Chapter 99 DIGGING.

Chapter 99 DIGGING.
THANE'S POV:
I'd never felt better in my life.
Peak physical condition. Mind clear. Heart full. All because of her. I was glowing. Whole.
Madison had transformed everything. The apartment in the Netherlands had become home base while we planned the real thing, a wedding in New York. Three months away now. Invitations ordered, venue booked, menu tasted and approved.
New York made sense. The Sentinels were relocating for the fresh season, and Madison wanted to be where I played. "I'm not missing another game," she'd said. "Not ever again."
But first, I had to give her the perfect wedding gift.
Joe had pulled every string, called in every favor, utilized resources I didn't want to think too hard about. The file sat encrypted on my phone, two hundred pages of information about Ambassador and Mrs. Alade. Their foundation. Their humanitarian work. Their conspicuous lack of children in any public record.
And one small notation buried deep: a birth announcement twenty-five years ago. A daughter. Then nothing.
I was in a window seat on First Class, seatbelt clicked, the plane’s hum lulling half the cabin to sleep. The first-class seat reclined into a bed I wasn't using. Too keyed up. Too focused on the video call lighting up my screen.
Madison's face filled it, hair piled on top of her head, one of my old hockey jerseys swallowing her frame. She looked at once comforted and a little lonely.
"I'm lonely," she said, bottom lip pushing out in an exaggerated pout. "You abandoned me."
"I've been gone eight hours."
"Eight hours too long." She shifted, and I caught a glimpse of Scratchy curled on her lap. "You still won't tell me what this big surprise is about?"
"No." I smiled at her dramatics. "You have my black card. Go shopping with Mom. She texted me earlier asking if you were free tomorrow. Something about finalizing your wedding gown."
Madison rolled her eyes so hard I was surprised they didn't fall out. "You're not the only one with money, you know. I don't need you throwing it around."
"I'm not throwing it around. I'm sharing it with my future wife."
Her expression softened, the way it always did when I called her that. "Do you like your gift?"
I glanced down at my wrist, admiring the watch again, fingers tracing the clasp.
The watch she'd given me last Friday, custom Rolex with a photo under the glass. Not just any photo. The one from Mom's wedding. Me, Madison, Mom, Vaughan, Elise, the niece and nephew, Carter, Maverick and Scratchy. All of us laughing, champagne glasses raised, joy captured in a single frame.
"I love it," I said honestly. "Wore it to practice yesterday and Aaron got jealous."
"Good. You should make him jealous." She grinned. "What did you do with the champagne?"
"Saved it. Figured we'd open it together when I get back."
"And the other part of the gift?" Her voice dropped lower, teasing.
Heat climbed my neck. The "other part" had been three hours that left me boneless and stupid. "That I'm definitely not discussing on a plane."
She laughed, the sound cutting through cabin noise and expensive noise-canceling headphones. "I miss you."
"Miss you too. Two days, angel. Then I'm back."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
We talked until the flight attendant gave me pointed looks about turning off electronics for landing. I blew Madison a kiss. She pretended to catch it, press it to her heart.
The screen went dark. Seattle sprawled below, all gray skies and evergreens and Puget Sound reflecting clouds like hammered silver.
For a moment, I wished I’d stayed in that call, in that version of life where everything was simple and safe. But the truth had its own gravity, and I couldn’t outrun it anymore

Seattle blurred into a string of taxi windows and rainy sidewalks by the time I touched down. The hotel was forgettable. Clean, smelled of lemon detergent and the faint trace of cedar, functional, close to my destination. 
Morning came too early. I'd barely slept, mind churning through possibilities and dead ends and what I'd actually say if I found them.
The address Joe had given me led to a modern building in downtown Seattle. Glass and steel, environmentally conscious design, solar panels on the roof. A bronze plaque by the entrance read: ALADE FOUNDATION.
I wasted no time walking inside. The lobby was tasteful. Warm woods, comfortable seating, walls covered with photos of smiling kids. Programs in dozens of countries. Water wells in rural villages. Schools built from nothing.
A receptionist looked up from her computer. Early twenties, friendly smile, name tag reading JESSICA.
"Good morning! How can I help you?"
"I'd like to speak with President and First Lady Alade." 
Her smile dimmed slightly. "Do you have an appointment?"
"No, but—"
"They're extremely busy people. All requests for meetings need to be submitted through our website, reviewed by—"
"I'm not asking for a meeting with them. Just information." I leaned on the desk, probably too far into her personal space. "Please. It's important."
She studied me, recognition flickering. "You're Thane Slade. The hockey player."
"Yes."
"Olympic gold medalist." Her smile returned, warmer now. "My boyfriend's obsessed with you. Made me watch the finals like five times."
"Then you know I wouldn't be here unless it mattered." I gentled my voice. "I just need to talk to them. It's important."