I’d always had an issue with the lawlessness around me. I knew my dad dealt in more than repairing motorcycles. I didn’t know the details, but I’d seen bikes come into the shop in the dead of night and be dismantled for parts or altered and sold. I’d only worked in the legit side of the business, but Dad had his irons in multiple fires. For some reason, I held myself to a higher moral standard than my mother or father. After my wake-up call with Weasel, I changed, and I’d like to think I changed for the better. Doing an honest day’s work for decent wages appealed to me.

Did I want to pursue a career in equipment management? I didn’t know. Too early to tell. This was a temporary job with an end date. I’d wait and see how I felt when that date came.

I’d originally thought I might have a hard time keeping my hands off these hot hockey players. I did love hot, raunchy, no-strings sex as much as the next former biker chick, but I’d managed to keep hands-off. I had a job to do and didn’t want to mess it up by fucking some of the players.

I was learning to sharpen skates, but my boss and his backup did most of the sharpening while I did the majority of the washing and folding.

I was lucky to work with a good bunch of guys. They didn’t treat me differently because I was a woman. They expected me to do the same work they did, such as lugging big duffels and loading and unloading the truck. This job built muscles, but I’d always been in good shape. I was a runner, and I weight lifted. Now the job gave me all the weight lifting I needed.

Along with my boss, Roy, the other two guys were Steve Lafonnier and Herm Lattimer. Steve and Roy had moved with the team from Florida five years ago. Herm had been hired three years ago after a stint in Vancouver. They were all older and experienced. I called them my uncles.

I boarded the team plane already exhausted. We were leaving a day early for a two-game back-to-back road trip to Chicago then St. Louis, the most brutal kind for staff and players alike.

I settled into one of the plush seats on the specially designed team plane, once again grateful Ethan Parker spared no expense when it came to our comfort. I pulled out my e-reader and settled in for the four-hour flight. The equipment squad usually sat together in a set of four seats that faced each other with a table in the middle. Sometimes I joined them in a game of cards; other times, I read or napped.

The players were boarding, and I immediately became aware of a change in the atmosphere in the plane. Axel’s hearty laughter reverberated through my hyperaware body. My heart started pounding in my chest, and I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. My lady parts went on high alert. What the fuck was up with that? This didn’t go over well with me at all. I hadn’t even laid eyes on the guy before I felt his presence.