No Regrets (No Regrets #1) (21 page)

I shake my
head, smiling.

“I think this is the firs
t time I’ve ever seen you drunk. You’re such a light weight.”

“Ah, I am most certainly not drunk but I intend on getting there. Christina hit me up.”

Juno comes out from the back just as Trinity is slinking back another drink. The bar is pretty dead for a Thursday night. She situates herself next to me, placing her hands up on the counter.

“Hey
, Grey. How’s it going?”

“Can’t complain.”

“Where’s my bottle?”

“Shit
, Juno, I forgot.”

“No worries, it’ll give you an excuse to come back around here
and visit.”

I
look at the bar and grab her hand squeezing. My breath comes out in a rush. “I’ll be back. I promise.”

Trinity
starts nodding vigorously. “That’s the thing, isn’t it, Grey? We can’t fucking let go, can we? Maybe that’s it, though, maybe letting it all float away like a feather in the wind will make everything better.”

Juno glances at Trinity
, her brows rising in surprise.

“Ah, sorry
, Juno. I know you have that double standard about language and shit. But I just have the need to say
fuck it all
. Why do I even care? Mom and Dad are gone, what the hell is really holding us here?”

I swipe her glass and smirk
. “You’re cut off, kid.”

Ch
ristina strolls over, facing us. “Your sister is almost as bad a drunk as you are, Rookie.”

I shake my
head. Maybe Trinity has a point. Leaving it all behind without a backwards glance is an option but I know it will always catch up to me. The past always does.

***

Shouldering my bag, I help Trinity out of the taxi. The air surges into my lungs before I force my feet toward the huge building sprawled out before us. This is it; finally I am on my way to Vegas. So many thoughts tumble over one another. Am I good enough to fight at this level? Will I make a fool out of myself if I’m not? And other things like Parker cross my mind. I’m determined to protect Trinity from any more heartache, but last night on the way home from Juno’s she pretty much put it out on the line. If Parker is in Vegas, she’s going to talk to him. I tried to argue but she was adamant. She’s trying to take her own advice, leave the past behind. This morning I mentioned the conversation briefly, hoping it was the alcohol talking, but she was still serious and there’s nothing I can do to stop her. And I fucking hate the fact that the asswipe could possibly make me helpless with my own sister.

More than anything I’m afraid of what I might
find in Vegas regarding Mollie. After apologizing to Jackson for going behind his back with Jimmy, I talked him into contacting Meyer and found out that she
does
live in Vegas and so does Meyer. Meyer’s mom lives on the outskirts. He moved there years ago when he was having financial troubles, or so Jackson told me. I don’t like that I had to ask Jackson to do that, but again I’m helpless in so many things lately and it sucks ass.

The flight is quiet
, allowing me to doze in and out of consciousness. I’m reluctant to fully fall asleep for fear of a nightmare and how that would look on a plane full of people.

When we
arrive in Las Vegas, Trinity is a ball of nerves. She’s bouncing up and down in excitement, over stimulated, no doubt, by the sights and sounds as we move from the airport to a taxi. I can tell she has the same uneasy feeling as me, the mystery of what the next twenty-four hours will reveal.

As the taxi pulls up beside the hotel,
the sights and chaos take me by surprise. We seem to be in the epicenter of the strip. The hotel climbs into the sky, reflecting the dusky twilight in the distance. I stare uncertainly, completely out of my comfort zone. Two familiar voices echo near us. Fury fills one as the volume rises. I scan the sidewalk and spot Jackson with Jimmy T visibly arguing, not caring who’s listening. I smile that at least something is familiar. My hand darts out to Trinity’s, grasping it hard and pulling her in the direction of the disagreement.

As we
approach both men grow quiet. Jackson glares at me, obviously still not over the fact that I brought Jimmy along on this thing.

Jimmy pipes up, “Hey, there’s our champ now. How was your flight?” He moves his gaze to
Trinity. “Ya know, I never got to tell you that night, but you have grown into quite the woman.”

A frown forms across my face
. “Jimmy, better watch it. This is my sister you’re saying that shit to.”

Jimmy holds his hands up in surrender
. “Alrighty. I know it, Champ. Just thought I’d pay a compliment where one is due.”

“Work on your delivery
, dude.”

Jackson move
s closer. “Pace, let’s get you two checked in. I’ve already scoped out the venue. It’s right down the road from here. I want you to get your bearings before tomorrow.” He glares over at Jimmy, still not over their argument.

When I enter the hotel room
, an envelope with scripted handwriting addressed to me lies on the lone table in the corner. I know the writing well. My finger lingers on it for a moment. Somehow I already know what she wants and I’m not sure I want to acknowledge it. I’m here in Vegas for a reason and it’s not a green eyed redhead. My hand retreats as I move to the bed, collapsing on my back. A tiny crack in the ceiling catches my eyes as I move a hand through my short hair, trying to distract myself from the envelope. It calls to me but I’m afraid of what it means or how it might affect me.

A soft knock fro
m the door moves through the room. I glance over at the table one last time before answering. Trinity is standing there, a smooth smile pasted on her lips. Her eyes are bright and she seems lighter. I shake my head, moving back into the room, not waiting for an explanation or wanting to even hear one.

She follows me
in, asking, “Don’t you want to know why I’m so happy?”

Misery covers my
features. “Trinity, I can tell just by the way you’re acting what it is that put that smile there.”

“Well, I’m going to tell you anyway whether you want to hear it or not. Parker is here, in this hotel. He had my room covered in vases of flowers and he left a note apologizing and asking me to meet him for dinner.”

“Of course he did.”

“Grey, come on. You’ve seen me the
se past few days. I’m miserable without him. Last night at Juno’s, it put things into perspective for me. I’m so glad you took me out. Why does it matter where I am as long as I’m with him? He’s my life now. I have to let the past go.”

“Glad I could help the douche bag out.”

Trinity skips to the bed and plops on the edge. “Don’t be an ass.”

I raise a hand over my
face in frustration. Finally I sit next to her and admit, “Trin, I’m not going to argue with you about it anymore. Whatever you decide to do, fine. But I’m not going to be able to protect you if he pisses you off again and I’m in Jersey and you’re here.”

She looks
at the floor and shakes her head. When she glances back up, her eyes rest on the table, she spots the envelope. She turns to look at me. I’m sure my profile shows the pain in my face.

“Grey, why won’t you let me in?”

I stand abruptly and ask, “Don’t you have a date to get ready for or something?”

Her feet guide her to the door but she turns one last time, looks pointedly
at the envelope and back at me. “You need to figure this out. You’ve waited too long for this fight and I want you to win. No regrets, Grey!”

I smirk
. “You promised to be there, remember?”

“
I did and I intend on keeping my promise. Can you promise me something?”

I wait
, my mouth tight for fear of what she’ll ask. Denying my sister anything is not something I’m accustomed to.

“Promise me that you’ll go and get your head straight tonight. Whatever it takes
, Grey, do it for you.”

I don’t answer. Instead I cross the room to
hold the door open for her. If I can’t make any promises to myself I definitely won’t be able to commit to her. I whisper as she passes, “Be careful, kid.”

Once the door is closed I palm the envelope and settle
back onto the edge of the bed. Turning it over in my hands a few times I finally move my finger under the edge, smoothly lifting the flap to reveal a folded piece of paper inside. I slip it out and I hold on for a few beats of my heart before unfolding it. The message inside is simple, just as the last one I received from her.

Greylan,

I’d like to see you
tonight.

I’ll be at the
Top of the World Restaurant at eight o’clock.

Mollie

My breath rushes out as I finish
reading the last word for the third time. What the hell is wrong with me?
Hanging on every fucking word as if I need it to survive.
As much as I’m pissed at myself for even considering giving in, I must. I have so many questions, and if for nothing else I need to close the door, to get her out of my head. But was the door really opened? I slept with her twice and there were never any commitments. I’ve had relationships with other women that lasted much longer than this and they’ve never affected me as this woman has. I need to get my head straight for tomorrow and if it takes meeting her tonight, I’ll do it.

I check the time and call
Jackson. “Hey, something came up that I have to take care of tonight. Can we go now or early in the morning?”

“Fine, meet me in the lobby in ten minutes.”

Hanging up, I realize how pissed Jackson still is. I’ll have to figure out a way to make it up to him.

When I leave the room and take
the elevator, Jimmy is already on his way down. He looks me up and down. “You got a hot date or something?”

“Or something.”

He nods. As we descend he adds, “By the way, Meyer is out.”

My body
relaxes into the wall of the elevator. I glance at the floor and back up. “Did you speak with him?” I regret the words as soon as they leave my lips. I don’t want to know. The less informed I am about Meyer, the better. That part of my past is still too painful.

“I didn’t, not yet. But I
’ll be informing him of our new management soon enough.”

My head moves in agreement
.

The elevator dings and the doors slide open. Jackson is leaning against a counter across the lobby talking to a leggy brunette. She
’s laughing, trying to conceal her giggles with her hand.

Jimmy speaks close to me
. “What is it with him and the women? On the flight over he had two of them eating out of his hand and now this. I’m lucky if I get laid twice a year and this dude’s got them practically throwing themselves at him.”

I shrug
, not really caring how Jackson is able to talk to women. At this point there’s only one woman I care about seeing and I need to get through this first.

Jackson turns his face a
s Jimmy and I approach.

“There’s our champ now.”
Jackson’s tone has changed, it’s more carefree.

The woman stands
, smoothing her short dress, and flashes me a toothy smile. Fuck, Jackson. She leans in, offering her hand. “Hi, Greylan, I was just talking to your trainer. He said you might want some company later.”

I frown
, looking past her to Jackson. He puts his hands in the air palms up and claims, “Thought you might want to get your mind off of things.”

I ignore
the girl. “What the hell, Jax? Is Jimmy rubbing off on you or something?”

As I turn
to the glass doors leading to the street, Jimmy begins smoothing things over with the girl, asking if she’d like to meet him for a drink later. I shake my head at the reality of it all.

“Jax, are we gonna do this or what?”

“Yep, let’s go.” He trails behind me. At least he can’t be angry any longer. It’s my turn to be pissed.

We
take a taxi down the road for a short five minute drive. It turns into a wide parking garage and drops us at the glass doors on the ground floor. Jackson leads us through a casino into a room that makes the warehouse back home look tiny in comparison. The cage is in the center of the room. It’s obviously a permanent structure. I walk toward it as if it calls to me. All the while, Jimmy’s talking nervously as if just talking will make up for any awkwardness. His voice halts, suddenly causing me to look back. Jackson’s hand is just dropping from Jimmy’s arm. He nods to me. Silently I thank Jackson for the gesture. This is my time.

I walk
slowly around the cage, my footsteps echoing through the tiled space. As I near the door into the cage, my feet take the steps easily and my hands clasp the black metal. Closing my eyes, I concentrate on what tomorrow will bring. This cage and an opponent I’ve watched on different feeds over and over. His moves are graceful and determined. He’s going to be tough to beat but not impossible.