Stand Of Honor

by Williams, Cathryn

  Zane had very few people that he could count on. For the past several years, he had kept to himself, not wanting to bring anyone into his life. He knew he was letting himself get attached to Melanie, however she would always be in danger, either in or out of his life. He would actually be able to keep a better eye on her now that they were involved. Everyone else he had been close to had always let him down, yet it was time to let the past go and look forward to the future. He was going to find a way to end his second life and take some of the worry for Melanie’s safety off his back.

  Nick had shown up unexpectedly an hour ago to give his encouragement. It was a cool thing to do with his own fight ahead, and Zane appreciated his show of support.

  Zane looked at the clock. The fight was in a couple hours, so it was time to head to the arena. Linc went on outside while he and Nick gathered their bags and locked the gym up. As Zane turned away from the door, he heard a woman’s voice.

  “Hey, baby.”

  Zane stiffened then looked into Faye’s deceitful, blue eyes. She was just as beautiful as when they had been together, but now he was wiser and saw only the cold, shrewd eyes staring back at him.

  “I heard you were fighting tonight. You know how much I loved watching you fight and the incredible fuc… I mean, time we had after you won.” Faye smiled seductively, glancing at Lincoln then back at Zane.

  “I’ll be in the car, Zane.” Lincoln walked to the vehicle. Nick, on the other hand, stood unashamedly listening, waiting for the show to begin.

  Zane looked at her, giving her the once over with a sneer of distaste on his mouth. She was referring to the sex they’d had after he’d won a match. She would often be as high on adrenaline as he was after a win and they had taken it out on each other in the bedroom.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” Zane couldn’t believe she was stupid enough to show her face again.

  “Zane, I was broke and desperate. I was about to lose my car and the credit card companies were driving me crazy. I had to find a way to take care of my debt so I could be with you. I knew you were getting serious, and I didn’t want you to have to deal with my mistakes.” Faye’s eyes started to fill with tears. “I just wanted to be good for you, and start fresh with you.”

  “So your way of making things right was by getting me kicked out of the league?” Zane was amazed that he hadn’t realized that Faye was short on brain cells.

  “That wasn’t supposed to happen. Tobias set you up when he found out I didn’t want to be with him, that I was just using him for the money.” Faye’s explanation of her actions left a sour taste in his mouth. She placed all the blame on Tobias when he knew she had been the one to instigate the plan for him to lose the fight. Tobias might have taken it one step forward when he’d found out he was just a means to an end, however it had been Faye who had ultimately been the one to betray him.

  “That’s fucking insane, Faye. You know I would have found a way to make things right for us.” Zane thought back to the time after the fight. Faye had tried countless times to talk to him, but Zane would never listen to her. All he’d needed to know was that she had betrayed him and whatever feelings he’d had for her died. He didn’t want to hear her explanations now, either. Actions always spoke more than words in Zane’s opinion.

  Now, here she was, trying to weasel her way back in now that he was fighting again. He knew how much Faye loved being associated with a fighter, especially a winning fighter. She felt the glory as much as he did.

  “Zane, you know I love you. I’ve always loved you,” Faye pleaded with him.

  “Even when you spread your legs for Tobias?” Zane asked harshly. “Were you thinking about how much you loved me when his dick was inside of you?”

  “Zane, I never slept with him. I just made him think I would. I was just playing him for the money.”

  “You’re a fucking liar, and so bad at it that I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. Dammit, Faye, get the hell away from me. It’s over. It’s been over for a long time. You’re not only a lying, manipulative bitch, but you’re a money hungry whore that I wouldn’t let near my ride much less my dick.” Zane started to walk away. He wasn’t going to listen to anymore of her lies.

  Faye grabbed his arm tightly. “Zane, think about how happy we were, how happy we would have been. I fucked up. I know that, and I’m so sorry. I did have good intentions. I never thought you would get blamed for it.” Faye quickly continued, “I can’t wait to see you fight tonight.”

  She walked around to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Remember the night after your fight against Jake? We couldn’t even make it all the way home. How you pulled over into the trees and fucked me until I screamed.” She pressed her body against him, kissing his neck.

  Zane started to pull out of her hold when he heard another voice.

  “Get the fuck off of him, bitch.” He looked over to see Melanie striding towards them. She walked up behind Faye, her hand going into her expensively styled hair, jerking her away from Zane.

  “Now this is really going to get interesting.” Zane threw Nicholas a threatening glare at his remark. His friend was enjoying this way too much.

  “Get off me!” Faye was screaming as Melanie dragged her a few feet away and threw her up against the side of the building.

  “Stay away from him—he’s mine now. You come near him again, and I’ll make sure you won’t be able to walk when I’m done with you.”

  Zane had never seen Melanie so angry. He had to hide his smile at her saying he was hers now. She was a little hellion.

  Faye started to regain some of her senses when she realized why she was being attacked. “You may think you have him, but we have a long history. He knows how good we were together, don’t you, Zane?” She turned pleading eyes toward him, but Zane felt nothing other than pride at Melanie putting a stop to the woman being a pain in his ass.

  Before Zane could say anything, Melanie threw him a look that dared him to speak. Zane was no fool. He knew when to keep his mouth shut.

  Faye yelped as Melanie pressed her up against the building wall with a hand at her throat. Faye liked being with a fighter, but she was no fighter herself. Faye didn’t realize Melanie was a trained fighter and could hurt her if Melanie really wanted to. Zane could see that Melanie was holding back, though.

  “There is no you and him anymore, you stupid cow. You fucked that up. He has my name on him now and I better not see you near him again. Move the fuck on and don’t look back, or the next time, I won’t be the lady my mama taught me to be and I’ll beat the shit out of you,” Melanie growled.

  She grabbed Faye’s arm, twisting it behind her back before turning her towards the direction of the parking lot, giving her a shove, and Faye stumbled away. However, Zane had a feeling she hadn’t given up yet. Of course, he wasn’t going to tell Melanie that right now, not with that pissed off look still in her furious, green eyes.

  Melanie walked back towards him with fire in her eyes.

  “Now the shit’s really going to hit the fan.” When Zane took a step toward him, Nicholas raised his hands up in the air and left him to his approaching sister’s fury.

  She shoved him. “What the hell, Zane? You just stood there and let her touch you? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  Zane looked down at her. She resembled an explosive device. He pulled her towards the same spot she had just had Faye pinned against, wrapping his arms around her.

  “I’m yours, huh?” Zane inquired.

  “Damn right you are,” she huffed up at him. She was still holding herself stiffly, not ready to forgive him for letting that skank touch him. “You can dodge a flying fist from a two hundred twenty pound fighter, but you couldn’t move away when that greedy bitch grabbed you?”

  He leaned down to kiss her, yet she pulled back slightly.

  “Why did you even listen to her? Why didn’t you walk away?” He could hear the hurt in her voice.

  “She’s pushy. I
knew she wouldn’t leave me alone if she didn’t get it all out. I wanted her to see that I wasn’t going to change my mind despite what lies came out of her cheating mouth.” Zane kissed her forehead. “Melanie, I despise her. She’s a liar and uses people to get her way. She’s means nothing to me.” Zane kissed her lips. “You’re the only woman I want in my life.”

  He felt her body start to relax against his as she studied his eyes, seeing he was telling her the truth.

  “What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting at the arena?” Zane asked.

  “I wanted to ride down with you, and since Nick is here, I decided to just come by. Trish is going to meet me there.” She threw Nick one of her angry looks, which he shrugged off with an amused grin. Obviously, he knew how to handle his sister better than he did. “Good thing I showed up, asshole.” She shoved at him again, letting him know he wasn’t off the hook yet.

  Zane laughed, scooping her up into his arms. “That’s right, good thing you did show up. You saved me. Have I thanked you yet? I’m going to reward you later.” Melanie laughed, however she still grumbled about saving his ass as he escorted her to his ride.

  Faye’s words were never going to get through to him. He would never have feelings for her again, but she had stirred up a lot of old memories. He had to block her from his mind and focus on the fight for now.

  He put Melanie down and she hopped in the back seat. “Hey, Linc,” she greeted the waiting passenger.

  “Hey, Mel,” he laughed. “I thought you were going to rip her head off, girl.”

  “I tried,” Melanie sighed, scooting over to make room for Nick, “but no luck. Damn thing stayed attached.”

  Everyone laughed except Zane as he drove them to the arena. Zane had been with Faye long enough to know that she would be back. She had an ulterior motive for coming by today, and whatever the reason, until she was satisfied, Zane had a terrible feeling they hadn’t seen the last of her.

  Chapter 16

  “In the blue corner, back in the cage after three long years, Zane Phillips!”

  Zane heard the crowd erupt as his name was announced. He was surprised so many people were cheering; he figured that everyone had their favorites and he had been long forgotten. He had received some fan mail in the beginning when the league issued the apology, but that had been a long time ago.

  “And his opponent, in the red corner, Tobias Walker!”

  Tobias stepped forward without raising his arm for the crowd. He was abnormally quiet and subdued as he then stepped back. Zane noticed Tobias didn’t receive much applause; he had lost his fan base over the past few years.

  Zane saw the intensity in his eyes, recognizing that he would be fighting the Tobias from the past, not the punk he’d been for a while now.

  The announcer continued, “As most spectators are aware, Mr. Phillips was wrongly accused of throwing a fight in the past. Typically, fighters that have been out for over a year are required to fight in the amateur leagues before being allowed to fight in the professional league. However, we are not imposing this rule on Mr. Phillips. We welcome him back! Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the fight!”

  Zane knew Nick’s vocal support had helped in the League’s decision. Nick had proved again that he was a good friend. Zane knew he had made the right decision when it had been his turn to prove he valued their friendship.

  The crowd got loud again as Zane looked at the clock set to five minutes. He walked towards the center of the cage. Neither he nor Tobias attempted to touch fists. The hatred between them was almost tangible, but he could still see the anxiety in Tobias’s eyes.

  The bell rang to start the fight.

  When they started off circling, Zane could see Tobias looking for an opening, but Zane had no desire to wait. He faked left and then caught the side of Tobias’s head with a straight right. Zane followed with a left hook to his nose. His speed and accuracy caused the crowd to roar in response.

  He watched with satisfaction as the blood started to drip out of Tobias’ nose. As Tobias was blinking, Zane spun around and connected on a spinning back kick that knocked Tobias to the ground. Zane was quick to get on top of him and started swinging wildly. Tobias covered up frantically, trying desperately to keep from getting knocked out. He rotated slightly to the side to cover his face, exposing the back of his head, causing Zane to unintentionally strike the back of his head, forcing the ref to jump in. Zane was pulled away and given a loud warning by the stocky referee. Zane was docked a point, but had been so dominant in the first round, he knew he was still in the lead.

  Zane looked at the clock. There was still a minute left. God, he wished he could still be on top, pounding the shit out of him, but Tobias was too damn slow to get back up.

  Zane cursed himself. He wanted to drag this out. He’d gotten too eager with his attack and almost ruined the fight. Fuck! He was mad at himself.

  As he watched, Tobias slowly sat up. He looked dazed, though not completely out of it yet. He heard the ref clear him to fight again, but by then, the round was almost over. Zane would take it slower during the next round. They let the clock run out and returned to their respective corners.

  He sat on the stool and watched Tobias talk to his trainer.

  “Shit, Zane, I’ve missed your ass in the cage; but you know he won’t make it past the next round if you keep this pace up,” Lincoln warned him while sounding like a proud father. Lincoln slapped him on the back. “I got nothing to say to you after that. You’ve got this.”

  Zane nodded his head. He had to force himself to hold back this round. He wanted to break something in the last round.

  By the time that the ref motioned for both fighters to return to the center of the cage, Tobias looked like he had somewhat recovered.

  When the bell rang, Zane didn’t waste a second, his leg shot out and he swept Tobias’s legs out from underneath him. Tobias fell on his back. This is too damn easy, Zane thought to himself. All the talk about Tobias at least giving him a decent fight had been bullshit. Tobias had never stood a chance against him.

  Zane knew he couldn’t pummel him as much as he wanted, or he would get pulled off again. He leaned back and punched at his ribs and stomach. Tobias tried to employ the techniques to get out of Zane’s hold, however Zane wasn’t letting him go. Tobias attempted to get a few punches in, but Zane was able to avoid those as well. The closest Tobias got was a slight graze across his chin.

  As Zane leaned back to punch Tobias in the side of his head, Tobias was able to finally pull out of Zane’s hold. Zane reached down to flip Tobias on his stomach and locked him in place then maintained his hold on Tobias for the rest of the round, letting go only when he heard the bell.

  As Zane walked to his corner, he thought about which limb he was going to break during the last round. He looked up at the crowd and saw Melanie screaming with everyone else. She was jumping up and down in excitement. When their eyes met, she gave him a fist pump and nodded her head. Zane knew that she was aware of what he was going through right now and that she was with him all the way. He nodded back before sitting down.

  “You ready to end this?” Lincoln asked him. He knew Zane wanted to hurt Tobias this round.

  “Yeah, I’m ready.” Zane had no remorse about what he planned to do next.

  He stood up to return to the center of the cage. As they stood there facing each other, he saw the frustration in Tobias’s face. All his supposed training hadn’t done shit for him.

  When the bell rang, Zane lunged forward to spin Tobias around. As Tobias fell forward, he kicked the back of Tobias’s knee. Zane heard the snap of his bone breaking as he fell face first into the mat.

  Zane went to look down at Tobias as he rolled on the ground in pain.

  “You’re done. Don’t bother coming back or I’m turning you into the commission. Zane saw Tobias’s eyes widen, he hadn’t really expected Zane to take away his career in revenge for Tobias’s own attempt at trying to destroy Zane’s credibility. Tobias ha
d never had a clue who he was really dealing with.

  The paramedics ran out to look at Tobias’s leg and Zane turned, walking away without looking back. Lincoln stood silently in support. Zane was actually doing Tobias a favor this way. He could leave the league due to an injury instead of going through the legal process for framing him.

  Eventually, Zane was announced the winner. It felt good being back. Now he could start fighting towards the championship. He didn’t want to think about whom he had to fight in order to take that top spot. He put that thought away for the time being. He and Nick would deal with it when the time came.

  He stepped out of the cage, looking for Melanie. In a matter of seconds, she was throwing herself into his arms.

  “That was incredible,” she said into his ear. As she looked up into his eyes, he saw that she was fighting her tears. Her obvious emotions pulled at him. He’d never believed he would end up with someone so passionate for him. He picked her up, spinning her around to lighten the moment. She laughed and started whooping and hollering for everyone to hear.

  “Thank you, baby,” Zane said huskily.

  When he set her back on her feet, he looked up to see Trish and Nick walking towards them.

  “Congratulations, buddy,” Nick told him. “You’re even better than before.”

  Zane looked him in the eyes and could only see how genuine and happy Nick was for him.

  “That was amazing!” Trish exclaimed.

  Zane spotted several of the passing men looking at Trish as they walked by. He was glad they were looking at her and not Melanie so he didn’t have to fight anyone else tonight.

  “Thank you,” Zane replied.

  “Let’s celebrate! Where to?” Trish asked the group. She was always up for a night out, and she was already dressed to kill in a little black dress.

  Melanie replied, “Trish, it’s only five! Nick has a fight in a couple hours.”

  “Oh, well, afterwards then? Come on! I hardly see you anymore. We need a night on the town,” Trish pleaded with them.