“No chance. Now that we’re into the playoff round, Alison’s confiscated everyone’s phones until after the final game. So Dani won’t be texting anyone right now.”
“All right. Then it’s back to looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“Not really. If Dani and Lynn are still communicating with each other, it has to be in person. Or they’re using a go-between. In any case, we might be able to catch them at it.”
“And what do we do if we see them together?” Niki giggled. “Tie them up? Place them under house arrest? Pretend we’re Wonder Woman and Batgirl?”
“As long as I’m Wonder Woman, then yes.”
Niki smacked her lightly on the arm.
“All right, no, but we can take photos and then confront them with it. If they won’t cooperate, I’m sure the media would be as interested in them spending time together as they were with us and that damned hot tub. Even more so this close to the finals. USA Hockey would be forced to do something.”
“Ooh, blackmail. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Desperate times, my love.”
Niki leaned in and kissed her on the mouth. “I’m a little desperate myself right now.”
“Me too, come to think of it.”
Niki gently rolled on top of her, already eating her with her eyes. “Or you could just come and not think about any of it.”
Laughter, deep and joyful, burbled up from Eva’s throat. “Why, that’s an excellent idea.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Shootout
Niki pulled her toque tighter over her ears. She was wearing sunglasses and a heavy winter coat too, but the streets were so packed with people that it wasn’t difficult blending in. She’d hid behind a large planter in the hotel lobby a few minutes before seven, waiting for Lynn to emerge from the bank of elevators, feeling like a cuckolded wife hoping to catch the mistress on the premises. But enough was enough. She couldn’t let Lynn destroy this team, her team. Nor could she stand by and watch Eva get shafted by her coach. It was a gamble, because the whole exercise could easily backfire, but she and Eva had little to lose anyway. Whatever the outcome, it would be worth it.
She followed Lynn down West Waterfront Road and toward Gastown, staying half a block behind, zipping in and out of pedestrian traffic in case Lynn suddenly decided to take a look around. So far she hadn’t. So far, she’d trundled along, head down, like a woman on a mission and not a particularly happy mission. Her shoulders slouched, her legs moved heavily but with efficient determination. She looked like a kid on the way to the principal’s office.
Niki wanted to feel sorry for her friend and former teammate. Or feel something that didn’t involve anger and a sense of betrayal. They’d been close for a time, even rooming together at the Nagano Olympics and at three world championships. Naturally, they’d drifted apart as Niki pursued academia while Lynn continued to play professionally. As coaches, they’d crossed paths again, become friendly again. There’d been nothing back in August, no hint, to suggest that Lynn had a secret agenda or that she’d intended to hurt Niki, that she was a snake willing to sacrifice anything or anyone to get ahead.
There might very well be a reason for the way she was behaving, Niki supposed. She’d meant it when she told Lynn that if she was in some kind of trouble, she could help her. Perhaps something, or someone, had gotten to her. Was she being blackmailed? And if so, why? What could she have possibly done to invite blackmail? Hockey Canada was known to do their due diligence in vetting employees. Niki knew this because they’d done it with her. A criminal records check, credit checks, a medical check, interviews with family, interviews with colleagues, both past and present. If you had a drinking problem or a problem with your credit cards, Hockey Canada knew about it. If you were active on Match.com or on a gambling website, they knew that too.
Which all meant she was back to square one in wondering why Lynn was, by reasonable deduction, feeding information to the Americans and leaking that racy hot tub photo to the press. And then there was her sudden and inexplicable altering of team strategies that had been in place for weeks and months. There had to be a reason she was willing to risk losing her job and any future coaching jobs. A reason too why she was willing to risk a gold medal.
Ahead, Lynn ducked into a coffee shop. Niki stopped a couple of stores ahead and pretended to window-shop. Designer leather couches that she imagined were as soft as butter, rugs that were probably worth the price of a compact car. She snuck another glance down the street in time to see Dani Compton hustling into the same coffee shop.
Shit, Niki thought. Eva was right. Sweat began to collect beneath her heavy coat. As much as she’d suspected there was some kind of conspiracy going on, knew in her gut Lynn had become corrupt, part of her didn’t want to believe it. She looked around and saw Eva sprinting across the street. They nodded at one another before Eva took up a post on the other side of the café.
Now what? Niki wondered. They hadn’t planned anything beyond following Lynn and Dani, other than perhaps taking an incriminating photo. But the two weren’t exactly skipping down the street hand in hand. They’d entered the café separately, so there was nothing to say it wasn’t a coincidence. There was no evidence they were, right this minute, trading information or cooking up a scheme.
Eva peeked into the café’s window before joining Niki.
“See anything?” Niki asked.
“They’re sitting together at a table. It didn’t look like a happy occasion. Dani’s talking with her hands, which she does when she’s emotional. Lynn’s looking away. But that’s it, I couldn’t chance staying any longer.”
“Crap. Do we go in and confront them?” Niki didn’t relish the idea of a public scene but couldn’t think what else to do.
Eva thought for a minute, her expression darkening. “No. I’m going to intercept Dani on the way back to the village. It’s time she and I had a little chat.”
“What about me? What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing. Go back to the hotel or the rink or whatever you need to do.” Eva tilted her head forward and gave Niki a quick peck on the lips. “Can you get away later for lunch? We can go over whatever I might learn from Dani, plus figure out our next move.”
“Dammit.” Niki rubbed a hand across her tired eyes. “We’re running out of time. Our semifinal against Finland is tonight.”
“And the final is in two days. Believe me, I know.”
Niki clasped Eva’s hand. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. But there’s still a chance you’ll be in that game. Playing my team for gold.” There was nothing Niki wanted more, and though it was a long shot, there remained a chance Alison would change her mind or would be forced to change her mind.
“So…” Eva’s eyes—steady, sure—pinned her. “Meet me for lunch?”
“Yes. I can get away. We have a light practice at two, so let’s meet at half past twelve. How about Matchstick in Chinatown? That should be far off the beaten path.”
“Okay, my love, let’s do it.” Already, she was backing away.
“And, honey? Please be careful.”
Eva gave her a shrug that said what-could-possibly-go-wrong. Then she was gone, darting behind a tall stranger before dashing across the street again.
* * *
It wasn’t difficult to follow Dani, who was either too stupid or too cocky to worry that she was doing anything wrong. She bounced along like she hadn’t a care in the world. Or rather, like she was privy to a secret, to something glorious, that nobody else knew. Eva followed at a safe distance, waiting until Dani approached the opening of a narrow alleyway.
As Dani was about to step past the alley entrance, Eva took off at a sprint and shoved her around the corner and down the damp, dark alley that was no wider than if Eva stood in the middle and extended her arms.
“Jesus Christ, Cruzie!” Dani’s face drained of color. “What the fuck? You scared me half to death. I thought you were some mugger.”
&nb
sp; “I’m not a mugger, but I am here to get something out of you.” Eva stepped closer to prevent Dani from making a run for it.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Dani’s affected bravado was already beginning to crumble. Her eyes scanned a little too eagerly for the exit points, and she shifted her weight from foot to foot.
“I’m talking about you and Alison and Lynn O’Reilly. And you’re going to tell me exactly what the three of you are up to.”
Dani laughed. “Fuck you, Eva.”
In a blur from Dani’s blind side, Eva’s left fist was suddenly at the younger player’s throat, clutching her hoodie in a choking knot. She shoved her face into Dani’s until she could smell the strawberry bubblegum on her breath. “You’re going to tell me right now what the three of you have been cooking up. And don’t bullshit me, cuz I’m not buying a single ounce of it.”
There was a flash of panic in Dani’s visible swallow, but her smile remained cool, unflappable. “It’s too bad you’re off the team. Won’t be able to enjoy that gold medal around your neck in a couple of days. Like the rest of us. I’ve already bought a special glass case for mine.”
“You’re awfully confident of something that hasn’t happened yet. Tell me why.”
“Isn’t every member of the team confident of a win? Isn’t that what you told us once yourself? That winning starts in the mind. That there’s no winning without believing you’re going to win.”
“Bullshit.” She tightened her grip, knew she was going to leave a bruise. “How about we start with that hot tub picture. Whose idea was that, yours? Lynn’s? Alison’s?”
“Maybe it wasn’t anybody’s idea,” Dani ground out. “Maybe it just fell into one of our laps or something.”
She’d made a tactical mistake, Eva realized. Dani knew she’d never choke her, not for real. She released the knot she’d made of her hoodie, grabbed her by the right wrist and pinned it against the chipped brick wall and its faded mural advertising Kokanee beer.
“It didn’t fall into anybody’s lap. Tell me.”
Another smile, a challenging one this time. She was daring Eva to make good on her threats. “None of that crap matters after tonight anyway. The gold is ours and we’re gonna win it fair and square, you watch.”
Eva had had enough of Dani’s games. She gripped her thumb, twisted it against the wall. “Tell me what you know, you little bitch, or I’ll break your thumb and sprain your wrist. Which means you won’t be playing in any gold medal game.”
Dani’s eyes widened and there was an audible intake of breath that was sharp and sudden. Violence was not normally part of Eva’s vernacular. On the ice, even after an opponent had run her over, or slashed her, or tackled her, or done any number of illegal and brutal things, Eva didn’t retaliate. Not with violence. A goal or two, yes. It wasn’t so much that she was a pacifist as a cold-hearted realist. She employed the kind of revenge that would, in the long run, hurt you the most. And in this case, she knew that keeping Dani out of the final game would hurt her the most.
Eva didn’t see the kick coming, hadn’t anticipated it either. But she felt the pain in her knee like a lightning bolt splitting a tree. It was pain so red hot that it put spots before her eyes. She crumpled to the ground. Dani’s fading laughter was the last thing she heard before she blacked out.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Shutout
Niki glanced at her watch again, then tapped out a beat on the tabletop. It wasn’t like Eva to be late. As it was, they were going to have very little time before Niki had to get back to the arena for a short practice. Her team would be on the ice for less than an hour and wouldn’t do anything vigorous before tonight’s game against Finland. It was more for a final few tweaks and for the players to warm up their legs, but it was imperative that Niki be there. Especially since she could no longer trust Lynn’s coaching. For all she knew, Lynn would have them in figure skates. Or something equally stupid like put them through a bag skate, which would leave them exhausted for the game. Lynn had lost all sense lately.
Shit. Eva was really late now. What if something had happened to her while she was following Dani? Most troubling was that she had no way of knowing if anything had happened, and if it had, what the hell could she do to help Eva? She pulled her phone from her coat pocket. To hell with it, she’d text Eva, and if Eva didn’t text back within minutes, she’d phone her.
The restaurant door edged open and in came a limping Eva who couldn’t, by the looks of it, straighten her left leg. It was painful to watch her drag her leg, her jaw clamped so tight that even from a distance, Niki could see was in extraordinary pain.
“Jesus,” Niki said, springing up from her seat and rushing to help Eva. She slipped an arm under her left shoulder for support. “What the hell happened?”
In silence they hobbled to the table, where Eva dropped into her seat with a grimace and a loud groan.
“Here,” Niki said, pushing a glass of cold water toward her. She watched her drink it, saw every tendril of pain etch its way onto her face and made a decision. “I’m taking you to the hospital. Let’s go.”
“No.” Eva latched onto Niki’s wrist to get her to sit down again. “You have to get to your practice.”
“No. I’ll skip it.”
“You can’t.” The note of desperation in her voice made Niki sit up straighter. “You have to be there to keep an eye on Lynn.” She stopped to take a breath, closing her eyes tightly for an instant. Her face, Niki noticed, was as white as the tablecloth. “Something’s going to happen with the game tonight.”
“My game? Against Finland?”
Eva nodded.
“No. Finland’s never beaten us. Even with Lynn trying her damnedest to screw things up, we should be able to beat them with one arm tied behind our backs.”
Eva shook her head. “I don’t think so, not this time.”
“What? What are you saying? What did you find out?” Niki leaned closer. “And more important than all that, who did this to you, sweetheart?”
“Dani. I confronted her. She kicked me.”
Dread, chased by anger, was like a fist in Niki’s gut. She’d kill Dani Compton next time she saw her. Kick her twice as hard as she’d kicked Eva. Better yet, she’d get her biggest, toughest player to give Dani something to think about on the ice.
The server, a gorgeous Asian woman with the shiniest, blackest hair Niki had ever seen, asked if they knew what they’d like to eat. Eva shook her head, closed her eyes again, probably to fight nausea, if Niki had to guess.
“I’m sorry,” Niki said. “I think we’ve had a change in plans. Just more water for now. Thank you.”
“As you wish,” the young woman said, never dropping her smile, before scurrying away.
“Honey, if she kicked you, we should call the police. Then get you to a hospital. She’s obviously hurt you badly.”
“I’m okay. And we’re not calling the police.”
“You’re not okay.”
Eva was biting her bottom lip, her skin white where her teeth connected. “I don’t want to argue about this.”
“You’re right. Let’s not argue. Tell me what you think we should do.”
“You have to go to your practice. And you have to make sure Lynn doesn’t do something to make the team lose tonight.”
“Why would she try to pull off something like that?”
“I don’t know. But Dani said none of this crap would matter after tonight. That USA will win the gold, all fair and square.”
It had never occurred to Niki that Lynn would try to throw tonight’s game, that Canada wouldn’t make it into the finals. But it made a certain sick sense. Tanking the gold medal game against the US would be too obvious. But failing to make it into the final game, well, that would pave the way for Team USA to win gold against the inferior Finns.
“I guess that’s as much an admission as we’re going to get,” Niki mumbled, her thoughts turning to how she was going to thwart whate
ver Lynn might be cooking up for tonight’s game. It wouldn’t be easy to let the Finns beat them, not without the players in on it, and Niki was positive that wouldn’t happen. “All right. Here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll go to the practice and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure my team wins tonight. But first I’m calling Kathleen and asking her to take you to the hospital for X-rays.”
“I’ll call Kathleen, I promise. You go.”
“I’m not leaving you here, Eva. Not until you call her and I know she’s coming.”
Eva rolled her eyes, but she pulled out her phone and began punching in Kathleen’s number. “Fine. You win.”
Niki beamed. “I like winning.”
* * *
“I’m so sorry,” Kathleen said to Eva as the doctor, a burly guy who looked like a rugby player in his spare time, left the exam room with a promise to return shortly with a set of crutches for her.
“The bitch of it is that now that I’m hurt, Alison has a legitimate reason not to play me in the final two games.”
“No.” Kathleen’s voice rose to an angry pitch. “The bitch of it is that you can’t play hockey for at least twelve weeks. And worse than that, your playing career is probably over now. Dani Compton is going to pay for this, I promise you that, Eva. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll—”
“No, Kath. I don’t want you doing anything to anybody right now. And my playing career was going to be done after these Games anyway.”
It wasn’t a secret that her body couldn’t hack the rigors of the game anymore. Anyone paying any attention to the way she played or who saw her limping and grimacing after games or practices knew this was her last serious attempt at any kind of championship. A hairline fracture to her patella, thanks to Dani, had sealed the deal. And yes, she was pissed off and disappointed, and she wanted to scream and hit something. But it wouldn’t change the fact that she would leave these Games without a medal. Nor would it change the fact that she’d sacrificed and worked so hard the last few months for nothing. If it wasn’t for the rekindling of her romance with Niki, she’d be truly desolate.
Delay of Game Page 20