Pucking Wild (Thin Ice #11)

Chapter Seven

Cold air slapped Hugo across the face. His mind was clear of everything except winning. With two minutes left on the clock, his thighs burned from the nonstop play. Medvedkov shot the puck his way. Hugo easily hooked it and passed it back, keeping it away from their opponent. The black circle floating on the ice that meant everything went flying in Storm’s direction. In a move almost too fast for the eye to see, Storm took his shot. Buzzers sounded and loud music played as the puck hit the net. Satisfaction roared through him as he bumped chests with Storm. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. With the game in the bag, Hugo’s thoughts automatically shifted to Tavey. It was Valentine’s Day, but Hugo had to put this game to bed before he could head north. He had plans, but it would be late before he made it to his other half.

In the locker room, it was beyond obvious everyone had plans they rushed to get to. Showers were quicker to empty. People barely spoke. Hugo smiled as he blew past reporters. He had a flight to catch. His knee bobbed on the plane. The dirty looks his seat neighbor shot him had him trying to remain calm. A million thoughts ran through his head. Hugo hadn’t even let Tavey know he was on his way yet. He had been in too big of a hurry to get to the airport.

The second the plane landed, and he was free, Hugo practically sprinted to pick up his rental car. He still had to make a quick stop at the grocery store. Everything felt like it intentionally moved slower, keeping him from his plans. At the store, the place was slammed with people buying last-minute gifts. He had to fight to grab a large vase of pretty flowers. Then he snagged the last container of chocolate-covered strawberries before picking a wine. While the trip probably only took ten minutes from door to checkout, Hugo was ready to scream. He opened the passenger side door and seat-belted the vase in so it wouldn’t go flying the first time he hit the brakes. Hugo checked everything to make sure there were no price tags. He arranged the wine and strawberries in the large gift bag he already had. As he straightened, a solid punch landed against his lower back and a sharp burn hit him in his side.

“I have a message for the Cattaneo. ”

It hit Hugo. He had been stabbed, and the knife was pressed against him, as if the guy meant to do it again.

Hugo didn’t think. He reacted. Just as if he had been attacked on the ice, Hugo fought. He stiffened his elbow and sharply snapped it backward, landing in the center of the guy’s face. The blow gave him time to spin, facing off against his attacker. Blood poured down the man’s face. Still, it didn’t take him long to rally. He lunged at Hugo with the knife. Again, Hugo didn’t think. His entire being focused on surviving. He grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted just as the guy leapt forward. The two motions combined, forcing the knife straight into the man’s chest. Time froze. The man’s shocked expression matched the way Hugo felt. In slow motion, he watched the guy stumble backward before falling. Hugo stood helpless as the light left the man’s eyes .

He didn’t know what to do. His gaze shot in every direction. Someone already had a phone to their ear.

“Oh, my God. Are you okay? I saw the whole thing. That guy tried to kill you. You’re bleeding. Don’t worry. The police are on the way. The dispatcher says they’re sending paramedics too.”

All Hugo could do was stare at the lifeless body on the ground. His teeth chattered. Panic soared. His side burned, but it was a muted thing—like it wasn’t real. Blood smeared his clothes as he tried to find his phone. Someone in a nurse’s uniform appeared and tried to look at his wound.

“I’m an emergency services RN. Let me see your injuries. I can help until the paramedics get here.”

Hugo let her pull his coat and shirt up to inspect his back. His hands shook as he found Tavey’s name and hit the call icon. He couldn’t make his teeth stop chattering as he waited for the call to go through.

“Hey, sexy. I’ve been—”

“I’ve been stabbed.” The words poured from Hugo without his brain. “He came from nowhere and he said he had a message for your dad. Then we scuffled. Jesus, Tavey. I’m pretty sure he’s dead.”

“Okay, baby. Take a breath.” He sounded so calm. Hugo automatically sucked in a breath. “Tell me exactly where you are.”

Hugo’s gaze swept the parking lot. He was so far gone, he couldn’t recall where he was. Thankfully, his gaze landed on the sign. “Loblaws.”

He heard Tavey barking things in the background, but none of it made sense. “Okay. Did anyone see what happened?”

Hugo nodded, even though no one could see him. “Lots of people. Police and paramedics are coming. There’s a nurse looking at my wound.”

“Wounds,” she said, yelling like she wanted to be heard through the phone. “He’s been stabbed twice.”

Fuck. He hadn’t even felt the second one.

“Fuck, baby. I’m coming. Don’t turn off your phone. I have your location.”

“Don’t let me go.”

“I’m not,” Tavey promised.

Hugo’s entire body shook. Nothing felt real. He couldn’t look at the man he had killed. His brain couldn’t handle that. He just wanted Tavey. Hugo couldn’t think about anything else.

Tavey had never been more scared or enraged. Hugo had been stabbed twice, and it was his fault. Entirely his fault. He hadn’t warned Hugo. The guy had been completely unprepared because Tavey had been too goddamn selfish to tell him about his family. Maybe that wouldn’t have changed anything, but he couldn’t know now. Possibly Hugo would have watched his back. More likely, he would have dumped Tavey. Either way, he wouldn’t be hospitalized right now. Every ounce of blood loss was on him. He had tried to tell him at Christmas, but he had been too easily distracted. Then he had chickened out. Tavey hadn’t wanted to lose him. Now everything was a hundred times worse. Hugo could have died. He might have if he wasn’t such an adept fighter. He might still, for all Tavey knew.

His dad and Travis were furious. Travis kept saying it could have been Allison or one of the kids. His dad didn’t say anything at all, and that was terrifying. Tavey had never felt guiltier. He wanted to rush to Hugo. How could he face him? Hugo had done nothing to deserve this other than loving Tavey.

Pierre, the family solicitor, strolled into the room. Tavey popped to his feet. “How is he?”

Pierre handed him a vase filled with red roses and a gift bag. “He’s okay. As ordered, I advised him to leave the country. I bought him a ticket and saw him to the airport. He’s in a lot of pain, but I told him it was best if he didn’t stay while I ensured no charges were filed. He asked me to give you this gift and return his rental car. ”

Tavey set his gift aside. He felt sick. It was for the best for Hugo to go back to the U.S. before the media caught wind of what happened. With that said, Tavey was scared shitless about him flying after being stabbed. He was a mess. All he wanted to do was hold Hugo.

“Thank you. What did the doctor say?”

Pierre’s dark brown eyes flashed with sympathy. It was obvious he didn’t truly want to answer the question. He worked for them, so there was no other choice. “An inch higher and he’d be dead.”

Tavey ran his fingers through his hair and turned away. The flowers he set aside caught his eye. He wanted to throw them against the wall. Tavey didn’t deserve them. He didn’t deserve Hugo. Leaving the gift and everyone behind, Tavey headed for the stairs. He had to get away from the eyes upon him. No one tried to stop him, or if they did, he didn’t hear them. Once inside his room, it wasn’t enough. Tavey threw open the French doors leading to his balcony and stepped outside. Freezing air washed over him and he sucked in a deep breath. He sat on the nearest chair, uncaring of the life-threatening temperature. He just tried to keep breathing.

Travis appeared at his side. “He’s a tough guy.”

Tavey didn’t respond. He couldn’t. Too much self-hatred choked him.

“We’ll make this right.”

The assertion grated Tavey’s skin. “How? This is my fault. It’s this family’s fault. He didn’t deserve this. Loving me did this to him. The only way I can fix it is by leaving him in peace. This is why I’ve never bothered trying to find anyone. This family hurts people. ”

Travis squeezed his shoulders. “What happens to you happens to me. It happens to all of us, but I’m your twin. No way will I let you hurt like this.”

Tavey nearly snorted. He managed to stifle the sound at the last second. No one understood. It wasn’t Allison or one of the kids. It wasn’t Mom. Hugo was the one who could have died. The guy had walked into this completely blind, and it was Tavey’s fault. No one had been there to protect him, the way they would any other spouse of the family.

With another squeeze, Travis headed for the door. “I brought your gift upstairs. Maybe just focus on what Hugo obviously wanted you to have so badly, he made sure Pierre brought it to you, even in his state.”

Tavey’s eyes fell closed. Hugo was an idiot for loving him. There was no one in the world who deserved it less .

He spoke up before Travis got away. “Will you ask Storm to meet his plane and take care of him for me?”

“I can do that.”

Tavey gave him a small nod and went back to staring at nothing. Soon enough, Hugo would wake up and hate him exactly as he should. Nothing had prepared him for the pain of having Hugo so quickly and violently ripped away from him, but there was no other choice. Tavey needed to know Hugo was out there somewhere alive and thriving. That meant Hugo had to get the fuck away from him and stay that way. Tavey was poison. He needed to remember it.