(Aspen’s POV)
I was running errands for Mrs. Bigley when my phone buzzed.
Come to the arena. Now.
Slade.
No explanation. No details. Just him being… him.
I froze in the middle of the store aisle. He was at a game today. Why would he need me there? Did he forget something? Did he want me to run an errand for him? Or was I already in trouble?
My stomach twisted the entire drive. I kept replaying every task I had done that morning, trying to figure out which one I messed up.
When I pulled into the staff lot at the arena, a man in a Cyclones jacket waited by the entrance. He gave me a polite nod.
“Are you Aspen Hart?”
“Yes,” I said quietly.
“Right this way. Mr. Mercer said you’d be coming.”
Mr. Mercer. Not Slade. Right. I needed to keep that clear.
I followed the attendant through
