“He’s dead the next time I see him,” Duke says.
“Denny, please don’t do anything.”
“I can’t make that promise right now, Kat.”
I lay my head back on the stack of pillows on my bed and close
my eyes. Maybe they just need to time to process everything. It had taken me months to come to terms with my new life. Now, I have to muster the courage to tell Dean.
Chapter 20
Five months after the NHL Draft
Dean
For our first matchup against the Capitals, I have the pleasure of playing against Duke Baldwin. He’s a bruiser, a big guy, and the one player on the ice you don’t want to mess with unless you have a death wish. Known by everyone in the NHL as a Baldwin Beatdown, Duke has made a reputation for himself for his highlight reel knockouts. As the enforcer for his team, fighting is Duke’s specialty.
Some of the guys on my team were going over their strategy for playing against Duke. I should be concerned. But I’m not.
After our defenseman intercepts the puck, he passes it to me, and I take off down the ice. Well aware of Duke and his proximity, I skate faster, glancing over my shoulder when I reach center ice. I switch the puck to my weak side, keeping it away from Duke’s blade. But he’s good at getting me to do what he wants because my failed attempts to dodge Duke send us crashing into the boards.
Instead of reaching for the puck, he pulls the gloves from his hands and throws them on the ice along with his stick. His actions take me by surprise, removing me from my element.
Does he want to fight me?
Before I have time to prepare myself, Duke grabs me by the collar of my jersey. “You are mine, asshole” he breathes against my cheek.
I attempt to skate away, still in possession of the puck, before one of his teammates come up from the side and steals it from between my legs. Those in attendance at the Capital One Arena come to a standing, waiting for Duke’s next move. He has the appeal of a wrestler putting on a show. I wriggle free from his grasp, but only for a few seconds. Duke slams me into the Plexiglas, as if I weigh nothing, causing me to lose my balance.
With a firm grip on my collar, Duke tugs hard enough that I fall backward and into his chest. I give him a shit-eating grin that he returns with his jaw clenched in anger.
“This is for Kat and Noah,” he growls into my ear. “You fucking scumbag.”
“Who’s Noah?” I choke out, my face twisted in anger.
“Your son.”
My son?
“What are you talking about?”
“You knew. Don’t fucking lie.”
My jersey slides up my back, as Duke slams my face harder into the Plexiglas. I spin around, still struggling to break free from his grasp, when Duke hits me with a right hook to the jaw, followed by a jab that forces me to the ground. But he doesn’t loosen his grip, not even for a second.
“Kat is pregnant with your kid. Don’t act like you didn’t know.” Bending over me, Duke lands a few more punches that bloody the ice, before two linesmen grab him by the arms.
In shock, I sink to the ice, in pain from the hits I took from Duke and numb from the news about Kat. Is she pregnant? And with my son? I don’t know what hurts worse—my jaw or Kat’s betrayal.
The cheers from the crowd grow louder, as Duke fights the linesmen off with an elbow, and when I least expect it, he knees me in the face. The blow to my face causes my body to go limp as I fall backward and onto the ice. Before my eyes close, I watch Duke throw his hands up in victory, about to turn and face the fans, when his fist collides with the jaw of the linesman behind him.
The team doctor comes over to check my vitals and shine a light in my eyes. Some of my teammates are circling us, hoping to get a clean shot at Duke. His teammates skate around them to block the other players, even though he doesn’t need them to shield him. The last player who hit a linesman lost months worth of pay and earned a hefty suspension.
I hope fucking up my face was worth it, asshole.
As the officials escort Duke off the ice, I get help from the doctor and my teammates, who pull me up from the ground. What a low blow for my first year in the league. That fight will be on every highlight reel for weeks to come. What concerns me most is what he said about Kat…and our son.
How could she hide something like that from me, of all people? We share everything with each other. I want to believe that Duke misunderstood and that he’s delusional. Kat owes me an explanation for my face, this fight, and our baby.