Before The Fire – Riley Bauer

More of an acknowledgment. We made it to lunch. After we eat, Davis says something about Volkov and Fontenot’s drill work not clicking. “What about them?” I ask. Davis and Novák exchange a meaningful glance but I don’t know what it means. Novák says, “History. From before.” “Hockey history?” “Something like that.”

Novák takes a drink of his water and offers nothing further. I let it go because whatever it is, it’s not about their skating, and their skating is the part that’s my business. Plus my phone is buzzing in my pocket and I already know who it is. I find a quiet corner of the hallway and call her back. “Samuel.” My mom’s voice is the same as it’s been every day of my life, warm and slightly worried and speaking English with the vowels she brought from Munich that she’s never lost.

“How is your first day?” “Good. The skating is next level. There’s a guy from Quebec whose acceleration is insane, and the center, Ryan Asher, runs the ice like he can see three seconds into the future.” “That’s wonderful. Have you made any friends?” I look back toward the cafeteria, where Davis is clearing trays and Novák remarking to Hájek in a way that makes him cough up his drink.

“I think so?” I say. “Yeah. I think I have.” 1kitap1.com/en Chapter 10: Novák erger corners me at the coffee station on day four with the energy of a man who has been waiting to share classified information. “You’ve noticed Leclerc,” he says. Not a question. “The staring.” “The staring.” Berger leans against the counter and grins.

He is Swiss, which means he speaks four languages fluently, which means he understands every sidebar conversation going on at any given moment of the day. This means he is the most dangerous man in this building and he knows it. “He was doing it to Campbell yesterday. Campbell looked like he was drafting a will.” “What is he saying?”

“Yesterday? A parking garage. The one near his apartment. The entry ramp is too steep and he scraped the underside of his car.” Berger takes a sip of his coffee. “The day before that, he was telling Soucy about a Netflix show. A cooking competition. He was furious about the elimination in episode four.” “And the staring?” “Incidental.

He just looks wherever he looks. He doesn’t realize he’s doing it.” I process this.

Copyright © 2026 by Riley Bauer All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations in reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Published by Asher Imprints Cover design by AEA Cover Designs Edited by Willow Ink Editing This book contains sexually explicit content and is intended for readers 18 years of age and older. 1kitap1.com/en Contents Part One: Unprotected Chapter 1: Avi Chapter 2: Avi Chapter 3: Avi Chapter 4: Avi Part Two: Free Agent Chapter 5: Ash Chapter 6: Ash Chapter 7: Ash Part Three: The Rookies Chapter 8: Davis Chapter 9: Mueller Chapter 10: Novák Chapter 11: Hájek Fresh Meat: Group Chat One Chapter 12: Davis Chapter 13: Mueller Chapter 14: Novák Chapter 15: Hájek Chapter 16: Davis Fresh Meat: Group Chat Two Part Four: Home Ice Chapter 17: Avi Also by Riley Bauer Acknowledgements About the author 1kitap1.com/en Part One: Unprotected 1kitap1.com/ 1.com/en 1kitap1.com/en S Chapter 1: Avi even missed calls.

I don’t see them right away. I’m standing on the trail along the Schuylkill with my hands on my knees, breathing hard, watching the river move south through the morning haze. Late June in Philadelphia means the air is already thick by seven a.m., and the run was longer than I planned.

Past the Strawberry Mansion Bridge and back, which is what happens when I forget to turn around. My legs feel good. My lungs feel full. And my body reminds me it’s still working, but thirty-four doesn’t feel the same as twenty- four. I pull my phone from the armband and switch off airplane mode. Seven missed calls. Four from Laura. Three from a number I don’t recognize but have saved in my contacts.

Brian Sullivan, The Inquirer. And texts. A wall of texts, the previews stacking before I can read any of them. Laura first, time-stamped starting forty minutes ago: Call me. Five minutes later: Avi, call me before you talk to anyone. Then: Pick up the phone. One text, twelve minutes ago: Hey Avi, Brian Sullivan. Working on a piece, hoping to get a comment. Going to try you. My phone rings in my hand. Sullivan. I answer because I don’t know yet. That’s the part I’ll think about later.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: a468040ad130b360
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 3,342,474 bytes (3.188 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 94
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 106.88 minutes
• Total Words: 21,376
• Total Characters: 117,938
• Average Words per Page: 227.4
• Average Characters per Page: 1254.66

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