After an eternity had passed—maybe five minutes, if I was honest—there were footsteps outside. Then a quiet tap on the door that made Devon and me jump as if we hadn’t been expecting it.
“Come in,” Emil said dryly.
The door opened, and Lous stepped inside. As he closed the door, he looked at Devon and me, and a mix of understanding andoh shitflickered across his face. Clearing his throat, he faced Emil. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes. Thank you for coming in.”
“Sit,” I told him, and got up from my chair.
Lous glanced at each of us, then cautiously took the chair. “What’s going on?”
“Were you aware that the two of them”—Emil gestured at Devon, then me—“were involved in a…” He hesitated, squirming a little in his chair with some obvious discomfort. “Involved with each other?”
Lous looked at Devon, who gave him a nod that seemed to telegraph,it’s okay, you can tell him.
To Emil, Lous said, “Yes, I knew.” He shrugged. “It’s been going on since they both came to Abbotsford.”
All three of us stared at him.
He glanced at each of us. “What?”
“You knew?” Devon asked.
“Yes,” the captain said matter-of-factly. To Emil, he said, “They clearly went above and beyond to be subtle about it, and you’d never know if you only saw them on the ice or in the locker room, but I knew.”
Devon and I exchanged glances, the alarm on his face mirroring my own.
“It probably wasn’t obvious to anyone else,” Lous continued. “To, well, the straight guys.”
We all studied him, and we all seemed to make the same connection at the same time.
“You’re—” Devon cocked his head. “Aren’t you one of the straight guys?”
Lous chuckled. “Some of us hide it better than others, I guess.”
“Oh.” I shifted my weight. “I… didn’t have a clue.”
“To be fair,” Lous said with another quiet chuckle, “off the ice, I don’t think you noticed much about any of us except…” He nodded toward Devon.
Devon blushed. I was pretty sure I did, too.
“Well. I was, uh…” Emil shifted again. “I was unaware of that.”
“Most people are,” Lous said.
I was admittedly taken aback. I’d clocked several queer players on various teams where I’d played or coached, but Ihadn’t even considered that Lous might be. Either he was incredibly subtle about it, or I’d really been oblivious since I’d come here.
My gaze drifted to Devon.
Oblivious. Definitely oblivious. Because holy shit, when I wasn’t on the ice, my mind had only been on one person.
“I understand someone else on the team knows,” Emil said. “And that there’s a blackmail situation.”
“There is,” Lous growled. “I heard Hairs threatening him last night.” With a slow head shake, he added, “That can’t fly. Not if we’re going to keep a close locker room.”
“No, of course not. I won’t abide by a cancer in the locker room. He’ll be dealt with. I just wanted to confirm what Devs had told me—that you witnessed it.”
Lous nodded solemnly. “I did.”