Expose on the Ice (Sparks on the Ice #1)

Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

LILY

I race through the corridors of the crowded arena, my heart pounding in my chest. The roar of the crowd celebrating the Frost Giants’ victory fades into background noise as I spot Tank heading towards the locker room.

"Tank!" I call out, my voice barely audible over the commotion. "I need to talk to you."

He turns, his brow furrowing as he sees me. "Can’t it wait, Lily? I need to?—

"No," I cut him off, grabbing his arm. "Follow me."

I lead him to a quiet corner of the arena, my mind racing. I’ve built up the courage to confront him during the last period, since I’d discovered he was the mole. And as we reach a secluded spot, I take a breath and turn to face him.

"I know what you’ve been doing," I say, my voice low but firm. "You’re the one who betrayed Carter, aren’t you?"

Tank’s eyes widen, a flicker of panic crossing his face before he schools his expression. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Cut the crap, Tank," I snap. "You’ve been leaking information to my editor, Frank. And you stole my notebook, didn’t you?"

It looks like he might try to deny it, but his facade crumbles, his shoulders sagging as he lets out a heavy sigh. "How did you figure it out?"

"I overheard you talking to Frank," I say, my suspicions confirmed. "But why? Why would you do this to your teammates? To Carter?"

Tank’s eyes dart around, ensuring we’re alone before he speaks. "I didn’t have a choice, Lily. I… I got in over my head with some gambling debts."

My stomach churns as the pieces fall into place. "So you sold Carter? Your team? Your friends? Me?"

"I never meant for it to go this far, but they threatened to break my knees if I didn’t pay up," Tank says, his voice barely above a whisper. "It was just supposed to be a few harmless details at first. But then Frank wanted more, and I… I couldn’t stop."

An icy dread settles over me as I remember the recently destroyed notebook in my apartment. The one with Carter’s deepest secret. "You didn’t?—

"I’m sorry, Lily," he interrupts, shame clear in his eyes. "I broke into your apartment. I found the other notebook."

"No," I breathe, horror washing over me as my world tilts on its axis. "Tank, I just burned that notebook. Tell me you didn’t give Frank what was in it."

His silence is all the answer I need.

"It’s too late," he finally says, unable to meet my gaze. "Frank has already paid me for it and the story is set to go live tonight."

I feel like I’m going to be sick. Only a few days after I’d won Carter, and we’d started to forge a path together – toward romance, toward a solution – it was all going to explode, his deepest secrets splashed across the headlines.

"You do not know what you’ve done," I say, my voice shaking with anger and fear. "Carter’s life is about to be turned upside down because of you."

Tank’s face crumples. "I’m sorry, Lily. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I just… I didn’t know what else to do…"

I shake my head, disgust and pity warring within me. "You need to tell Carter. He deserves to hear it from you before this hits the news."

"I can’t," Tank says, panic flashing in his eyes. "He’ll never forgive me."

"You’re right," I say coldly. "But you owe him the truth."

Tank’s eyes are filled with remorse, but it does little to quell the anger bubbling up inside me. "I’m so sorry, Lily. Frank… he kept pushing for more."

"Frank," I spit the name like it’s poison. "That bastard set us both up, didn’t he?"

Tank nods miserably. "You don’t know the half of it… he said you were on thin ice at the paper."

I laugh. "That’s no state secret."

"No," Tank says, shaking his head. "He told me you’d lose your job next week."

My heart plummets. "What?"

"He told me he’d decided a month ago, but he kept you in place so I could get your notes. Now he has everything he wanted, he doesn’t need you."

I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. All this time, I thought I was making progress, that I was doing my job well. Even though I wouldn’t break the story on the cover-up in Carter’s past, I’d been committed to finding another story, another angle. But Frank had already decided.

"God, I’m such an idiot," I mutter, running a hand through my hair. "He’s been playing me, using me as a pawn in his twisted game."

"You couldn’t have known, Lily," Tank says, reaching out as if to comfort me. "There’s no way you could have?—

I step back from his touch. "Don’t. I get you were in a tough spot, Tank, but this… this is going to destroy Carter. And it hurt me, too."

"Maybe we can stop it," Tank suggests weakly. "If we just talk to Frank in time, we can get him to kill the story. And I’ll give him the money?—

I laugh bitterly. "Frank doesn’t give a damn about either of us. He’s got his story now. There’s no way he’s not running it."

"Okay," Tank says, visibly slumping. "Time to face the music."

CARTER

Still riding high from our win as I step out of the shower, I see Tank and Lily waiting for me in the locker room. The smile on my face fades as I take in their grim expressions, which tell me as well as a neon sign that something is wrong.

"What’s going on?" I ask, wrapping a towel around my waist. "You both look a bit glum given we’re supposed to be celebrating a win…"

Tank can’t meet my eyes, but Lily’s gaze is steady if pained. "Carter," she says softly, "Tank has something he needs to tell you."

I feel a cold dread settle in my stomach. For a split second, my mind conjures up an image of the two of them together, a betrayal I’m not sure I could handle. But then Tank starts talking, and the reality is so much worse.

"I’m sorry, man," Tank begins, his voice barely above a whisper. "I… I’ve been leaking information to the press. About the team. About you. "

The words hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. "What are you talking about, Tank? Is this some sort of joke?"

Tank’s words come out in a rush, explaining about his gambling debts, the threats, how he’d started with minor details, but then it had spiraled out of control, putting him deep underwater. Each revelation is like another blow.

"I broke into Lily’s apartment," he confesses, and I see Lily flinch behind him. "I found her notebook. The one with… with everything."

"Everything?" I repeat, my voice quiet, sinister. I’m like a coiled snake, ready to strike. "I want the truth, Tank."

Tank nods miserably. "About your sister. The accident. The cover-up. It’s all going to be published soon."

I feel like I’m going to be sick. The secret I’d carried for so long, the guilt that had eaten away at me for years – it’s all about to be exposed. And Tank, someone I’d considered a friend, a teammate, had been the one to betray me.

"How could you?" I snarl, anger rising to replace the shock. "We’re supposed to be a team, Tank. We’re supposed to have each other’s backs!"

"I’m sorry," Tank repeats, his eyes pleading. "I didn’t know what else to do. They were going to break my knees, Carter. I was desperate."

Part of me understands. I know what desperation can drive a person to do. But the larger part of me is consumed by rage and betrayal. Despite keeping my distance from the team forever, Tank was one of the few I trusted.

"So you ruined my life instead?" I spit. "Screw you, Tank."

Before I know what I’m doing, I lunge at him. My fist connects with his jaw, sending him stumbling backward. Tank doesn’t fight back, just raises his hands in a placating gesture, which only fuels my anger. I wind up for–

"Carter, stop!" Lily’s voice cuts through the red haze of my fury. She’s trying to pull me off Tank, her small frame straining. "This won’t help!"

I allow her to drag me back away from Tank, my chest heaving as I glare at him. He sits up slowly, wiping blood from his split lip. When he mouths another apology, sad and pathetic, I want to hit him all over again.

But as I look at him, I see the shame and regret etched into every line of his face. And despite everything, I feel a flicker of sympathy. He’d made a terrible choice, but I know what it’s like to be trapped by your mistakes.

"Get out of here, Tank," I sigh.

LILY

I wrap my arms around Carter, feeling his body tense against mine as Tank’s footsteps fade away. "I’m worried about Tank," I murmur into his chest. "What he might do to himself."

Carter’s shoulders lift in a half-hearted shrug, even as he wraps me tight. "Not our problem. Not right now, anyway."

I pull back, searching his face. His jaw is clenched, eyes stormy with barely contained emotion. "I’m so sorry about the notepad," I say, my voice catching. "If I’d just been more careful?—

"It’s not your fault," Carter cuts me off, his tone softening. He runs a hand through his damp hair, letting out a heavy sigh. "It doesn’t matter now, anyway. The hammer’s about to drop, whether or not we like it."

The resignation in his voice breaks my heart. This man, who’d fought so hard to keep his secrets, to protect himself and his family, is now facing the very thing he’d dreaded for years. He’d made a mistake when he was a kid, but he doesn’t deserve to have everything ruined, when he’d already lost and paid so much.

"You sound like you’ve already accepted it," I say, my hand finding his. "Like you’re not going to fight it."

He nods, his eyes meeting mine. "What choice do I have? There’s no fighting this. It’s time to face the consequences, I guess."

A bitter laugh escapes my lips before I can stop it. "Well, you’re not alone in that. My career is about to go ‘poof’ into thin air as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Frank," I spit the name, "he’s been planning to fire me for weeks. He just kept me around so Tank could get access to my notes."

Carter’s arm tightens around me, pulling me close. "Jesus, Lily. I’m sorry. I know that trying to keep my secret safe has cost you everything…"

"Hey, at least we can face it together," I say, forcing a weak smile. The words are meant to be a joke, but I sound vulnerable.

"Yeah, I guess we can." Carter nods, his expression softening. "What do you say we go lock ourselves away from the world for a while?"

Right then, I realize I don’t need anyone – or anything – else.