Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty The next day—Moscow Ilya would fly back to Boston tomorrow. Andrei was the executor of their father’s estate, what little of it there was, and Ilya had fulfilled his duties as a son. He was done. He’d realized, over the past few days, that he truly had no reason to return to Russia. […]
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen The next day—Detroit “Did you hear about Rozanov?” Shane stopped tying his skate and looked at the bench across from him, where Gilbert Comeau and J.J. were chatting in French. “What about Rozanov?” Shane asked, also in French. They both looked at him, surprised, no doubt, by the slight panic in his voice. […]
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen February 2017—Montreal Two weeks after All-Star weekend, Shane received a text from “Lily.” Can you believe that shit with Zullo? Frank Zullo was a defenseman for the New York Admirals who was known to be a hot mess. He had gotten arrested the previous night for bar fighting or something, and now he […]
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen Ilya stood in the middle of his hotel room. Did Shane actually want to talk to him? Was “talking” code for something else, like it always had been before? Had Shane felt the shift in their relationship that Ilya had, the last time they were together? If so, was he looking to break […]
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Sixteen January 2017—Tampa Bay Shane was nervous. After six and a half seasons, he was used to his fucked-up arrangement with Rozanov, but something felt different now. Maybe it was because he had finally spoken aloud to someone about his…possible preference. Or maybe it was because of the weird way things were left the […]
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen One week later—Montreal Shane liked Rose Landry. He did. She was easy to talk to, and she had a warmth about her that drew people in. She was a bigger celebrity than he was, but she handled it so easily. She laughed a lot, and when she asked people questions—which was often—she genuinely […]
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen November 2016—Montreal “Hollander. What the fuck are you doing right now?” Shane frowned into his phone. It was his teammate, J.J. Boiziau, calling. J.J. who always called and never texted. “Nothing. Why?” “Fuck that. Get your ass downtown. My buddy Francois, you know, the chef? He’s having a little after hours party at […]
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen November 2016—Boston “Heading out?” Hayden asked from where he was watching television on the hotel bed. “Yeah. Just for a bit. Meeting a friend.” “If you say so.” Hayden grinned. Shane swallowed and tried not to let anything show on his face. His insides roiled with shame and fear and anticipation. “Just a […]
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve October 2016—Philadelphia Ilya had a man pinned under the weight of his body. The man was big, almost as tall as Ilya, and pressing back against him aggressively. Ilya wedged a knee between the man’s thighs, holding him firmly in place. “Fuck off, asshole,” the man growled. Ilya leaned on him harder. “All […]
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven June 2014—Las Vegas At the end of the season, the league asked Rozanov and Hollander to present together at the NHL Awards. Because the league was cute, they asked them to present the award for Most Sportsmanlike. Shane was waiting backstage in his tuxedo. Alone. No one knew where Rozanov was. They were […]