Xavier Cold (Hard Knocks #2) (7 page)

Damn. I’ve only been here a few hours, and already, Nettie has dragged me down memory lane more today than she has in the past few years.

Cole Parker is one person from the old neighborhood I wouldn’t mind seeing. We were tight back in the day because we’d broken out of the street life at the same time. It bonded us because we’d pissed off the crew that ran The Block.

Nettie and Carl had made it clear that if I wanted to stay here with them, I was to have nothing to do with the people I used to hang with. And Cole—well, his father was in his life, and when he’d gotten word that Cole was getting mixed up with the wrong crowd, he’d intervened.

It’s good to hear that he’s doing all right for himself.

“Thanks for the heads-up, Nettie. I’ll check it out.”

The sound of Anna’s cell ringing catches my attention. She fishes it from her back pocket, and her eyes widen as she glances down at the caller ID. Her hand flips the phone around for me to see the words
Tension Writers
illuminate the screen.

“Should I answer it?” she asks in a voice that’s only a few octaves above a whisper.

More than anything, I want her to answer that phone and tell whoever is on the other end of the line to fuck off and that she’s not coming back to the show without me, but we both know that wouldn’t be a wise move.

“Answer it,” I advise her. “There’s no way around talking to them.”

She sighs and then hits the green phone button on the screen. “Hello?” There’s a pause as she listens to person talking. “Okay. I understand that, but—well, no, but—”

I curl my fingers and then flex them back out, trying to stop myself from making fists and pounding on the table. Whoever is speaking to her is being rude as fuck. They keep interrupting her, and it’s pissing me off. They have about two seconds to change their attitude with Anna, or I will jerk that phone away and make the person on the end of that line wish they’d never rung her number.

Nettie must see the aggression on my face because she places her hand on my shoulder. She leans down next to me and speaks only loud enough for me to hear, “Calm down, baby. Let your girl handle this. She’s smart. She’ll make the right move.”

Her words sink into my brain, and I and take a deep breath.

“Trust her. She’s a good one.” Nettie kisses my cheek before rushing over to Carl.

Nettie gets me. She can tell when I’m about to lose my shit. Then again, she’s had years of practice with me, learning the signs.

“All right. I understand. No, it won’t be a problem. Yes, I’ll be there.” Anna pulls the phone away from her ear and stares at the screen. She blinks a couple of times and then lays it down in the center of the table. She flicks her gaze up to mine. “It seems I was supposed to be at the show tonight.”

My lip curls of its own accord as I find myself fucking appalled that they wouldn’t even give her a few days with me to get shit sorted out before they expected her to be back at work. “That’s horse shit. If they wanted you there, they should’ve made that call on Tuesday and put it on your schedule.”

Her pink lips pull into a tight line. “I didn’t really have a schedule, remember? I just officially became a part of the show when I stood beside you for that match. They probably figured that I would be there with you tonight.”

“Just because you’re with me doesn’t give them an excuse not to tell you if you are expected to be at a show. I was given my schedule long before I was sent on vacation to Detroit. It required me to be at every show Tension put on.”

She frowns. “According to the head writer of the show, Vicky, I’m to attend every show for the next month—every Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday show.”

A rush of air forces its way out of my nose as I scrub my hand down my face. “Fucking Rex. This has his name written all over it. He’s fucking Vicky, so she’s his puppet. He’s doing this to fuck with me.”

“Don’t let it.” Anna grabs my hand that’s resting on the table. “Don’t give him that power over you by losing your cool. He knew, if he pushed your buttons enough, then you’d go berserk on him and ruin your shot at being champion. He got exactly what he’d wanted, so don’t help him out any further by losing your head over this. You can trust me, Xavier. No matter what Rex does or says, you will never have to worry. You have my heart, and nothing will ever change that.”

“Promise?” I know it makes me look like a pussy, needing to hear her say that, but I’ve been through so much. I wouldn’t be able to handle ever losing her.

She sets her eyes on mine. “I swear on my life.”

The honesty and goodness shines in her eyes, and I believe she means what she says. I relax a little, but the tension is still rolling through my muscles.

I glance down at my watch and notice it’s nearly time for Thursday Tension to come on, and I wonder what the writers have planned for tonight’s show.

I glance over at Nettie, who is stacking clean glasses behind the counter. “Would you mind turning on Tension?”

“Sure thing,” Nettie answers as she grabs the remote from under the counter and flips the channel.

A few minutes later, the unmistakable promo music for Tension begins to play, and the familiar clips of me and some of the other guys who work for the company appear on the screen. It’s a wonder that they haven’t yanked me from being one of the faces on their trailers, seeing as how I’ve been giving them problems for quite a while now.

My back straightens a bit when Mr. Silverman’s music blasts through the speakers. The camera zooms in on him as he steps through the black curtain and onto the metal grating ramp leading down to the ring. His thin lips rest in an emotionless line, and his gray eyes appear hard and focused beneath his neatly trimmed silver eyebrows and hair.

Fuck.

This can’t be good.

“Does he make appearances often?” Anna asks.

I can’t force my eyes off the screen. “No, hardly ever. He rarely shows his face, even backstage. Typically, the only time he comes out is to fire or promote someone.”

“Oh,” she says, the surprise in her voice apparent.

I know that quick-witted brain of hers has a list of questions.

“Are you saying that we’ve been seeing him more than most of the other athletes?” she asks.

I nod. “I’ve seen him more the past couple of weeks than I have my entire career. I’ve been making a lot of waves, so I’m sure he felt compelled to check out the situations for himself.”

The crowd screaming and booing as Mr. Silverman pulls the microphone to his lips draws my attention back to the screen.

“I’m sure many of you are wondering why I’m here tonight,” he says.

I sure as hell am.

“I’m here to dispel some of the rumors I saw floating around social media after Tuesday’s show. I felt they needed to be addressed in order to end all the secondhand gossip. What you saw occur in this very ring earlier this week was in fact real. Phenomenal X did lose his head and beat Assassin mercilessly in front of a live television audience of millions of people. X was carted out of here in handcuffs, but Assassin refused to press charges.”

The crowd murmurs with confusion as he allows them to digest what he just said.

It doesn’t surprise me one bit that they are taking the truth of the situation and spinning it in a way that works with a storyline. It’s how things are done in Tension. They often use things that happen in our real lives to create stories for our characters in the ring, which is why it’s in each athlete’s best interests to keep their personal life on lockdown. Allowing a devious writer like Vicky to know any of your secrets is definitely a bad move.

Take my relationship with Anna, for instance. Vicky and Rex used it against me, and from what I’ve gathered, they are far from finished.

“Now, I know a lot of you are asking yourselves,
What does that mean for Phenomenal X?
” his voice cuts back through the diner. “I’ve suspended him for three months.”

The boos for my suspension are loud and clear.

“That means, until his suspension is lifted, X will not be eligible to compete in any fashion for the world heavyweight title. For the next three months, he’s not even allowed to be in the same city as Tension. I gave him strict orders to stay away while Assassin heals.” He looks around the arena and then faces the camera head-on. “To make up for the tragic accident that nearly ended Assassin’s career, when he’s ready, Assassin will be guaranteed a shot at the title.”

My nostrils flare, and I know that this wouldn’t even be up for discussion right now if I didn’t hand Rex this opportunity on a silver platter.

“When X returns, as long as he remains in good standing with the company and learns to control himself, he will be granted a title rematch shot with whoever currently holds the title—whether that be with Brian Razor Rollins or Assassin.”

The crowd erupts with cheers, and it’s clear to anyone watching that they’re still backing me. I was fully prepared for the fans to turn on me after what I had done. It would’ve served me right, but that isn’t what’s happening.

“Assassin is expected to be back in the ring soon. He’s suffered a broken nose and a few cracked ribs, but it could’ve been much, much worse had it not been for the quick reaction of Tension’s security team, other wrestlers, and, of course, the esteemed Atlanta Police force who were on hand.” He pauses for a moment. “Now, without further ado, I give you Thursday night Tension!”

Hard rock music plays, and I know that’s all the information I’m going to get.

With both Rex and me out of the picture, it puzzles me why Vicky wanted Anna to be there tonight. The only storyline with her character would involve either Rex or me, and seeing as how he’ll be out for a while, there was no need for Anna to show up.

They just wanted her there to fuck with me. I know it.

“Damn that Rex,” I mumble as the show begins to play.

I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to handle her on the road without me. She hasn’t even left yet, and I’m already driving myself crazy about it.

Anna sighs across from me, dragging my attention back to her.

“Something wrong, beautiful?”

The way she’s chewing on the corner of her lower lip is a telltale sign that she’s nervous. Whatever is on her mind, she’s scared to talk to me about it, which has my brain running wild with possibilities.

“Um . . .” She swallows hard, and her lips pull into a tight line. “There was one more thing Vicky told me when she called.”

“What was that?”

Anna twists her lips. “They want to start that love-triangle story between me and Rex to get things geared up for your return.”

My fingers ball into fists, and I thump one fist on the table, causing Anna to jump. “No. I told you before, that’s not fucking happening. You call Vicky back and tell her that you quit.”

“You know I can’t do that,” she whispers. “I need this job. We need the money, and above all else, I don’t want to lose the privilege of going on the road with you when your suspension is over.”

“I don’t give a shit about the money, Anna. Those motherfuckers are not going to use you against me. I won’t let that shit happen.”

“Xavier—”

“No, Anna,” I snap, rage filling every inch of me. “You’re not going.”

“Yes, I am,” she argues. “I told you earlier to trust me. If you would take a moment and calm down—”

“You’re mine! You. Are. Mine.”

Her eyes widen. “I’m not a possession to be controlled. I came to Detroit to get away from one man who wanted to control my life. Don’t make me leave you, too, Xavier.”

The monster inside me rears its ugly head, and before I say something to Anna that I don’t mean, I shove myself out of the booth.

“Where are you going?” Anna asks.

I can’t answer her as I storm out of the diner. I can’t even look at her right now because I don’t understand how she doesn’t see my side on this. I can’t have Rex trying to touch her without me there to stop him. I won’t allow him to take her away from me—ever.

“X
avier!” Nettie yells his name as he shoves the front door open and disappears through it. She turns back to me, a frown etched into her face, as she carries food to my table. She sets a plate of pancakes in front of me. “I swear, that boy has a temper and a half on him. What’s he so pissed for?”

I sigh as I stare at the plate she puts in front of Xavier’s now empty seat. “Tension wants me to pretend to be Rex’s girlfriend to up the angst for Xavier’s return to the show. They think a love triangle will get the crowd behind their rivalry.”

Nettie leans her hip against the side of the booth. “I see where my boy would take issue with that. He’s used to things he loves being taken away from him.”

It breaks my heart that he would believe that for one second. “He should realize that I’m not going anywhere.”

She tilts her head as she stares down at me. “It’s hard to trust something good is going to stay in your life when you’ve been through what he has. He’s never had something worth losing, like what he has with you. Be patient with him. I know it’s hard, but if you love him, be there for him. He’s waiting for the bottom to fall out of your relationship, for you to leave him like his mama did.”

“It’s awful—what happened with his mother. The story he told me was the most heart-wrenching thing I’ve heard in my life. I can’t imagine waking up in your dead mother’s arms. What that must’ve done to him as a little boy—”

Nettie’s gray eyebrows shoot up. “He told you about that?”

I nod. “I don’t think he really wanted to. He had a nightmare, and it all just sort of came out.”

“Well, honey, if he’s opened up to you that much, you’re really bringing him out of the darkness where he has kept himself secluded. It took years before he let me in. He needs you. Don’t give up on him, especially now that he’s back in that house. Being there is going to test your relationship.” Nettie stares down at Xavier’s plate. “I’ll get this boxed up and have Carl give you a ride. He has a key to the house.”

After Nettie boxes everything up, Carl struts over to me and twirls his car keys around his index finger. “Ready, girl?”