Losing Laurel: Alaska Blizzard Book 4, page 1
LOSING LAUREL
ALASKA BLIZZARD BOOK 4
KAT MIZERA
Copyright © 2019 by Kat Mizera
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
* * *
Editors: Tera Cuskaden, Ashley Martin
Cover Design: Dar Albert
Cover Model: Stuart Reardon
ALSO BY KAT MIZERA
Las Vegas Sidewinders Series:
Dominic
Cody’s Christmas Surprise
Drake
Karl
Anatoli
Zakk
Toli & Tessa
Brock
Vladimir
Royce
Nate
Sidewinders: Ever After
Jared (June 2019)
* * *
Inferno Series:
Salvation’s Inferno
Temptation’s Inferno
Redemption’s Inferno
Tropical Inferno (formerly “Tropical Ice”)
* * *
Romancing Europe Series:
Adonis in Athens
Smitten in Santorini
* * *
Alaska Blizzard Series:
Defending Dani
Holding Hailey
Winning Whitney
Losing Laurel
* * *
Other Books:
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Bobbi (Susan Stoker’s Special Forces World)
Brotherhood Protectors: Catching Lana (Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors World)
CONTENTS
Also by Kat Mizera
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
Excerpt from “The Sidewinders’ Siren”
1
Gage Caldwell paced impatiently. He wasn’t the type to get nervous, but this was about as close as he’d come in a long time. What he was about to find out could potentially tear apart the hockey team and organization he’d worked so hard to build up, and that was the part that made him uncomfortable. He’d known something was going on, but he hadn’t expected the security specialist he’d hired to find something concrete after just two days. Of course, the man he’d hired wasn’t just a private detective and bodyguard; he was also a retired British spy.
He caught a flash of cropped blond hair atop broad shoulders and long, jean-clad legs, and he took a deep breath. He approached his old friend, holding out his hand. “Chains.”
“Hello, mate.” Darryl “Chains” Carruthers shook his hand.
“Thank you for taking a job like this; I know it’s not what you do anymore.”
“It was nice to do something different for a change.” Chains ran security for a high-end, private nightclub in Las Vegas these days.
The two men locked eyes, memories of a mission in Afghanistan gone horribly wrong briefly flashing through his mind, but it was a bond that would link them forever. Chains had been MI6, on a joint mission with American and Israeli military when they’d met, and despite the horrible circumstances, they’d remained friends over the years.
“How’s the family?” Gage asked, motioning for him to follow as they walked.
“Excellent.” Chains grinned. “The kids have us running about and Em’s pregnant again.”
“This is…number three?” Gage asked, a twinkle in his eye.
“For her, yeah, first with me.” Chains’ wife, Emilie, had two children from previous relationships.
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks. It’s a girl.”
Gage chuckled. “So it’ll be two girls and a boy, huh? You’re going to be a busy man.”
“Why do you think I jumped at the chance to get out of town?”
They laughed together, since Chains made no secret of the fact he adored his wife and family.
“So tell me what you found.” Gage was all business once they settled in his hotel suite, his eyes burning with intensity.
“It’s not pretty.” Chains handed him a packet. “There are printed pictures in there, along with a thumb drive with the pictures as well as video and audio.”
“Audio?” Gage couldn’t help but smile. “How the hell did you get audio?”
“Mate, we have the same skill set.”
Gage chuckled. “Not exactly, but I see your point.”
“That said, what was this really about?” Chains asked curiously, stretching his long legs out in front of him as he reclined in the chair. “We both know damn well you could have done this yourself.”
“I needed someone who wasn’t me to catch these guys in the act. You work for a top-notch security firm so not only do I trust you to be thorough, your company’s reputation keeps my personal reputation unblemished and impartial.”
“You needed an ex-spy who can kill people twenty-seven ways using only two fingers to get proof you have drug dealers working for you?”
Gage grimaced. “When you put it like that, no, but…” He hesitated and took a breath. “I already knew what they were up to, but the logistics of me personally catching them in the act could have gotten complicated. It was easier to hire you.”
“No problem at all. I was just curious.” Chains cocked his head. “What happens now?”
“I’m going to look at what you’ve got.” Gage reached for his laptop and signed in, plugging the thumb drive into the USB port and waiting as it loaded. High-resolution pictures appeared on the screen and his jaw clenched as he slowly flipped through them.
Dammit. He’d known, but he’d held out hope he’d been wrong. What the hell was wrong with these guys? They were coaching hockey at the highest level, with a team that was struggling but was on the upswing this season. Gage had busted his ass since inheriting the Alaska Blizzard from his late uncle Malcolm, bringing in stronger talent and making sure the front office was maximizing their marketing efforts. He’d inherited a mess, but turning things around had brought him a great deal of pleasure.
Many of the players had become his friends, and he’d managed to bring aboard new people that had begun to make a difference. He’d spent a lot of his own money to study professional hockey, learning not just the business side, but the physical and emotional parts as well. He’d hired people he knew and trusted, had built relationships with everyone involved in the organization, and had done his damnedest to make this team a success despite the naysayers who’d automatically assumed no man his age who lacked sports experience would ever be able to run a team like this.
Damn them for trying to destroy what he’d built.
Fury rocked through him and he yanked his phone out of his pocket, immediately dialing his assistant. “Rose, it’s me. I need you to contact the coaching staff—yes, Sylvester, Pierre, and Ellory—and tell them I want them to come to my suite immediately… I don’t care, make it happen. Thank you.” He disconnected and turned to Chains. “Can you stay for the meeting?”
“Of course. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to fire their asses.”
* * *
An hour later it was done, but not really. He’d fired the lot of them, but it had been brutal and Gage was pacing like a wild animal. It had been heated, filled with denial, excuses, and finally fiery indignation. Getting rid of the entire coaching staff of an NHL team was not something one did lightly, yet he had. And now he had to deal with the aftermath.
“What’s the plan, mate?” Chains asked as Gage finally put his phone down and ran his hands down his face.
“You need to get home to the wife right away?”
“Right away?” Chains shook his head. “Nah. Em’s good. She’s feeling great, working, and we’ve got a nanny for the kids. What do you need?”
“I need you to come back to Anchorage with me. This is going to be a media circus and on the off chance one of these clowns decides to come after me, it’s better if I have a bodyguard around instead of letting people see me kicking someone’s ass.”
Chains nodded. “It’s your money.”
“It’s about optics, my friend.”
“When do we leave?”
“We’ll be flying home with the team today.”
“Will you be calling the police?”
“I don’t want to.” Gage looked away . “I would have preferred it, but I think that’ll put the team in the middle of a shitstorm. I’m going to say it was unbecoming conduct and see what happens. If the press or the league makes a big deal about it, then I’ll have no choice but to turn it over to the cops.”
“All right, then, I’m going to call my wife and let her know it’ll be a few more days. Anything else you need me to do before we leave?”
“No, take your time. I have to make some phone calls as well. We’ll leave here in about an hour.”
Chains pulled out his phone as Gage got up and walked into the bedroom of the suite, dialing a familiar number. She wouldn’t answer—she never did—but the message he’d leave her would undoubtedly get her to call him back. For once. Maybe. Or not. He never knew with her.
2
It was just after seven in the evening when Laurel Saunders walked into her condo, kicking off her heels and tossing her purse on a chair in the living room. It had been a long day. She’d been up at five to get an on-ice workout in and then showered, changed, and headed across town to the arena where she coached girls’ hockey. She’d been in high demand after coaching the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey team to a gold medal, but she wanted a break from that kind of pressure and working with younger girls was a nice change. The money wasn’t great, but thanks to her ex-husband, she didn’t need it.
Though their divorce had been a long time coming and they’d been legally separated for years prior to filing the final papers, he’d continued to deposit money into her checking account, no matter how many times she’d asked him to stop. At one point they’d had a huge fight about it and he’d threatened to tie her up in court for years if she fought him on giving her the money he insisted was half hers since they’d been married while he’d made it. It had been easier to give in than keep fighting and it also afforded her the ability to do anything she wanted professionally. She could take jobs like the one she had now without worrying about paying her bills. Her condo and car were paid for, she had a nice nest egg, and she had the ability to donate to charities that were important to her. On the surface, life was good.
Too bad she was lonely, horny and still pissed at the man who’d shredded her heart so many years ago. He’d tried to make it up to her with money, and while it afforded her a lifestyle she wouldn’t have otherwise, it didn’t come close to healing the pain from the past. Seeing him during the Olympics last year had been so fucking hard, especially afterwards at the wonderfully thoughtful party he’d thrown for the team. She’d been on edge through most of it, trying to forget those steely gray eyes, his rock-hard body and how beautifully he filled out a suit. Well, he filled out pretty much anything he wore, but she loved him best in a suit. Or naked. Naked was definitely a sight to behold with Gage Caldwell.
Shaking her head, she pulled out her phone to listen to whatever message he’d left her earlier today. He’d begun calling once a month or so since the Olympics last year, with some trumped-up reason to talk to her, so she’d learned not to answer and instead listen to whatever messages he left after the fact. A few times had been legit, pertaining to players or something hockey-related, but most of the time he just wanted to talk, which kind of pissed her off even more. As if he hadn’t lied to and hurt her more than anyone had a right to. Unfortunately, it also made her remember everything she’d once loved about him. He seemed to be working extra hard to rebuild a friendship, if nothing else, but she couldn’t allow it. Getting over him had been hard enough, and being friends again wasn’t an option, much less anything else.
She put her phone on speaker and rested it on the arm of the couch as she let her head fall back, steeling herself for whatever ruse he was using to get her attention.
“Hey, babe.” He still insisted on calling her babe.
“It’s me.” As if he had to identify himself.
“Listen…big shake-up with the team today and I need your help. I fired my entire coaching staff. It’s a long story, and I’ll tell you everything when you call me back. I’ll be getting on a plane in about an hour, but I’ll be home late tonight. I need a head coach for the next three weeks and if you’re interested, I’ll need you here ASAP. I know you want to do this, Laurel, no matter what our history is. Call me. Please.”
She stared at the phone for a full minute before anything registered.
Fired his entire coaching staff?
He wanted her to be the head coach?
Of an NHL team?
Holy shit.
She was pissed about the past, but not that pissed. She’d be an idiot to turn this down. She just had to slow the wild beating of her heart and the excitement shooting through her veins. She’d never been a drug user, but if this was what it felt like when you shot up, no wonder people got addicted.
She took a deep breath, promised herself she’d keep everything about the relationship and the conversation professional, and hit the call back button. As usual, he answered on the first ring.
“Hey, babe.”
“I wish you’d stop calling me that.”
“I’ve been calling you that for fifteen years. It’s a hard habit to break.”
“If I come up there to coach, you’re going to have to.”
“Of course.” He paused. “Will you come, Laurel?”
“Gage, I need to know what happened. I mean, this is crazy.”
“I’ve suspected something was amiss for a long time and had my eye on Coach Sylvester and the others for months. I hired a professional to follow him on this road trip and we hit pay dirt big-time. Coach Sylvester and Coach Pierre literally sold to a player on the other team and my guy got it all on film, with audio, no less.”
“Jesus. What kinds of drugs?”
“Both cocaine and some illegal steroid compound.”
“How are they passing the no-notice tests?” she asked in amazement.
“We’re not sure. I think at least one player on the Blizzard is using, and though I didn’t get into specifics when I told the team what happened on the flight back to Anchorage, I plan to talk to him soon.”
“This is insane,” she murmured softly.
“Laurel, I booked a flight for you in the morning. It leaves at nine. Can you be on it? You’ll want to bring everything you need for a month or more, depending on the playoffs. We have three weeks left in the season and we can still make it. We’re one point out of a wild card spot.” He hesitated. “Please?”
“Why me?” she asked softly. “You know there are no female head coaches in the league. This is going to bring all kinds of media attention on top of a drug scandal. Why would you do that to your team?”
“I’m bringing in the best coach I know on extremely short notice. I think I’m doing something pretty fantastic for my team. And no one will know about the drugs unless they decide to sue me for breach of contract or some other stupid thing. Right now, the official announcement is conduct unbecoming.”
She swallowed. “They’re going to say it’s because we were married or that we’re sleeping together again. Or something.”
“Every time they say something like that, I can start reading off your résumé. Shall I begin now? Four-time Women’s Frozen Four Championship team player. Two-time Olympic medalist. Coach of the gold-medal-winning Olympic team just one year ago. Shall I mention all your other accolades?”
“No.” She chuckled. “Are you sure, Gage?”
“Absolutely.”
“I can’t do it alone, though.”
“For one game, you may have to. Do you have any ideas?”
“Danielle Petrov.”
He laughed. “Why am I not surprised? Yes, of course, I’ll let you borrow one of my trainers as a coach for a game or two, but she’s young, Laurie. We need more experience, especially if we make the playoffs, which is still a possibility, though not likely.”
“What about the coach from your minor league team? Will he hate being under someone so much younger, not to mention a woman?”
“If he does, he can go back to the minors.”
“Gage, I can’t just…” Her voice trailed off. Of course she could. When else would an opportunity like this arise? Even the prospect of being around Gage day and night didn’t dampen her excitement.
