The Penalty Box (A Vancouver Wolves Hockey Romance Book 3)

THE DOGS NEEDED A WALK. Sasha was about to lose his mind and desperately needed exercise. I didn’t feel like moving, but that wasn’t fair to the dogs—they had been cooped up all day. Zoey pulled into the driveway just as we got outside. She got out of the car and pulled me into a hug.

“Are you okay?”

I started to cry again. I had been crying all day. “No.”

“What’s going on?”

I looked around, feeling bewildered. “They won’t let us talk to Mica. They won’t let me see him.”

Zoey took Sasha’s leash. “Let me walk with you. You can tell me all about it.”

We started to walk, and I explained everything that I knew. Which wasn’t much. Mica was questioned this morning about Sabrina and then later on in the morning, when they got a hold of those photos, they arrested him. That was all I knew. Krista’s lawyers were involved, but so far, we had no word.

Zoey scowled. “That chick has been trouble from day one.”

My voice hesitated. “He had texts between them. Incriminating texts. She also approached me at the kids’ charity event and told me that Mica had never stopped seeing her.”

Zoey’s eyes went wide. “You don’t believe that, do you?”

I didn’t want to believe it, but I had to admit that the doubts were creeping in. “When I am with Mica, he makes me feel like the most important person in his world.”

She squeezed my arm. “Hang onto that feeling. Mica loves you. He would never cheat on you.”

I inwardly groaned when I saw Andrew approach us from the other direction with his dogs.

“Hi.” He sounded cheerful.

“Hi, Andrew.”

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?”

We both agreed the weather was great. I braced myself for his questions about Mica, but he didn’t seem to know about any of our drama.

“I’d love to stay and chat, but my girlfriend is cooking me dinner. I need to get home.”

Relief flooded me. “Take care.”

When we got back to the house, Zoey asked me if I needed her to stay.

I hugged her long and hard. “I’m okay. I think I need to be alone.”

She gave me a sad smile. “Hang in there. This is all going to be okay.”

I was struggling to know how it could be. “Thanks.”

“Try to get some sleep, okay?”

“Okay.”

ALONE INSIDE THE HOUSE, I could not shake the worry that Mica had cheated on me. I had never thought he would do something like that, but the evidence was piling up. Feeling like I was betraying him, I stood up. I needed to look for evidence myself.

I searched through every drawer, every shelf, and looked through every tiny hiding place I could think of. I found nothing. No evidence that he had stepped out on me.

But then, tucked into a sock, at the back of his sock drawer, I found a second cell phone. My throat nearly constricted as I stared down at it. The worst feelings flooded through me. Was this his cheat phone? The phone he used to get in touch with her? Did he call her from this phone? Text her?

It had no lock screen. There was only one number in the contact list.

I set it in the middle of the bed and sat and stared at it. I needed to know. I would call that number and see if she answered.

The phone rang once.

A man answered in Russian.

Panicking, I hung up the phone.

Two seconds later, the phone rang. Staring at it, I finally worked up my nerve to answer it.

A Russian male, whose accent reminded me of Mica’s, said, “Are you Charlie?”

“Yes. Who are you?”

“I’m your guardian angel.”

“Mica is in trouble.”

“I saw that on the news. Can you talk to me and tell me what is going on?”

His calm voice soothed me. In a halting voice, I told him everything. How I saw Mica with Sabrina at the gala. How she approached me. The texts. And how now they had photos of him.

“Mica would never cheat on you. I’ve known him my entire life. He’s not a cheater. Not at games, not with money, not with girlfriends. He is a faithful man.”

“I feel the same way,” I sighed. “I know that.”

“What are they accusing him of?”

“They think he is responsible for her disappearance.”

“Mica would never hurt another woman. Never.”

When he said it out loud, he made all my doubts seem so stupid and shallow.

“I know.”

“But it looks like she has set him up. Seems like she is trying to make him look guilty.”

“Yes!” That made way more sense.

“Maybe if we find her, we can make this problem go away.”

“I don’t know how.”

“That is where your guardian angel comes in. I’ll take care of this. Are you taking care of yourself?”

I swallowed. “What do you mean?”

“Have you eaten?”

I hadn’t. Not since breakfast. “I’m going to eat.”

“You eat and you sleep and you trust me, okay?”

I did trust him. “Okay.”

“Just curious. Where did you get this phone?”

I faltered. “I found it in Mica’s stuff.”

“Keep this phone close. If anything happens to you, you call me. We are only a phone call away. We will keep you safe.”

“Thank you.”

I DIDN’T SLEEP A WINK. I had a busy brain, going over everything again and again in my mind. The worst-case scenarios played out in my mind as I tried to figure out how we could get out of this mess. The birds were already singing in the morning light before I dropped into a restless sleep.

When I woke up, I felt groggy and sick. I checked my phone. No texts or calls from Mica, but there was one text from Krista.

Krista: No news yet. Are you coming in today?

Me: Okay

I didn’t want to move, much less go to work, but Krista probably had a plan. She always had a plan. I would do everything in my power to help her get my husband out of police custody.

When I walked in the door, Krista was waiting for me.

“Do you have any news?”

“Nothing yet. The lawyers said they have arrested him but haven’t yet charged him.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“Not sure. They said that Mica has asked to speak to a lawyer, but the police are stalling. They are holding Mica without letting him talk to his legal team.”

“What?” I paused, letting that sink in. “Can they do that?”

“Apparently they can as long as they don’t question him. His lawyers think they are trying to buy time to get more evidence. So, we are in a holding pattern here.”

I sank into my desk. “I don’t think I can work today.”

She studied me. “Mark Ashford wants to talk to you.”

My stomach grew hard. “He does? Why?”

“He didn’t say, but he’d like you to come down to his office.”

“What does he want?”

“I suspect he wants to know what the fuck is going on.”

“What do I do?”

“We’re going to go see him.”

MARK ASHFORD’S assistant ushered us into his luxurious office.

“Charlie, Krista,” he said with a resigned smile. “Please, take a seat.”

I sat across from him, feeling very much like I was about to be scolded at the principal’s office.

He crossed his arms over his desk. “So, I will cut to the chase. I know that your marriage to Mica was a setup—designed to get him to look like he was settling down and moving away from his wild ways.”

I didn’t move a muscle. He looked between us, and I couldn’t take it.

“It’s true,” I blurted out. “It wasn’t a real marriage at first, but it is now.”

He smiled kindly. “Thank you for being honest with me.”

“When did you find out?”

“I knew from the start.”

“You did?”

“From the first time Krista mentioned it to me, it sounded like the most preposterous idea I had ever heard. I knew Mica was against marriage. And for him to suddenly be marrying his agent’s assistant seemed a bit too convenient.”

My hands twisted anxiously in my lap.

“But I knew what your intentions were, and I was okay with it. I thought you’d be a good influence on him, even if the relationship was in name only. In fact, I encouraged him to settle down.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

He crossed his arms. “I figured we should clear the air.”

“Are you upset?”

“Not about that.”

“He’s been arrested.”

“I saw that on the news. Can you tell me what is going on?”

I explained everything.

He looked thoughtful. “I heard rumors that the police thought he brought someone along with him on his away games. I’ve talked to several of the players and the trainers, and by all accounts, Mica has never invited any woman along with him. According to his teammates, the only thing he cares about is talking to you or texting you. He’s been focused completely on the game, hardly drinks and, based on eyewitness accounts, he is alone when he goes to his room. If it ever came to it, we could subpoena hotel security footage of the hallway outside his hotel rooms, but I would bet that the footage from those tapes would prove he’s always alone.”

It shouldn’t have, but that made me feel almost sick with relief. “Thank you.”

Krista interjected. “What we can’t figure out is why he’s being set up like this.”

“Do you have anyone working on this?”

“Both of my PIs are working around the clock.”

He nodded. “Good. Any more details on why he has been arrested or what they are charging him with?”

“Lawyers can’t get near him, but we know it is in regards to Sabrina’s disappearance.”

He looked thoughtful. “You know, I play golf with the chief constable of the police force. Charlie, would you mind if I called him and did a little digging around myself?”

My body filled with relief that so many people were going to bat for Mica. “Whatever you can do to help.”

He came around the desk to put a warm arm around my shoulder. “Don’t give up on Mica, okay?”

My smile was watery. “I won’t.”

“We will sort this out.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, you take care of yourself. We’re all working to get him out of this mess, and we will make that happen. I think all of us know this is complete baloney, so it’s just a matter of time before the truth sets him free, right?”

TOGETHER KRISTA and I walked out of the stadium.

“You look like shit.” She eyeballed me critically. “No offense.”

I was exhausted. “None taken.”

She paused and looked over the mostly empty parking lot.

“Krista, did you know?”

She turned to me. “Know what?”

“That Mark Ashford knew this marriage wasn’t real?”

She grimaced. “He called my bluff before you got married.”

“What?” Disbelief flooded me.

She looked apologetic. “He didn’t believe that the relationship was real, but he loved the idea of Mica getting married. We made a deal. If I could get Mica to marry you, he would cut the suspension and re-sign Mica.”

I blinked at her. “You didn’t tell Mica.”

She looked stressed. “Mark made me sign an NDA.”

I swallowed, so confused by everything that was happening.

She grabbed my hand. “It worked out though, right? You and him?”

My eyes filled with tears. “He’s in jail.”

“Well, besides that part, it’s pretty great, right?”

I gave her my best WTF look and then we both started laughing. Until I started crying.

She wrapped her arms around me. “Come on, it’s going to be okay. I want you to go home and try to get some sleep.”

IT FELT weird to be back at home in the middle of the day. It felt even worse that Mica wasn’t home. I lay down, but sleep eluded me. All I could do was think about Mica and worry about what was happening to him.

When my phone rang, I lunged for it.

“Hello?”

“Charlie, thank God you answered.”

I sank back on my bed. “Hey, Andrew.”

He gave an embarrassed laugh. “I seem to have gotten myself in a pickle.”

I didn’t give a shit about Andrew’s problems. “You know, this really isn’t a good time.”

He talked over me. “I locked myself in my storage room in my basement. Can you come and open the door for me?”

I wanted to refuse. “Andrew.”

“Please,” he almost begged. “This is so embarrassing. I don’t want to call 911. They have enough to worry about. Can you please come in and let me out?”

It seemed churlish to refuse. “Sure, I guess so.”

“When you come downstairs, it’s the second door on the left. My front door should be open.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

I took Sniper with me, but I left Sasha at home. I slipped out the front door and walked two doors down.

True to his word, Andrew’s door was open. The dogs greeted me with happy wags. I headed downstairs and opened the second door. The room was pitch dark.

“Andrew?”

“I’m right here.”

I spun around, confused when I saw Andrew standing behind me. Sniper growled deep in his throat. I blinked in horror when I saw Andrew point a gun at Sniper’s head. “Tell him to sit.”

“What are you doing?” I cried.

“Tell your dog to sit or I will blow his head off.”

“Sit, Sniper,” I commanded with a shaky voice. Sniper’s entire body was trembling with rage, but he sat like the perfect dog he was.

Andrew bent down and stabbed him with a needle. Sniper yelped and lunged at Andrew. I screamed and watched as Sniper landed on Andrew, growling and biting. Then he went quiet. My hands were over my mouth when Andrew rolled Sniper off him.

“What did you do to him?” I cried again, rushing towards them.

Andrew pointed the gun at me. “He’s been given a mild sedative. You just saved your dog’s life.”

My breath was coming in and out of my lungs in a rasp as I stared down the barrel of the gun pointed at me. The entire world slowed down. “Andrew, what are you doing?”

“I’m doing what you’ve wanted me to do since the day we met. We can be together now.”

I stared at him with revulsion. “By pointing a gun at me?”

“You’re mine. You remind me so much of my wife. I knew when we met that you were an angel she sent to me to replace her. Now we can get married and be together.”

I shook my head. “This is madness. I’m already married.”

He smiled. “I’ve got it all figured out. You are sick of your husband’s philandering ways. You’ve packed your bags, along with your wallet and your ID, and you’ve left town. You’re going to send Mica a text telling him you’re done and you never want to hear from him again. As far as he knows, you’ll be gone.”

My heart pounded. “He’ll never believe that.”

“Mica won’t be out of jail for a while, anyway. He’s on the hook for Sabrina’s disappearance.”

I paused, looking around, trying to think about how to get out of this alive. “What do you know about that?”

“When you introduced Sabrina to me that night in the restaurant, I knew you were trying to ask me for help, trying to get out of your marriage.”

“What does that mean?”

“Sabrina has been integral in helping us be together.”

I whispered, “What did you do?”

“I arranged it beautifully. I set Mica up to look like he was upset with Sabrina. She disappeared, and he is on the hook for her disappearance. Her obsession with him only helped.”

“Did you kill her?” My voice shook.

“I would have, but she’s a wily one. She skipped town on her own volition. I’ll catch up to her one day and take care of that loose end.”

“So those texts from her were made up?”

“We made them up, and the plane tickets were a hoax. I even got her to meet up with him in public and pick a fight with him, so I could get some fantastic photos to send to the media.”

The horror of how this was unfolding made me feel like throwing up.

“Mica won’t believe I left.”

“He’ll believe it.”

“It’s not too late, Andrew. If you let me go, I won’t tell anyone. We can pretend this never happened.”

He reached past me and opened the door. “Get in.”

“No!”

He raised his gun. “I don’t like to be disobeyed. I won’t kill you, but I don’t mind hurting you.”

With reluctance, I stepped into the dark room. He shoved me hard and then the door slammed shut.

I pounded on the door. “Andrew? Andrew!”

I heard a moaning from the back of the room. Fear crawled over my skin. “Who’s there?”

I felt along the wall until I felt a light switch. Flicking it on, I stood in complete horror. Against the back of the room was a cot. On the cot lay a naked woman. Around her ankle was an iron shackle. My mind couldn’t compute what I was seeing.

I crept towards the woman and bent down beside her. “Are you okay?”

She lifted dazed eyes at me. “Run.”

“Who are you? Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“He took me. He’s kept me here. He calls me his girlfriend. You need to escape and go for help.”

“What’s your name?”

“Jody Cameron.”

“You’re the nurse who went missing! How long have you been here?”

She was so weak, she could barely speak. “Forever. Get help. We need to leave.”

I searched the entire room. There was no handle on the door, no hinges. The room was encased in cement with only a toilet and a sink in the corner. I could not open the door or escape.

I screamed long and hard. But Andrew was gone, and I was alone in my prison with an unconscious woman.