I’ve made a huge mess of everything.
I saw the press coverage. I’m sorry.
More than that, I’ve hurt my parents, my reputation is trashed, and I’ve damaged your career.
I was in the picture with you. Stop blaming yourself. I’m coming over.
Press is everywhere here. You can’t, too much has gone wrong. We can’t add any more fuel to the media fire.
A news helicopter flew past her window. Heather glanced at her suitcase, still unpacked from her trip. She could easily lose herself in New York City’s crowds and bustle, where the news changed as often as the traffic lights flashed. Leaving Atlantic City permanently would take the focus off the team, off Zac, and off her family. The media circus would die down and hopefully, in time, the foundation could repair itself.
It’s best for everyone if I go away for good.
For good? Tell me you aren’t doing something drastic.
I don’t see any other way to fix this.
Don’t move. I’m coming over now.
Please don’t. I can’t bear to see your career collapse because of me. We can’t see each other anymore.
“Declan?”
He peeked his head out of the kitchen. “Yes?”
“We have to go.” She sniffled and tears threatened. “Now.” She croaked the last word out. Then she picked up her suitcase and walked out the door.
Chapter Six
Zac blasted out of the practice facility, through the zoo of reporters camped out for another opportunity to shred his life apart. A few of them would follow him, but he didn’t care. How much more damage could they cause? His mind shot to Heather and the desperation in her voice. Love hurt. The pain bled from her words and leached into his heart. She wanted him safe and happy, but had no idea that happiness didn’t exist without her secure in his arms.
He pulled up to a parking space outside her building, not bothering to go into the garage. The entryway was an open marble area with a security desk and a line of elevators. The private elevator to Heather’s place sat in a hidden alcove on the right. Zac raced to her elevator, ignoring the three people milling about. As the car ascended, he concentrated on what he’d say to her when he banged on her door.
“Heather?” He rang the bell and knocked several times. No answer. His stomach coiled and left him empty and terrified. “Heather? It’s Zac. Open the door.”
He couldn’t hear any movement through the door. His banging became harder and more useless. He phoned her, but the call went straight through to voicemail. Damn it. Where the hell did she go? Air struggled to enter lungs crushed by his stupid, selfish mistakes and Heather’s disappearance. Anger, worry, and frustration fueled his determination to wring her neck for running away and then hold her and never let go.
I’m at your condo. Where are you?
She didn’t respond. Her silence shut him down. He braced himself against the wall, saying a silent prayer that she was fine. That she’d return to him.
By the time he made it back into the lobby, reporters were swirling around the place like locusts looking for the last morsel of food. Two security guards struggled to keep them outside in the cold December air.
“Zac Elliott, the reason the investment in my condo has plummeted. Why don’t you take your filthy influence and find someone worthy of you? I hear there are some ladies for sale near the boardwalk.”
Zac pivoted to the left. Ben strode toward him from the garage door entrance. He wore his typical gray suit and carried his lanky six-foot frame as though he controlled the world.
“Stay the hell out of this.” Zac’s eyes narrowed on the weasel. That son of a bitch had already done enough damage when he’d lied to Heather, almost stopping their relationship before it began.
“Everything that happens in this building is my business.”
“My life is off-limits to you.” Zac headed to the front door and the press, away from Ben.
Ben followed him. “Haven’t you dishonored Heather and her family enough? She needs someone to take her under his wing and guide her into ownership of the team. She doesn’t need some brute messing with her head and her reputation.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Heather was everything to him. Absolutely everything.
“All I know is your little conquest transformed Heather in the public eye from a woman of substance to a bimbo with a nicely shaped ass. Only a fool like you would rush over to her place after the game when you’d already been warned off her. I was surprised when you arrived in Sequoia’s truck, but Heather seemed very responsive to your hands running all over her. I’ll have to remember that when I comfort her.”
“You son of a bitch.” His pent-up rage at the injustice of the press reports and Heather’s suffering erupted. Zac’s fist tightened, but sanity pulled him back, just short of connecting with the smug sneer on the jerk’s face. He lowered his hand to his side and harnessed the anger coursing through his veins. He’d done it again. Every time he fought for Heather’s reputation, he sent it spiraling further into the mud. He’d already done enough damage with the team; he had to get a grip.
A security guard positioned himself next to them, his wide eyes fixed on Zac, never glancing at Ben. Zac stepped back. This was impossible. Heather couldn’t stay and be subjected to the fans and the press. He couldn’t stay, knowing he’d driven her from her work and family. Any decision he made in the next few hours had to place Heather before everyone else. As long as he could ensure her safety and maybe even her happiness, he’d be satisfied, no matter what team he ended up with. And maybe someday when the world righted itself, they could be together.
After an apology to the security guard and a grateful prayer his fist hadn’t touched Ben’s ugly face, Zac left the building and headed back to the practice facility. The cameras followed.
His expression must have beamed malevolence, because everyone in his path backed away as he stormed the halls to Patrick’s office. His intrepid agent caught up to him halfway there and jogged next to him to keep pace.
Eric grumbled something under his breath and then said, “Zac, you’re missing practice. Sweeney, a man who’d love to replace you as the team’s highest goal-scorer, is out there working with the first line. And the rest of the players and a few of the coaches want your head on a stick.”
“I’ll be there when I finish with Patrick.”
He pushed through Patrick’s door with no greeting, only a pissed-off agent behind him. “Where is she?”
Patrick, sitting at his desk wearing a frown, looked up from his laptop and leaned back in his chair. “Zac, this isn’t productive. I’ll take care of Heather. You focus on tomorrow’s game.”
“The game? Are you kidding me?” Hockey was the least of his concerns.
“No. I don’t ever kid when it comes to my daughter. Heather will survive this if you let her go. Ben called me and told me you’d thundered into her building demanding to see her. You almost started a fight with my general counsel? Your actions are bordering on stalking, and if you don’t get your ass down to the rink, I’ll be forced to fine you.”
Eric’s hand clasped his shoulder. Zac shook him off and strode to Patrick’s desk. “Stalking? Heather is hiding out to protect me. I don’t want to be protected. In fact, just free me from my contract, and I’ll be gone tomorrow. What I want is for Heather to be safe and happy.”
Patrick stood up so fast, the chair pushed back into the wall. “You’re willing to leave the team to protect her?”
Why couldn’t he understand that Heather was his priority? “Of course. Anything. Where is she?”
Eric’s fingers dug into his shoulder again. “Hold on.”
Zac held back his urge to rip his hand off. “Let me go.”
“If you want to help Heather, you need to win the next game. I’m all for free agency this off-season, and the dollars it will bring to my bank account, but leaving the team will enrage the fans, and Heather will be caught in the middle,
” Eric advised. He released him and backed toward the door.
Patrick’s fingers drummed on the desk’s surface. “Forget about Heather and focus on playing hockey. When you settle into a more permanent relationship with another woman, Heather’s life will return to normal, and we’ll all move on. If not, maybe a trade would be wise.”
Settle down with someone else? Were they all insane? Why was everyone trying to push him away from Heather? If he had to choose one woman to love for the rest of his life, Heather would be his only choice. They shared the same interests. Her love for children and longing to make a difference complemented his desires for his future. In a perfect world, they could date a few more months, and then he’d propose. In this world, however, he needed to let her go.
It wasn’t fair.
“Start the paperwork, because I won’t play for this team as long as she’s in danger.”
“She’s not your responsibility.”
“She certainly is.” There was no way he was going to let everyone else determine their future. He had to protect her.
“Give me a few minutes with him, outside.” Eric pushed Zac through the door.
When Patrick’s door closed, Eric clutched him by the arm. “Are you out of your mind?”
“I need Heather to be safe.”
“And you think leaving here would enable her to move back? She’d be blamed for driving you away. You’d make her life worse if you left than if you stayed. Don’t you get it? To keep her safe, you need to let her go. Away from here. And the better you play, the fewer people will bother her.”
Eric’s words punched Zac in the solar plexus. He doubled over trying to make sense of what he’d heard. She couldn’t come back, because no matter what, their connection would always place her in danger. All the sadness and loss in his life swarmed back into his mind, his mother, his father, his coach, and now Heather. The tightening in his throat stole away his voice and almost robbed him of his ability to breathe. Perhaps he was destined to be alone. Who had ever benefitted from his presence in their life? No one.
Nothing could be worse, however, than hurting Heather. He’d separated her from her family, made her lose her job, and her home. He raised his hand up to Eric to keep him from following him. He needed time alone to get over her, but he knew he never would. And he could never make this up to her. Legs that had propelled him over the ice to college championships and MVP trophies stumbled to the locker room. It was empty. All the men were on the ice for practice. He sat on a bench and rested his aching head in his hands.
The only thing he was sure of was that he loved her. He loved her enough to give up everything. And the irony was that if he gave up everything for her, she’d be the one hurt. He’d be willing to let her go in order for her to be happy, but he couldn’t give her back her family and her home.
If he could somehow reconcile the fans and her father to their relationship, they could stay together. What a perfect thought, being with Heather forever. He’d marry the woman if he ever got the chance, but life was conspiring against them. Right woman, wrong time.
If he could make her the right woman at the right time, they’d gain the support needed to make this relationship work. The right woman at the right time…an idea sprouted and took hold. It could backfire. It could split him apart from her forever, but it might work. It was worth a try. A lifetime of focusing on winning returned. He rose from the bench renewed and prepared to win back the woman of his dreams.
He didn’t doubt Heather’s support, but her father was a different story. Patrick might never forgive him for what he was about to do. Patrick, however, was a tough old bear. Zac had confidence in his resilience.
He called his agent.
“Eric, you can breathe easier. I’m headed to practice. And you were right. With everything that could go wrong for Heather, I’m not interested in being traded.”
“Great. You okay?” Eric asked.
“I will be. I need you to do something for me. Find the photographer who took the pictures. Tell him he can have exclusive rights to my wedding pictures if he reveals to you who tipped him off about my visit to Heather’s last week.”
“You know who did it?” His voice transformed from concern into the killer attitude that made his athletes millions.
“I have a feeling a little shit with a briefcase betrayed us, and if I get proof, his career and maybe his ability to walk upright will be over.”
…
As the car sped down the Garden State Parkway, Heather stared out the window. Darkness surrounded her. The only light in the car came from her cell phone. She scrolled through her last text exchange with Zac. The urge to call him overwhelmed her, but she wouldn’t. He didn’t need any distractions the night before a game, and she’d lost the right to call him when she’d ended their relationship. Tears clouded her vision. She clicked out of the message and onto the local news website. The headline filled her phone’s screen. Lucky Number Seven Losing His Touch?
The article reported Zac missing from most of the day’s practice and a rookie center replacing him, working with Zac’s line mates. A heavy weight sank her stomach, and her strained shoulders stiffened. No. Why wasn’t he practicing? Was her father punishing him by creating a controversy and forcing Zac to leave the team? She couldn’t let that happen.
Ready to battle for Zac, she dialed her father’s cell number.
“Heather, have you arrived in the city?” His gruff tone elevated her apprehension.
“What’s going on with Zac? I saw the article. You’re not benching him, are you?”
“I’m not discussing my decisions regarding the team. Call us once you’re safely inside your aunt’s apartment.”
“Fine.” She ended the call and shifted in her seat. She’d had enough, and she couldn’t run away until she knew Zac was all right. “Declan, turn around. I need to see my parents.”
“Everything all right?” His green gaze met hers in the rearview mirror.
“No. But I hope I can fix it.”
An hour ticked by. Heather leaned forward, willing Declan to drive faster. Thoughts of what to say to her father flashed through her mind. How could she make him understand?
When they pulled into her parents’ driveway, her heartbeat pounded through her chest. She let herself into the house, with Declan on her heels.
He pointed to the formal living room. “I’ll wait there.”
Following the sound of voices, Heather hurried toward her father’s study. Her parents sat on the small sofa by the window. She steeled her stomach and knocked on the doorframe. “Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you.”
Her father rose and hugged her tight as though shielding her from the world. After a kiss on her cheek, he pointed to an adjacent chair. “Sit. I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’m sorry about everything.” She sank into the seat. “But you can’t punish Zac. I asked him to come over that night. Please don’t take this out on him.”
“Princess, too much has happened. You need to be safe. Since I can’t trust you to follow my request of zero contact with Zac, I may not have any choice but to trade him.”
“I’m giving up my job at the foundation and moving to New York. I’ll start a new life there. That way, I won’t hurt him or the team. You need to keep him.”
“You can’t go. You’re all your mother and I have.”
“You need Zac more than you need me.”
He shook his head. “You’re everything to us. Leo Earnhart contacted my office yesterday. He’s available if we need him.”
“He’s available, because no one wanted to deal with Leo’s drama this season. His off-ice antics won’t help the team.” Hissing, she gripped the chair’s arms. “Replacing Zac with him would be stupid.”
Red crept up her father’s neck and flushed into his face. “Stupid? And your actions these past few weeks have been smart?”
Heather bit her lip. Mortification and regret swept through her. “Please, Dad. I care about him.
Make the right choice for the team. He’s it.”
“Patrick, that’s enough.” Her mother’s firm voice cut through the room. “Zac’s a good man. I’m positive his intentions are honorable toward our daughter. And this ridiculous situation has to stop. These kids care about each other. Can’t you see that? He’s a good person. One I’m proud for my daughter to know.”
Her father frowned. “I’ve always respected him. If I thought he wasn’t a good man, he wouldn’t be on my team.”
“Then why are you doing this?” Heather lifted her hands and then dropped them to her sides. Frustration boiled into the need to hit something.
“I’m doing what I have to do to protect you. I also want to protect him. If the situation were different, Zac is the kind of man I’d like to see you with.”
She straightened her spine. “Really?”
Her mother nodded. “I think you’re good for each other.”
The phone on the coffee table pealed. Her father snatched the receiver. “Ryan.”
Heather perched on the edge of the chair, prepared to further plead Zac’s case.
Her father’s salt-and-pepper brows drew together, his lips curled, and his hand tightened into a fist. He stood, looming over the table like a superhero intent on saving the world. “That’s a serious charge. You have proof?”
Another threat? She pushed to her feet. Taking two long strides, she stood next to him. Her mother flanked his other side.
“However you have to do it, get him to my office tomorrow, eight a.m. sharp. I’ll arrange for my lawyers to join us.” He dropped the receiver onto the phone and rubbed his hands over his eyes.
“What’s going on?” Nerves pricking her stomach, Heather clutched his arm.
“Patrick?” Her mother’s hand rested on his shoulder.
A fresh flush crept up his neck. Within seconds, the redness reached his hairline. His eyes narrowed into the harshest glare Heather had ever seen. “Ben is responsible for the photo being leaked to the press.”
An uncharacteristic curse exited her mother’s lips, echoing Heather’s sentiments. She grasped Heather’s hand in a grip so tight, her fingers shook. “Sweetie, I want you to stay here for a few days.”
Flirting on Ice Page 7
