Fighting for Desire (16 page)

Shannon walked into the living room to find Marco and Dev
sitting on the couch. Marco was shaking his head and Dev was cursing. Loudly.

“What’s going on?” she asked as she pulled up a chair near the
sofa. Sitting a few feet away from them seemed the safest choice.

Dev jumped to his feet and left the room without saying
anything. When he was gone, Marco sighed.

“Arizona was arrested last night around midnight.”

“And?”

“And he can’t fight now. The boxing commissioner won’t allow
it.”

That would explain why Dev was so mad.

“Can’t they just find a replacement opponent?”

Marco shook his head. “The sponsors all pulled out. They
said they aren’t going to waste their money on a second-rate fight.”

“What happens next?”

“We’re going to fly out for Colorado and start preparing for
the fight there. It’s three weeks from now so hopefully the sponsors will jump
on board.”

God that sucked for Dev.

“Did any of the sponsors stand behind Dev?” she asked.

Marco chuckled. “Only one. I think you met him last night.
John Ice.”

Her heart fell. Johnny was the only sponsor still behind
Dev? How in the hell did that happen?

“I spoke to him this morning. He’s going to try to convince
the others to put their money behind the Colorado fight. If they do, then this
will be Dev’s biggest fight to date. More so than we thought it was going to
be.”

The more Marco spoke, the more she knew Johnny was up to
something. His words from the night before crossed her mind and she shuddered.
Midnight. He specifically told her to make sure Dev left the party by midnight.
And that is when Arizona was arrested.

“What was Arizona arrested for?”

Marco shrugged. “I think drunk driving but I’m not sure. I
also heard there were drugs involved. I didn’t ask though—it doesn’t really
matter.”

If Johnny knew any officials in the area, then he was
definitely behind Arizona’s arrest. God she knew that better than anyone since
he had made sure she had been arrested, too. Dread filled her body and she felt
sick.

“Does that sound good to you?” Marco asked as he stood.

She blinked and looked up. “I’m sorry. What?”

He smiled. “Dinner with Katie and Hugh and then we can take
the jet to Colorado tonight. Mrs. Ingram is already on her way to the house
there to get it ready for us.”

She ran a hand though her hair. “Yeah that will be good. I’d
like to say goodbye to Katie before we leave.” She stood too. “Where did Dev
go?”

“Probably to the gym to blow off some steam. He was pretty
pissed about the fight.”

“I can imagine,” she replied. “I guess I should start
packing.”

She walked back to the room she shared with Dev and pulled out
her bag. Hmm, she wasn’t sure everything was going to fit. Since Katie had
given her the shoes to take, Shannon was going to need a bigger bag. She picked
up her phone to send Katie a message and noticed a new, unread text. She sat
down on the edge of the bed.

You were perfect last night. I knew you wouldn’t let me
down.

Stop texting me, you asshole!

No one is forcing you to help me… I’d just like to point
that out

Stop texting me!!!!

I hear you’re leaving for CO tonight. Your next
assignment is to continue keeping your boy occupied.

Stop texting me, stop texting me, stop!!!

You should be thanking me right now. If Dev’s opponent
hadn’t been arrested, there is no telling what would have happened to him

Stop. Texting. Me.

Shannon held her phone and waited for a reply but none came.
She quickly deleted the texts. Even seeing Johnny’s name made her skin crawl.
She rubbed her eyes. How did he even get her cell number? Of course if he could
buy off a cop and a judge, then there was no telling who he could bribe for
information. She shivered as she remembered the day Johnny almost succeeded in
ruining her life.

“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to step out of the
vehicle.”

Shannon gripped the steering wheel in terror. The cop
looking into her window scared her but she didn’t want to do anything that
would cause suspicion. Not when she knew what was in her trunk.

She opened the door and stepped out. The cop looked her
over as if she were a steak and she pulled her short skirt down, trying to
cover as much of her legs as she could. Johnny insisted she dress like
a…whore…and so she had. Now she was regretting it.

“Did I do something wrong, Officer?”

He leered at her. “As I said, you were driving hard.”

She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what that term meant
as he took a step closer toward her.

“Now this can go one of two ways. Option one—you do
everything I say and then I let you go. No questions. No sobriety tests. No car
inspections. You can leave and forget I even stopped you.

“Or option number two—I check your car and run your
information. If there is even a mark against your name, you are going to jail.
And lock-up here ain’t a place where a pretty little thing like you wants to
end up. Understand?”

He took another step and pinned her between the car door
and his obvious erection. Oh god, this couldn’t be happening to her.

“Did Johnny put you up to this?”

He reached out and ran his hand through her hair. “What
if he did? Think he will come and save you right now?”

No, she wasn’t dumb enough to believe Johnny would do
anything to help her. She had pissed him off and he didn’t forgive easily. The
bruises on her neck were proof of that.

The cop reached down with his other hand and she knew
where it was going.

“Stop,” she yelled. “Don’t touch me!”

The cop glared. “Are you sure that’s the choice you want
to make? I promise what I’m offering is better than the option you’re picking.”

“I am not a whore and I am not going to let you fuck me!”
She practically spat the words in his face.

The cop jerked back, stared at her a moment then nodded.
He pushed a button on the walkie-talkie hooked to his shoulder.

“I am going to need backup. I have a suspect who is
resisting arrest. Suspected DWI and drug possession.”

She opened her mouth to speak but the cop lifted his hand
and slapped her across the face. White spots burst in her vision as her head
whipped to the side. Another blow landed in almost the same spot and she cried
out as she fell to the ground.

“You stupid whore. Now he owns you,” the cop hissed as he
pulled a pair of handcuff from his belt. He stood. “Shannon Bray, you have the
right to remain silent…”

His words blurred as a heavy fog settled in her head.
What was Johnny doing to her? And how did the cop know her name? She moaned as
the cold metal went around her wrist. The cop was right about one thing. Johnny
owned her now.

Things got even worse at the courthouse.

“
Ms. Bray
,
do you understand the charges against
you
?”

Shannon
looked around the room in fear. The judge
stared back at her from his desk and the cop who had arrested her stood near
the door with his arms crossed over his chest. He was blocking the door in case
she tried to run, she realized
.

Wasted effort, she thought
.
With the shackles on
her wrists and ankles she couldn’t get very far. For the thousandth time she
wondered how she had ended up in this spot.

After being arrested she had been sent to jail. She
hadn’t even gotten a phone call, not that she had anyone to call.

The guard in the jail merely shrugged when she’d asked
when she could speak to an attorney. Days went by and then the door to her cell
opened and the cop who arrested her stood there grinning at her
.

“
Time to face the judge, sweetheart. Come on
.”

He took her by her upper arm and led her down a dimly lit
hallway. Before taking her through another set of doors, he put a pair of
shackles around her ankles
.

“
You
look so pretty in those
,”
the cop said
as he tightened the ones on her wrist until they cut into her skin
.

She ignored him. Anything she said would be used against
her. He led her through so many doors she lost count and then they finally stopped
in front of one with the words
JudgeHarris
written on the
outside in gold block letters. The cop knocked once and then stepped inside
without being invited.

The judge barely looked up from his papers as she walked
in
.

“
Ms. Bray, do you understand the charges
?”

She licked her lips nervously.
“
Your Honor, I
would like an attorney. I—
”

“
This isn’t some TV show, little girl. Do you understand
the charges or not
?”
The judge
peered at her over his glasses
.

“
Yes I do
.”

“
And how do you plead
?”

The cop muttered something under his breath but she
couldn’t hear what he said. Her mind was working too slowly to process
everything that was happening. Shouldn’t they be in a courtroom with a jury
?
Or at least other witnesses
?
And she was pretty sure she did have the
right to an attorney.

“
Ms. Bray, don’t test me. How do you plead
?”

“
Not guilty, Your Honor. I was set up. And the cop over
there tried to proposition me
—”

Someone knocked on the door. The cop opened it and she
watched in shock as Johnny walked in. He looked out of place in his white suit.
White
—
as if he were the good guy there to save her. What a crock of
shit. He sat down in a chair near the judge’s desk
.

“
Sorry
I’m late, Bill. Hope I didn’t miss anything
.”

The judge laughed.
“
No, we were just getting to
the good part
.”
He turned his gaze to her and went on.
“
Shannon
Bray, I find you guilty of one count of driving while intoxicated, one count of
possession of illegal substances and one count of resisting arrest.
”

“
What
?
No
!”

“
You
are hereby sentenced to a minimum of five
years, which will be imposed at a later date, and a fine of fifty-thousand
dollars
.”

Shannon’s knees gave out and she fell to the carpeted
floor of the office. This couldn’t be happening to her. If she could somehow
call her father, he would take care of everything for her. Even though he hated
her, he wouldn’t let his only child go to jail.

Johnny sighed
. “
Bill, that seems a little harsh to
me. Maybe we should go lighter on her
.”

We
?
She blinked slowly. What in the fuck was going
on
?

“
What did you have in mind
?”

Johnny cracked his knuckles and she flinched at the
sound. He always did that before he beat her up, a telltale sign of what was to
come
.

“
I’ll pay
the fine for her but she will have to
work for me until she pays it back
.”
He looked at her
. “
Every
last cent. And since I am a business man, I am going to have to charge interest
.”

The judge nodded.
“
Sounds fair. What else
?”

“
I can’t have an employee with a record like Shannon’s so
let’s drop the charges
.”
He looked thoughtful for a moment
. “
Well
,
keep the DWI. She needs it as a reminder
.”

Bile rose in her throat. That motherfucker knew she was
going to AA and had been sober and substance-free for three weeks now
!

The judge looked at her.
“
Does this sound fair to
you
?”

God she wanted to say no. She wanted to tell them both to
fuck off. But the thought of going to jail scared her to the point of accepting
.

“
Yes
,”
she whispered
.

“
What
?”
Johnny leaned forward.
“
We
can’t
hear you
.”

“
Yes
,”
she said, her voice echoing in the room
.

“
Good
.
I
knew you were a bright girl
,”
Johnny
said with a grin
.
He stood and shook the judge’s hand
. “
Always a pleasure,
Bill. Be sure to stop by the club
.”

The judge laughed
. “
VIP
?”

“
Nothing
but
the best. I have some new
merchandise you will want to try too
.”

The judge eyed her
. “
I’ll hold you to that
.”

Johnny motioned to the cop and the asshole came over and
removed her shackles. Again she was looked over as if she were a piece of meat.
She closed her eyes, wishing this was all just a dream.

Johnny took her by the arm
. “
Come on, Shannon. We
have a lot of work to do before the club opens tonight
.”

And the rest was history. No…not history. History would
imply she had broken free from Johnny and wasn’t under his control anymore. If
anything, she was under his power more than ever.

She sighed. One day, she vowed, she would be free.

Dev jumped under the cold water of the shower and let it run
down his body. The more he thought about his canceled fight, the madder he
grew. He didn’t have many fights left in him so losing one hurt more than he
cared to admit.

He finished showering and got out, wrapping a towel around
his waist as he walked into his room. Shannon sat on the floor with shoes
around her. She looked as lost as he felt.

“I think I need another bag,” she said with a sheepish grin.

He reached down and picked up a high-heeled shoe that looked
almost impossible to walk in.

“I approve of these,” he said with a wink. “Call the front
desk and have them send up a suitcase.”

“You can do that?” she asked as she tried in vain to rearrange
her shoes in her luggage.

He grabbed a pair of boxers and slid them on before replying.
“Sure you can. The hotel is more than willing to do anything they can charge
you out of the ass for.”

“Dev,” she protested, “I don’t want to do it if it’s going to
cost a lot of money.”

He shrugged. “The hotel is giving me a bonus check for my
time spent here so we might as well use it.”

Taking the money was a slap in the face when he hadn’t done
anything, but the hotel and casino insisted. They were kissing his ass so he
would return. Hell, if his opponents kept getting arrested, then he wouldn’t be
back there any time soon.

He grabbed the phone on the nightstand and called the front
desk. “Yes, I need someone to purchase luggage and send it to my room ASAP.
Yes, wheels are fine. No, whichever color you prefer. Ten minutes? That will be
great. Thank you.” He hung up the phone and said, “There. Done.”

She shook her head. “Must be nice.”

“I am sure your father has done the same thing before. Well,
maybe not a suitcase but something along those lines.”

Though he lived in Tyler, Shannon’s father had done most of
his work out of Dallas. And Dev knew he was well compensated for his expenses.

This time she shrugged. “I wouldn’t know but it wouldn’t
surprise me.”

He sat on the edge of the bed. “So what happened to make you
stay away? From what I remember you used to love it there.” He laughed bitterly.
“Hell, you were the only one I knew who didn’t mind living there.”

She looked down and replied softly, “Things were different
after I got pregnant. You know that. I wasn’t welcomed the way I used to be.”

Yeah, he knew that was true. He could still remember her
holding onto his hand as if it were the only thing that could save her as they
told her parents she was pregnant. Everything had changed in that moment.

He shook his head. “Did Aunt Laura turn on you too?”

Laura was probably the only person in Shannon’s family who
had never judged him. She always had a kind word for him in a room filled with
sharks. And she loved Shannon as if she were her own child.

Shannon shook her head. “I wasn’t allowed to see her. I’m
not even sure she knew for a while. Mother did everything in her power to keep
it under wraps but when the receptionist at the clinic told the pastor…”

Her voice trailed off and he knew why. When that bitch at
the clinic told the pastor the whole town soon heard their secret. His old man
had been surprisingly excited about the news, spouting off that Dev had “shown
them all” by knocking up Shannon. When he announced he planned on marrying her,
his father had warned him that her family would take care of the situation. Dev
gritted his teeth as he looked away from Shannon. His father had been right and
never missed a moment to rub it in.

“Dev?”

The question in Shannon’s voice forced him to look at her
and he was sure she could see every emotion etched on his face.

“Dev, you don’t know how sorry I am. For everything. If I
had been a stronger person, I would have stood up to my parents.” She shook her
head. “I would have stood up to my dad. I should have never let him bully me
like that.”

“It’s in the past. I don’t even think about it anymore.”

What a fucking lie. He would burn in hell for telling it but
she didn’t need to know the truth.

She bit her lip. “I do. All the time. I wonder every single
day what could have been.”

Her admission made his chest hurt with emotions he had
locked away. He turned so she couldn’t see the tears that were stinging his
eyes.

“It’s in the past,” he said again, glad his voice was clear.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned the
past.”

Hell, she was apologizing for something he had brought up.

She wasn’t finished speaking though. “It’s just that you are
probably the only person I can talk to about this. No one else would care and
most people don’t even know.” She paused and her voice grew so soft he could
barely hear her. “When people would bring kids into the diner I would wonder if
that was what our baby would have looked like. As time went by I would start to
look for kids who would be the same age. I couldn’t stop myself from playing
such a cruel game.”

He didn’t want to hear any of this. He didn’t want to think
about a child she had murdered. He didn’t want her to know he had played the
same game as she had for just as many years.

“Shannon, you need to stop.” He turned to face her again and
held her gaze. “It’s done and over with. You made sure of that when you went to
Dallas to get the fucking abortion.”

Her mouth opened but he silenced her with a single look.
“No, this is my time to speak. I’m not saying these things to be cruel. I’m
saying them because they are true. You are the one who wanted the abortion. Not
me. Not your parents. In the end
you
were the one who chose the abortion.

“The day you left with your parents, I kept telling my old
man you wouldn’t go through with it. I knew in my gut you couldn’t do something
like that. It took me maybe six hours to realize I was wrong.

“Shannon, I was so hurt that you didn’t make your parents
turn the car around and come back to me. And the more my old man laughed, the
angrier I grew. I turned around and punched him so hard I thought I killed him
for a minute.

“When I realized he was okay, just unconscious, I ran into
my room and grabbed whatever I could. You destroyed any reason for me to stay
in that town and I didn’t want to stick around for any more punishment. Mom was
upset of course, but I think she knew I had to go.”

He paused and ignored the tears streaming down her face. “I
got in my car and didn’t look back as I left Tyler. I had no idea where the
fuck I was going but I didn’t care. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to know I
ended up in Dallas. I thought about trying to find you but it was too late.

“By then I am sure the abortion was already done. And when I
really thought about it like that…our baby was gone…I couldn’t take it. I got
back on the highway and drove until I needed gas. By then I was at the state
line and saw the sign for Oklahoma City.

“We had talked about settling down there after college and
it was the only fucking place that came to mind. So I drove there and found a
cheap motel. And then I cried all fucking night. Shannon, I cried until all I
could do was lie there on the filthy mattress and dry heave.”

“Dev…”

He shook his head. “No. I’m not done. When I couldn’t cry
anymore I was so angry. At you. At myself. At the fucking world.” He smiled
sadly. “But like I said…it’s all in the past now and we need to keep it there.
Who would have ever thought we would both be in Vegas together now after
everything that happened between us.”

Shannon stood and he could tell she was holding back tears.
“I’m sorry you went through that but you weren’t the only one. I tried to find
you after you left. I needed to talk to you…”

“Shannon. Stop.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Stop
before you say something that is going to fuck this up and make me hate you all
over again.”

Fresh tears fell from her eyes but he didn’t care.

“I need to tell you something. Please let me talk.”

He smiled at her and shook his head. “No, Shannon.”

He patted her on the shoulder and walked out of the room. He
needed a fucking drink. In the bar he ordered a beer and rubbed his temple to
ease the headache. The bartender slid the beer his way and Dev went to a table
in the corner where he could be alone. His thoughts drifted to his old man.
Fucking
bastard.

The minute he walked into the house two hands grabbed him
by the collar and slammed him into the wall. White dots danced in his vision
but he blinked them away. He needed to be ready for the next swing or kick. But
nothing happened. Instead he realized his old man was laughing.

“Son of a bitch, boy. You sure showed them!”

“What are you talking about? Have you been drinking
again?”

A stupid question. His father’s breath reeked of alcohol
to the point that it smelled sour. He never knew when to stop, which is why
their walls were covered in holes from his fists. Of course Dev wasn’t
completely innocent in that regard either.

His mom stepped from the shadows and he was relieved to
see she didn’t have any new bruises. She still looked too damn pale though, her
skin standing out against her worn-out moo-moo gown.

“It’s all over town, son. Everyone knows and the phone
hasn’t stopped ringing.”

He knew then what his father was so happy about and why
his mom looked as if she was about to cry. The baby. Everyone knew about the
baby.

“How did everyone find out?”

He was positive the news hadn’t come from Shannon or her
parents.

“Jean, from the clinic, told the pastor.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

His dad spoke up. “Are you going to marry the girl?”

Dev had been asking himself the same thing since prom night.
He loved Shannon and he wanted to be a family with her and their unborn child.

He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think I am.”

“Her father is never going to give you his blessing.” His
dad pointed out the obvious. “He thinks you’re white trash and not good enough
for his princess.”

“You aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know.”

His dad nodded thoughtfully. “You were always brighter
than I gave you credit for. Knocking up the lawyer’s daughter though? That’s
pretty fucking ballsy, even for you.”

“We didn’t plan for this to happen,” he said defensively.

His mom whispered, “Didn’t you use protection? I always
told you to use protection…”

His dad ignored his mom, as usual, and went on. “Of
course it wasn’t on purpose.” He winked conspiratorially. “It never is. Just
ask your mom.”

Dev was aware his mom had come from a well-off family,
who cut all ties with her when she became pregnant with him. Fuck, talk about
history repeating itself. He knew Shannon’s parents wouldn’t cut her off
though. They wouldn’t want the gossip that would come from that.

“She wanted to hook me in so she didn’t take her birth
control!” His dad was still talking. “And I was too horny to use a condom. You
know…feels better without one.”

Dev closed his eyes and counted to ten before he said
something that would set off his father’s temper.

“It wasn’t planned but we both couldn’t be happier.”

“I don’t know, son. I know the good lawyer and I bet he
is going to try to ‘take care’ of the situation.” He made quotation marks with
his fingers as he talked, using them correctly for once.

“What do you mean?”

His dad walked across the room and picked up a beer. He
took a long drink and then said, “Mark my words…he will take Shannon to Dallas
for a weekend. The excuse will be something no one will question, like visiting
a cousin.” Another drink. “When they get back Shannon won’t be allowed to see
you. She’ll probably even miss school and church. They won’t want people to
talk you see?”

Dev rolled his eyes and started to speak but his father kept
talking.

“Then it will happen. She will tell you she needs to talk
to you. And that’s when she will split your heart open.” This time he took a
long drink and burped before he went on. “Daddy doesn’t want me to keep it. I
am so sorry.” He changed the pitch of his voice in a piss-poor imitation of
Shannon. “And that will be the end of your little bundle of joy.”

Denial flared through his body like fire.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, you bastard!”

The old man just laughed. “Oh but I do. We’ll see, son.
We will see.”