Page 59 of Nix
“I was watching the game. I saw what happened to your brother. Is he okay?” Marlin asked.
“I don’t know!” Nix wailed. “They’re not saying. They went back to playing. They kicked Vin off the ice too. Why? Is he with my brother?”
Marlin placed a hand on Nix’s shoulder. “I’m sure he is. Didn’t you see the way that Vin beat the living hell out of Thompson? They literally had to carry Thompson off the ice.”
“I didn’t—” All Nix could remember was Aries crashing through that glass.
“There are only a few minutes left. The team doctor is probably with your brother. They’ll take every precaution to make sure that he is okay.”
“But why!” Nix spat. “Aries is the sweetest person ever.”
Marlin patted his shoulder a little awkwardly. “Laney came up with me. He’s already reaching out to people he knows on the Vikings. I think Evan is doing the same. They’ll get answers for you.”
Nix turned. He took in the room and really had to wonder how long he’d been staring at the TV. Laney and Evan were both on their phones. More of his teammates had entered and were milling around. Laney bent and picked up the shredded rope before stuffing it in his pocket. He caught Nix’s gaze and winked.
Huh, well now that just happened. Their captain totally knew their secret.
Nix tuned in to the friends that had come up.
They were talking about how to help Nix and his family. Asking questions of one another. It was nice, made Nix’s heart happy, but it didn’t appear that they knew any more than he did.
Nix sat on the edge of the mattress, looking back at the screen.
The hockey game was over.
Every member of the Vegas Vikings stomped off the ice. They might have won the game but no one celebrated with their rookie out of the game and possibly severely injured.
The game went back to the commentators.
The bed dipped as Marlin sat beside him.
“Dude,” Nix drawled. “Why are you all of a sudden my shadow?”
Marlin flushed. “I…I’ve been trying to talk to you for a few days. I even attempted to get your attention on the plane, but Evan was glaring at me.”
Nix snorted. “He does that.”
“Yeah. For you. He never cared enough to glare or talk much to the rest of us.”
“I guess I just bring out the best in people,” Nix quipped.
“I think that might actually be true,” Marlin replied.
Nix leaned close enough that their shoulders brushed. “Are you starting to like me? Are we going to be friends?”
“I always liked you,” Marlin said quietly. “That was the problem.”
“Problem?”
“You’re just so…likeable. From the first minute you entered the locker room, everyone loved you. It was a lot harder for me to fit in when I got here. Some of the older teammates gave me so much shit.”
“Who?” Nix demanded. “I’ll kick their ass.”
Marlin snorted.
“Okay, I’ve learned my lesson fighting. But I won’t give them any more treats,” Nix promised.
“Thanks, but they aren’t here any longer. Most got traded or retired a couple of years ago. The last two years have been good. I found my place with the team,” Marlin explained.
