Page 54 of Blood on Ice

I nodded. “And they’ll let us know if there’s any sign of Benito or any of his other potential allies?”

“Of course.”

“Okay. I don’t want Zeke out of our sight. Someone needs eyes on him at all times. They’re going to use him to get to us.”

“We’re not going to let that happen,” Pops said.

Once the players came out, I focused on the ice. I loved watching Zeke show off as he warmed up, and I couldn’t have been happier when he scored the first goal, but when the first period ended, the goons two sections over stood up and started to head out.

Val rose. “I got this. You stay put.”

I glanced at my father, and he nodded. “We’ve got your back.”

My chest tightened and my throat constricted. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to speak. “Thank you.”

He nodded, then focused his attention toward where Val had just exited, following Benito’s associates.

A few minutes into the second period I got a message from Val saying the men were in our custody, and they would be waiting for me to question them after the game. I watched Zeke take a shot before I responded. I wanted to take him home as soon as the game was over, but I also wanted to question these assholes myself.

“Can you hold them until I’ve had time to celebrate?”

“Sure. They got nothing to do but sit here. They’ll wait as long as you need them to. I’m going to see if I can get them talking about where to find Benito, but I’ll be sure to keep them alive for you.”

Before the game ended, Val returned and let us know he had the information we needed to track down Benito. He’d learned that Benito was part of a crew that had taken over a criminal enterprise in Las Vegas. We’d been right that he chose to deal with Zeke personally because he wanted a chance to gather a few more allies and get revenge on our family.

“We are going to bring this problem to an end as quickly as possible. Pops said he could have everything ready by tomorrow night. Take this time with Zeke.”

“What?”

“Take your man home,” Pops said. “Those assholes aren’t worth your time. Let your brother do away with them.” I looked at my father in shock. “I’ve seen the way you watch him. It’s the same way Val watches Liam. You two are as stubborn as I’ve ever been,and it’s useless to try to stop you. You’re always telling me you get what you want when you try hard enough, so go give it a shot.”

“You’re really telling me to go after Zeke?”

“Yes. Tell him how you feel about him.”

Was this really my father? “I’m not sure he’s ready to hear that.”

“Some people are never going to be ready. Some people are never going to be able to say it either.”

I looked at him. Was he trying to tell me he cared about me but didn’t know how to say it? He’d always just done things for me. He didn’t express himself in words very often. I hadn’t thought I needed that, but maybe I did.

“Thanks, Pops.” I leaned over to hug him, but he held up his hands.

“Don’t go too far.”

I just smiled. “Yes, sir.”

20

ZEKE

When I saw Vito pull up in his SUV, I slipped out the door and quickly got into the vehicle before anyone noticed me. The last thing I wanted was to be swamped by fans in an area where security wasn’t there to fend them off.

Vito grabbed my arm and pulled me across the console, knocking off the neatly folded jersey he’d worn in the arena. The one with my name on it. The one that made me feel like I had claimed him instead of the other way around. He kissed me hard, forcing my lips open. I struggled for a moment, knowing this wasn’t the best place to start making out with him, but I couldn’t help but give in to the pressure of his mouth, the thrust of his tongue, the way his hand clamped the back of my head, keeping me where he wanted me. After all that hard work to win the game, it was nice to just surrender against him and let myself feel pleasure racing through my body instead of exhaustion and pain.

When he finally pulled back from the kiss he was smiling, showing me such genuine happiness.

“You were amazing out there. Watching you score was so fucking hot.”

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