Page 16 of The Captain's Curfew
I can’t have a crush.
Not on Violet.Not on Declan’s little sister.Not on the woman who could single-handedly dismantle the walls I’ve built around myself if I let her.
I shake off the thought and focus on the ice beneath me.Practice is already a disaster, and I don’t need to add Violet-induced distractions to the mix.
“Carter, you’ve got to loosen the hell up,” CJ calls as he skates back and forth between the bars of the net.“You look like you want to kill someone.”
“Maybe I do.”
CJ smirks.“Lemme guess—Violet?”
I grit my teeth.“Drop it.”
“Just saying,” he drawls, tossing the puck toward Jake Mercer, one of our new forwards.“She’s got you wound tighter than ever.”
I ignore him and turn my attention to Mercer.He’s good—fast, aggressive, but reckless.The kid has talent, but he doesn’t respect authority, and it’s starting to show.
“You need to cover the left side,” I call as Mercer skates toward the goal.
He doesn’t respond, instead attempting a flashy deke around Declan—only to instantly get the puck stolen from him.
“Jesus,” I mutter, blowing the whistle around my neck.“Mercer, you’re not a one-man show.Stick to the damn play.”
Mercer skates over, barely masking his irritation.“Relax, man.It’s practice.”
I step in close, my voice low and firm.“You think that attitude is gonna fly in a game?You want to play for this team, you play as a unit.Not for yourself.”
Mercer shrugs.“I was just testing things out.”
I exhale sharply.“I don’t care what you were doing.You follow the system, or you don’t play.Got it?”
His jaw tightens, but he nods.“Got it.”
I watch as he skates off, frustration brewing in my gut.He’s not the only one pushing back lately.Some of the younger guys still don’t take me seriously, especially after last year’s mess.The scandal left a stain on this team’s reputation, and it’s my job to clean it up, but keeping these guys in line feels impossible some days.And with Violet constantly stirring things up, I’m barely holding on.
After practice, I head into the locker room, still simmering.The guys are joking around, but I catch snippets of conversation that make my jaw clench.
“Mercer’s got a point,” one of the rookies mutters.“Carter acts like he’s running boot camp, not a hockey team.”
“You’d think after last season, he’d lighten up,” another says under his breath.
I grip my water bottle so tightly it nearly cracks.I shouldn’t let it get to me.I’ve been in this league long enough to know that leadership comes with resistance.But after everything we went through last year—the near implosion of this team, the media firestorm, the fight to prove we deserved to stay together—I expected more respect.
CJ claps a hand on my shoulder as he and Declan walk by.“Ignore them, man.”
I exhale, forcing myself to cool down.“They need to get their shit together.”
“They will.”Declan grins.“Or you’ll kill them trying.”
I roll my eyes, but the tension in my chest doesn’t ease.
By the time I get home, I’m exhausted, my frustration still simmering beneath the surface.I kick off my boots and run a hand through my hair, already dreading the inevitable headache of dealing with Violet’s latest antics.
And right on cue?—
“There he is,” Violet singsongs from the kitchen.“Captain Carter, ruler of the Thunder, grumpiest of all grumps.”
I sigh.“What now?”
