Page 76 of No Rhyme or Roughing
He stared at me like I’d lost my mind, but I was serious. If we were going to save the Guardians, it was time to act like a team.
I pointed to the far end of the ice. Teddy hesitated, shoulders hunched, then skated off. His first figure eight was slow and sloppy.
“Sharpen it up,” I ordered.
He flipped me off but did as I said.
I turned back to the team. “We need to talk.”
I told them about Mr. Mac’s problems with the investors and minority owners, about how the idea to dance on the ice had come about. Filling the arena was the key to keeping us in San Francisco.
They had questions. Of course they did. A few guyspatted me on the back. Gonzo gave me what he called a “great Russian bear hug.” He lifted me off my skates, squeezing so tightly I could barely breathe. He wasn’t even Russian.
Jules was the first to say what we needed to hear. “So, the entire team needs to become fucking dancers, right?”
“I don’t think there should be fucking on the ice,” Teddy yelled from the far end, panting hard as he skated closer.
I scrubbed a hand over my face. Why was I friends with him again? “No. We tried the dancing thing. It didn’t work. We need new ideas.”
Jules edged closer. “Seriously, Cap? You tried twice. Do you know what ittakesfor a video to go viral?” He turned to the others. “I say we try again. Butall of usthis time.”
Gonzo nodded. “You show us how, Cassidy.”
Could I? I looked at each of my teammates, at their determined nods. These guys were going to dance for our fans?
“What about Coach? He’ll lose it,” someone said.
“I’ll take care of him.”
The feminine voice came from behind the bench. Coach Frankie leaned against the half wall, hands dangling over the edge.
I skated toward her. “How much did you hear?”
“Just the end. But Sullie told me about the danger the team’s in. I figured relocation was a done deal, but maybe it’s not. This is a long shot, but if we can get people in here, show the team has a viable base…” She shrugged. “It could work. I’ll keep Griff from stopping you. Just…” She smirked. “Don’t forget your spirit fingers.”
Behind me, the team groaned.
“Can I stop now?” Teddy shouted, breathless.
I blinked. “Oh. I forgot about you.” I glanced at the team. No one wanted to skate figure eights for long. “Yeah, take a break.”
I turned back to the guys. “We can’t just go out there and wing it. Not with this many of us. We need a plan.”
A plan.
Good. It was a start.
I taughtthe team some basic moves, but I knew nothing beyond that. I wasn’t sure how to get us moving in sync or how to avoid looking like a random mob on the ice. This had to be entertaining, and we clearly needed help.
After about an hour, I dismissed the guys, showered, and walked with Teddy and Rowan out to my car.
“Have I told you yet how much I hate you?” Teddy groaned as he slid into the back seat, moving slowly, like every muscle in his body ached.
“Since we were kids.” I threw him a tired smile. Practice was good, but being in charge was exhausting. I didn’t have it in me to ever become a coach.
Traffic was light, and we got home half an hour later. Teddy grabbed his swim trunks and took off to his dad’s house immediately. He might hate the guy, but he sure loved that hot tub.
Rowan and I walked into the kitchen to find Sydneysitting at the dinette, staring down at her phone, tears pooling in her eyes.
