Lance managed to tune out Kip Sterling's bullshit during the rest of the video call. It was hard not to be bitter or disappointed by the way events had unfolded. He knew he hadn't done anything wrong—his only crime was being caught on camera. Okay,maybehe shouldn't have swung back on that guy. But that was more instinct than anything. Out on the ice, you have to be willing to stand up and defend yourself. You can't let someone sock you in the face and get away with it. You had to show that you wouldn't be bullied around.
But … he wanted to be captain. And that meant being held to a higher standard than the rest of his teammates.
When the call was over, Lance walked back to his room. His teammates were leaving their rooms, heading downstairs to catch the bus to the airport. It felt weird not joining them. He'd never been suspended before. Almost made him feel lost.
Lance entered his room and frowned. Paige had already left.
If nothing else, it would've been nice to have her company. Someone to talk to about Kip Sterling. The trouble of trying to be captain. All that.
Lance cracked a grin. It wasn't like him to miss a girl.
He set his bag down and left the room, hailed a cab, and headed to the Nashville Police Department.
***
If Lance wasn't sure why he had to go to the local precinct, the Nashville PD weren't much more helpful.
He was taken to a room with two other officers. The police hadn't heard about the incident at Zickell's. No phone calls, no police reports. Lance showed them the video and explained his case.
“So you said this guy hit you first?” one of the officers asked.
“Yep.”
“Do you know who he is?” the other one asked.
“Nope.”
“Looks like some drunk. I'd say you tuned him up pretty good. Are you wanting to press charges?”
“No. I really don't care.”
The officers looked at each other. “If you don't care, why are you here?”
“Hell if I know. I'm supposed to give a statement. Can we do that or not?”
“Well … alright …” the first officer shuffled some papers around, then passed Lance a blank sheet. “Can you sign this first, by the way? It's for my son. He's a big hockey fan.”
“Sure.”
Lance gave his statement and was out the door a little while later.
Well, that was pointless.
He made it back to his hotel room shortly after 1 AM. When he saw his empty bed, and disappointment rippled in his belly once more, he couldn't help but think of Paige again. Yeah, it was late, but who knows, maybe she'd be up?
He dug out his cell phone and dialed the number she'd entered. It went straight to voicemail.
“Hi, this is Paige. Leave a message!”
Lance smiled at the melody of her Tennessee twang. He loved listening to her speak. Her voice made him think of warm honey. Or holding his palms up to a crackling camp fire on a freezing fall night. Or cozying up with a mug full of steaming hot cocoa after a long day out on the frozen pond, like when he was a kid.
Something about her accent was so heart warming. He wanted to hear it again.
He dialed the number once more.
“Hi, this is Paige. Leave a message!”
Chapter 14
