Page 11 of Drop Pass

I turned around and glared at Hartman. “What are you doing?”

He was speaking but I couldn’t hear him so I took out my headphones. He looked annoyed. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for a few minutes. Where’s your head, man?”

I shrugged, and reached for my bottle again and this time he gave it to me. I gulped down almost half of it and set it back down. “I’m focusing.”

How was I getting in trouble for doing my work out? This wasn’t social hour. I didn’t need to chit-chat all afternoon. Coach had warned me I should work on integrating into the team culture, but it wasn’t natural for me. My entire career I’d been in direct competition with my teammates. I had to better, faster, stronger than every single one of them so I could move on to the next league or team.

It was a hard adjustment to break through that mentality. The Fury was the opposite of everything I was used to. They were a family, supportive and caring. They wanted me to become a part of that, but it went against everything I knew.

“I know it isn’t required of you to hang out with us or attend non-team sponsored events, but I have a favor to ask,” Hartman said.

I cringed. I couldn’t say no to my captain, and I had a feeling I would want to. “What is it?”

“I don’t know Elena very well, but she’s important to Kendall and the rest of the Pride. That means she’s part of the family. I would really appreciate if you would keep an eye on her. You don’t need to become best friends, but just let her know you’re there if she needs anything.”

He knew me well enough to know this was asking a lot, but he was my captain and as uncomfortable as it made me, it was something I could handle.

“Fine.”

“Thanks, man.”

I nodded and stepped away to start my second set. I checked in the mirror and noticed he hadn’t moved, but I put my headphones back on and ignored him. I couldn’t shake the feeling I was a disappointment. The rest of the team was like a big brotherhood, but getting to that level would take time. Hopefully, he understood that.

I finished the rest of my workout and left without a goodbye. I showered and changed quickly in the locker room before heading to my car. It wasn’t often that I drove to the arena, but I had an appointment with my attorney to get to.

I’d messaged him about my family and he told me to come in this afternoon to discuss options. I was trying not to get too excited until I heard what he had to say, but since the idea had planted in my head, I couldn’t think of anything else.

I parked in front of his building and took the stairs to the third floor to burn off some excitement. When I opened the door, his receptionist smiled up at me. “Good to see you, Mr. Kozlov. Mr. Madsen is ready for you.”

She stood and led me to the end of the hall where his office door was open.

“Mr. Madsen.” She called and he swiveled in his chair to face us.

“Ah Mr. Kozlov. Thank you, Cherri.”

She left us alone, closing the door behind her and I moved to sit across from him.

“How are you doing, Nikolay?”

I nodded. “I’m fine.”

A whisper of a smile appeared. Mr. Madsen and I had only been working together since I was signed by the Fury less than a year ago, but I already trusted the man. He’d been nothing but direct and honest and I respected that. Even when the truth wasn’t something I wanted to hear, he didn’t twist his words to make it sound positive.

“Good to hear. I looked into what you asked about and since you are currently here on a visa rather than a permanent resident you can’t sponsor your family to come. They would need visas of their own and I’m afraid it would be challenging to get them to qualify.”

I nodded. I assumed this was the situation, but if this was all he had to tell me he would have called. There was more.

“However, we can work on getting you permanent residence status. There are two paths, achieving “All-Star status” or establishing extraordinary achievement. Since you haven’t been to the Olympics and you’re probably a few years off from making all-star for your team, we’ll have to focus on the extraordinary achievement side.”

“What does that mean?”

“You need to satisfy three of the ten criteria set by immigration.”

I nodded. Three out of ten didn’t sound too hard. “Have you done this before?”

He nodded. “You’re not my first foreign athlete. Most players are fine with a visa, but those that want to stay here after their career is over or want to bring family over have to do this. I wanted to check on what your status is so I spoke with your agent and he thinks he can prove by your stats and salary that you rank higher than others. That’s a crucial one, and I have ideas for your other two.”

I nodded. “What?”