MasukThe plane touched down in Montreal and the media circus hit us like a storm.
I stepped off the bus at the arena and cameras flashed everywhere. Reporters shouted questions from every side. "Evan is the rivalry with Volkov still boiling? What happened in Toronto?" I kept my head down and pushed through. "No comment right now. We are here to play hockey." Inside the locker room the guys were loud but tense. Everyone felt the pressure. This rematch agThe bus rolled into Toronto and the city lights hit me like a challenge I could not ignore. "Welcome back to the lion's den," I said as we stepped off into the cold night air near the arena. Kade bumped my shoulder. "Feels different this time. Bigger stakes. Montreal always plays dirty but tonight we hit back first."Coach gathered us quick in the locker room. "Boys, this rivalry game is no joke. Sellout crowd. Montreal wants blood. We give them sweat and wins. Evan, you set the tone?"I nodded sharp. "We play smart but mean. No mercy on the ice. Kade, you ready to shut down their top line?""Ready," Kade answered. "They talk big but we skate faster. Keep the puck moving quick and they fold."The guys chimed in fast. Jake taped his stick. "Heard Montreal trash talked us all week. Said we are soft since the last loss.""Soft?" Rico laughed. "They will eat those words. We came to Toronto to remind them who owns the ice."
The puck dropped and Viktor screamed from the bench. "Kade, switch with Jake now. Take the enforcer. Show what you got."I whipped my head toward the bench. "Viktor, what the hell? That guy is built to kill. Do not force this."Viktor ignored me, voice raw. "Kade needs this. He broke my arm. Now he faces real pain. Switch. That is an order from the bench."Kade skated over fast, breathing hard. "You serious, Viktor? This Montreal hired goon is six foot six. He targets heads.""Targets heads," Viktor shot back with a nasty grin. "Perfect for you. Get out there. Refuse and I tell Coach you quit on us."Coach looked confused but the line change happened quick. Kade lined up against the enforcer, a mountain of a man named Briggs with scars all over his face.Briggs laughed low. "Little Kade. Heard you like cheap shots. Tonight I return them double."Kade gripped his stick tight. "Bring it. I do not back down."From
The door crashed open and there she stood, eyes blazing with the same rage tearing me apart. "You," I spat, stepping close enough to feel her breath hit my face. "After everything, you still look at me like I'm the enemy."Her hands shoved my chest hard. "Enemy? You destroyed us! I trusted you with my heart and you handed it back in pieces. Don't you dare act like the victim here."I grabbed her wrists, not gentle, not soft. The grief hit like a wave, mixing with the anger until I could not tell them apart. "You think I wanted this? Every night I lie awake seeing his face, the blood, knowing we both failed him. And you? You ran straight to him behind my back."She yanked free but did not step away. Her voice cracked. "Failed him? You pushed him away first! Always so damn sure you knew best. I went to him because you shut me out. Now he's gone and we're left with nothing but this mess."Words flew fast between us. My pulse hammered. "Noth
I locked eyes with Kade in the dim hallway light and said the words that changed everything. "Kade, I am done playing nice. I will help you take down your old man. Whatever it takes."He froze, searching my face like he expected me to crack a smile and back out. "Evan, you serious? This is not some game. My father ruins lives. He already tried to end yours.""Serious as a heart attack," I shot back, voice flat. No smile. No hesitation. The golden boy they all knew had died somewhere in the last twenty four hours. "He crossed lines that cannot get uncrossed. You point, I pull the trigger. We end him."Kade ran a hand through his hair, pacing two steps then back. "You do not know what you are signing up for. He has people everywhere. Money. Power. One wrong move and we both disappear.""Let him try," I said, stepping closer. My tone stayed ice cold. "I lost too much already. That man took shots at everything I care about. Now we hit back h
Evan followed me back to my dark hotel room and refused to accept what I already knew was true. I shut the door hard behind us. No lights on. Just the faint glow from the city lights outside the window. Evan paced back and forth near the bed. His hands clenched at his sides. "I still do not believe it Kade," he said fast. His voice came out sharp in the quiet. "My father would not do that. Not murder. Not like this." I sat down on the edge of the bed. Laptop balanced on my knees. "You need to hear the whole thing Evan. Stop lying to yourself and sit down." He stayed standing. Arms crossed tight across his chest. "Fine. Play it if you want. But this changes nothing for me. It cannot be real." I opened the laptop. The screen lit up his face. "Listen close. No more excuses after this." Evan leaned against the wall. "Go ahead. But I know my dad. He is tough. Strict. Not a killer." I hit play. The recording filled the
Evan cornered me in the empty showers and I lost it completely. Water still ran hot from one nozzle. Steam filled the air. Everyone else had left the locker room after the loss. Just us. Evan stood there dripping wet. Towel around his waist. Eyes full of pain. "Kade we cannot keep doing this," he said. His voice echoed off the tiles. "Talk to me. Yell if you have to." I turned off my shower. Grabbed a towel. "Nothing to talk about. Get out." He stepped closer. Blocked the exit. "No. I am not leaving until you tell me what is really going on in your head. The game. The cold shoulder. All of it." I laughed once. Short and bitter. "You really want to know?" "Yes," Evan said. He moved forward. "I am dying here. You are killing me with this silence." That did it. I shoved him hard. His back hit the tile wall with a slap. Water sprayed around us. "Your father killed my brother," I screamed. My face inches from his. "Tha
The second I stepped back onto Toronto ice after Montreal I knew the line between hate and need had already blurred too far.Practices felt completely different now. Every drill Coach paired us together on purpose. Kade and I circled each other like fighters waiting for the bell. His gray eyes foll
The second I heard that knock on my door during the team break I knew I was done fighting this thing with Kade.The apartment felt way too quiet after that tough stretch of games. No practice. No bus rides. Just me and my thoughts spinning about him. I cracked open a beer halfway through it when th
The second Kade slammed that Montreal player into the boards I knew the night would end with us destroying each other.The road game turned nasty fast. Cheap shots flew from every Montreal jersey. Late in the third one of their big forwards lined me up with his elbow high ready to take my head off.
The second Kade Volkov stepped onto my ice I knew he was going to wreck my entire world.The Scotiabank Arena thundered around me as I glided out for warm ups. Twenty eight years old and captain of the Toronto Blades. The C on my jersey felt heavier than usual tonight. Fans screamed my name from ev







