The Mane Squeeze

CHAPTER 29

It happened every time Gwen rolled out on the track. They would chant her name…“Tasty!”

Okay, so it wasn’t her name, but Lock felt it was close enough. And those from Philly who’d attended seemed to love it.

Lock had to wait until the cleaner had wiped off the glass in front of him before he could see Gwen getting in position on the track. She wiped off the blood leaking from her nose and then popped it back into position using both hands.

Ric let out a breath, quite pleased they’d had Heineken beer among all the Millers and Buds the roaming sellers were hawking. “You know how we always thought we were so much tougher than the football players because we play hockey?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s official. We’re all pussies.”

Lock laughed but absolutely agreed.

The ref blew the whistle and the pack took off. The “jostling” from earlier had turned into a “melee” Sun Tzu would have been afraid of.

The second whistle blew and Gwen moved. God, his woman was so fast. Between her lighter weight combined with those powerful tiger legs of hers, none of the other jammers could hope to get close to her. The only thing that helped them was whether Gwen could get through the pack. She tore up the track, catching up to the pack in seconds. One quick hyena slammed into her, but Gwen shoved her off, sending her spinning into her own teammate, both of them crashing into the railing and flipping over.

Gwen grabbed hold of Blayne’s arm, and Blayne held her back, using her free hand to grab the blocker in front of her by the neck and yanking her out of the way. Once she had the opening, she flung Gwen through it. Free of the pack, Gwen took off, the ref tagging her as the lead jammer as she shot around the track.

Lock glanced at the scoreboard. They’d been ahead for a while, but now they were four points behind with thirty seconds left on the board. Gwen had to make it past the pack at least one more time to tie.

A hyena and a lioness went for her, but Cheeky Charming—a ligress who was bigger than Lock’s mom—took them both out, allowing Gwen to zip past. McNelly went for her, but Pop-A-Cherry slammed into her from behind, sending the She-wolf spinning and landing in front of Gwen, but Lock’s tigon went up and over. Unfortunately, because her skates weren’t touching the track, McNelly wouldn’t count for any points. But at least Gwen was able to keep going, shooting around the track for another pass. She’d passed another Furrier, tying the teams, but before she could go past the next Blocker, the Pivot hit her from the side and slammed her into the rails. The Furriers came at her and would probably tackle her to the ground. So, with only two seconds left on the clock, she called off the jam by putting her hands to her hips twice.

Then the Furriers took her down anyway, slamming her to the track.

The crowd cheered and booed with equal vigor and Lock let out a breath.

“You’re worried about her,” Roxy observed, although her eyes stayed focused on the track.

“Of course he’s worried,” his mother answered for him. “They’re going after your daughter like a polar after a baby seal. He doesn’t want her irreparably harmed.”

Suddenly incredibly strong hands gripped Lock’s face, squeezing his cheeks so hard his lips pursed out and it hurt.

“You,” Roxy said, with what Lock would consider an inordinate amount of enthusiasm, “are a sweet, sweet grizzly.” She squeezed harder. “I just adore you, baby-boy.”

Struggling with his desire to knock Roxy out of the stands merely to get her hands off his face, Lock said, “T’ank you.” Which was the best he could manage with her squeezing so hard.

“Mom approval,” Jess whispered in his ear once Roxy had released her hold. “Check.”

“Quiet.”

Gwen waited in the infield with her team while the refs conferred with the coaches and captains.

“They’re probably going to go into overtime. You up for that?”

Gwen nodded at Blayne’s question and took the clean rag she handed her so she could wipe off some of the sweat and blood.

“What about your shoulder?”

“It’ll hold up. I just need Ma to shove it back into place.”

Cherry rolled over to them and stopped in front of Gwen. “This is the deal—their team has four girls out, we have about five.” Only two from each team were out due to injuries. The others had been thrown out of the game during a particularly nasty melee, which led to the four game-ending injuries. “Plus, they called a personal foul on Gwenie.”

“Which means what?” Blayne asked.

“They’ve suggested a two-lap duel with Gwen.”

The Babes rolled their eyes, threw up their hands, and made all sorts of noises suggesting annoyance, but Gwen didn’t. Yet she could understand their annoyance. If she made it around the track twice, she’d get two automatic points and they’d win the East Coast championship. But she wouldn’t be out on that track alone. One player from the other team would be out there with her and there were even fewer rules in the two-lap duel than there were in general. That player could cut through the infield, use the bodies of other teammates to slow Gwen down, or stomp on Gwen with her skates. A no-holds-barred event.

“Who suggested it?” Gwen asked while her teammates grumbled.

Cherry smirked. “McNelly.”

“Forget it,” Blayne said.

“I’m in.”

Blayne grabbed her arm. “Excuse us.” She dragged Gwen a bit away from the team and asked, “Have you lost your damn mind?”

“I’m in, Blayne. I’m doing this. Just me and her.”

“I love you, Gwen. I really do. But you’ve lost your fucking mind. That bitch could care less whether you get any points out there. All she cares about is killing you. Killing you a lot.”

“I’m doing it.”

“Why?”

“Because she needs to learn there are liabilities to being a prick.”

“Good plan if she weren’t a sociopath.”

“I’m doing it.” She looked over at Cherry. “I’m in.”

“You sure?”

“No!” Blayne barked.

“Yeah. I’m sure.” She focused back on Blayne. “I’m doing this.”

“You’re an idiot.”

She leaned against her friend. “You sweet talker you. Now shove my shoulder back, I can’t wait for Ma.”

“That’s right, folks!” the announcer gleefully intoned. “It’s going to be a two-lap duel. Two minutes have been put on the clock. If the jammer makes it around the track twice, the Assault and Battery Park Babes win. If the blocker keeps her from getting around the track in those two minutes, the Staten Island Furriers win!”

“Oooh!” Brody MacRyrie applauded behind Ric. “A two-lap duel! How exciting!”

But when Ric looked at his friend, all he could see was panic in the bear’s eyes and he worried that the grizzly was about to do something stupid.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Ric tried to assure him, using his most calming voice. Always best to keep the grizzlies calm and rational. Did these people have any concept what a crazed bear could do to their precious stadium? “Right, Roxy? It’s going to be fine, right?”

Roxy was busy chewing her lip until she realized both men were staring at her, waiting for their fears to be assuaged. She stopped, forced a smile, and said, “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“You are lying to me!” Lock growled, making Smitty tense up since Jess was still resting around the bear’s shoulders like a mink stole.

“Baby-boy, now calm down.” Roxy took Lock’s hand in hers and patted it. “My Gwenie knows what she’s doing.”

“Your Gwenie will do anything to make sure her team wins, because she hates that woman so much. And although your daughter is, on most days, a little psychotic, Donna McNelly is a sociopath. She just wants to kill her.”

Roxy let out a sigh. “I know.” Wait. How was that helpful?

“She’ll be fine,” Ric said again, hoping he was right. Of course, as he watched the battered, bruised, and weary-looking Gwen roll onto the track and then the barely bruised, much bigger, and wide-awake She-wolf roll on after her, Ric realized that he definitely had his doubts.

Panting, Gwen rested one hand on the railing and one hand on her waist.

“How ya doin’, little kitty?” McNelly taunted. “You sure you’re up for this? I don’t know, you took some bad hits during that last jam. And you look so tired. You tired? People never realize how long two minutes can be, huh? But we know, don’t we, little kitty?”

While McNelly kept going on, Gwen looked down at the hand on her waist. Her eyes narrowed. Was her nail polish chipped or had she cracked her nail? She leaned in a bit, examining it a little more. Letting out a sigh, she relaxed back. Nail polish chipped. That was good. She had no desire to pay Blayne five bucks.

The ref stood diagonally from her but still in the infield. “Just a reminder,” he said. “To make two complete laps your feet have to mostly be on the track. Any leaps over ten feet—whether vertical or horizontal—won’t be counted, understand?”

Gwen nodded.

“She can come at you from any direction and in any way. Fangs and claws are now allowed. Whatever you do, don’t stop. You’ve got two minutes, hon.” He briefly glanced at McNelly before adding, “And good luck.”

He clamped the whistle between his lips, pointed his arm at her, and blew. Gwen took off, but McNelly wasn’t behind her. As the game had progressed, Gwen had become really good at sensing where the blockers were coming from. And this time McNelly had cut through the infield and was going to meet her on the other side.

Gwen ignored the sound of the screaming crowd, focusing instead on just McNelly, the track, what was in or near her space, and Blayne’s voice. As she made it halfway around, McNelly was there, coming right at Gwen.

Twisting her body, Gwen spun out of her reach, McNelly slamming into the rails so hard she almost went over. Gwen kept going, not even looking back. The crowd got louder, but she could still hear Blayne over them all.

“Five feet, Gwen! Five feet!”

Gwen took a breath and waited until she heard Blayne yell, “Hard left!”

She jerked to the left and McNelly flew by a second after, landing hard on the track, her body splayed out.

Again, she kept moving, never looking back. She heard the announcer scream, “Lap one!” And she knew she’d have to get through this next lap to win.

“Head-on, Gwen!” Blayne screamed. “Head-on!”

Gwen looked up and there NcNelly was, coming right at her, fangs and claws out, her long arms open wide.

Gwen could leap over her, but anything more than ten feet, she was screwed. And she’d have to go at least that high because she had no doubts the big bitch would jump with her and catch her legs.

No. She couldn’t leap up and over her, but she could go off the track into the infield to run away. Yet she’d have to push through all those Furriers who’d be beating the shit out of her to stop her. So that left her with one option…

When Gwen’s fangs and claws came out, Lock sat up straight.

“What the hell is she doing?” he snarled, barely realizing Mitch Shaw asked the same question at the same time.

“Now this,” Roxy sighed, “this is going to be ugly.”

“I’m right there with you, Rox,” Alla sighed behind him.

But Lock didn’t dare look away from the track to glare at either Gwen’s mother or his own. Not when the action was moving so fast.

They were about five feet from each other, McNelly about to scoop Gwen up in those massive arms of hers, when Gwen finally went airborne. But instead of leaping over McNelly, which was what Lock had assumed she’d do, she went right into her.

She hit McNelly full force, her mouth open and wrapping around the She-wolf’s face. Gwen clamped down, her claws digging into McNelly’s shoulders. They hit the ground in a bloody, violent mess, McNelly’s claws slashing at Gwen’s shoulders and arms as the female desperately tried to get Gwen off her.

Gwen sat up, spitting out the blood that wasn’t already running down her chin and neck and twice slammed her fist into McNelly’s face.

“Thirty-five seconds!” Blayne yelled from the infield.

Gwen scrambled over McNelly and started to get to her feet. But McNelly caught hold of her ankle, flipping over on her stomach to drag Gwen back.

“Twenty-five, Gwen! Twenty-five!”

Gwen yanked her foot away from McNelly, but the She-wolf took hold of the other one.

“Twenty! Twenty!”

Lock watched as the two friends looked at each other and he thought exactly what Roxy had said, This is going to be ugly.

“House cat her, Gwen!” Blayne yelled. “House cat the bitch!”

And Lock finally found out what it meant to “house cat” someone as Gwen turned so fast, if he’d been more human he would have missed it. She turned and using both hands, raked her unleashed claws down McNelly’s face three…oh. Nope. Four times.

It definitely reminded him of a house cat fighting off the family dog.

McNelly screamed, her hands covering her face and what was left of her nose, lips, and cheeks. And maybe her eyes.

The crowd jumped to their collective feet, the wild dogs howling louder than anyone.

Flicking something red and pulpy from her claws, Gwen sprung to her feet and took off, Blayne right with her from the infield, counting the time down as she did.

Lock didn’t know when he’d gotten to his feet, but like everyone else in that stadium he was up and cheering, screaming for Gwen to make it as the counter went down.

“Eight! Seven!” Blayne’s voice counted as Gwen flew around the last turn. Her friend’s voice the only thing she was focusing on at the moment. “Six! Five!” She saw where another ref stood, his arm out, marking where Gwen would have to be by zero to win. She wanted to leap for it but knew she couldn’t. So she kept moving. Her eyes focused on the last ref and how close she was getting. “Four! Three!”

Just a little more, baby-girl. She could hear her mother’s voice in her head, coaxing her on like she used to do when she was only five and had put on Gwen’s first pair of skates. I know you can do it.

“Two! One!” Gwen went past the ref, but Blayne’s voice was drowned out by the crowd and she didn’t know if she’d made it in time. Then Blayne was on the track, her arms open. The way they used to do when they played field hockey and had just kneecapped one of the rich girls from the local private school. Gwen dived right at her best friend and threw her arms and legs around Blayne’s body.

Blayne spun her around, screaming, “You did it, Gwenie! You did it!”

At least that’s what it sounded like she said. Hard to tell with the crowd going crazy. All that roaring, howling, cackling, and foot stomping made it impossible to hear much of anything.

The rest of the team surrounded her and Blayne, hoisting Gwen up, carrying her on their shoulders around the track. The howls, roars, etc., lowered as one chant rose above everything else…

“Tasty! Tasty! Tasty!”

As they passed the section filled with her family and friends, she could see her mother applauding like crazy, tears streaming down her face, the Drs. MacRyrie clapping and waving at her, while Mitch and Brendon pumped their fists in the air and screamed her name like they were at a Bon Jovi concert. Hell, everyone in that section was going a little crazy.

Except for one lone grizzly. He stood there, a center of calm with a wild dog sitting on his shoulders, howling with her Pack, and his best friend beside him calling out “Bravo!” But the bear was breathing, slowly, in and out, until he finally looked up, knowing her eyes were on him and him alone. And then he smiled. A smile filled with pride and love. She only saw it for a moment before her team marched her away to get their trophy, but it was enough.

Hell, it was damn near everything.