“Do you know how to get in touch with your mother?” he asked.
Nora furrowed her brows. “My mother? I guess. I mean, I have her number. No guarantee she’ll answer, though.”
He was unfazed. “Can you give her a call?”
“Right now?”
Seamus nodded, and Nora gulped nervously. She pulled out her phone and scrolled through to find her mother’s contact info. She clicked the number and held it to her ear as it began to ring.
“The person you’re trying to reach is not available. Please leave a message after the beep.”
“Hey, Mom, it’s Nora. Just checking in on you. Hope all is well—love you.” She felt awkward as she stared at Seamus while leaving the message, but he didn’t seem to have a problem with it.
Hanging up, she shrugged. “I think she’s out of minutes on her phone. Happens a lot. I’ll text her through an app we use sometimes if you want.”
“Do it.”
Nora quickly opened the app and typed out a message.
Mom, it’s me. Wanted to see how you’re doing, or if you need anything. I’ve got some extra money lying around if you need help.
She purposefully wrote the last part to coax a response. Her mother never turned down money, and although she had no idea why, she was beginning to feel panicky. She needed to hear back from her mother, because something on Seamus’s face told her she might not. And that was terrifying.
“Done,” she told him. “I don’t know when she’ll respond, though.”
Seamus looked around them. “What are you shopping for?”
The subject change caught her off guard, kind of like this whole weird exchange. She blushed as she put down the keychain she had picked up earlier. “Um, I was looking for a gift.”
“For Kane?”
She nodded. This was so freaking awkward.
“Get him something that will make him laugh, something that has meaning for the two of you,” Seamus advised. “He’ll like that.”
“Thanks.” She gave him a polite smile. Luckily, her phone buzzed just then and she looked down to see her mother had responded. “Oh, she wrote back.”
“What did she say?”
Nora opened the message to find a picture of her mother in a two-piece bathing suit that covered barely anything, and was all the more inappropriate when one considered her age. She grimaced and scoffed as she saw her mother on the white, sandy beach holding up a margarita glass.
“What did she say?” Nora looked up to see a concerned expression on Seamus’s face.
“Oh, sorry, she sent me a picture of herself on the beach. She says she’s in the Bahamas with Benedict. I don’t know who that is, but she says he’s a widower and owns a boat, so I’m guessing he’s her latest boyfriend.”
Seamus’s brow furrowed. “Can I take a look?”
Nora handed him her phone and he scrolled through the messages. Nodding, he handed back the phone. “I’m going to make some calls. Double-check that she’s there.”
“What?” Nora was seriously confused now. “Why? What does it matter where my mother is? She takes off on trips like this all the time.”
He glanced around the gift shop again, then looked at her. “Go ahead and make your purchase. I’ll wait for you out front, and we can talk.”
Nora scrunched up her brows. “Um, okay. I’ll be done in a second.”
Luckily, she had spotted a small trinket that she was sure would make Kane laugh. Taking it to the cash register, she paid for it, had it wrapped, and headed out to meet the most intimidating boyfriend’s father imaginable.
Seamus was holding his phone and shaking his head when she approached him. “She’s fine,” he told her.
“My mother?” Nora asked. “Was there any doubt that she would be?”
Seamus lowered his voice as he stepped closer to her. “Lachlan is causing problems for Kane. He threatened him this morning, saying he had your mother. Turns out it was a bluff, and your mother is fine.”
Nora’s eyes widened as her hand flew to her chest. “What?! Are you kidding?!”
Seamus shook his head. “We’re taking care of it. You don’t need to worry about your safety or anything like that. I have men watching all of us, including you.” Seamus nodded his head toward two men in leather jackets, apparently deep in conversation, standing down the hall from them. She never would have noticed them if he hadn’t pointed to them. They both gave the tiniest nod of their chins toward Seamus, so subtle she wasn’t even sure she’d seen it.
Nora blinked, trying to absorb everything she’d just learned. This was exactly what she’d been afraid of when she and Kane had first gotten to know each other. Her life was messy, or had been messy, or was messy again? She wasn’t sure. Regardless, she’d never wanted it to encroach on Kane or the Kavanaghs in any way. This family had been so sweet and kind to her, and tonight was huge for everyone.
To think that the most important night of his life was being threatened because of her? It broke her heart.
A lone tear slid down Nora’s cheek, and she rushed to wipe it away before he’d notice. “I never wanted any of this to affect Kane. Never. I’m so unbelievably sorry.”
“Nora, this isn’t your fault.” The older man gently grabbed her upper arms and squeezed reassuringly. “My family has a certain reputation out there, and a lot of people want what we have. My son loves you, so that makes you part of us now, too.”
“Loves?” she balked. “He loves me?”
“Let’s focus.” He redirected her with a wave of his hand. “Lachlan has to have something else he’s blackmailing Kane with. The bluff about your mother was backup, but something had to have him confident enough to come back after he dealt with us once.”
Nora’s mouth fell open. “What are you going to do to him once you find him?”
Seamus lifted one eyebrow, a tiny smile on the edge of his lips. “Just what I’ve spent my whole life doing, hon. And I’m very good at it.”
She felt a chill go down her spine, and thanked her lucky stars that she had Seamus as an ally. He seemed as if he would be downright terrifying to have as an enemy.
“I’m going to go talk to Kane,” he said. “We’ll figure this out.”
“What should I do?”
“Nothing. Go join my wife and the girls. Security will be with you. Enjoy the fight.”
Anxiety crossed her expression as she wondered for the first time if that was really possible. Seamus gave her a pointed look.
“He will win, Nora, and none of this is your fault.”
She nodded slowly, but no part of her believed the last part. She had no doubt that Kane could win, but she was questioning whether he wanted to. Or whether there was something holding him back, something that was her fault. She couldn’t help but feel exactly the way she had felt months ago.
She was not worth the effort.
Chapter 30
“You’re going to win this, son.”
Kane looked up to see his dad standing over him with a confident smile as Kane finished wrapping his hands for the fight. “Thanks, Pops, but I don’t know if I should.”
Seamus looked around to make sure they weren’t being overheard. “Lachlan was bluffing, Kane. Marie is fine. I located her—she’s on vacation, out of the country.”
“Really?” That was great news. At the very least, he wouldn’t have to worry about someone’s physical safety. There was still the matter of Nora’s photo, though. Her entire future. “Thanks. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Seamus looked unconvinced. “I know there’s something else, Kane. There’s no way Lachlan had the balls to threaten you without something concrete. I can’t fix whatever else is going on unless you tell me the whole story.”
Kane avoided his father’s eye contact as he grabbed a bottle of water and took a big sip. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“He wouldn’t have come all this way for a bluff. We both know that.”
“I’m your father, not the whole world.”
Kane shook his head. “Pops, I’m not telling you.”
“Damn it, Kane!” Seamus looked angrier than Kane had seen him in a long time. “This is your business, too! How hard have you worked to get here today?”
Kane’s mother, Dee, came rushing into the room behind them. “What’s going on? Why the yelling?”
Neither man looked at her. Kane kept his eyes trained on his father. “It’s not just me. You helped me get here. Rory, Ma, Kieran…everyone. You all worked hard to help me get here. And I can’t possibly thank you enough for that.”
He could finally recognize just how much others had sacrificed for him and how much he owed them. His whole life, he’d felt like the forgotten child in the family, and yet he could now see clearly that that had never been the case. All the time he’d spent pushing people away and feeling alone, because he’d felt as if he had only himself to depend on…it was bullshit.
He had the best support system in the world, and he never wanted to let go.
“Then don’t throw away everything we made happen here,” Seamus warned.
But Kane wasn’t backing down. He wasn’t going to keep running to his father to fix every problem. Kane knew how much he owed him, and he was grateful as hell, but this was about his woman. He needed to be the one to choose what was most important to him…what was truly worth it to him. All the times he’d made fun of his older brothers for putting their girlfriends before the sport, now he understood.
Despite how much he had trained and how much he loved mixed martial arts, he knew he loved Nora much more.
“I’m asking you, as my father—please back off this topic.”
“Guys, you’re worrying me,” Dee said, now putting her hand on Seamus’s chest, as if to push him back and create some space between the men.
“Is this worth it, Kane?” Seamus spoke quietly after the two had spent several moments staring at each other.
There was no doubt in his mind. “She’s worth everything, Pops.”
“I respect that.” Seamus nodded as he wrapped an arm around Dee’s shoulders. “And I understand it.”
“Well, I don’t understand any of this.” Dee continued looking from her son to her husband, bewilderment on her face.
Kane kissed his mother on the cheek, and she smiled happily. “Don’t worry about me, Ma.”
“I never do, baby,” she replied. “You’re one of the best things I ever did.”
Her unwavering love and faith in him would always be what he loved and appreciated most about his mother. She could walk in on him in the middle of a fight and never once question who he was.
Seamus reached out a hand, and Kane took it. “If you need me, son, you know where to find me, but do what you need to do.”
“Thanks, Pops. I will.”
Chapter 31
Xavier’s fist sailed through the air fast. So fast, he almost connected. But Kane was faster. He always had been. Stepping to the side just a few centimeters, Kane avoided Xavier’s arm as it extended past his head; the momentum of the punch kept Xavier moving forward and left him perfectly exposed. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kane’s right foot kicked hard against his opponent’s leg.
Buckling with the loss of balance, Xavier slammed forward, and Kane was on him in a flash. Locking his arm around Xavier’s neck, Kane jerked backward, and Xavier coughed under the chokehold.
I’m nothing if not a businessman…but what about the girl?
The bookie’s words resonated through him as Xavier sputtered. It was only the first round of the championship. Kane could end this right now. His opponent was weakening in his grip, flailing to get free. He could knock him out in seconds.
He could win.
He loosened his grip ever so slightly, barely at all. But it was enough. Xavier reached for him, hooking his arms before slamming him forward over his body. Kane’s shoulder hit the cage floor hard, and he groaned at the sound of something cracking. A sharp pain sliced through him, but he exhaled slowly and pushed himself up to his feet.
The bell rang, and the first round was over.
“I think you broke his nose,” Rory told Kane as he handed him a bottle of water when Rory moved to the corner of the Vegas octagon. Rory, Quinn, and Seamus were all in the cage during the break as part of his team, and he was so glad to see them.
The crowd was buzzing with excitement, voices hoarse from all their screaming.
Kane glanced across to his opponent in the opposite corner, similarly surrounded by coaches and trainers who were helping him prepare for the next round. Xavier’s nose was clearly crooked and gushing blood into a towel, but he didn’t seem concerned or in pain.
“He got my shoulder,” Kane said, rotating his arm and cringing at the pain.
“Hold on, I’ve got this.” Quinn placed his hands on either side of his shoulder, putting pressure on certain spots and moving his arm at an angle. “How’s that feel now?”
Kane’s brows lifted in surprise as the pain seemed to drain from his arm. “Actually, much better.”
“That’s why I make the big bucks as your manager,” Quinn winked at him as he let go. “You’re doing great, Killer. You’re going to win this. Xavier’s already winded.”
Meaty, but short, Kane’s enemy was built like a tree stump, low to the ground and impossible to budge. Kane had quickly discovered that he wasn’t all that fast, or all that fit, but he wasn’t going to be easy to take down. Getting him on the ground in the last round had been all thanks to inertia, and he wasn’t sure he’d get that chance again.
Not that it really mattered now.
There can be only three rounds, then end it. Make it look believable; break his nose or something.
Everything Kane had trained for since the moment he’d first stepped into an octagon was staring him in the face. The fight of a lifetime, his dream of fame and fortune.
It was all happening right here, right now.
I want to see someone pummel you into the ground, just like you did to me. It’ll be good karma.
“Go Kane!” Shouts filled with love and support reached his ear, and he looked to the other side of the cage wall to see the rest of his family cheering.
Fiona and Kieran had come out of their honeymoon suite long enough to watch the fight, and they both looked so proud that it made him proud, too. Until he remembered what he was about to give up. He wondered what his brother would think if he knew.
Kieran gave him a strange look, and Kane quickly masked his expression so his twin wouldn’t suspect anything. Jimmy gave him a nod and a thumbs-up. Casey blew him a kiss. His mother looked both terrified and excited, her arm around Nora.
Nora was so sexy, she stopped him dead in his tracks. Despite the fact that he should have been listening to Quinn, who was currently reeling off stats about his opponent, Kane couldn’t take his eyes off Nora. She was in a small pink dress that made her a bright light in the crowd of people around her.
She smiled when their eyes met, but there was something in her expression he couldn’t put his finger on. A nervousness, or fear, that made him want to walk right out of that cage and hold her in his arms. Nora lifted both her hands to her mouth, kissing her fingertips before blowing him a kiss. Kane smiled, even though his heart felt heavy with warring emotions, and gave her a small nod of his head.
Turning back to Quinn, he refocused his attention. A few moments later, a quick bell sounded, signaling for everyone but the fighters to exit the cage.
“You got this, Killer.” Rory squeezed his shoulder before he climbed out, along with Quinn and their father.
Xavier marched to the center of the cage, his face smeared with blood and his eyes as wild as his smile was sinister. Kane joined him, and the two stood facing each other as the announc
er spoke to the crowd, preparing them for round two.
The bell rang, and the second round began.
Xavier circled him quickly in an attempt to catch him off guard, but Kane was no amateur. Turning, he landed a jab to Xavier’s ribs before following it up quickly with an uppercut to his chin. Xavier exhaled harshly, clearly in pain, but he didn’t budge.
Instead, his opponent rushed him in a familiar move that Kane had practiced dozens of times with Rory. He knew instantly how to stop him, how to turn it back on Xavier.
You’ll do it, or everyone you love will pay your debt for you.
Lachlan’s words rolled around in his head, sickening him. He could win this fight…he wanted to win this fight. He’d spent his whole life preparing to win this fight.
Now he had to choose between two of the most important things in the world to him—the fight or Nora. Those beady, black eyes flashed in his mind again, and the threat rang loud and clear.
Take a dive…or else.
Kane didn’t move.
He let the split second of opportunity pass him by, then felt Xavier’s shoulder as it slammed into his stomach. Xavier wrapped his arms around Kane’s waist, and the force catapulted them backward as Xavier slammed him into the cage wall. Cheers erupted from the audience, but Kane could barely hear as his whole body stung from the impact.
Kane gripped Xavier’s back, trying to push him off any way that he could. He kicked his knees into Xavier’s chest, but his opponent’s iron grip seemed unbreakable as they slid down to the floor in a tangled mess.
Xavier now lay on top of him, flattening him against the mat as he kept one arm locked around his waist and the other around one of Kane’s arms. Using his free arm, Kane repeatedly punched Xavier in the side, but the man didn’t move.
They grappled on the mat for what seemed like forever, and the ref moved in as if to call it. Kane refused to tap out, because it wasn’t even the third round yet. Plus, there was no way he was actually going to lose to this asshole for real.
Becoming a Legend Page 24