All Chapters of THE CAPTAIN AND THE KILLER: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

The second Viktor showed up with his camera crew at the remote camp I knew the isolation was going to drive us all mad.Morning practice already felt brutal. Triple sessions. Skate hard. Hit hard. Repeat. The cold bit through everything. Snow piled high around the outdoor rink edges.Evan watch your line Viktor called from the boards. The league wants full coverage of this camp. Every drill. Every talk.Kade skated past me close. His stick tapped mine twice quick. That was our signal. Meet after second session. Locker room corner.I tapped back once. Understood. We could not talk normal with Viktor everywhere.The young winger crashed into me during a drill. Cap this place is killing me. Three practices a day. And now cameras in our faces.I fed him a pass. Keep pushing. We need this. But yeah. Viktor makes it worse. Smile for the camera but stay sharp.Kade circled behind the net. He glanced at me then tapped his helmet

The arena lights felt like knives in my eyes as I stepped back onto the ice for the first skate after Viktor's hit. Everything had gone to hell in one night.Coach Harlan blew the whistle so hard it echoed like a gunshot. He stood at center ice barking orders, face pale and sweaty under the bright lights. The guys moved fast, but you could tell nobody had their head in it. Not after seeing Viktor carted off on a stretcher last game, neck brace and all."Again! Breakout drill, clean and simple!" Coach yelled, voice cracking. He kept glancing at the empty spot where Viktor usually lined up. His hands shook when he wasn't holding the whistle.I pushed through the drill, legs burning, but my mind stayed on Kade and the mess we had uncovered. The syndicate. The fixes. My father's old ghosts. It all pressed down harder than any check into the boards.Coach stopped the drill mid flow. "Enough. Hit the benches. Ryder, my office. Now."The team sh

The second I stepped back into Coach Harlan's office after practice I knew this conversation would change everything between us."Coach, we are not done," I said, closing the door hard behind me. My skates were off but my blood still pumped from the drills. "You begged me to drop it out there but I need the full truth right now. No more half answers. What do you really know about all this?"Coach Harlan sat behind his desk, face still pale from earlier. He looked up slow, eyes tired and guarded. The room felt stuffy with the smell of old takeout and worn out carpet."Evan, not now," he muttered. "I said what I needed to say."I stayed standing, hands on the back of the chair. "No. Viktor is lying in a hospital bed. The team is falling apart. You pulled me aside like a scared kid and now I am demanding answers. What is Vance holding over you? Because I know it is more than just team politics."He rubbed his face with both hands. The wrinkl

The team group chat exploded at noon with the front office order that hit like a slap in the face.Every player had to bring a wife or girlfriend to the big charity gala tomorrow night. No exceptions. Management called it team unity but we all knew the real reason. Squash the gay rumors from those leaked photos.I stared at my phone in the locker room after a light skate. My stomach turned. Kade caught my eye from across the room but we kept distance. I stepped outside into the hall and called my ex, Clara.She picked up on the second ring. "Evan? This is a surprise. Everything okay?""Not really," I said fast. "Did you see the blog stuff about the team?"Clara laughed a little, that polished sound I remembered from our old dates. "The blurry kiss photos? Hard to miss. Everyone is talking about it at brunch. Is that why you called?""Yeah," I admitted. "Front office just ordered every guy to bring a date to the gala tomorrow. Wiv

The second I stepped into that glittering gala hall alone my eyes locked on Evan like a target. I adjusted my black suit jacket. The fabric felt tight across my shoulders from all the tension I carried these days. No date. No distractions. Just me in a crisp white shirt and sharp tie that hid the scars running down my neck. People whispered as I walked through the crowd. The dangerous Russian transfer. The guy who almost wrecked the team. Let them talk. I did not care. My gaze cut straight to the dance floor. There he was. Evan Ryder. Our captain. Smiling that perfect charming smile while he spun Clara around. Her red dress flared out as they moved together. His hand sat low on her back. Too low. She laughed at something he said and tilted her head close to his. My fists clenched at my sides. Jealousy hit me like a dirty check into the boards. Dark and ugly. It burned in my chest. He was mine. Even after everything we had been through