Puckless (Hockey Heroes Book 1) by Declan Rhodes

Author:Declan Rhodes [Rhodes, Declan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-23T23:00:00+00:00

EIGHTEEN

RYAN

“Son of a bitch!” The curse slipped from my lips, barely audible, as my eyes fixated on the harsh glare of the computer screen. I read vicious words that amounted to a digital onslaught against Nate. Fueled by ignorance and bigotry, they made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

I read a typical one—“Bacardi should go back to Rico. There’s not even a patch of ice there”—and I shook my head while I growled. It was a petty jab at his heritage and a shameful discredit to his prowess on the hockey rink.

Ignorance ran like a blazing red thread through the comments, curling cold, cruel fingers around my heart. However, as I read, I realized my task lay beyond the ridiculous ramblings of a band of faceless internet trolls. I needed tangible, concrete information about the more severe threats.

Whispering a silent mantra to steel myself, I plunged deeper into the shadowy recesses of the online hockey forums.

More ugly discoveries awaited me. The rancid rot in the dark corners was worse than I anticipated. The nature of the comments shifted away from Nate’s heritage to zeroing in on his friendship with Ethan. Their demands, likely those communicated directly to Nate, were clear. They wanted a public renouncement of his ties to a supposedly closeted gay player.

I hissed under my breath as I absorbed the vile threats. Some posts urged forum members to send violent warnings to Nate, targeting his family. Each word was like a punch to the gut, fueling a white-hot flame of anger inside me.

I growled and barely stopped myself from uttering my own string of obscenities. The threats were cowardly and cruel. Why should it matter who Ethan held close to his heart? Why should Nate become an innocent victim of the misguided prejudice of others?

I forced myself to stop reading. I couldn’t afford to lose control. Not now. But neither would I be silenced. The fight had just begun.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t dig any deeper despite having access to the threats. The specific origins of the comments eluded me. I didn’t know how to uncover the specific sources, and I didn’t know what to do with the information I’d already gathered. I needed to hear a fresh perspective.

“Arlo,” I whispered to myself as I dug my phone out of my pocket.

“Ryan—what’s happening in your little bailiwick?” he asked when he answered the phone.

“I believe I’ve walked into a hornet’s nest.”

“And you got stung?” I heard a hint of alarm in Arlo’s voice. “What’s happening?”

“I’m wading deep into more about Ethan and his friendship with Nate.”

“A new angle on an old story?”

I sighed heavily. “This is different. It’s not for published writing. Ethan asked me to do a little searching on his behalf, and I’ve unearthed a fetid swamp.” I took a deep breath. “It’s infested with wicked threats against Nate—against his heritage and his friendship with Ethan. Some go so far as to suggest violence against Nate’s family.”

“Damn.” A moment of silence passed between us.

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