Page 34 of Slap Shot
A knock on the door. "Heather? How are things looking?"
"Hey, Jack. Just monitoring the network traffic. Lot of devices connected tonight."
"Any issues?"
"Nothing major. Just keeping an eye on things."
"Good. I know you've been concerned about security after the medical file incident." There was a pause. "By the way, I've been getting questions from some donors about Oliver. They were hoping to meet him, but I haven't seen him around much tonight."
Oliver held his breath. Charlie was a soothing presence in the cramped space.
"Haven't seen him," Heather said smoothly. "These big events can be tough for him sometimes."
"Right, of course. Charlie's with him, I assume?"
"I imagine so."
"Well, no pressure. The donors will understand. Thanks for keeping everything secure back here."
"Just doing my job."
Footsteps retreated down the hall. Oliver waited another thirty seconds before emerging from the closet, Charlie padding out beside him.
"That was close," he said.
"Close enough." Heather was staring at her screens, and Oliver could see the frustration in her shoulders. "Whoever's doing this, they're not going to stop. They have Vicky's files now. They could leak them anytime, destroy her career the same way they went after Jax."
Oliver studied the attack patterns on her screen, his mind already working through possibilities. "We need to get ahead of this. Set up a honeypot, something that looks valuable but feeds us information about who's accessing it."
"You think that'll work?"
"It's our best shot at identifying them. But we'll need to make it irresistible. Something they can't resist going after." Oliver pulled up a chair beside her. "I'm thinking player salary information, or maybe trade discussions. Something juicy enough to draw them out."
"And then what?"
"Then we trace them back to their source and shut them down permanently." Oliver's voice hardened. "Before they can hurt anyone else."
Heather nodded, already pulling up the tools they'd need. "How long do you think we have?"
"Not long. If they're smart, they'll release Vicky's information soon to maximize damage. We need to move fast."
Looking at the screens full of malicious code, Oliver felt the familiar rush of the hunt. This was what Heather had called him in for—not just his insights, but his skills. The abilities he'd sworn never to use again. But some things were worth breaking promises for. And protecting the people he cared about was definitely one of them.
"You should get back out there," she said, not looking up. "I need to keep monitoring this."
The doubt from earlier hung between them like a wall.
"Heather—"
"Go." She was already typing again. "Before someone else comes looking for you."
Oliver stood there for a moment, watching her work, feeling the space between them growing wider. He should tell her about Kai. Should explain about the partnership, the betrayal, the threats. But Kai was locked up—had to be. And admitting that his former best friend had once promised to destroy everything Oliver cared about would only make her doubt him more.
Chapter Eleven
Oliver
The charity scrimmage should have been pure fun, players in mismatched jerseys facing off against local business mascots and celebrity volunteers. Kids packed the lower bowl, their excited chatter echoing through the arena as Oliver skated through warm-ups.
