Library

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Brantley

“ A re you nervous?” my assistant Zara asks as the referee skates out with the puck.

“Have you ever seen me nervous?” I reply, watching the ice while my heart beats steadily.

“No, I have not,” Zara says with a nervous chuckle. “I, on the other hand, am freaking out.”

She starts pacing around the owner’s box as the game gets underway.

My hockey team, The San Antonio Hyenas, are about to begin game seven of the conference final. If we win, the boys will be battling for the Stoney Cup next week where the chance at greatness awaits. If we lose, the boys will be in their favorite vacation destinations with nothing but regret and disappointment waiting for them. I’m rooting for the former.

The referee drops the puck and our star center, Sebastian Kemp, explodes into action. He passes the puck back to the veteran Harris Sutton who brings it out.

“I can’t watch,” Zara says as she sits down next to me for a split second before popping back up and pacing around the private box.

Her girlfriend is a seat over. She leans over to me with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about her, she just really wants to win.”

“We’re aligned in that regard,” I say as I watch The Halifax Icebreakers steal the puck.

It’s been a season full of ups and downs. Everyone thought I was crazy when I purchased the worst team in the league.

They wondered what I was doing and why I would put myself through so much torture. Some of my billionaire friends laughed and asked why I was wasting my time with a rubbish hockey team when there were bigger fish waiting to be caught in the business world.

How could I tell them that it wasn’t about money? They wouldn’t understand the notion.

I’ve been there and done that when it comes to business. I started a mining company from scratch and sold it for 1.3 billion dollars. That was before I turned thirty. From there, I leveraged my contacts, capital, and knowledge into a start-up that launched satellites into space. That company sold for four billion. From there, I took my fortune and joined the angel investor world where I hit a few jackpots. Today, I’m worth somewhere north of twenty-six billion dollars. But who’s counting? Once you hit five billion, any additional dollar doesn’t really matter. It just seems excessive.

The crowd cheers as our future hall of fame goalie, Nolan Barlowe, makes a stop. The referee blows the whistle and the players ease up.

The young pretty waitress comes over now that the game has stopped. “Can I get you a drink, Mr. VanMorgan?”

“I’m fine, thank you.” I never drink at work.

She leans down and I get a noseful of her candy-scented perfume. I turn to her and accidentally get an eyeful of hard cleavage before looking up into her eyes. “Yes?”

“I was wondering if you would like anything else?” she asks in a seductive tone. “Anything at all?”

“Hey!” Zara says with a snap of her fingers. “Beat it, Barbie.”

The waitress rolls her eyes at Zara who’s glaring at her with her hands on her hips and leaves, thankfully.

“Once again,” I say to my assistant as she plops down into the empty seat beside me, “you have proven yourself to be worth every penny of your massive salary.”

“Speaking of that,” Zara says as she takes a sip of her soda, “if the Hyenas win the Stoney Cup, I want a raise.”

I grin as the game starts back up. “You got it.”

Zara is a dream employee. She helped me build the team to what it is today and she offers all sorts of other perks, like keeping these money-hungry women away from me.

They’re everywhere. When you’re a well-known billionaire bachelor, they come out of the woodwork to try and chip off a piece of you. Some just want the social clout of being seen with a billionaire star, some are truly starstruck, wanting photos or autographs, some are trying to get you to buy them lavish presents, some want cash for their sob story, some are trying to get in my bed, and the worst ones are trying to have my child and use it as a lifelong lottery ticket.

Thankfully, I’ve never fallen for that game.

I’ve sworn off women.

I won’t open myself up to falling into whatever trap they’re trying to set. I resigned to my fate of remaining single a long time ago.

“Yes!” Zara shouts when our rookie, Austin Gambill, steals the puck and brings it up the ice. He shoots it at the net, but the Icebreakers’ goalie is fast and the puck bounces off his stick.

The brute on the Icebreakers, a huge fellow named Rory Price, takes a cheap shot at Austin, slamming him into the boards.

“Hey, what the fuck?!” Zara shouts, nearly spilling her soda all over herself as she screams at the ref. “Where’s the goddamn penalty?!”

The rest of the arena is announcing their displeasure as well. I just sit here and watch calmly. Screaming and taking a temper tantrum won’t solve anything. All it will do is provide an embarrassing clip of me for the TV networks to play on repeat.

Plus, that is what I hired the great behemoth Tucker McKinstry for.

The crowd erupts as our giant enforcer drops his gloves and skates over with violence in his eyes.

I always try to keep a steady demeanor, but even I can’t help but get excited as the beast approaches. Rory drops his gloves when he sees Tucker approaching.

Those two have been going at it throughout the whole series. We’ve had a few fists thrown and a lot of hard hits, but we haven’t seen that epic fight that everyone’s been waiting for.

The crowd is on their feet, cheering as the referees hover around, none of them brave enough to get between the two gladiators.

Tucker lands the first punch and it’s a doozy. Rory’s head snaps back, sweat flying off his face, but he doesn’t fall down. He grabs onto Tucker’s jersey while Tucker grabs onto his.

“Yes!” Zara screams as the two Goliaths land punch after devastating punch.

Finally, the referees jump on them and pry them apart. They’re both led to their penalty boxes with blood streaming down their faces.

“Another few seconds and Tucker would have knocked him out,” Zara says, sitting down with a huff.

With the two enforcers in the penalty boxes, it’s four-on-four for a while. Sebastian gets the best of them and scores between the goalie’s legs.

Zara and her girlfriend jump up and cheer along with the rest of the crowd while I watch calmly with my poker face on. There are still two and a half periods to go. It’s not time to celebrate yet.

But, it’s a good start.

“We’re going to the Stoney Cup!” Zara says over and over as the clock winds down. “We’re going to the Stoney Cup!”

The Hyenas are up four to two with less than a minute to play.

I’m not getting my hopes up yet. I know that freak occurrences, although rare, can occur. And miracles can happen for the other team as well.

It’s not over until the clock hits zero on the scoreboard.

The buzz of excitement around me amplifies as the Icebreakers’ goalie sprints for the bench. Now, they have an extra player on the ice and the puck is in our zone.

My heart beats in a calm steady rhythm as I watch them set up their best play. The defenseman with the killer slapshot rips a hard one at Nolan. My guy is ready and he deflects the shot, although he does fail to secure the puck. It ricochets away, but my captain, Sebastian Kemp, seizes it between all those scrambling bodies, makes a few brilliant maneuvers, and lets it fly.

“ Yes! ” Zara hollers as the puck slides down the rink and sinks into the open net. She grabs my coat and screams onto the side of my face as the whole arena explodes into deafening cheers. “We’re going to the Stoney Cup!”

I grin as I watch the boys celebrating on the ice down below.

The clock on the scoreboard doesn’t matter now. With thirty-six seconds left and down three scores, there’s no miracle coming for the Icebreakers.

Zara is the only one in my private box who would dare to scream in my face, so everyone else comes over to congratulate me in a respectable way, shaking my hand, and wishing me luck in the finals.

I stand up and watch as the boys celebrate on the ice and then head into the locker room, looking thrilled. I’m happy for them. They each deserve a hockey legacy. The next week and a half will help determine what that legacy will be. A bust in the Hockey Hall of Fame, or just a bust. Time will tell.

All eyes are on me as I head out of my box and hurry through the hallways. Everyone is celebrating, trying to take pictures of me, trying to get my attention.

My three security guards are on my heels as I head into the bowels of the arena, which is reserved for players and staff.

Zara and her girlfriend race to catch up. “Next week, The Cincinnati Vipers,” she says with an excited grin. “Do you think we can take them?”

“We can take anybody,” I answer confidently.

Although, the Vipers will be a challenge. They’re good, but we’re better. The longtime owner, Samuel MacIntosh, died two months ago, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole organization is a chaotic mess.

His younger daughter has taken control of the team, and I doubt she knows what she’s doing. MacIntosh was a brilliant owner and he always made sure the Vipers were contenders. Even up until his death as a frail old man, he still ran a tight ship with a winning record.

Hopefully, that’s all about to blow up in the daughter’s face.

Zara and her girlfriend hang back as I step into the locker room. A rambunctious crowd of media screams at me as I hurry past them, trying to get me to stop and give them a quote. I ignore them all and head inside.

The boys are celebrating, but I’m glad to see it’s not out of control. The job is not done yet and we don’t need hangovers or bad decisions weighing us down.

Music is playing, cigars are burning, and a few beers are being passed around, but that’s about it. Most of the guys are in towels or in their underwear, either about to take a shower or just fresh out of one. No one is hanging from the ceiling chandelier and spraying champagne everywhere, which I’m happy to see. We’ll save that for when we have the Stoney Cup in the locker room.

The boys all start clapping when they see me walking in. I shake Nolan’s hand and tell him he played a wonderful game.

“Incredible shot,” I tell Sebastian as I shake his hand. “Perfect aim as usual.”

“Thanks for taking a chance on me, Mr. VanMorgan,” he says with a nod of his head.

The coach, Finn Moss, comes out and hurries over to shake my hand.

“All-star team you compiled here,” Moss says to me. “It’s a pleasure to coach them. Thank you for bringing me on and letting me be a part of it.”

“Thank you,” I say, squeezing his hand as I look him in the eyes, “for bringing out the best possible version of it.”

He steps back with red cheeks, trying not to smile.

“Who’s ready to win a Stoney Cup?” I shout.

The boys holler and pump their fists in the air. Tucker smacks his fist into his massive chest and hoots like a gorilla.

“We have a chance at greatness in front of us,” I say in a deep powerful voice. “It’s up to each of you to decide if you want to grab it.”

“I’m going to grab that greatness by the balls!” Edvard the Swede hollers and everyone laughs.

“And then he’s going to put those balls in his mouth,” Austin says.

“The chance at greatness comes around once in a lifetime if you’re lucky,” I tell them when it quiets down. “I urge you all not to let it slip through your fingers.”

The boys lower their heads as they think about my words.

The quiet moment is interrupted when the door opens and a woman sticks her head in. She’s covering her eyes with her hand. “Can we come in? Please? ”

It’s the wives and girlfriends of the boys. They’re all eager to come in and celebrate with their men.

“It’s up to the boss,” Coach Moss says, looking at me.

The boys look just as excited to see their lovers. How can I hold them apart?

“Come on in,” I say with a smile.

The doors explode open and a bunch of squealing women rush in and jump on my players, kissing their faces and making them blush.

Even Tucker McKinstry has a girl—a cute little blonde with kind blue eyes.

Sebastian is making out with his girl against the locker and Nolan is hugging his girlfriend Grace, the coach’s daughter.

Austin’s woman leaps into his arms as Harris’ wife and five-year-old son rush over to greet him.

It’s so heartwarming to see and feel all the love in the air.

I feel a little tug on my heart knowing there’s no one waiting for me.

But that’s okay. It would just be a distraction.

A distraction I don’t need.

I’m just fine on my own.

This is exactly how I want it.

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.