ry

or dinged

ng through the stillness o

oved from

m the cemetery, though it had dried st

vy tread of Bla

slowly, drag

ights flared on,

shielding

he entryway, loo

jacket was slu

the untouchable capt

r was slightly mussed, h

ting there in the

, his voice rough

," I

was fla

ing... it was a nightmare. The franchise owners were breathi

," I

ore, a movement behi

ed out of th

stark, blinding white that felt like a physical

d pressed to her forehea

was a soft, trembling me

posture shifting from defensiv

cket and reached

I've go

ched

aturally found the

im, her weight entirely supp

e doing her

't sta

have th

e, exasperation t

a. Hyperventilated. She couldn't be alone

said. "To our home. On the n

," Blake snapped, his unyi

is. Not tonight

e smell

scent of Claire's perfum

floral-garde

s clo

ating the back of my

that had been lingering on

st from overzealous fans at meet-a

ng at me with wide, watery eyes. "It's my fa

her shoulder. "I... I think I left my shawl in the c

to Blake's whi

on the

mud

as s

e

lipstick Claire was

stopped

ef, the thunder, the patheti

a suspicio

d in red wax on high-

ood

t surprisin

he shattered va

the Tiffany bo

right up

e, expecting a figh

what day it w

uiet he had to le

frow

I know I missed the service, a

ou buried your ma

ed arou

look at

nowledge her

d out and gr

was firm,

ripped a hockey stick

g unreasonable. You're hyster

n at his han

ked up int

with those han

my voice st

s if he'd b

guest bedroom

de and lock

k was the loudest so

e door once. "Open this doo

n't a

ent, I hear

I'll sleep in

fted from the living room.

," Bla

steps re

I slid down the door

ping my arms around them,

hed my

I whispered. "He doesn

uffel bag I had stashed there weeks ago, back wh

a stack of cash I had withdraw

d on th

ing, but my mind w

number I ha

that specialized in discreet proce

ical," a vo

Tomorrow morning. Under the name Av

n opening

take

ung

an to

ant anything his NHL m

y docu

er's ol

ca

om, I heard the lo

a soft

was la

of my mothe

istress in

r was the fu

d away t

away the h

ll desk and pull

lf, finding templates online to avoid alerting hi

pped a

dn't

or people wh

ed my

Montgo

Knig

again

papers on

fully clothed, clutchin

dn't s

the sun to rise so I c