Page 63 of Bar Down

Kane moved closer to Marcus, voice low. "Chenny good?"

"Should be." But doubt gnawed at him. What if something had gone wrong? What if Reed had noticed the laptop missing? What if Stephanie had been caught?

Marcus checked the clock again. Seven minutes until they needed to retake the ice. Seven minutes that could determine whether they still had careers tomorrow.

"He better be," Kane said with a meaningful look. "Because Coach wasn't kidding about that stapling threat."

As the team began filing out for their pre-period stretches, Marcus hung back, pretending to adjust his skate laces. His mind raced with calculations and probabilities, but not about hockey this time.

Best case: Chenny would get the laptop, find the blackmail material, delete it, and return the computer without anyone noticing.

Worst case: Reed would catch them, the blackmail would go public, and their careers would be over in eight hours.

And where did Stephanie fit into those scenarios? The woman who'd somehow become the most important variable in his carefully ordered life. The woman currently executing her part of their desperate plan, trapped in a luxury box with the man who'd already tried to destroy her once.

Marcus made a promise to himself as he stood to join his teammates. Whatever happened with Reed and the blackmail, he would make this right for Chenny. He'd take full responsibility with Coach, with management, with the league if necessary.

And he'd find a way to keep Stephanie safe, even if it meant sacrificing the career he'd built.

"Adeyemi! Get your ass on the ice!" Coach Vicky's voice shattered his thoughts. "Second period in two minutes!"

Marcus grabbed his stick and headed for the tunnel, where the familiar sounds of the arena washed over him—crowd noise, skate blades on ice, pucks hitting boards. The routine of it steadied him, even as his mind remained split between the game ahead and what might be happening seven floors above him.

Whatever came next, there was no going back now. Not for any of them.

Chapter Sixteen

Stephanie

Stephanie tried to look engaged as Westfield explained the finer points of the powerplay strategy to Reed, who nodded with feigned interest while stealing glances at the laptop bag by the couch. She'd returned it to exactly where he'd left it, but his periodic checks made her stomach knot. Did he suspect something?

Below on the ice, Marcus led the penalty kill unit with a vengeance. The Chill had managed to tie the game at 2-2, but Columbus was pressing hard, hungry for the lead.

"Your goaltender's positioning is exceptional," Reed commented, gesturing with his scotch toward Liam Castillo. "Smart investment."

"Marcus's defensive system makes him look even better," Stephanie said, unable to stop herself from giving credit where it was due. "Their coordination is what's keeping us competitive."

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