Power Play (39 page)

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Chapter 75

Loud applause and chants of “Welcome back!” broke out in the locker room when Alex and Troy entered the following Monday to dress for morning skate. She felt a little nauseous but determined to resume playing, put on a brave face.

“Glad to see you again, Galla!” Griese cheerfully shouted.

“There’s the team beauty, healed up and ready for action,” Jax said with a grin.

“Hey, Alex!” Reggie called. “Nice to see you!”

“About time you got your lazy arse to work,” Davy razzed her.

Byron smiled at their banter. “To say you were missed would be an understatement, Alexandra.”

“Thanks for the warm welcome, gentlemen, but I won’t officially play until Thursday night against the Liberty,” Alex replied. “Mr. Halloran and Coach Barry thought a home game would be more appropriate for my return.”

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Johann made a face. “Philly sucks. Couldn’t they pick a better home game?”

“I’m afraid it’s the earliest home game this month, Jo.”

“We’ll need someone else to help Troy knock Caldwell on his ass,” Brian said. “Good to see you back, Alex.”

“Thanks, but I think our captain does well enough on his own.”

Troy chuckled. “Watch it, Al; you’ll give me a big head yet.”

“You
have a huge ego? Never!”

“The lady’s right,” Marty said. “Some guys can only handle so much before they snap, but Talmadge always stays cool and classy in light of all the demands on him. He’s not only the best player and talented as fuck, but he also found St. Cloud and Galloway, which helped build up our team much more. I never thought I’d say this out loud, but I’m honored to be part of the Rebels with Talmadge as our leader.”

Troy gave him a surprised look. “Thanks, O’Freel. That means a lot coming from you.” He turned to Alex. “I think you winning the arm wrestling match put some sense into our otherwise vicious defense specialist.”

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“Howdy Doody’s not scary as he tries to act,” Alex said.

“Yeah, I needed knocked down a peg or two,” Marty replied with a chuckle. “I know Galloway possesses mad skills in whacking a few biscuits, but had no idea she was
that
strong away from the rink.”

“Hell, I could’ve said the same thing and spared you the humiliation,” Jax teased.

The room burst out in loud laughter.

“I’d love to stay and joke with you guys a bit longer,” Alex said, “but though I’m not on active status until Thursday, I want to get in a few morning skates and contact practices before the big return. Therefore, I should dress.”

Reggie clutched her arm before she entered her dressing room. “I need to talk to you.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Not here; we’ll talk outside later. I’d rather you hear what I have to tell you than get wind of potential news from either the Internet or media.”

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“Reggie, what’s going on?”

“We’ll chat privately after practice,” he replied before releasing Alex’s arm. “I’ll see you on the ice.”

Baffled, she watched him leave.
What’s so urgent that he couldn’t tell me in front of the other guys?

She sighed and entered her dressing area, pushing aside further concerns and prepared for practice drills that lay ahead for the first time in sixteen games.

***

“Someone kept up her stride while on injured reserve,” Pierre said after practice. “You didn’t work like someone who missed sixteen games.”

“I’m grateful to once again do what I love,” Alex said. “Thursday night can’t get here fast enough.”

“You’re going to be great. I couldn’t help but notice you looked distracted a few times. Do you feel okay?”

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“For the most part; Reggie wants to talk to me in private and I think Troy inadvertently shared some of his two-day flu bug with me. He got sick Saturday night about a few hours after Jay Lassiter’s wedding and didn’t feel remotely decent until this morning.”

“No one can accuse Troy of not being generous,” Pierre joshed. “On a serious note, I have an idea what Reggie needs to discuss with you, but I’ll let him handle everything.”

“Oh God, is it bad news?”

Pierre shrugged noncommittally. “Depends on what he has to say.”

“Well I better find Reggie and find out what he’s burning to tell me. I’ll see you later at the team meeting.”

***

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Chapter 76

“All right, Reggie, what’s going on that you needed to talk in private?” Alex asked between sips of ginger ale. “You mentioned something I should hear from you instead of seeing it online?”

“Yeah,” he solemnly replied. “I want to give you a heads-up about the trade deadline before certain rumors spiral out of control.”

Alex gasped. “Am I among the players being considered for a trade?”

“No, thank God, but you should be aware of some speculations circulating league wide the last few weeks.”

“What speculations? Get to the point, Reggie.”

“What I’m about to say isn’t easy, Alex, so I’ll cut to the chase. There’s talk that Troy and Boris want to be traded to other teams.”

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“What?
I thought they loved being in Pittsburgh! Didn’t Troy state last year he’d like to someday retire as a Rebel?”

“Sometimes a person saying one thing while thinking another isn’t always apparent. Each took the ‘change in culture’ reference by some other teams as cheap shots against their leadership skills. Troy’s our captain and Boris his lead alternate. The positive side is both are extremely close, but in a negative aspect, they’ve become convinced they’re the only ones who have each other’s backs.”

“Nothing’s further from the truth! He and Boris should know better.”

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but with the way our last several games were played, I can understand what prompted them to allegedly consider greener pastures.”

“So they’ll take the coward’s way out by asking for trades? I can’t believe what I’m hearing!”

“No one knows if the rumors are true, Alex. I’m aware how close you and Troy became over the last several months, which is why I wanted to tell you what’s happening before others blow things of proportion.”

“I wish Troy mentioned something to me if he’s unhappy. I would certainly talk to him if the tables were turned.”

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“Maybe he’s embarrassed to make his displeasure known or afraid of upsetting you.”

“Does Davy know?” Alex softly asked.

Reggie nodded. “He first told me about the rumors.”

“How long have they been circulating?”

“At least two weeks.”

“I wish Troy would’ve said something. He rambles about how he and I shouldn’t keep secrets from each other, yet I have to hear about him wanting traded from someone else? I should give that asshole a piece of my mind!”

“Alex, don’t tell him about our conversation, at least not yet. No one can say for sure what he and Boris are thinking, and you don’t want to brew a shit storm before returning to the ice.”

“Okay, but it won’t be easy to remain quiet. Do you have any more Alka-Seltzer?”

Reggie dug in his bag and handed her a couple small packets. “You’re still a little queasy? Troy must’ve passed you one hell of a bug.”

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“Jax mentioned Brian, Greise and Johann fighting something similar last week along with guys from other teams.”

“Damn, seems this league can’t catch a break for anything. Last year was a meningitis epidemic; now we’re dealing with some weird stomach thing.”

“At least a flu virus is easier to treat.” She sighed. “Sorry for losing my temper, Reggie; I’m only concerned for Troy’s future and hope he doesn’t make any decisions he’ll later regret.”

“Don’t stress, baby girl. I can understand your concern.”

“Thank you for keeping me in the loop nevertheless.”

“I’m sure Troy would tell you about any trade if any speculations were true.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Are you free for lunch? I’m meeting Davy and sure he wouldn’t mind if you came along.”

“Let me get the rest of my stuff together. You better not order anything heavy if you’re still queasy.”

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“Yes, dear!” she replied with a laugh. “Let me go find Davy and let him know you’re joining us.”

“Thanks. See you guys out front in a few minutes.”

***

481

Chapter 77

“Why you suddenly quiet?” Boris asked. “I thought you happy Alex coming back Thursday.”

“I am, but still worried about her,” Troy replied. “She was flying high the entire weekend through this morning. Now she’s either snapping at if not altogether ignoring me. I don’t know what I did wrong.”

“Alex no feel well. Maybe rest at home help some.”

“I hope so, Boris. Damn stomach bug’s been spreading through the league like crazy. She always kept good spirits throughout being sick, though.”

“Sorry for eavesdropping, guys,” Byron said, “but I may be able to offer an explanation.”

Troy nodded. “Sure, Preacher; I’m open to any theories.”

“Be warned that rumors have once again surfaced about you and Boris considering trade options to other teams.”

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“Oh, God; I hope Al didn’t get wind of anything. How do people come up with this shit?”

“We no go anywhere,” Boris stated firmly. “This my hockey home unless someone tell me different. Always.”

Byron gave him a reassuring smile. “I know, Boris, but Alexandra’s still a rookie and likely confused as to what she should believe. The Internet can be a scary place.”

“If Galloway heard gossip about Talmadge and Furishykov, I doubt she got it from the Internet,” Marty said. “I saw St. Cloud and Hebert in deep conversation before morning skate, and then Hebert wanted to have a talk with Galloway after practice.”

Boris looked alarmed. “You think Reggie tell Alex about rumor?”

“O’Freel may be on to something,” Troy replied. “Al had lunch with Davy and Reggie, so it’s likely either or both of them mentioned something to her. That could explain the sudden mood change.”

“She think we want leave? Not true! You tell her, Troy.”

“The tricky part will be first getting her to pay attention without sniping at me.”