Kyle's Return (22 page)

Stepping back, I wiped the sweat from my brow. My
whole body ached now that I wasn’t moving. “I’m not scared, I’m
pissed. None of this would be happening if I’d just killed him when
I had the chance. Now that he’s out, it’ll never be over. I’ll
constantly be looking over my shoulder.”

Kyle put his hands on my face and shook his head. “No
you won’t because I’m going to keep you safe.”

“You’re not always going to be with me, Kyle. You
can’t be with me twenty-four-seven.”

He kissed me and let his hands slide from my face.
“You’re right, it’s almost impossible to be with you every single
minute of every day. But I can promise that if you ever need me, I
will find a way to get to you.”

I laid my head on his chest, his heart beat hard and
strong. “I don’t think I’m worried as much about what Alex will do
to me, but what he’ll do to you. He’s psychotic, Kyle. I know you
have a history of being the one everybody feared, but Alex has
nothing to lose. He won’t show mercy.”

He kissed my head. “Neither will I.” His phone
started to ring and I stepped back so he could answer it.

“Megan,” Tyler called, beckoning me up to the
desk.

I left Kyle so he could talk, and joined Tyler.
“What’s up?”

He looked up at me and got to his feet. “You okay? I
know with everything going on, it’s a lot to deal with.”

“I’ll be fine, I promise. Being here and around
everyone keeps me sane.”

“Just so you know, I have cameras being installed
tomorrow around the perimeter. We’ll be able to look at everything
through the computer.”

“Thanks, Tyler. You don’t know how much I appreciate
that.”

Grabbing my shoulder, he pulled me in for a quick
hug. “You’re part of my family now. And one day, quite literally,
if you and Kyle ever—”

“Okay, let’s not talk about that,” I laughed.

“Talk about what?” Kyle said, joining us.

Tyler grinned wide. “Oh, just about how I consider
her a part of the family. And that one day if you two ever tied the
knot, she’d be family for real.” He winked and chuckled the whole
way down to the back hallway, leaving me and Kyle standing there in
an awkward silence.

“So,” I said, switching the subject, “who was on the
phone?”

He slid his phone back into his pocket. “It was Jake.
He asked if I wanted to fight tonight. Apparently, after last week,
he’s had a shit ton of people request me.” I could see a twinkle in
his eyes at the thought of fighting, but he looked torn.

“Are you going to go?”

He shrugged. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you
about. I know we’re supposed to go to the restaurant and be
Nicole’s taste testers.”

“Kyle,
I’m
the one she asked to be her guinea
pig, not you. You were just going to drive me over there. If you
want to fight, please do. I think it’ll be good for you. Tyler can
take me to the restaurant and then drop me off at the Labyrinth if
we get done in time.”

His eyes lit up. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I exclaimed, smacking him on the arm. “I’m not
going to keep you from something I know you want to do. We still
have to live our lives, right?”

He smiled. “Yes, otherwise he’s won already. If you
don’t get to the Labyrinth in time, I’ll just head over to your
place afterward.”

I winked. “Sounds good to me. Just make sure to win.
You might get a reward if you do.”

“How about you in a whipped cream bikini with
cherries on your nips?”

Teasingly, I bit my lip. “I think you’ve watched
Varsity Blues
one too many times. But I’ll see what I can
do.”

***

THE CLUB WAS packed, and instead of being met
with revulsion at the door, I was regarded with respect. It was a
good feeling. As soon as I stepped inside, the bouncer, Zane,
pushed me toward the bar. “What’s up, fucker?” he shouted.

I chuckled. “Ready to fight. What’s up with you?”

“Taking a night off so I can watch the fights. I’m
thinking about entering.” Slapping his hand on the bar, the
bartender looked over and shook his head with a grin. He poured
Zane another shot of whiskey and slid it to him. “I’m putting it on
your tab, Z.”

Zane tossed the shot back and waved his hand toward
me. “Add another one on it for my friend.”

The bartender poured me one. “Thanks,” I said,
downing it fast.

Zane slapped me on the shoulder and sat down.
“That’ll loosen you up for your fight. You’re gonna need it. After
last weekend we’ve had at least a dozen fighters want to kick your
ass.”

“Well, they’ll just have to wait in line, won’t
they?”

“Fuck yeah they will.” He cleared his throat and then
turned his body toward me.

“Something you wanna say?” I asked.

He cleared his throat again. “Well, more of a
question. If you don’t want to, it’s fine. I figured there was no
harm in asking, right?”

I waved him on. “I’m listening.”

“I was kind of wondering if you’d train me. I heard
you were teaching classes at Rushing’s. Are there any spaces
left?”

“You want to fight in the UFC?”

He nodded. “And I figured you’d be able to help me
get there. I’ve seen you fight. You’re relentless.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-three.”

By looking at him, he had the physique to be a
fighter, but there was more to it than that; it took heart. “I tell
you what, let me talk to Tyler and see what times he’ll let me have
the ring. The classes I teach are with teenage boys. You’ll need a
different kind of training. I’ll have to work one on one with
you.”

With a wide grin, Zane held out his hand. “This is
fucking awesome. Thank you.”

I shook his hand. “You’re welcome. I’ll let you know
what times I’ll be available.” Looking down at my phone, I had
twenty minutes. “But right now it’s time for me to fight.”

Zane jumped off the stool and grabbed the bartender’s
attention. “I’ll close my tab after the fight. We’ll be back once
my friend wins.”

He barreled through the crowd until we got to the
arena room. From what I could tell, Zane was charismatic and the
people around the bar loved him. If he turned out to be a good
fighter, his personality would definitely be a selling point. I
could make him into the fighter I wished I could’ve been.

We strolled through the hordes of people so we could
get to the back room where the other fighters prepared. There were
only a handful of fighters left, including the guy I met last week,
Grady. “Which one am I fighting?”

Before he could reply, Jake stopped at my side and
pointed to a guy in the corner who was wrapping his hands. He was
shorter than me with black hair and a large, Celtic cross tattoo
that took up his entire back. “That’s my nephew, Justin Blackwell.
He’s young and adventurous but he’s a good fighter. Just go easy on
him, okay? He begged to be put against you.”

He patted my shoulder and then waltzed off to join
his nephew. Justin nodded at me and I acknowledged him back.
“Hopefully, Jake won’t mind if I kick his nephew’s ass.”

Zane laughed. “He won’t. Justin bugs the shit out of
Jake to put him against his best fighters so I think this is more
of a lesson than anything.”

“I see. Well, I can handle that.” At least it wasn’t
an enemy who wanted to get a piece of me in the ring. I already let
Dean kick my ass. I wasn’t going to let anyone else do it.

“Hey, Andrews,” Grady shouted, grinning from ear to
ear. “You gonna be ready to fight me next weekend?”

“Are you ready to fight
me
?” I countered.

Chuckling, he sauntered up to me and Zane and shook
both of our hands. “Fuck if I know. I figured I might as well go up
against the best, right?”

“I’m nowhere near the best, brother.”

Grady nodded. “Yeah, I heard about the whole
paralyzed thing. That would’ve fucked me up.”

“It did for a while, but now I’m back.”

The announcer called out his name, signaling it was
time to fight. “All right, it looks like I’m on. Drinks tonight
after your fight. I’m not taking no for an answer.” He rushed out
of the room on down to the ring.

“He a good fighter?” I asked Zane.

“Yep, he’s one of the best here. He’s a newcomer,
only been fighting for about two months now. The crowd loves
him.”

We watched him fight and he was definitely skilled.
If I was going against him at the next match, I had my work cut out
for me. Justin, however, was a different story. I didn’t want to
hold back, but with him being Jake’s nephew, I had no choice. The
last thing I wanted was to fuck him up and not be allowed back.

“Dude, you wiped the floor with him!” Zane exclaimed,
putting his arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go celebrate.”

“I have to hand it to him, he’s a good fighter. Just
not a heavyweight.”

Justin was quick on his feet, but I was way out of
his range. I think he realized that in the beginning of round one.
He stuck it out as long as he could, but ended up tapping out at
the beginning of round two.

By the time we got a place up at the bar, Justin sat
there with his head down, looking glum. I sat down beside him while
Zane sat to my right.

“Always keep your head up, even when you lose,” I
told him.

His head snapped up and already his eye started to
blacken. I’d hit him hard. “I really thought I could beat you. I
know I’m good enough.”

“That you are, but you also have a big ego. I was the
same way a few years ago. Arrogance will get you nowhere. If you
fight with a level head you’ll do much better.”

Sighing, he tossed back his drink. “Thanks. I’ll keep
that in mind.” He started to get up but stopped when his gaze met
something over my shoulder. “Whoa.”

A woman with dark red hair, a short blue dress and
huge tits sidled up to me, rubbing her hands up my thighs to spread
them apart. Two other women joined her, the blonde one going to
Justin and the other blonde to Zane. They were enjoying the
company. “Great fight tonight,” she murmured.

I slid her hands off my thighs and sat back to get
distance. “Thanks.”

Leaning over, she pressed her tits against my chest
and rubbed a hand over my cock. “What’s wrong? Don’t you want to
work off some of that testosterone? I’ll let you tap me out.”

“Sorry . . . what’s your name?” Removing her hand, I
stood and set some cash on the bar.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Andrea.”

“Well, Andrea, nothing personal against you, but I’m
just not interested.” I said my goodbyes to Justin and Zane and
started for the door.

With a hand on my shoulder, Grady stopped me. “Dude,
where are you going? I thought we were going to party it up
tonight? I see you got some hot looking females over there.”

Chuckling, I glanced back at them and at Andrea who
stood off by herself. “Be my guest, my friend. The one in the blue
dress looks a little lonely.”