Takedown (10 page)

T
he moment
his parents’ number came up on his phone, Mitchell’s heart sank. He felt dirty even looking at it, like they somehow
knew
what he’d done last night.

Getting his contacts out first thing and showering had been his first priority, and his eyes still hurt. He’d only barely stepped out of the shower and finished breakfast when they called. It was already past nine, and if he avoided the call, he’d just have more questions thrown at him.

Mitchell fumbled to pick it up as it nearly buzzed off the counter, then pressed the answer button and raised it to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Mitchell.” It was his father. “Can you come over? We need to chat about the potential listing.”

Mitchell walked over to sit on his perfectly-made bed, unused last night. The more they brought up the sale, the more he resented them for it. “Talk about what? Listing the gym?”

“Yes.”

“Right. Even though I’m not yet planning…?”

“Yes,” his father said again, sounding more annoyed. “We have a good opportunity. Are you available?”

Mitchell couldn’t bring himself to lie. “Yeah.”

“All right, we’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Mitchell stared at the screen of his phone when the line clicked off. When had they stopped with the gruff
love you
s? When he left for NYC?

He pressed his cellphone to his forehead for a moment, then pocketed it and straightened up, heading to the closet to grab his blazer. Might as well dress up if he was going to get into another family argument today. He stopped to put in his contacts again with extra drops, wincing as he straightened up again and blinked a few extra times. His eyes were red, still sore from leaving the contacts in all night, but that would have to do.

When Mitchell walked downstairs, he took a quick glance around for Luke. No sign of him, but then, he could well be in one of the corners of the gym, or in the showers, or even in his own apartment, eating.

He strode briskly for the outside door, nodding at Hugh when he caught his eyes but not stopping to chat.

When Mitchell pulled up in front of his parents’ house a few minutes later, he nodded at one of the neighbors who was walking down toward his car. He remembered Mr. and Mrs. Samson, but he didn’t really want to get sucked into a conversation about how much he’d grown.

It was fucking small-town Nebraska, though, so it was inevitable.

“Mitchell? My, you’re back in town?”

Mitchell faked a polite smile and walked up the driveway but not toward the hedge.
Don’t engage, or you’ll never get away.
“Hey, Mr. Samson.”

“Oh, it’s John now. You’re all grown up now. Still living in the Big Apple?”

Mitchell resisted the urge to wince. Nobody actually called it that. “Yes, sir,” he smiled. “Still loving it.”

“Good for you, kid. I knew you’d grow up and go places. I was talking to your mom and dad the other day about you. They said you were dealing with that old gym.”

Mitchell nodded. “Yeah, my uncle left it to me…”

“Sorry to hear about him,” Mr. Samson frowned, his expression sympathetic. “He was a good guy. And so sudden… I had a heart attack two years ago, but I made it through it. I’m sorry he didn’t.”

“Oh, jeez, I didn’t hear that,” Mitchell frowned. “Sorry. And thanks.” There was little anyone could say about it that didn’t sound glib, so he didn’t want to give the guy a chance to be all
but he’s gone to a better place
. He just briskly nodded. “How’s Mrs. Samson?”

“She’s lovely, thank you. Just swell.”

“Great. Well, I’ve got a couple meetings, so I won’t keep you.”

Mr. Samson nodded. “Of course. Great seeing you again, Micky! Remember that—you used to be Micky?”

God, no.
Mitchell resisted another shudder and smiled back. “Yeah, I remember. Thanks. You too. Take care, Mr. Samson. Look after that ticker.”

“Oh, I do now,” Mr. Samson promised as he walked down the driveway toward the car and Mitchell headed up toward his parents’ porch.

That was a narrow escape. Often, conversations with retired old folks lasted hours around here. His parents could have invited Mr. Samson in, and then his dad wouldn’t have shut up for hours.

Mitchell knocked before testing the knob. It was locked, so he blew out an annoyed sigh and waited for someone to let him in.

His father pulled open the door. “Mitch, come on in.” Mitchell followed him inside, nodding at the front door. “Locking the door these days?”

“You never know who’s around,” his mother frowned. “I saw a documentary about the illusion of small-town safety. Not that Beatrice is bad. But out in Lincoln, there have been a bunch of break-and-enters…”

“Right, right,” Luke nodded, rubbing his chin. Every time he could remember since he’d first moved out, they’d always opened the door before he came over. They must have been busy with something.

The table was set with the nice cloth and his mother was carrying a tray of cookies over. It was like he was a guest, unless…

“You have someone coming over?”

“Yes,” his father nodded. “A man you’ll want to meet.”

For a split second, Luke wondered if they were trying to set him up. The thought was painfully laughable and he set it aside.

“What kind of guy?”

“Well,” his mother smiled, “your father’s
very
good. Tell him, dear.” She carried a tray with an iced tea pitcher over to the table.

“I’ve found a potential buyer for you,” his father said, cutting straight to the chase. “Sid. A very nice fellow, seems honest and straight-shooting. He’s from Lincoln. He wants to restyle the gym and give it a bit more of an
edge
, you know?”

Mitchell leaned back in his chair, his eyebrows raised. “It’s an MMA gym. How much more
edge
can you get?”

Before they could answer, the doorbell rang. “That’ll be him,” his mother said, flapping a hand. “Go welcome him in.”

Mitchell stood up and headed to the foyer, eyeing the broad-shouldered, bald man outside the door before he pulled open the front door with a polite smile. “Hello. Sid?”

“Ahhh, hello. You’re Mitchell,” Sid smiled, stepping forward after he pulled open the screen door to shake hands firmly before he came in. “Thanks. Ah, hello, Henry.”

“Hi,” Mitchell’s father answered. “Thanks for coming over and meeting my boy and us.”

Mitchell wondered what he’d promised Sid. Surely not serious negotiations yet? Then again, he could say whatever he wanted to try to pressure Mitchell into the sale. He didn’t think his father would lie and say it was already for sale…

“And Diane, hello.” Sid politely kissed her hand. “Oh, iced tea and cookies! You shouldn’t have.”

“It was nothing.”

Mitchell tuned out of the bullshit small talk and moved for the table to sit down, squaring his shoulders. He was ready to talk now. He didn’t want to waste time on this crap.

“So,” Sid said once he was settled and ready to talk, “I understand you have a gym you’re looking to offload.”

“I don’t know if I’m selling yet,” Mitchell said straight-up. “I’m considering keeping it and either selling it in a few months’ time, possibly to an existing member, or just straight-up keeping it if it’s worth the investment.”

“You’re living in New York, aren’t you? Have you been a long-distance owner of any other businesses?” Sid asked.

Mitchell winced. He knew a lot of people who were, but not personally. “Not yet.”

“This kind of business is hard to run from far away unless you’ve got a great staff. And I hear you might need more of those.”

“Really?” Mitchell looked at his father, but his dad gave nothing away in his expression. “We’ve got a couple team members and they do an awesome job. I don’t think the customers would trust someone new easily.”

“Right, right,” Sid nodded. “And a new image.”

“Being Uncle Toby’s old gym is great for the community. Everyone already knows and trusts us. If we become some corporate UFC franchise…”

“You might lose some, but you’ll also get more people who want something a bit more professional.”

Mitchell smiled. “What’s more pro than having an
actual
pro trained by a former pro?”

“True,” Sid had to nod, smiling back at him. “That’s a big boost.”

“Right,” Mitchell nodded. “So we’re in a pretty good place. That’s why I’m not sure about selling.”

“But your star athlete’s career is tied to the gym now. If he loses…” Sid trailed off as he sipped his iced tea. “Well, the gym value will go down.”

“Perhaps,” Mitchell conceded. “I don’t know how much my dad told you about the sale.”

“Well, I offered three hundred-fifty grand on the spot,” Sid laughed. “He said that was about what you were looking for, maybe a little less.”

Mitchell’s body tensed. Over a third of a million… was a lot. That was about the value including the building for sale rather than lease. In a lump sum… well, he couldn’t retire yet, but he’d be most of the way there. If his cost of living was low, that was.

And he still had to take care of Luke.

“That’s a bold offer upfront.”

“I don’t like screwing around with realtors, and I’m told you’re one, so… no mind games,” Sid laughed.

Mitchell chuckled. “Right. That’s your first and final offer?”

“Yep.”

Mitchell glanced at his parents, who looked like they were holding their breaths. “All right. I need to talk to Luke and Hugh and wait until after the fight.”

“Right. I’m willing to extend that offer to whether Luke wins or loses this fight, but it’s my choice whether he stays or goes.”

Mitchell tilted his chin up in thought. “All right. Any other conditions?”

“Not that I can think of yet. I’m sure the lawyers will come up with some,” Sid laughed, rolling his eyes.

“No doubt.”

“I was just telling Sid you could give him a tour of the place, since he hasn’t properly seen it,” his father spoke up.

Mitchell tensed up again but nodded. He had to move forward like he
wanted
to sell. That was why he’d come here, for fuck’s sakes. He could figure out how to look after Hugh and Luke if it came to it.

“Right. I can give you a tour tomorrow,” Mitchell promised and rose to his feet. “In the meantime, I should make sure everything’s in good order there.”

“Excellent.” Sid finished his iced tea and rose to his feet for a firm handshake. “Thanks for having me over. I think this was constructive.”

Not really.
Mitchell surprised himself with how resentful he felt. This ought to be the easiest deal in the world, but the brief meeting rubbed him wrong from start to finish. “No doubt. I’ll see you tomorrow evening, all right? After the supper rush passes, so… eight? Is an evening meeting all right?”

“That works perfect for me, actually,” Sid told him.

Once he was out the door, Mitchell closed the inner door again and turned to his parents.

“He seems like a good guy, doesn’t he?” his father spoke up with an oblivious smile. “He’s serious about buying, even when Luke loses.”

“
When
?” Mitchell snorted.

His mother laughed. “You don’t think he’ll
win
, do you?”

Holy shit. They’re not holding back.
Mitchell’s barely-veiled contempt churned in his stomach, but he just smiled slightly. “Uh, yeah, of course I think he will. Why not?”

“Well, he’s…” his mother trailed off.

“A little, you know… that way,” his father air-quoted. “Like you.”

Mitchell’s cheeks burned with fury, but he laughed anyway, the sound short and sharp. It was a stupid thought on both of their parts, and he wished they felt ashamed of it. Given Luke’s sheer size and toughness, the thought that he liked fucking guys instead of girls made him any more likely to lose…

No, he didn’t have time for that shit.

“I’ll see him tomorrow,” Mitchell said, pulling open the door without saying goodbye. He let the screen door slam shut behind him as he strode for his car.

He was going to drown himself in membership statistics and hopefully forget those little laughs from his parents at the idea of Luke winning.

Fuck that.

Luke was going to win.

M
itchell felt almost
guilty about not seeing Luke that day at the gym or the next, but then the membership book sucked him in.

Toby’s handwriting had never been great, but Luke’s was worse. Hugh’s was the only writing that was always clear, and thank God for that.

Mitchell was transferring all the information to software rather than keeping it on pen and paper. He could pull out a lot more statistics that way—average membership length, for starters. He couldn’t believe Luke had never tracked that data.

Then again, maybe he had. He’d kept a lot of information in his head.

Mitchell stayed up much later than he’d meant to in the office. After grabbing a quick supper, he went right back to it and only stirred when it was almost midnight and he was typing in the last couple of new members’ names.

All of these tasks would make the business worth more and easier to sell, but they would also make it easier to run, even remotely. He could see membership details long-distance if he synced this to the cloud.

Mitchell tried not to think about the fact that he was trying to make it easier for himself to own the business and not sell it.

He didn’t dare interrupt Luke in sleep after finishing up the evening of his first meeting with Sid, nor in training the morning of the gym tour. Instead, he threw himself into the books again all day. With the accountant asking for more information on Toby’s expenses, he had to hunt down a lot of scraps of paper, old bills, and contact numbers.

Today, though, he managed to at least catch Luke’s eyes and smile at him to reassure him that everything was going fine. Then Hugh interrupted, stepping between them to give Luke some more instructions.

Mitchell took the hint and stayed clear that day all the way until eight, when Sid showed up at the gym for his tour.

“Grubby on the outside, but wonderful inside,” Sid praised. “The best gyms are.”