Fighting Solitude (On The Ropes #3)

by Aly Martinez

  “Bullshit,” I gritted out, studying her eyes, which I now noticed were red-rimmed. “Were you crying?”

  Resting a reassuring hand on my chest, she answered, “Stop. I promise I’m okay. Let’s just get the kids situated so I can tell everyone at once.”

  The room fluttered around us as my family caught the angry chill that had begun to fill the room. My imagination was running wild as I paced a hole in the carpet in front of the couch. Ash and Eliza settled next to Flint on the sofa, while Liv sat in the recliner, chewing on her thumbnail.

  When Till reappeared from upstairs, he didn’t settle next to Eliza. He eerily walked beside me and got all up in my space. Not touching me. Just looming.

  Fucking hell. He was bracing for the explosion. Whatever she had whispered in his ear must have been really fucking bad.

  “Talk,” I demanded.

  “Okay, so, ummm, Davenport was waiting for me outside when I left the community center tonight.”

  The room erupted into a combination of gasps and curses. Five sets of eyes all landed on me, but mine stayed leveled on Liv.

  “He was waiting for you?” I asked in a malevolent whisper, my muscles going taut.

  “I’m fine,” she reiterated.

  Which was fantastic. I needed her to be fine because I was as far from fine as a person could get.

  I sucked in a deep breath and then held it. Cracking my neck, I motioned for her to continue, hopefully to the part where he had been hit by a truck when he’d left.

  “I guess he saw the picture of us together. And…uhhh, well… He came to say congrats. Sorta. But it was fine. He left. All’s good. Don kinda saved the day.” She was rambling—and lying some kind of serious.

  Davenport was a big enough asshole to show up just to piss me off, but with our fight less than two months away, he wouldn’t have left without delivering a message.

  “What. Happened?” I pushed.

  Her eyes jumped to Till’s then to Flint’s. Then she moved toward me. “Turn around.”

  I shook my head.

  No way I was going to let her to bury her face in my back, hiding the truth in her eyes so she could feed me more glossed-over shit. I wanted the entire motherfucking story, especially the little details she was going to try to leave out.

  “It wasn’t as bad as it’s going to sound,” she whined.

  Which only meant it was far worse and she was trying to soften the blow for me.

  I ground my teeth and prepared myself. “I’m not asking again, Rocky. Tell me all of it.”

  Her shoulders fell, and she rolled her eyes. “He called me a whore. Pinned me against the car and then kissed me.” She rested her hands on my chest and rushed out, “But I swear to you, I’m fine. Please don’t kill him.”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  “He kissed you?”

  “Oh my God!”

  “What the fuck.”

  Those all echoed behind me, but I couldn’t make out who’d said what around the blood roaring in my ears.

  Liv could beg every day for the rest of her life, but I was still going to kill him for so much as breathing her air.

  Blinding rage consumed me.

  The last thing I remembered was Liv standing in front of me, pleading for his life, before I found myself being physically restrained across the hood of my car.

  “Stop!” Till said, wrestling me down.

  “Let me the fuck go!” I seethed, rearing back to head-butt him.

  He quickly dodged it and forced me back down. “Chill out and get your shit together. Davenport will still be an asshole in ten minutes. Liv is freaking the fuck out right now though.”

  My senses started to return to me, one by one, and I heard Liv screaming my name from inside the house. Flint was blocking the front door, but his gaze was aimed over his shoulder at me.

  “Shit,” I breathed, the fight ebbing from my system.

  My knuckles ached, and my lungs felt as if I’d just gone ten rounds.

  “There you go,” Till encouraged. “Now, take a damn breath and calm down.”

  “Let me go,” I replied, my voice jagged.

  I was slowly coming down when Liv shrieked my name again.

  “Let me go!” I repeated, becoming agitated all over again.

  He didn’t. He leaned into my ear. “I know how you feel, Q, but I swear to God there is nothing you can do to Davenport right now. And all you are going to do is ruin your own career by trying. Let’s call the cops. Let’s call the boxing administration. Let’s call Slate and get him to throw some weight at this. But you, right now, need to get your ass inside and take care of your girl.”

  He was right. I needed to take care of Liv. But he was so fucking wrong about the rest. The cops wouldn’t do shit. The boxing administration would do even less. Slate could throw all the weight in the world behind this kind of attack, but it wouldn’t change the fact that it had still happened.

  And I hadn’t been there to protect her.

  Two weeks into our relationship and I was already treading dangerously close to failing yet another woman.

  And, this time, it was Liv.

  Not a consequence in the world could sway me from making Davenport pay.

  And I knew that that was exactly why Liv was freaking out. She knew me all too well.

  It was my turn to lie.

  “Okay,” I told Till. “Call the cops and fucking let me up so I can get to her.”

  I had expected Quarry to lose his shit, and it was precisely why I’d made sure his brothers were there when I’d dropped the bomb. They could at least physically prevent him from going off the deep end until I had a chance to calm him down and talk some sense into him.

  However, I never could have expected the scene that played out.

  His face turned red, pure madness brewing in his thunderous eyes. I was still clinging to the front of shirt when he spun on a heel. His powerful stomps carried him to the door, Till barely managing to get in front of him before Quarry threw a punch. And it was thrown with such a force I knew that it had been intended for Davenport and not his brother. Quarry had one hell of a temper, but this was something else altogether. Intense anger rolled off him as Till fought to pry the keys from his hand.

  I was able to hold it together until Till dodged a punch and Quarry’s hand went through the sheet rock. That’s when I lost my shit too.

  Davenport was once again going to get his way. One way or another, whether Quarry found him and beat him within an inch of his life or Quarry broke his hand in another fit of rage, the fight was going to get canceled.

  I gave up on Till handling the situation and attempted to step between the brawling brothers.

  Unfortunately, Flint caught me around the waist.

  But, on the other hand, it was fortunate Flint caught me around the waist because I almost caught an elbow to the face.

  When Till and Quarry had made it out the door, Flint promptly blocked me. I was having a nervous breakdown from not being able to see what was going on.

  I was seriously contemplating the ramifications of stealing Flint’s cane and beating him with it when Quarry suddenly appeared behind him. Flint gingerly stepped out of the way for his seemingly no-longer-irate brother to pass through.

  Raking my eyes over his body, I checked for any type of injury, but his stormy eyes held the only lingering proof of his outburst.

  I opened my mouth to ask if he was okay, but his thick arm hooked across my stomach, folding me over and lifting me off my feet.

  “What are you doing?” I cried, dangling like a rag doll at his side.

  He didn’t answer. Nor did his feet slow until we reached his old bedroom.

  After kicking the door shut, he deposited me on the bed. Then my arms were yanked up and my dress was stripped over my head. His shirt followed. Then he landed on the bed next to me. Rolling to his back, he tucked me into his side, and only then did he breathe a huge sigh of relief. His heart was still slamming around
in his chest, and his body was stiff, but his words were soft.

  “What happened…exactly?”

  “Uhhhh, is there a reason we have to be almost naked to have this conversation? If you decide to haul ass out of the room again, it’s going to be embarrassing when I have to chase you down in my underwear.”

  “I won’t leave again,” he replied emotionlessly, but his lips found the top of my head.

  “Okay, but if you’re planning to have sex with me, you’re going to have to be quiet because I’m pretty sure Ash and Eliza are listening at the door.”

  This time, his voice was terse. “My head is two seconds away from exploding. If I fucked you now, I might kill us both. So, please, just tell me what the fuck happened.” His lips once again found my head, easing the sting in his tone.

  So I told him.

  Every single bit.

  Except for the hotel room number.

  Thank God for Don Blake! Because, if the way his body went rock solid when I got to the keycard part was any indication, I would have in fact been hiding a body later that night.

  After I finished, Quarry remained silent for several minutes. I tried to soothe him by tracing the black tattoos that covered one of his pecs, and his breathing gradually slowed and then evened out. I thought for a moment that he’d fallen asleep. But, when I glanced up, his eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling in deep contemplation.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked quietly.

  “Honestly?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Right now, it’s how I’m going to keep your dad from killing Davenport before I get the chance.”

  I giggled, relaxing into him, relieved that he at least had it in him to joke. Ten minutes ago, I would have thought it impossible, but when he shifted his gaze down to me, the tiniest of smiles tipped one side of his mouth.

  Then it vanished as his expression turned serious again. “I took your dress off because I wanted to be sure you weren’t hiding anything else from me. Downplaying the way he put his hands on you just to keep me reeled in. But I have to be honest with you here: I’m terrified to look at your back. I swear to God, if he left a mark on you—”

  “My back is fine.” It wasn’t totally a lie. It didn’t hurt anymore, but I was sure the car door handle had left a bruise.

  He closed his eyes and shook his head as if he could erase the thought of it.

  “Quarry, listen to me. This is worse than his normal brand of asshole. I’ll be the first to admit that, but getting a reaction from you is what he wants. It’s what he’s praying for. And, if he doesn’t get it before the fight, you know he’s going to use it in the ring. He’s going to talk shit and have you fighting with your heart and not your head. And, when you give him that, he will beat you.”

  Quarry barked a laugh. “Is that your pep talk?”

  “No. That’s my ‘keep your head together and embarrass this guy in front of the entire world’ talk.” I pressed a kiss to his still-smiling lips. “You’re so close, Q. Two months.”

  He suddenly rolled so I was on my back and his upper body was pressing against me. “And what if he tries something like this shit again? What if it’s worse next time? Then what? Because I don’t give one single fuck about that fight anymore. Embarrassing him isn’t going to give me peace of mind. Eating popcorn and listening to his screams while he burns inside a fiery inferno might be the only possible thing that could give me any kind of satisfaction at this point.”

  “Okay, and if, in six months, you want to follow through with that, I’ll buy the popcorn. But we will watch the inferno on TV in the middle of a public bar so we at least both have an alibi.” I smiled. “For now, though, we’re going to let everyone else handle Davenport.”

  “I can’t just sit around and let this go. He touched you, Liv.” His voice was harsh, but his fingers gently sifted through my hair.

  “And I slapped him for it,” I answered matter-of-factly.

  He groaned. “And that’s another thing. What the fuck were you thinking?”

  “Oh, shut up. I’m fine.” I waved him off.

  “I’m serious. If anything like that happens again: You don’t speak to him. You don’t acknowledge him. You sure as fuck don’t challenge him. You walk away. And, if you can’t, you scream for help at the top of your lungs.”

  In hindsight, that would have been the best thing to do. But it had felt amazing to fight back instead of cowering. I didn’t tell Q that thought. I could hardly give him a keep-your-head-together lecture if I couldn’t do the same.

  I opted for a sheepish nod.

  He was still staring at me sternly when a pounding on the door made us both jump.

  “Liv! Get out here.” It was Slate.

  Shit, when did he get here?

  “The cops are here.”

  Fantastic.

  “Also, your mom and dad are on the way down.”

  God help me. “I’ll be right out!” I let out a long-suffering sigh. “I should probably get dressed. Is your head all sorted now?”

  “Not even close.” He smiled tightly, shifting off me.

  While redressing, I was careful not to let him see my back. We could save the naked inspections for a week from now when my back had healed.

  I was finger-combing my hair in the mirror on the door when Quarry’s strong chest pressed against my back.

  “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  It was a sweet thing to say, but the meaning behind his words was transferred with his mouth when he brushed my hair away and kissed my neck.

  “You’d be okay.”

  I wouldn’t be though. I knew that to the pits of my soul. I also knew I’d eventually have to face that reality.

  “I’m not so sure about that. So let’s not test the theory.” He kissed my neck again.

  No. Let’s not test the theory at all.

  At least, not yet.

  “I WANT IT ALL. ARM it like the fucking Pentagon!”

  Leo shook his head. “I cannot arm a community center, son. I’ll make it secure though. I’ll get some guys in there in the morning. We’ll do it up right.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and glanced over at Liv. She was talking to her mom and Erica. Leo and Sarah had rushed down from Chicago, having made it to Till’s in record time. They’d arrived just in time for Leo to pull one of the officers aside before they’d left. As a former DEA agent and the owner of one of the biggest security firms in the country, he had a little more pull than I did in gathering information about what the hell was going on. So, as much as it had ticked me off, I had sat back and let him handle it.

  Over the last four hours, we’d learned that Davenport had an alibi and claimed he hadn’t been in Indianapolis, but rather in Kentucky over three hours away. Lying piece of shit. Don Blake had issued a verbal statement, corroborating Liv’s story. But, in the end, the case was nothing more than a he-said-she-said. I wasn’t surprised in the least.

  Davenport was despicable, but he wasn’t stupid. He never threw the first punch, but he always had the last word. He was cold, calculated, and, I was quickly learning, demented too. It was almost as if the bullshit outside the ring were more exhilarating for him than the fight itself.

  Liv caught my eye and tried to smile, but a yawn overtook her. She wanted to go home, and I couldn’t blame her. It had been one long-ass night.

  Eliza was flittering around, filling coffee cups, and cleaning up plates from our family dinner that had turned into a buffet line; Ash was upstairs, helping Blakely get the little kids in pajamas; Slate, Flint, and Till were huddled in the corner, discussing what actions needed to be taken with the boxing administration; and Leo and I were arguing over how to prevent this shit from happening again by beefing up security at the community center.

  Let’s go, I silently signed to Liv before turning my attention back to her father. “Spare no expense, Leo. Cameras inside and out. Also cover every inch of that parking lot. Motion sensors on all
the lights. New security system on the entire building, not just the ASL program. And I want a guard at the door twenty-four-seven.”

  “Quarry. Chill. I said I’d do it up right.”

  “I swear to Christ, you hire a senior citizen for the door—”

  “I said”—he lowered his voice and menacingly tilted his head—“I’d do it up right.”

  I stoically held his eyes. “Send me a bill.”

  “She’s my daughter. It’s on me.”

  I lowered my voice to match his. “And I said send me a bill.” I paused before adding, “Itemized.”

  His jaw twitched at the hinges. “You think I’m going to cut corners when it comes to her safety?”

  I shrugged. “Probably not, but I do know, when it comes to her, I’m not going to wait around to find out.”

  Leo laughed, and if I wasn’t mistaken, it was genuine. “You’ve been together a few weeks, Q. Slow down.”

  “No disrespect, Leo. But you of all people know that’s a load of shit. Liv and I have been together our entire lives, and despite the fact that I now plan to father your grandchildren, I would have insisted on this being done correctly no matter when it had happened.”

  Leo’s eyes sparked ominously, and his nostrils flared.

  I casually quirked an eyebrow.

  “You’re lucky I like you.” He took a step toward me. “You’re lucky you come from a good family.” He held my stare. “You’re lucky she’s in love with you.”

  A flush of adrenaline hit me. I knew that Liv had loved me, but it wasn’t until that moment that I allowed myself to truly internalize her words.

  “Every. Single. Day.”

  It wasn’t past tense.

  It included that very moment.

  A bold smile grew on my face even as her dad continued with his failed attempt to intimidate me.

  “But I swear to God, son. You utter one more fucking word about making babies with my twenty-three-year-old daughter, I’ll kill you on the spot. Yeah?”

  My grin spread as I arrogantly winked at him. “Right.”

  Leo flipped his coat back, revealing his gun in a shoulder holster. “Right,” he repeated on a challenge, his eyes locked with mine.