farm team to replace the injured.

The crowd was excited, and there was quite the pre-game display recapping this season, then it was time to play. We pulled it together enough to give the fans a good show, but ultimately we lost. Standing on the ice, watching the Storm take the Cup from us in our arena, was a knife to the heart and gut.

It was over. The season was really over. I was one of the few left standing. That had to prove something to the coaches and management. I was worth keeping. I showered and changed into my suit, mentally preparing for the press waiting in the tunnel. None of us wanted to be interviewed right then, but it was our job to put on a smile and lose with grace.

I got my answers ready in my head. They were tough opponents. We would come back healthy and stronger next season. We’d bring the cup back where it belonged.

I clapped the shoulders of my teammates as I walked out to where the cameras were waiting. I forced a confident smile and repeated my rehearsed answers over and over again. The only question that