Page 68 of Skate the Line

“He isn’t a part of my life anymore,” I add. “He has noidea where I am. I don’t have social media, and I changed my number.”

Rhodes blinks once, then twice, and by the third blink, I start to grow weak.

“If there is ever contact…” He clears his throat and reaches up to grab the top of the doorway. His shirt rides up just barely, but it’s enough to catch my eye. “You tell me.”

I dip my chin, and then he’s gone.

I stare at the empty doorway for so long my legs grow numb.

It should make me feel better that Rhodes knows what happened in Washington, but I left out some of the most important details.

At least I still have a job, though.

Twenty-Four

RHODES

I gaveSunny the day off.

I texted her early this morning and told her that I’d be taking Ellie with me to the rink and that she was welcome to do whatever with her day.

Giving her the day off was more for me than it was her, though.

I tossed and turned all night. I rehashed everything she told me and memorized the faraway look in her eyes until it was all I could picture whenever I closed mine. In the worst way, I wanted to reach out to SGT Mel and have him run a more in-depth background check on her, maybe pull some police records if they existed…something.

But in the end, I didn’t.

It felt like an invasion of her privacy.

I have never restrained from digging into the lives of every other person in close proximity to Ellie, but with Sunny, it feels wrong.

I haven’t known her for long, but she’s the most genuine person I’ve ever met.

“Ready, Printsessa?” I shake myself out of my thoughts and stare at my daughter.

She looks so small in her hockey gear, but she is as mighty as any boy U6 hockey player. Her determination is palpable. When she falls on the ice, she pops up quickly, curses in Russian—no idea where she got that from—and keeps on skating.

“So…” Kane rushes over to me, flinging ice in his wake. “I heard you had a slumber party last night.”

“What are you doing here?” I snap.

Kane’s tone challenges mine. “Practicing.”

He sends a puck over to Ellie, and she misses it. She curses again.

“In case you didn’t know, we play the Flames tomorrow.”

“In case I didn’t know?” I repeat. “Considering you were at the strip club until two in the morning, I should be the one saying that to you.”

Confusion whisks over his face. He has no idea there is an entire team group message titled SOS, where if there is a problem child…Kane…we put it in there, and someone volunteers to fix the problem.

He’s the problem nine out of ten times.

“And what are you talking about? What slumber party?” My annoyance is obvious, but I know he won’t care.

Kane smiles deviously. “I heard you invited Malaki to hang out with your nanny and that he stayed the night.”

For fuck’s sake.

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