Fighting for Desire (10 page)

I’m not the one who runs. You are.

The look in her eyes spoke louder than her words did. He saw
anger and pain but what surprised him was the regret clouding her blue eyes.
How dare she be mad at him for leaving her back then? He wasn’t the one who
betrayed their relationship.

He thought about following her but decided against it. He
was already in a foul mood and talking to her about the day he left would only
make his mood worse. Instead he waited a few moments and then went upstairs to
his room.

His room was one of the only places he could relax and
unwind, one of the reasons he’d assigned Shannon to a guestroom on the opposite
end of the house. He sat down in the black leather recliner and sighed.

Why did things have to be so complicated where she was
concerned? This was supposed to be fun…and a way for him to finally get her out
of his system. But it felt as if she was lodged deeper inside than he had realized.

His cell rang and he answered it. “What did you find out,
Marco?”

“She took half of the money and got a cashier’s check with
it.”

“Do we know who it was for or where she took it?”

“No, the investigator is still working on it. Did she come
back?”

Dev laughed. “Yeah she’s here. I pissed her off when she got
back so she’s sulking in her room.”

“Where are you?”

“In my room. Sulking.”

Marco laughed. “I see… I need to go. I’ll see you at the
airport tonight.”

Dev set his phone down. He
was
sulking, he realized.
He took in a deep breath and decided to smooth things over with Shannon before
they left town.

Shannon stood in the closet, not knowing what to pack since
Dev hadn’t even told her they were leaving.

She heard a knock on her door and called out, “Come in!”

Mrs. Ingram was supposed to be on her way to help with the
packing.

“I think I have it narrowed down but I want your advice,”
she said as she walked out of the closet carrying two cocktail dresses.

She stopped in her tracks. Dev sat at the foot of her bed.
Her face flushed as she recalled last night, specifically being tied up in the
same spot.

“What are you doing in here?”

“You invited me in.”

“I thought you were Mrs. Ingram,” she said in an accusing
tone.

He held up his hands. “Look, I didn’t come in here to fight.
I came to say I was sorry for jumping on you earlier. It’s already been one of
those days and I guess I was taking it out on you.”

Wow. She couldn’t remember ever hearing Dev apologize for
anything.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No, just a bad morning of training.” He
glanced at the dresses in her hands. “I’m assuming Mrs. Ingram informed you we’re
leaving town tonight. I’m sorry. I should have mentioned it.”

Another apology…

She licked her lips. “Don’t worry about it. I just wasn’t
sure what I should pack. Mrs. Ingram said you would probably want to go out for
a nice dinner or something like that.”

“She is correct.”

His reply didn’t really answer anything so she took in a
deep breath. “Look, I’m just going to lay everything out in the open. I don’t
know what to expect when we are in Vegas. I’ve never even been to a MMA fight…”

His lips lifted into a smile and it took years off his face.

“Well the fact that you know it’s MMA is a plus. A lot of
people confuse MMA with boxing, which it’s not.”

“How did you even get involved in fighting? Was it something
you discovered you were naturally good at?”

He shrugged. “Hell, you know what I was like at eighteen,
Shannon. I was fighting all the time and we all know where I was headed. After
I left Texas I met a man who taught Judo to rich kids. He must have seen
something in me that no one else saw because he agreed to teach me too.”

“Dev, you don’t give yourself enough credit. I always knew
there was something special about you.”

He looked away. “Well not everyone is as kind as you were.
Master Khan trained me in the art of Judo and I absorbed as much as I could.
That led to me wanting to pursue Muay Thai on my own.”

“What about the submission wrestling?”

He turned his head and looked at her and she blushed.

“I read in an article that you also use submission wrestling,”
she explained.

There she went, putting her foot into her mouth but she had
kept up with his career ever since she saw him on the cover of People magazine.

“Part of Judo is learning submission moves. I apply that and
what I learned when I did amateur wrestling in high school.”

She thought back to their school days. The wrestling coach
had yelled in excitement when Dev agreed to join the team, saying it was about
damn time. Of course he agreed as part of a plea deal with a judge but the
coach didn’t care. All he cared about was Dev’s potential.

She mused. “It seems you were destined to be a fighter. Why
did you stop doing fights with the UFC?”

Dev fought with the UFC—the Ultimate Fighting Championship—and
even won the Heavyweight Championship. Then one day out of the blue, he
announced he was leaving the company. His announcement had come as a shock to
everyone in the MMA world.

“There wasn’t anything left for me to achieve there. I won
the Heavyweight Championship and beat everyone in my weight range.”

“So now you fight wherever you want?”

He nodded. “I made good money with UFC and my investments
have allowed me the luxury of choosing the fights I think are the most
lucrative.”

She hesitated before asking, “Don’t you ever get tired of
it? I saw your last fight on PPV. You were so bloody and I just can’t imagine going
through all that more than once…”

He smiled. “You watched my last fight?” Before she could
reply he went on. “It looked worse than it was. I broke the other guy’s nose
and he jabbed at me in defense.”

She shook her head. “It seems so dangerous.”

“Most fighters don’t compete for long. I have actually been
thinking about retiring in a year or so and opening my own training facility.”

Her heart ached at the thought of him a year from now. By
then she would be long gone and he wouldn’t give her a second thought. And she
would be alone…again.

She blinked away the tears she felt building. “That would be
great, Dev. You should do it!” Time to change the subject to something a little
less intense. She held up the dresses. “Which one should I bring?”

He seemed surprised at her sudden change of subject but said,
“Bring them both. We’re going to be there around a week. If you need more, we
can always just buy something. Oh, be sure to bring a bathing suit. The room we’re
staying in has a private infinity pool.”

She remembered hearing of a room like that on TV and
exclaimed, “Holy cow. Are we staying at MGM Grand?”

He laughed. “You’re just full of surprises today, Shannon.
Yes, that’s where we’re staying.”

Blushing, she said, “There’s a TV at the diner playing 24/7
so I see all sorts of things I normally wouldn’t watch, like travel shows.”

Thinking of the diner, she smacked her forehead. “Shit! I
forgot I was going to check up on Joe.” She saw the look on Dev’s face and
added, “He’s the one I was helping, remember?”

Dev glanced at his wrist watch. “If you can finish packing
within the next five minutes, we can check up on him before we go to the
airport.”

“I’m not really sure where he went. I gave him some money to
check into a motel and told him I would call him.”

Dev handed her cell phone back. “Give him a call then. I’ll
be in my office if you need me.”

His small act of trust sent a warm feeling throughout her
body. She waited until he was gone and looked at her phone. She had two missed
calls and she could guess who they were from. Dialing her voicemail, she prepared
herself for what she would hear.

You mother-fucking whore
!
How dare you just walk
into my club and leave me a goddamned check
?
Who in the fuck do you
think you are
?

Johnny paused to catch his breath and she could imagine how
red his face was from screaming.

Did you really think the money was going to fix
everything
?
I could care less about the money
!
It’s
you
that mattered. This isn’t over, you bitch
.

Shannon realized she was trembling and was about to hang up
when he began speaking again.

You tell your pretty boy to watch out. I would hate for
something to happen to him at his fight in Vegas
.

Her heart slammed against her chest. No! He couldn’t know
she was with Dev! She remembered Molly asking Dev’s name. Oh my god. Molly must
have snitched on her to Johnny! That bitch.

She sat on the edge of the bed, trying not to cry. She
needed a plan and she needed one fast. Telling Dev was out of the question.
That would lead to things she wasn’t ready to face, like Dev finding out how
closely she was associated to that piece of scum, Johnny. She couldn’t tell
Adam either. He needed his job at the club to support his kids.

No, the only solution was to call Johnny and try to reason
with him. She walked to the door and closed it in case Dev or Mrs. Ingram came
back. She dialed Johnny’s number and he answered on the first ring.

“Shannon,” he practically purred. “I was just talking about
the upcoming fight in Vegas. A friend asked who I thought they should bet on
and I said anyone but Devlin James.”

She closed her eyes, counted to ten and said, “Leave him out
of this. He hasn’t done anything to you.”

“This is true but he has something that belongs to me. Tell
me, does he know why you paid me? I assume you got the money from him.”

“Johnny, leave him alone!”

There was a moment of silence and then Johnny told whoever
was in his office to leave.

“Listen to me, you little cunt-whore…”

Shannon flinched at the insult.

“You do not tell me what to do. Do you understand? I am the
one in charge here and you better not forget it.”

Panic such as she had never known before welled in her
throat. “I’m sorry,” she quickly apologized. “I…I know you’re in charge,
Johnny.”

“Good girl.” His voice was velvet but laced in danger.
“Since you have come to your senses then I give you my word your fighter-boy
won’t be harmed in Vegas.”

Her breath left her lungs in a whoosh of relief but the
peace was short-lived.

“Hear me out, Shannon. I won’t have him hurt in Vegas but
you are going to do something for me in return.”

“W-what do you want me to do?” She hated that she stuttered
but she had a hard time getting her words out correctly when she was
stressed—like now.

“Your boy has a fight in three weeks in Colorado and you’re
going to help me make sure he doesn’t win.”

Several thoughts flashed through her mind and she said, “I’m
not going to hurt Dev!”

“Aww,” he said mockingly. “Do you think I’m stupid enough to
have you do something that could be traced back to me? No, you aren’t going to
physically hurt him but you will hurt him in other ways.

“I want you to have him so emotionally fucked up he won’t be
able to focus. Keep him away from his training sessions. Do whatever it takes
to keep him in bed.”

She felt as if she was going to be sick. “What makes you
think he will give up training to sleep with me?”

“Oh I have my ways. You should know this better than
anyone.” He took in a deep breath. “So do we have an agreement? His safety in
Vegas in return for a guaranteed loss in Colorado?”

“Johnny, please…”

“You know I could tell him everything, if I wanted to. What
kind of emotional state would he be in if I did that? Or I could have him hurt
so bad that only a machine would keep him alive. It’s your choice how this
plays out.”

He wasn’t bluffing and she knew it. He knew all her secrets
and if Dev found out…she couldn’t even think about what would happen.

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll help you.”

“I thought you might.”

She was just about to hang up when he spoke again.

“By the way, Shannon, I hope you are using protection. I
would hate for another unwanted child to be conceived.”

“Asshole,” she shouted as she ended the call and threw her
phone on the bed.

Sobs racked her body and she put her hand over her mouth.
Would she ever pay enough for the sins of her past? Her heart ached for the
baby she never knew and suddenly she felt as if the world was spinning around
her and the walls were crashing in.

Oh god, she was having a panic attack. Her chest tightened painfully
and her heart pounded against her constricted rib cage. Closing her eyes, she
focused on breathing through her nose. Slow, deep breaths. In and out.
Everything would be fine. In and out. She could do this. In and out.

Her eyes opened and she prayed she could make it through the
next month with her soul intact.

Dev glanced at Shannon as the limo took them to the airport.
She had been quiet since coming down from her room. When he asked if she talked
to her customer, she had looked confused for a moment before saying she hadn’t
been able to get a hold of him.

The limo came to a stop on the airstrip. His jet sat waiting
and Marco was already on board. The door opened and he got out first.

When she didn’t move he said, “We’re here, Shannon.”

She blinked at him. “Oh. Okay. Sorry.”

She got out of the limo and followed him to the jet. Once on
board she sat in a seat near the back, away from him. Marco raised his eyebrows
at Dev and he shrugged as he sat down.

“Is she okay? She looks pale.”

He had noticed how white she looked too.

He glanced over his shoulder at her. “I’m not sure. She was
fine and then she made a phone call. When she came downstairs she was acting
like that.”

“Want me to have her phone records pulled?”

Sometimes it scared him how Marco’s mind worked. Dev thought
about it and then nodded.

“Yeah, she’s supposed to be checking up on a customer who’s
going to AA meetings. Might not be a bad idea to know where this guy is in case
he tries anything funny.”

“Consider it done.”

Dev sighed and picked up the book he had brought along.
Hell, he hadn’t actually intended on reading it. He thought he and Shannon
might be doing other things in the bedroom at the back of the jet. Even playing
a card game would be better than her sitting alone.

The plane took off without a problem and when it was safe to
move he decided to go sit next to her. He unbuckled and walked toward her. She sat
with her head bent over a notebook, drawing. He stopped and watched her for a
moment, remembering how she used to sketch all the time when they were younger.
It was a good memory from his youth and those were hard to come by.

She glanced up and smiled. “Who would have ever thought you
would own your own jet one day.”

He sat across from her. “No one in Tyler, that’s for sure.”

She looked back down and didn’t say anything. He leaned over
the aisle to see what she was drawing. His mouth dropped open when he saw
himself staring back.

“I know it’s not very good,” she said as she closed the
notebook.

He shook his head and took the tablet from her hand.

“I’ve always thought you had a talent for drawing, you know
that.”

He flipped through her sketches, slowly looking them over.
Some were of people he didn’t know and a few were of her dog. Then he saw his face
again. And again. His eyes lifted and she blushed.

“May I have one of these?”

She grabbed the notebook, snatching it from his hands. “You
don’t have to ask for one just to be nice.”

“I’m not asking just to be nice. I really want one.”

Her internal debate was etched clearly on her face and his
pride stung a little.

Finally she said, “I will give you one when we get back to
Miami.”

He smiled. “I appreciate it. Why did you sit back here by
yourself?”

He surprised himself by asking. Walking away from her in one
month was going to be harder than he anticipated, if he actually cared for her.
His face hardened at the thought.

“Never mind. I’m going to get a drink.”

Shannon watched in confusion as Dev walked to the front of
the plane to the wet bar. He poured some liquor into a glass and then shot it
back in one gulp. He held the bottle in one hand and the glass in the other as
he went back to his seat near Marco.

She sighed and put her notebook back inside her purse. She
pulled out her cell phone and saw she had a text from Joe. He hadn’t answered
her calls but had just checked in with her via messenger. She texted him back.

Where are you right now
? She asked him.

A Motel 6 near the YMCA
. He texted back
.

She knew without asking that they held the AA meetings at
the YMCA.

I’m out of town for a few days but call if you need
anything. I’m keeping you in my prayers, Joe
.

She put her phone away before one of the flight attendants
yelled at her.
Hmm
. Would they say anything about using a cell phone on
a private jet? Probably not but she didn’t want to risk it.

Marco laughed at something Dev said and she tried not to let
it bother her. He would never be completely relaxed with her again and she was
still trying to accept her new fate. Another bout of laughter caused her to
stand and walk toward them before she could stop herself.

They both glanced up as she sat next to Dev.

“Would you like something to drink, Shannon?” Marco asked as
he held up an unopened beer.

She shook her head, trying to hold back a look of disgust.
“I’m fine, thank you. It was just lonely in the back.”

He smiled at her. “Dev was just telling me about a fight he
got into in high school.”

“Oh? Which one?”

Dev flashed his beautiful half-smile. “Are you suggesting I
fought a lot?” He laughed at his own joke and went on. “I was telling him about
the time I took out half of the football team.”

She grinned too as she remembered. They had been giving him
a hard time about where he lived and then the quarterback threw an empty soda
can at him. She tried to hold him back but ended up holding his backpack as he
shook it loose from his arms.

“I stood there, holding his bag like a shield,” she said
with a chuckle. “I was prepared to use it if anyone took a low blow at him.”

Marco whistled. “Damn. You never mentioned she was a
scrapper too.”

Dev’s eyes met hers and he grinned. “Shannon wasn’t a
fighter but she was a fierce protector in her own way. She kept me out of more
trouble than I can even remember.”

She shrugged. “Someone had to make sure you didn’t end up in
jail. I’m pretty sure the judge had a cell with your name on it.”

There was more truth to that statement than she would ever
admit to him. Her father had played a big role in the judge’s dislike of Dev.
They were golf buddies and both considered it an insult that she was dating “beneath”
her status. She snorted softly.

“Yeah, I wonder what happened to old Judge Shock,” Dev mused
and took a drink.

A whiff of the alcohol reached her nose and she recognized the
woody smell as whiskey.

Her nose crinkled. “Last I heard he was still there, older
than dirt and making the lives of unruly teens hell.”

Dev laughed and she smiled up at him.

“I should thank him one of these days,” he admitted. “If he
hadn’t been such a hard ass, I probably would have ended up on the streets.”

She groaned dramatically. “Don’t thank him. The rest of the
town would never live it down if the mighty Devlin James thanked Judge Shock.”

Marco laughed. “Do people in your hometown keep up with
Dev’s fighting career?”

“They do. I believe there’s even a group of people who get
together and watch his fights at the bar.”

Dev raised an eyebrow. “I thought you hadn’t been back in
years. How do you know all this?”

Her face flushed. “I do still have family there. Not all of
us leave our hometown behind and never look back.”

Marco jumped in and asked, “How has the town responded to
the scholarship we set up in Dev’s name?”

“The reaction has been wonderful! My aunt Laura says the
kids who qualify for it are so very thankful.”

The scholarship funded by Dev allowed one male and one
female student to attend college for free. The applicants had to come from
low-income families and were usually single-parent homes as well. The first
year it was in place there were only five applicants. Now, in its fifth year,
there were about fifty applicants.

Dev seemed embarrassed. “I’m only doing what I wished could
have happened for me.”

“It’s also good publicity.” Marco turned to Shannon. “I’ve
tried to get him to go back and hand out the scholarship himself but he won’t
do it.”

She could feel the tension coming from Dev’s body. “Well I
can’t say anything about not going back. I’ve stayed away on purpose too.”

“See,” Dev said with a smug grin. “It’s not just me.”

Marco sighed. “It would just look so much better,” he said,
holding up his hands, “but I’m not going to force the issue.”

“What other charity work are you involved in?”

“I do some work with Habitat for Humanity and I volunteer at
the local food bank.”

“Just in Florida?” At his confused look she went on. “Mrs.
Ingram mentioned you own several properties.”

“I try to volunteer at the food bank of whatever city I’m
in. Sometimes I’m too busy and just send in a cash donation.”

“That’s really great, Dev.”

His eyes turned hard for a moment. “Yeah, well no kid should
ever have to wonder where their next meal is coming from.”

Had he really been hungry as a kid? He had often swiped her
roll from her lunch tray but she thought he only did that because he was an
average boy, always wanting more. Before she could say anything Marco changed
the subject.

“I was able to score tickets for that new acrobat show you
wanted to see. You’ll be in the front row.”

Shannon had heard about the various acts. “Is that the
water-themed show?”

Dev grinned wolfishly at her. “Nope. It’s the one based on
seduction and pleasure.”

Her face flamed and she looked away.

Marco cleared his throat. “Well anyway… I’m sure you two
will have a good time. I also found out we are invited to the boxing
commissioner’s private party the night before the fight.”

“Boxing commissioner?” Shannon asked.

Dev explained. “Each state has a commissioner in charge of
any hand-to-hand sporting event. They regulate the sanctioned rules. Most of the
time they are referred to as boxing commissioners.”

“I see. What type of rules do they enforce?”

“The usual. Making sure the fights are clean—meaning no
one’s got any hidden weapons, like razors. They make sure each fighter’s
wearing the proper gear. Things like that.”

“Wow,” she said. “I had no idea it was possible for people
to sneak weapons into the ring.”

Dev’s forehead scrunched up. “It’s illegal but it happens in
some of the smaller organizations.”

She thought about Johnny’s threat and rubbed her arms,
trying to get rid of the chill she felt.

“Do you want me to grab a blanket?” Dev asked, apparently
noticing her shiver of apprehension.

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”

Now more than ever she knew she had to protect Dev, no matter
what it took. Even if doing so meant betraying him again.