Something was going on. Taylor didn't know what, but the sickening knot in her stomach told her it wasn't good. It was obvious that her teammates felt it, too. Everyone was off tonight, worse even than they'd been Tuesday night.

Taylor skated over to the bench and leaned over to grab a bottle of water. Not because she was thirsty—she hadn't been working hard enough to break more than the smallest of sweats—but because it gave her a chance to look around the ice and watch everyone without being obvious.

It also gave her a chance to get closer to where the big meeting was happening off to the side. Mr. Murphy was there, along with a few of the other co-owners, and the entire coaching staff. Taylor couldn't tell what they were talking about, they were too far away. But she could read their body language, see the anger on Mr. Murphy's face and the abrupt motions Coach Reynolds kept making with her hands.

Definitely not good.

She raised the bottle to her mouth and took a long swallow then shifted her body at an angle that gave her a view of both the ice and the meeting. The other players were watching as well, only making the smallest pretense of practicing.

And they needed the practice, not just so they could start coming together again as a team. They needed it to take their minds off what had happened at Saturday's game in New York and the news they had learned at Tuesday night's practice.

Amanda Beall had overdosed on a cocktail of recreational drugs she had been taking for a while. Mr. Murphy and the coaching staff may have wanted to keep that a secret, but it had been blasted all over the media by Sunday. And on Tuesday, the team learned that Amanda was no longer part of the Blades. She'd been kicked off the team, her contract terminated, no questions asked. Taylor wasn't sure how she felt about that—about any of it.

Shouldn't they have at least offered to help her? Had that even been an option? She didn't know. She didn't think anyone knew, except maybe Rachel.

And Rachel wasn't talking.

Taylor glanced over at the other woman, watching her go through the motions of a shooting drill. Her movements were sluggish, unenthusiastic; her shots were weak and wide. Which meant absolutely nothing because the rest of the team was the same way, doing nothing more than just going through the motions.

As Captain, it was her job to run practice tonight—at the request of Coach Reynolds. It was also her job to get the team excited, to build up their enthusiasm. To tighten the bonds that had been damaged from the events on Saturday.

That's what she should be doing, but her heart wasn't in it any more than the rest of the team. Not with this heavy pall of negativity hanging over them.

Taylor tossed one final glance at the tense meeting happening on the other side of the glass then flung the bottle behind the bench. She had an idea, but she wasn't sure if it would work or not. At the very least, it might take everyone's mind off the group of suits huddled together with the coaches.

She pushed off the boards and skated toward center ice, waving Sammie and Dani and a few of the other girls in. They slid to a stop in front of her, their gazes filled with curiosity.

Dani looked over at the small group then frowned at Taylor. "Any idea what they're talking about?"

"No. I wasn't close enough to hear. But none of them look happy—especially Coach."

"You think this is about Amanda?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. I mean, they already kicked her off the team. Why would they still be talking about her?"

"If they're not talking about her, then what the hell are they discussing?"

"Whatever it is, it looks serious." Sammie took a deep breath then let it out in a rush, her shoulders deflating with the move. "I don't like it. I've got a really bad feeling about it."

"Well, we'll find out eventually. I guess."

"Has Chuckie said anything?"

Taylor shook her head. There was no use denying that the two of them were together now, not when everyone had seen the way Chuckie was holding her at the hospital. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, how she felt about everyone knowing her personal business. It was too late to worry about it now, though, because there wasn't anything she could do about it.

"He's been busy doing damage control, trying to bury the negative press."

Dani snorted. "Yeah. Good luck with that."

Taylor ignored the comment, mostly because there was nothing to say, especially not when she agreed with it. "In the meantime, we need to do something to get everyone back on the same page. Do something to lighten everyone's mood."

"Like what?"

"How about some line dancing?"

Five faces looked at her with varying expressions of shock and disbelief. Sammie was the first one to speak, her voice pitched high in surprise.

"Line dancing? Seriously?"

"Sure, why not?"

"I thought we were supposed to be practicing."

"Look around, Sammie. Does it look like anyone is actually practicing? We need to do something to break through this thing and get us working together again. Get our minds off everything going on. Do you have any better ideas?"

"Well, no. But I'm not sure how we're supposed to line dance on skates."

"You'll figure it out." Taylor twirled the stick in her hand and looked around. "Anyone else have something better in mind?"

"Nope."

"Not me."

"Okay, line dancing it is then. I'll go find the radio. Dani and Sammie, get everyone together. But don't tell them why, okay?"

"Why? Afraid of a mutiny?" Dani meant the words as a joke but they still hit home, knotting Taylor's stomach.

"You have no idea."

She headed back to the bench, wondering if she needed her head examined. Line dancing? Instead of practicing? Surely, she could have come up with something different. But her mind had completely blanked and it was the only thing she could think of besides running regular drills. And everyone had so much fun that night after their first game, when they'd gone to The Ale House, laughing and dancing and just cutting loose. That was what they needed right now, just something to have some fun and get their minds off everything else.

The shrill blare of a whistle stopped her in her tracks. She slid to a stop, spinning around as Coach Reynolds and Coach Chaney walked onto the ice, their faces lined with fury. Taylor's heart slammed into her chest, her stomach knotting with apprehension. Coach Reynolds glanced over at her then quickly looked away, blowing the whistle again.

"I need all of you over here. Now."

Everyone immediately raced to the boards, coming to a stop a few feet away from Coach Reynolds. Taylor saw the confusion on her teammates' faces and knew it mirrored her own. Did everyone else have the same knot of dread twisting their guts, or was that just her?

No, it was everyone. Like they all knew something was coming. Something bad.

Seconds stretched into minutes, drawing nerves tight until Coach Reynolds released a heavy sigh and looked around, her gaze resting on each face for a split second before moving to the next one. She tossed an angry look over her shoulder then turned back once more.

"Everyone needs to line up and proceed to the restroom for a drug test."

Shocked silence greeted her words, then questions started flying, overlapping one another.

"What?"

"Whose idea was this?"

"They can't make us do that, can they?"

"Isn't that supposed to be done in a lab?"

Coach Reynolds held her hands up, signaling for silence. "This isn't my call and no, there's nothing I can do about it. As for a lab—" She stopped and looked over her shoulder again, her face red with anger.

"As for a lab, you'll be using home tests. These will be issued immediately and nobody is exempt."

"But Coach—"

"Not my call, ladies." She lowered her voice, regret flashing across her face. "I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do."

"What fucking bullshit." Shannon ripped her helmet off and shot a withering glare in the direction of the men standing on the other side of the glass. "Are they going to watch, too?"

"Coach Chaney will be present, yes."

"Seriously? We have to pee in front of someone? I don't think I can!" Sammie's voice was filled with the same outrage and disbelief reflected on everyone's face.

Shannon let out a string of loud curses and stormed toward the door, throwing her helmet and stick down as she moved through it. She paused in front of the men and Taylor held her breath, wondering if Shannon was going to say or do something stupid. But she merely shook her head and swore again before heading to the bathroom.

Everyone else skated toward the doors, muttering words of disbelief and outrage. Taylor hesitated, wanting to say or do something, but knowing she couldn't. She started off the ice, only to have Coach Reynolds call her back.

"LeBlanc, I need a minute."

Taylor whirled around, the dread growing larger in her stomach. "Yes, Coach?"

"Not you."

"What do you mean? You said no exceptions."

"I did." Coach Reynolds moved closer, regret filling her eyes. "I'm sorry, Taylor, I tried. And if it was up to me—"

"What? What's going on?"

"You're suspended from the team. Indefinitely."

Taylor stood there, convinced she hadn't heard right. Suspended? No, she couldn't be. Her heart jumped to her throat, making it hard to breathe, hard to concentrate. She swallowed, trying to draw air into her burning lungs.

"I—I don't understand."

"Taylor—"

"Is this because of Amanda? I thought—this doesn't make sense. I don't understand."

"It's not because of Amanda. It's—" Coach looked away, her shoulders sagging. When she looked back, Taylor saw the sheen in her eyes, saw the angry set to her jaw. "It's because you're involved with someone in the front office."

"What?" The words came out as a strangled choke. This was about Chuckie? Because they were seeing each other?

"Mr. Murphy thinks it would be best if you were no longer associated with the team, at least for the time being, given all the negative publicity that's happened as a result of the incidents that occurred on Saturday." Coach recited the long string of words, her voice dull and lifeless. She took a deep breath, anger flashing in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Taylor. It's bullshit. I tried to talk him out of it but…I'm sorry."

Anger sliced through Taylor, followed by the sharp pain of betrayal. She was being suspended, indefinitely, because she was seeing Chuckie. Had he known? No, he couldn't have. He would have said something.

Wouldn't he?

Taylor stood there for the longest time, her body numb, her heart threatening to explode in her chest. Everything she had worked for all her life, all her hopes and dreams, shattered. Destroyed.

Taken away from her.

Just like that. On a whim. With no thought.

How? Why? She didn't understand, couldn't make sense of it. She wanted to scream. To hit. To rail against the injustice. To fight back.

In the end, she simply skated off the ice, leaving the shattered pieces of her dreams behind her.