Thin Ice

by April Cronin

  She whirled on him, ready to rip into him, ready to tell him off. But seeing the look on his face, his words seeping into what rational thought remained, she heaved a sigh, the frustration of a moment ago slowly receding. “I love him,” she said in defeat. All the anger in the world couldn't stop her from admitting the truth.

  “Then what's the holdup?”

  “I'm scared.”

  Andre blinked, smiled at her, then placed a hand on her shoulder. “What's to be afraid of? It's Peter.” He almost laughed as he said it, setting her nerves at ease. “I know he's a Russian and all,” he teased with a wink, “but seriously Harmony, how can you be afraid of Peter?”

  The way he was looking at her, as though she had grown two heads, her statement sounding so completely ridiculous to him, Harmony couldn't help but laugh.

  Amanda pounded the pillows of her crappy second-hand couch.

  Some stupid bimbo from the DA's office had just stopped by and informed her that they were not going to press charges. She'd been given the run about for sure, being told that while there wasn't enough evidence to pursue this case, they would leave it open in the event that something else came to light.

  Yeah, right. And Santa Claus is real!

  She wasn't an idiot, her case wouldn't be set on some back burner waiting for more evidence, with Peter's influence it would be dismissed completely. And why shouldn't it be? She'd been a complete idiot! She knew she should have followed her first instinct and gone after Andre! At least she'd had sex with him!

  Not that it mattered now, it was over. There was nothing she could do at this point. She hadn't been able to find a lawyer to take this case to a civil judge before the results of the rape kit testing, no way was she going to be able to now! And her case against Andre was even less likely. She couldn't get one without the other, they'd just say Andre was telling the truth, so how could that be slander?

  Just when she'd thought to let it go, to admit defeat. Another idea came to mind.

  She was reading one of the latest tabloid magazines, she needed something to calm her down before she broke something, and voila! A new plan formed in her deranged little mind! Tabloids! Of course, why hadn't she thought of it before? Tabloids weren't known for their honesty and indiscretion, and now that the case was over, it didn't really matter what she said, nothing could hurt her at this point!

  She'd call one of these crackpot vanity reporters and sell them the story of the year! How she was raped by Andre Lepowski and sexually assaulted by Peter Petrovic! Of course, she might as well call his lawyer first and warn her. Maybe Peter would cough up some money to keep her quiet!

  It was genius! Why hadn't she thought of this to begin with?

  Chapter 21

  A Last Attempt

  Training camp had started.

  The current team, as well as any free agents who had been invited from other teams, and AHL hopefuls all gathered on the ice to listen to Coach Turski as he ministered to them about his expectations before giving them each their instructions for the day.

  It was grueling. The workouts, the practices, each being put through their paces, but at the end of it all, the roster would be decided upon, and everyone would know their place.

  Peter didn't think things would be too different from last season. The cap had risen a couple of million, and with it came the relief they desperately needed. There were thankfully only a few slots that needed to be filled and tons of young talent in the pipeline vying for a chance to break into the professional circuit.

  They had picked up a couple of really good prospects at the draft, and though one of them was bound to be left with their AHL affiliate, the other was looking to fill an open winger position on the fourth line since two of the three rental pieces they'd picked up at the deadline were too expensive to re-sign and had already gone on to other teams.

  While everyone was sad to see one of their bottom pairing defensemen get traded to Boston, that was the name of the game. The kid had improved immensely over the season after having been called up shortly after the season began, but with other spots taking precedence, the GM did what he had to do to fill roster spots with ready now players, and gather future prospects as well.

  Over the next two weeks, guys would come and guys would go, and before they knew it, preseason would be upon them. There were six preseason games before the season opener on October fifth. Six chances for all the hopefuls wanting to make the team to show just what they were made of.

  Sliding across the ice with his teammates, he and Donovan playing a little keep away, Peter felt right at home. The cool air of the rink, the feel of the ice under his blades, sweat trickling down his neck as he pushed himself to the limit, he was born for this. There was nothing on earth that he enjoyed more.

  Well, except for perhaps making love to Harmony.

  Oh, sweet delicious Harmony.

  Peter had been too busy this past week, and he honestly hadn't given much thought to Harmony. She'd creep into his dreams every so often, but with the need to get back into game-ready shape looming on the horizon, Peter and the rest of his teammates hadn't had much more than a moment to spare between workouts and ice time.

  He had hoped, though foolishly he had to admit, that Harmony would come to him again as she had before. No such luck.

  Andre had told Peter not to worry the one time he had confided in him. And while he wanted to trust his young friend, he couldn't understand why Andre seemed so sure of the situation. What knowledge did he possess would make him certain that Harmony would come around? He had, in fact, said just that. “Give her time,” he'd said, she just needs to come to terms with her own feelings, “you'll see,” he'd told him, she'll come to you when she's ready.

  Could Andre be right? Perhaps he was wiser than his twenty-three years?

  Peter shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he swiped the puck away from one of the young hopefuls, shooting it down the ice to where Dean skidded to a stop in front of Francois and attempted to put it past the goaltender's glove hand.

  It was of course to no avail. France was on top of his game, being a new father, and having his family all under one roof now, gave him a spark he hadn't had last season. Not that he hadn't been good then mind you, he'd had one hell of a season, more shut outs than any other goalie, his save percentage the best in the league, winning the Vezina Trophy, but if this spark of his was anything to go by, he'd have an even better season this time around.

  A repeat perhaps?

  They could only hope.

  Harmony had had more than enough time to figure things out.

  She'd talked to Kate, she'd listened to Chelsea, and she'd been hammered by her father and Andre. So what was the holdup? Peter had waited patiently for her to come around, and perhaps by now he might have even moved on altogether, though she didn't think so. She'd talked to Andre just the other day over the phone. Peter was still pining away for her, of course, one wouldn't know it by watching the preseason games.

  Peter came alive out there on the ice, and having narrowly been outvoted for the Norris Trophy last season, it was clear he wasn't going to allow that to happen again. His stats in the first three preseason games were remarkable, and hell, he was only on the ice half a game a best as they were still trying out other players from the AHL.

  No, this thing with her and Peter did not affect his work ethic. And why should it? Her job hadn't suffered any either! Things with the new setup around the store were working out fabulously. Well, almost everything.

  She'd been near ready to talk to Peter one night last week, but then things at the store went to hell in a handbasket. Part of the roof had caved in, the ongoing construction being the cause of it. Apparently, one of the men on the job wasn't nearly as qualified as he had appeared to be and ended up dropping a load of bricks on the roof at the back left corner of the store. Right over the walk in coolers in the frozen section.

  It was a nightmare to say the least, and though the firm in charge of the
build had promised to cover the damages, there was still a lot to be done to remedy the problem. They weren't like traditional stores where you had your coolers and then a stock room cooler for the excess dairy and what not. Those were the only walk-ins, there was no extra stock, if it wasn't there, they didn't have it.

  Relocating everything that was salvageable took time, and more than a little effort.

  Thankfully the crew on hand had gotten the job done, and the firm had their own contractors on the roof the next day. Everything was quickly put back to rights, but it had still caused enough of a problem that Harmony had been distracted from the task at hand.

  Driving home from work that night, Harmony decided it was time to set the record straight. Only, Peter wasn't home. Once she got to his place, and knocked on the door, the tall blonde lady she had met once before, Sandra she had said her name was, informed Harmony that the team was in Arizona, she was watching the dogs for them, and that they would be home tomorrow night.

  So much for timing she had thought to herself as she got back in her car and headed in the direction of home.

  It seemed as if the universe was now against her and Peter reuniting. Had she taken too long? Maybe she'd missed her chance? She didn't believe in coincidence, but nor did she want to think that fate had other plans for her now. She belonged with Peter, and tomorrow night she was going to find a way to tell him that!

  Donovan cornered Peter the moment they stepped on the tarmac at the Savannah airport. “Hey man, can I talk to you for a sec?” he asked, his tone of voice not belying anything.

  “Da, sure,” Peter replied, following him around the airport and to the parking lot where Lacy was waiting for him behind the wheel of his Escalade.

  Lacy might be a member of the medical staff now, but she hadn't traveled with the team for this trip. Their having had to be apart for the short period of time had obviously been too much to bear. So Donovan gave her a big smacking kiss, pulling her into his arms and squeezing her as if he hadn't seen her in forever, though it'd only been a day. “Hey babe.” he said, standing back and leaning against the door frame, “can you give me and Peter a minute?”

  She eyed him skeptically for a second then nodded, sliding out of the driver’s seat. “sure, I'll go say hi to Abby.” she smiled, patting Donovan on the cheek and walking away.

  Smirking as he watched the way Lacy's butt swayed, Donovan turned to Peter and motioned for him to hop in. Peter followed suit as Donovan climbed into the back of the Escalade and preceded to lean back in his seat, throwing his arm comfortably over the back of the head rest.

  “I heard the DA is going to make an announcement tomorrow about dropping the case.” He said once Peter was settled.

  Peter smiled, “da, I am very excited for this to be over.”

  Donovan nodded, then frowned. “Well, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but it's far from over my friend.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “I mean I got a call from a reporter friend, you know, the one Andre talked to, and she told me something that's a little disturbing to say the least.” Donovan made it a point to wring his hands in a gesture of frustration, he didn't want to be telling Peter this. The poor guy was finally getting his life back together, and wasn't it bad enough that fans of other teams had booed him every time he touched the puck? He didn't need this on top of it all.

  “What is it you are talking about Donny? I do not understand.” Peter broke in, clearly confused.

  “She wanted to give me a heads up.”

  “A heads up?”

  Donovan sighed, then nodded, might as well just spit it out. “I gave her some tips a while back, and then Andre gave her that really good story, so she felt obligated to let me know what was going on. One of her co-workers is doing a story on you Peter.”

  Peter was quiet a minute while he let that sink in. “A story? On me? I still do not know what it is you mean.”

  “That Amanda girl is selling her story to them. Star isn't the most reputable magazine, and they've agreed to pay her a fair amount, for her lies. I'm really sorry about this Pete. I wish I knew how to stop this.”

  “Friend of yours can not make it stop?”

  Regretfully, Donovan shook his head, “no, it's not her story. She just wanted to give me the heads up on it.”

  Peter, angry and losing all hope of ever being able to lead a normal lifestyle again, jerked open the door of the SUV and hopped out. He waved to Donovan who started to say something else, but stopped as Peter put more distance between them, headed for Viktor's car as Sandra had agreed to pick them up rather than having to put a vehicle in long term parking.

  He slipped into the back seat, and leveled a glare at Viktor who turned to speak to him, silencing whatever he had thought to say. Viktor turned to Sandra instead, tired, and now weary of whatever had gotten under Peter's skin, and told her to take them home. Clearly now was not the time to socialize with Peter.

  Harmony was sitting on the couch entertaining Sadie and Dasha as they entered through the back door. Peter took one look at her, his handsome face still marred with anger, and longing for something he now knew he could not have, he turned and dashed up the stairs to his room, Sadie leaping from the couch to follow in his wake.

  What was that all about? Harmony wondered as she watched Peter run up the stairs like a madman. And why was he so angry? He hadn't even said hello! Was it something she'd done? But how could it be, she hadn't seen him in weeks!

  Worried, she exchanged glances with Viktor, who just shrugged his shoulders and led Sandra down the back hall to his bedroom. Well, that only left one thing for her to do. Follow him. She hadn't come over here to leave without speaking her peace first.

  Harmony went up the stairs, her nerves as taut as a tightrope, and tapped gently on Peter's bedroom door. She heard what sounded like Sadie sniffing at the bottom, but no other sound came from within. Pulling the strap of her purse a little higher on her shoulder, she gave the door knob a try and found that it was unlocked, opening the door and walking into the room.

  Peter sat in a chair in the corner of the room, facing a multi-screened computer that occupied an antique desk. Something she hadn't noticed the other two times she'd been in the room. Though now, as she realized just how big and ornate the desk was, and how advanced the technology that rested upon it was, she felt amazed at the fact that she could have been so blind.

  Then again, both times she'd been in this room Peter had made unbelievably amazing love to her, so maybe it wasn't that much of a stretch.

  Peter didn't seem to notice her arrival as he typed furiously at the keyboard, another facet of Peter that surprised her. She had no idea he was so tech savvy, his limitations with the English language made him appear less than what he was. The closer she got to him though, the more advanced she realized he was. He went back and forth between the two screens, typing something in Russian on one screen, and then something that quickly translated from Russian to English on the other screen.

  Emails she realized, ignoring them once she figured out what he was doing, and then tapping him gently on the shoulder.

  Peter started, having no idea she was in his room, let alone that she was still in his house. Sadie jumped down from the bed where she had so easily made herself at home and stood between the two of them whining as Peter grumbled something in Russian and regained his composure.

  Harmony could tell he was still angry, but his features softened as he took note of the concern on her face.

  “I did not know you were still here.” He conceded after a few minutes of awkward silence passed between them.

  Harmony's hackles rose at the indifference in his voice, with hands on her hips, she braced herself for an argument. “I'm sorry, did I fail to take the hint downstairs? Was I supposed to have left?”

  Peter shrugged, baiting her temper further. “You are free to do as you please no?”

  “What's gotten into you Peter?” She demanded. “I thought you wo
uld be happy to see me!”

  Turning back around in his chair, Peter attempted to ignore her and finished what he was working on, signing both emails and hitting send, he rose from his chair, walking over to the bed where he sat down and proceeded to remove his shoes, nearly throwing them on the floor where they stopped mere inches from Harmony's feet.

  Harmony was stunned! She'd never seen Peter act this way. Why, he was no more than a petulant child, angry for being told he couldn't play with his favorite toy! She suddenly wondered why she had even bothered, only to realize that Peter had every right to be angry with her.

  Sighing, and resigning herself to her fate, she stood before him, their eyes locked in a battle of wills. “I'm sorry Peter.” she began, “you have every reason to be mad at me.”

  Scoffing, Peter cut her off, putting a hand up to silence her. “You think I am mad at you?” He growled.

  “Aren't you?”

  “What reason do I have to be mad at you Harmony? Because you have no believed me? Is because you do not support me?” Peter stood, closing the distance between them, his voice rough as he reached out and ran a finger down the side of her arm. “Is because you touch me how you do, you make love with me, and walk away?” Harmony shivered, and Peter laughed mirthlessly, his hand trailing around her neck and pulling her closer to his face as he kneaded the base of her spine and neck. “Is because you have feelings for me, but not the courage to face them?”

  Peter was so close to her now, she could feel the heat of his breath on her neck as his voice dropped and he whispered albeit harshly in her ear. “Is maybe that you can stay away from me when I suffer to have you near?”

  Harmony gasped as his lips feathered across her neck, the anger she held onto so strongly having fled, replaced by a deep seeded need, one so strong she ached with it.

  But rather than put her out of her misery, Peter took a step back. He looked at her with such disdain, and said, “Net. I am not mad with you.” His hands dropped to his sides, and though one corner of his mouth twitched in amusement as he studied her flushed cheeks, and the erotic image she presented with her full lips partially open and gasping for air, he did not touch her again.