Liam recovered the rebound and looped behind the goal, then made like he was going to send the puck back to Brandon, but pivoted at the last second and squeaked it to Theo, who was in position at the crease getting rowdy with another Ultimate Nachos defensiveman.
Theo lived for these kinds of messy, down-and-dirty plays. He always got the job done—or, at least, he had before the losing streak started. Tonight, he was all muscle and grit. When he shoved the puck over the goal crease, it looked like he’d put it right through the goaltender’s body.
The red light on top of the goal flashed. A horn sounded. The “More Cheese” chants died, replaced by the low foghorn cheer of “Theeeoooo” from Bomb Squad fans. The team surrounded Theo, cheering and high-fiving.
Brandon thumped Theo on the back. “I missed this sound, man. Welcome back.”
Liam got his share of props for his assist, but his heart wasn’t in it. Marlena still wasn’t in her seat.
While the coach gathered the team in a huddle at the bench, Liam skated to the official’s table where Harper sat, and behind her, Olivia, Allison, Presley, and several others of the players’ wives and girlfriends.
“Great assist,” Harper said. “That’s the way to start the game. Shut those idiot Ultimate Nachos fans down fast.”
“Thanks.” For the first time since Liam started playing hockey on Bomb Squad, he looked his sister in the eye while she sat in the stands at his game. “Where’s Marlena?”
Olivia pointed to the bleachers behind Bomb Squad’s goal. “Her family came. She’s sitting with them.”
Her family’s presence didn’t make any sense. They had never come to a game, as far as he knew. But there they were, all sitting in a row. Marlena’s parents, then her brother, then Marlena. Her brother was the one she’d been at the snack bar with. Liam couldn’t stop picturing her expression when she’d been in line at the snack bar. She wasn’t in a good place, mentally. She didn’t want to be near her brother, and Liam didn’t want her to be, either.
“Liam, play’s starting,” Elijah called. “Get off the ice before we get a penalty.”
He’d turned toward his bench, still puzzling over Marlena’s family’s presence and that Marlena was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with her brother when Olivia said, “Hey, great job on that play.”
His insides clenched as they always did when she addressed him directly. But he was working on being a better man for Marlena’s sake, and for his own peace of mind, and so raised his hand with a two-finger salute in acknowledgement as he skated away. The gesture didn’t kill him. Even if it left him open to her ever-present judgment, as everything he did seemed to, that was fine because Marlena would approve and she was the only other person on the planet whose opinion he cared about.
On the bench, he took the time to study Marlena. Her spine was straighter than usual, her features stiff in a way that told him she was on edge, but she didn’t look like she needed rescuing from the situation or anything extreme like that. Next to her, her brother watched with disinterest as an Ultimate Nachos fan spun a sombrero on his hand.
Marlena must have felt Liam watching her because her gaze shifted from the game play to him. The edges of her lip twitched into a smile that vanished again almost instantly. He couldn’t smile back. He didn’t have it in him. That gut instinct that had plagued him all night was stronger than ever. Something was wrong.
Being on the ice as he was, in the middle of a game, his hands were tied in a way that wasn’t sitting well with him. She was right there, close enough for him to watch the motion of the fingers of her right hand rubbing a circle on the back of her left hand, yet he couldn’t get to her in any easy way if he needed to. The arena’s boards and Plexiglass might as well have been his jail cell. He was filled with the restless urge to tell Coach he was out for the game, grab Marlena, and get her out of the situation.
“McAllister!” Duke barked. “Head back in the game.”
He shook off his misgivings. Marlena was fine. She didn’t need Liam going into some kind of PTSD-related panic attack over nothing. This game tonight was in Gabe’s honor, and Liam owed it to his teammates to give a hundred percent.
At the first intermission, Bomb Squad was up two to one, with Theo and Brandon at a goal each. Marlena said something to her parents, then walked out of the bleachers and reappeared by Olivia’s side, a beer in her hand, looking more relaxed.
Liam skated over. “What’s going on with your family?”
“Long story.”
He studied her long and hard. “Is everything all right?”
She gave a slow nod. “I think so, actually. My parents wanted to come see you play. That’s cool, huh?”
He didn’t give a rat’s ass about her parents, but knew better than to voice that opinion. “After the game, meet me at the locker room, okay?”
“I’ll probably walk my parents and brother to their car. Nothing’s going to happen.” She held up her beer as though that proved her point.
Gritting his teeth, he rolled his head in a neck stretch, breathing and getting a grip. Something had triggered extreme anxiety inside him and he didn’t know what it was and it was pissing him off.
“Liam,” Marlena said.
He snapped his attention to her again.
“I like your idea better. I’ll meet you at the locker room after the game. We can walk my family to their car together.”
“No offense, Liam,” Harper said. “But, Marlena, you don’t have to do what he says just because he throws a tantrum. I know I’m supposed to butt out of your relationship, but that sucks.”
She wasn’t doing what he said because he was an overbearing asshole boyfriend. He was having a PTSD hiccup, which he chose to believe Marlena had noticed and had changed course to support him.
“I know I don’t,” she said to Harper. Then, to Liam, she added, “You want to meet over by the locker rooms right now? Just for a minute or two?”
Yes, he did. And the way she looked at him, loving and strong, confirmed that she knew exactly what he was going through inside. Like always, she got him and what made him tick. It was as simple as that. And yet, now was a good time to practice keeping control of his emotions. Duke already thought he was too distracted from the game. Gabbing with his girlfriend during intermission wasn’t going to help Duke’s opinion of him. And meeting her outside the locker room? That would be asking for an ass-chewing, or worse—being made to sit out of the game.
“I’m good. I’ll see you after the game at the locker room.”
The rest of the game went well. Marlena stayed with Olivia, so Liam was finally able to settle into the right mindset the game required. With five minutes left on the clock in the third period, Bomb Squad was up five to one with only five minutes to go. Liam would’ve never guessed in a million years that Will had a knack for goaltending, but he’d proven his talent tonight. Their losing streak was about to come to an end. Gabe had a smile stretched from one ear to the other. Liam was proud that they could give him this moment of victory after all he’d been through.
The Ultimate Nachos fans had decided to rally. The noise in the place was deafening. Game play stopped every minute or so as sombreros, panchos, and maracas flew all over.
The next time Liam looked into the stands, Marlena wasn’t there. His gaze shifted back to her family. She was back to sitting next to Michael. Now, though, her brother didn’t look like he was coping well with the noise. His hands were over his ears and his eyes were wide and shifty.
Then a sombrero hit Michael in the face. Much to the obvious displeasure of the Ultimate Nachos fan who’d accidently—or not so accidentally—let it go, Michael ripped it apart like he was the friggin’ Incredible Hulk. Then he sprang to his feet and sped off.
Marlena’s mom rose, looking worried. After a few words, Marlena pressed her mom back to sitting with a hand on her shoulder, then rushed off in the same direction as her brother.
Liam cursed under his breath. The jail cell walls w
ere back in force. Did he take himself out of the game and go after her? Still debating, he took a last look at Marlena’s now-empty seat amid the cheering Bomb Squad supporters and the jeering Ultimate Nachos fans, then he skated to the puck drop point, where the rest of the team was ready to play the last few minutes before Bomb Squad’s first win in three months and ten days.
Chapter Twenty
Marlena fast-walked through the lobby of the Iceplex and out into the temperate night. She didn’t see Michael right away, so she jogged around the side of the building, calling his name.
What she saw made her stomach drop. Not Michael, but the group of Ultimate Nachos fans whose sombrero Michael had destroyed. There were four of them, all standing around someone smaller, shouting and kicking him. Whoever that was didn’t deserve that. She had her phone out, ready to call Iceplex’s number so they could send a security guard out, when she heard Michael’s voice.
“I don’t have any money,” he cried.
Marlena took off toward the group at a sprint, dialing 9-1-1 as she ran. “Hey, you jerks, get off of him,” she called.
One of them, a tall, skinny man with a splotchy beard, kicked Michael in the leg. Another, this one beefier, shoved him. “You ruined my hat, you prick.”
“Hey, you bullies! I just called the cops,” Marlena shouted. “Get away from him.”
Only one of the men seemed to notice her. He glanced over his shoulder. “Hey asshole, your girlfriend’s here. You gonna let her save you, you pussy?”
Michael crouched in the center of the circle, covering his head with his arms. “You’re with them, aren’t you? You’re from the Foreign Legion.”
“What did you say?” the skinny man said with a malevolent laugh. “Are you crazy or something?”
“Please don’t kill me,” Michael whimpered.
Marlena reached them as the beefy man overturned his beer cup on Michael’s head. All four men dissolved in cackling laughter.
“Hey, leave him alone,” she called. “The cops are on their way.”
“Who are you, his mom?” They broke into laughter again.
The tall, skinny man grabbed Michael and put him in a headlock. “Don’t get any closer, bitch. All we’re trying to do is get this loser to pay us back for the hat he ruined.”
“I don’t have any money,” Michael cried. “I swear.”
“Help us,” Marlena cried into the phone. “We’re being attacked.”
“Bitch, that was the wrong thing to say.” He released Michael and prowled toward Marlena; she stumbled back, but she refused to leave Michael alone.
The man knocked the phone from her hands. She turned to run, but he grabbed her ponytail and yanked. She fell to her knees hard on the asphalt. Her eyes watered from the pain of it. She felt small again. So small. She knew she needed to fight, but she couldn’t make her limbs work as her body shut down from the trigger.
Behind her, Michael bellowed, “Marlena!”
The man jerked her head back, forcing her to look at him. His breath reeked of beer as he sneered down at her. “Who’s in control now, bitch? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not you.”
Light-headed, she struggled for air as the corners of her vision narrowed. “Let go of me,” she said, quiet as a whisper.
“Yeah, see, I don’t think I will.”
“No. No. I can’t let that happen,” Michael said. He appeared suddenly from behind and jumped on the man’s back. “You get away from her.”
Marlena saw a flash of silver in his hand and her stomach lurched. “Michael, no!”
But her words were drowned out by one of the men shouting, “Rick, he’s got a knife, let’s get out of here.”
Rick, if that was the thin man, let her hair go. Marlena willed her body to function, to get to Michael and help him, but Rick reached him first. He shoved at Michael and the two of them toppled forward onto Marlena.
Her breath rushed out of her lungs with a whoosh as her head hit the blacktop.
Other men dog piled on them, wrestling, fists flying. Someone shouted, “You’re crazy, motherfucker.”
Marlena heard Michael bellow and she struggled for the breath to command him to put the knife away before someone got hurt, but the weight of the men on top of her was too much and she couldn’t make her voice work. Then a searing pain radiated from her leg like a mushroom cloud. She cried out, but the sound was muffled under the body weight and clothes of the men. When, finally, the men scrambled away and stumbled back, Michael stood between her and the Ultimate Nachos fans, brandishing his knife, which was covered in blood.
Marlena looked at her leg. A long, deep gash had penetrated her pants and skin. Blood poured from the wound. Swaying and lightheaded, she clamped a hand over the gash, adrenaline and panic helping her ignore the pain pulsing in her arm and all through her body, but the blood continued to seep through her fingers.
“Oh my God, he hurt her,” one of the men yelled with a tinge of unmistakable glee. Then he let out a hard laugh. “Dude, you’re going to jail.”
“Shut up!” Michael bellowed. “I’ll save you, Marlena. The Foreign Legion can’t get you, either.” He grabbed her roughly by the wrist and half-dragged her along behind him to the street.
She struggled to stay upright, afraid he’d drag her behind him even if she lost the last of her strength. “Let go of me, Michael. Please. You’re hurting me.”
“I won’t let them hurt you. I can save both of us.”
He ran toward the bridge across the street. In the distance, sirens wailed.
He tugged her harder, until a pop of blinding pain slammed through her torso and she cried out. He must have dislocated her shoulder.
“Stop. Right where you are, or I swear to God, I will end you.” It was Liam’s voice, deathly calm, but meaner than she’d ever heard him sound.
Michael skidded to a stop, but swung the knife in Liam’s direction, his arm unsteady. “I can’t go to jail. I have to protect Marlena. Nobody’s going to get her.”
“He’s my friend, Michael.” The effort to speak left her dizzy. She drew a pained breath and tried to reason with him one last time. “Look at me. I’m hurt. I need an ambulance.”
Liam’s focus went to her bloody leg. His expression gelled into a blank mask, a picture of calm focus that reminded her of the way he looked when he’d done the emergency procedure on Gabe’s throat. With a steady hand, he lifted his phone to his ear and pressed a button. “Bring the medical kit to the Main Street Bridge next to the parking lot as fast as you can. There’s a life on the line.”
“Did you call the police? They won’t help us. They work for the Foreign Legion.”
Liam’s hands came up in front of him in a show of surrender. “I won’t take you. I won’t hurt you. She needs a tourniquet on that leg. I’m going to take my jersey off to use to stop the bleeding, got it? Nobody’s hurting anybody tonight.”
“Michael,” Marlena pleaded, desperate to snap him out of his panic before she blacked out. She blinked away the black spots in her vision, fighting the light-headedness. “Look at my leg. I need Liam’s help.”
Michael turned, his gaze finally seeing through the haze of his fear. With a distressed cry, he sank to his knees. The knife clattered to the ground. “They did this to you. Don’t die, Marlena.”
She stared up at him, at the caring and fear in his expression. He did love her. She could see that now. His one head shifted into two, and it took all her concentration to realize that she wasn’t seeing double, but that Liam was there, too, kneeling over her. He said something, but she couldn’t understand it. She felt weightless and free of pain. Liam was with her. Her brother loved her. He’d tried to protect her.
Her spirit smiling and at peace, she reached her mind out to the void and the world went black.
Chapter Twenty-one
A howl ripped through Liam on the inside. A howl of so much pain, so much fury, he felt like he was on fire.
“I’m riding in the ambulance with he
r, damn it. You can’t fucking stop me.”
“We can and we will if you don’t let the ambulance leave. You’re wasting critical time. We need to get her to the hospital.”
Growling in frustration, he staggered back and watched them close the door, taking Marlena out of his sight.
He’d never felt so crazed. Toxic, dangerous adrenaline coursed through his veins. He couldn’t lose it now, not like last time, with Gabe. He couldn’t. Marlena deserved better than that. He fought the panic, fought his body’s instinctual reaction to rage against the violence and blood.
He had to meet the ambulance at the hospital. He had to be there for her. But he couldn’t function. He couldn’t stop the fire ripping through him.
A hand touched his shoulder. He whirled around, fists at the ready to strike whoever dared breach his personal space. “Leave me the fuck alone!”
Olivia stumbled back, her arms shooting up to cover her face as though to protect herself from him. “Liam, stop. It’s only me.”
He panted, catching his breath, and forced his fists to open. “What do you want?”
She straightened, returning her arms to her sides. “Let me help you. Please. I’ll take you to her.”
“Why would you help me?” he bit out. As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw the answer in her eyes.
“Because you’re my brother,” she said in a low voice. “I would do anything for you.”
He dropped his head, forcing the storm inside him to calm.
When he looked up again, his teammates stood behind Olivia in a wall of solidarity.
“Knock off the ’roid rage, okay? Your choices are to ride with me or ride with your sister,” Will said. “Either way, we’ll get you to Marlena as fast as we can.”
Undefeated Page 29