Chapter 4

Ridgemont rode Declan nearly the whole time.

Mikhail had to stop himself from wincing in sympathy every time Declan went into the boards – he knew those hits would bloom into bruises later, but he also knew that he'd be there to ice them and kiss them better tonight at the hotel, which was a fair enough trade.

But the strategy worked within the first ten minutes of the game – Declan had gotten the puck to Sven ahead of a brutal check, and Sven, left undefended, had sunk it into the goal with ease.

By the second period, though,…