Lost & Found

by E B Brooks

  All the rage he’d been fighting down surged to the surface, and he grabbed her by the throat. She clawed at his arm as the other girls yelled at him to let her go.

  “If I find out you had anything to do with it, you’re done,” he growled out.

  When he let her go, she grabbed her throat, coughing out, “You still care about that slut.”

  He leaned down near her ear. “No, bitch, I love her.”

  He stalked away, smiling as Amber screamed after him.

  33

  Maddy

  Over the next two weeks, the guys let Maddy go to school then right back home.

  She was lucky she had a great boss who told her to come back when she could move without pain. The best thing about not working was that she got extra time to study for mid-terms.

  Unless Crusher and Torr stopped by, they spent most nights studying, then watching movies or playing games. When they taught her Spoons, by the end of the night, four of her spoons were bent beyond repair.

  Maddy caught sight of Skylar around campus a few times, but she didn’t talk to him; he was always surrounded by girls.

  The night of Cody’s fight, worry filled Maddy. She’d been dreading it since he’d first told her about it. She sat with Ryder in the backseat of Jace’s Jeep while he drove them. She stared mindlessly out into the night, biting her nails.

  “Silk, are you all right?” Ryder asked.

  “Ugh… Yeah, I’m fine.” She shrugged. “Why?”

  Ryder reached over, took the finger she’d had in her mouth, and examined it. “There’s no nail left on this finger. You’ve been chomping on it for ten minutes now.” He kissed her fingers and held her hand.

  She breathed out a deep breath. “I’m not sure how I feel about Cody getting hurt.”

  Jace snorted. “Well, baby girl, Cody’s the champ, so he won’t get hurt. Be more concerned for his opponent.”

  As Jace turned onto a gravel road, his headlights hit two old, abandoned warehouses. His lights traveled through the building on the left side, while the building on the right lay crumbled, with half of its walls on the ground and a tree growing out of it. Graffiti covered both of them.

  Jace drove between the buildings to a large parking lot surrounded by other buildings.

  Streams of people headed to the far warehouse, the only one that stood fully intact. Someone put money into keeping it in decent shape.

  A person in an orange vest waved for Jace to turn, but he ignored them and pulled up alongside the warehouse where a few other cars sat.

  As he turned off the Jeep, Jace used the rearview mirror to look at Maddy. “I want you to stay close to us, tonight. Don’t go wandering off. There are people here who don’t have the best reputations.”

  Maddy rolled her eyes. They’d been on this kick since she got jumped and were starting to sound like a broken record.

  “Guys, we’ve talked about this. I’m not like the other girls you’ve dated. I can defend myself.” Climbing out of the Jeep, she slammed the door harder than she should have.

  Jace got out from behind the wheel and came around to her. “Maddy, we understand you know how to take care of yourself, but these people are ruthless, and you’re not fully healed, yet. All we’re asking is that you don’t wander off.” He gave her puppy dog eyes. “Please.”

  He needed to stop doing that; he knew she couldn’t say no to the puppy dog eyes.

  Jace and Ryder were right, she wasn’t fully healed, and she hadn’t fared well against what she thought were girls. There would be no way she could take on a guy at this time. “Yeah, I won’t go wandering off.”

  Ryder led the way, and Jace placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her. They didn’t head for the line, though. Instead, they strolled right up to the main door where a guy stood on guard.

  Holy hell, he was huge, and nothing but muscles. Maddy wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley.

  “My man, Ryder,” the guard greeted, and they did a weird handshake. “Cody’s in the back. He’s the main fight tonight. Jace, good to see you, as always. And who is this breathtaking beauty?”

  Ryder stepped off to the side. “Dex, this is Maddy, our girlfriend.”

  Dex’s eyebrows popped past his hairline. “Both of you? Damn, you guys are lucky.” Dex shook her hand then let go to point inside. “Be careful in there. It might get rough. Both gangs are in-house tonight. Your brother fights against one of Malum’s guys.”

  “Thanks for the warning. We’re always careful,” Jace stated.

  “Malum?” Maddy glanced up at Jace as they entered. “Is that the person you warned me about?”

  Ryder peered around Jace. “Yes, that guy’s bad news.”

  Jace grabbed her hand as they wove through the crowd. It was an odd mixture. Some people wore suits while others barely wore anything at all.

  As they walked past a crude version of an octagon, Maddy noticed the mat had fresh and old blood spattered all over it. Fencing lined the edges of the mat to keep the fighters in.

  A shiver ran through Maddy at the thought of Cody fighting in it.

  She glanced up to the second level, where old couches and chairs were filled with people. A crumbling wall was all that stopped someone from falling from the second floor.

  The guys kept walking until they came to a metal fence held up by cement blocks. Plastic hung behind the fencing to stop people from seeing inside, and another enormous guy stood at the opening. The fence ran the length of the floor, and Maddy noticed guys heading around the corner before the fencing started. What was back there?

  “Hey, Cal, you better not bet against Cody this time.” Ryder embraced the bouncer.

  Cal shook his head. “I don’t know, the other guy’s big and mean as fuck.”

  Ryder gave him a cocky smile. “Remember the last time you bet against Cody? You lost tons of money. Can you afford to lose that much again? That guy was big and mean, too.”

  “No, you’re right. Your brother’s undefeated. Cody’s in the second stall on your left.” Cal pointed over his shoulder.

  Jace took them through the plastic where the so-called stalls were set up. There were about ten of them, and they reminded Maddy of horse stalls, except for the metal fencing in front of the wood.

  Between the body odor and antiseptic smell, Maddy wanted to cover her nose.

  They found Cody’s stall and pushed through the plastic that hung in place of a door. The room was very simple. There was a sink with a mirror above it. A table sat in the middle with a bench off to the side.

  Cody faced the wall, bouncing on his toes and simulating punching the wall. Soft music drifted from him.

  He didn’t wear a shirt, showing off muscles that glistened with sweat.

  Holy shit, she was turned on just from watching him play fight.

  Cody turned and smiled when he caught them standing there. “Hey, guys. Ready for the fight of the century? Did Dex tell you that both gangs are here tonight? Should be interesting.” Cody’s glanced over at her.

  Ryder crossed his arms, leaning against the table. “So, how are you feeling?”

  “Focused, as always. I’m ready.” He turned away from them and went back to bouncing and jabbing.

  “Cal said this guy’s a badass. Have you seen him?” Ryder tilted his head.

  Turning back, Cody raised his chin higher. “Yeah, I did at the weigh-in. He’s not that big. I’ve fought bigger.” Cody bit his bottom lip.

  Cody wasn’t acting right. He was putting on a good enough show that Jace and Ryder believed him, but Maddy could tell there something wrong. Over the years, she’d learned how to read people, and from all the nights she spent with Cody, she’d learned his quirks.

  Something was bothering him. This wasn’t his first fight, so he shouldn’t be scared of losing.

  “Where’s TJ?” Jace glanced around the small room. “Shouldn’t he be in here prepping you?”

  “Who’s TJ?” Maddy questioned.

 
“He’s my coach. He used to be a UFC fighter, but he retired a few years ago and started coaching me,” Cody explained. “He said he wanted to place a bet and piss. But he’s been gone a while.”

  Frowning, he took two steps toward the door before Jace and Ryder stopped him.

  “You stay here.” Ryder patted Cody on the arm. “Jace will go find him while I start prepping you.” Ryder pushed Cody onto the wooden bench as Jace took off. “Silk, can you grab that tape over there in the bag?”

  She headed over to a duffel bag that sat on the floor, grabbed the black tape inside, and handed it to Ryder.

  “What can I do to help?” She didn’t want to just stand there.

  “He needs his muscles to relax. Rub his shoulders and arms as hard as you can,” Ryder instructed.

  Okay, she could do that. Maddy stepped up behind Cody and started at his neck, rubbing as hard as she could. His shoulders were nothing but knots.

  Cody glanced at her over his shoulder. “Did you see my brother when you headed in?”

  She lowered her head. “I didn’t, no. Sorry, big guy.”

  His body slumped a bit. “This will be the first fight he’s missed.”

  Ryder opened his mouth to say something, but Jace came back in.

  Shit, by the look on his face, something bad had happened.

  “Where’s TJ?” Cody stood and stalked over, stopping in front of Jace. “What happened?”

  Maddy noticed blood on Jace’s shirt and hands. Shit, not a good sign.

  “We found TJ in the bathroom. I’m sorry, man, they beat the shit out him. Not sure who, but my bet’s on one of Malum’s guys. They called 911, and an ambulance just took him to the hospital.” Jace walked over and washed the blood off his hands as Cody went nuts, punching the wooden table, and screaming that he would kill them.

  Maddy jumped off the bench, backing up until she hit a hard chest. Arms wrapped around her, and she could tell by the cologne that it was Ryder. She turned and put her face in his shirt.

  “Anderson! Stop destroying my place!” Gary yelled at Cody as he swished back the plastic.

  “I’ll kill them!” Cody paced the floor like a caged animal. “They fucked up my coach just to fuck with me!”

  “And it worked.” Gary tilted his head and stared at Cody. “I came in here to see if you’re still fighting or if you want to forfeit.”

  There was something about Gary that bothered Maddy. She got the feeling he didn’t want Cody to fight.

  All our eyes moved to Cody. He was in turmoil, his eyes bouncing between them, searching for an answer. But only Cody could answer this. Cody didn’t have many friends, and the ones he did, he’d jump in front of a bullet for.

  He began to unwrap the tape from his hands.

  “I’ll tell them you forfeit,” Gary said with fake sadness.

  Maddy couldn’t let that happen. “Wait!” She headed over and stood in front of Cody. “Cody, I don’t know what it would mean if you forfeit, but I know you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. You’ve been working your ass off for this fight. I don’t think TJ would want you to waste all his training. Even if you rush to the hospital, they won’t tell you anything about him. Remember what happened with me? I’m sure TJ would want you to get your head on straight and kick this guy’s ass. Then, after you do that, you can have the satisfaction of telling TJ that you avenged him.”

  Cody stood there for a few minutes, staring at her. A bunch of emotions filtered through his eyes before he cupped her face and slowly leaned down to kiss her.

  When he pulled back, his mask came back down, and he looked at Gary. “I’m fighting.”

  Gary’s body deflated, and he nodded before he left.

  Cody stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Thanks, little one.”

  She smiled. “Anytime, big guy.”

  Releasing her, Cody paced the room. “Okay, Jace, I need you to go to the hospital and find out what you can about TJ’s condition. Ryder, you’re my coach tonight.”

  “That leaves Maddy by herself. She can’t go ringside by herself,” Ryder stated.

  The plastic moved to the side, and Skylar stood there, staring down at the floor. “I’ll be your coach. That way Ryder can watch Maddy.”

  A smile quirked her lips. Maddy was excited to see Skylar, but tired of this need to have somebody watch her bullshit. Her hand reached into her boot, and she strolled over to Skylar. With a flick of her wrist, she opened her knife and pointed it at his stomach.

  When she’d woken up in the hospital, she’d asked if one of the guys could go back and search for her knife. Maddy had remembered it skidding toward the far-left corner of the burned-out building under some fallen timbers.

  That night, Cody went searching for it and found it exactly where she said it would be.

  She was glad to have it back now, to help prove her point of not being helpless.

  Ryder started snickering.

  “Um, brother, I think our girl got tired of us saying she needs to be protected. She just proved she can take care of herself.” Cody chuckled.

  Skylar’s eyebrows squished together before he glanced down to see her knife. “All right, Maddy, you made your point. Now, get that point away from me. It’s sharp.” Skylar took a step back.

  She put her knife away, this time in her front pocket to make it easier to get to if she needed it.

  She glanced between Skylar and Jace, waiting for one of them to say something, even a hi. Come on guys, talk. They missed each other, she knew they did, but they both stubbornly refused to even look at each other.

  Jace broke the silence first. “Good luck, Cody, I’ll keep you updated when I find something out.” He headed over to her and kissed her. “See you later.”

  “Ready to head out?” Ryder cocked his head toward the door.

  “Yeah.” Maddy walked over to Cody and kissed him. “Kick ass tonight.”

  When she stopped by Skylar and touched his arm, he peered down at her wearily.

  Trying to tell him with her eyes that she’d talk to him soon, she left with Ryder.

  34

  Maddy

  When Maddy and Ryder left the staging area and headed out to the main floor, there was a fight going on, and the sound tripled.

  Ryder moved them as close to the octagon as possible, and something pulled Maddy’s eyes to the floor above them.

  Seeing the direction of her gaze, Ryder pointed to a guy in a gray suit who leaned against the railing, watching the main floor, shouting in her ear, “I don’t know what this Malum guy looks like, but that’s Pavlenko.”

  Loud warning bells went off in Maddy’s head. Mr. Pavlenko had a bulky build, square jaw, and he wore his dark hair short on the sides and longer on top with blond highlights. Something about him scared the shit out of her.

  Maddy was busy looking at Pavlenko when someone pushed her sideways.

  “Excuse you.” Maddy glared at the girl who’d pushed between them. She had long blond hair and barely any clothes on.

  She completely ignored Maddy like she wasn’t even there as he slinked over to Ryder. As she ran her hands all over his body, Ryder’s eyes widened in surprise, and he looked around, searching for someone.

  Oh, hell no. Maddy was not going to let that hoe run her hands all over her boyfriend.

  As she stormed back to them, she heard the bitch say something about paying a small fortune to be with him tonight.

  What? No, he told her he hadn’t done that in years. She had to have heard that wrong.

  Ryder was trying to untangle himself from the woman when he spotted Maddy.

  “Um… Shit… Jackie, meet Maddy.” Ryder moved Jackie to the other side of him, away from her.

  Jackie’s eyes burned with hatred as she gave Maddy a once over. “Did you double book again, love?”

  “Um… She…” Ryder paled, eyes bouncing between Maddy and Jackie, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

  He hadn’t stuttered since Maddy had met him. He�
�d always been the pinnacle of smooth. She stood staring at him in shock, waiting for him to explain things.

  Instead, his eyes kept bouncing between her and Jackie.

  Maddy couldn’t believe it.

  Using a breathy, accusing voice, she placed her hand on her hip, leaning on his other side. “Yes, love, did you overbook again?”

  “Shit… um… yeah. Fuck… Maddy, don’t go anywhere, I need to talk to her.” Ryder pulled Jackie away from the stage.

  The other woman gave Maddy a coy smile as she sensually strolled away with Ryder.

  Shaking with anger, Maddy threw her clenched fists up in the air. Had Ryder been lying to her this whole time? She believed him when he said he wasn’t doing that anymore. Was she wrong to trust him?

  Deep in thought, a familiar scent reached her nose. Ralf Lauren Polo. That was what Mike wore. She shook her head. A thousand guys wore that cologne.

  Then, a strange feeling came over her, and every hair on her body stood straight.

  Searching the surrounding area, she saw him. Mike. It was quick, but she knew it was him for sure this time.

  She took off after him as Greg got on stage and announced Cody’s fight.

  The guys’ warning not to go off alone rang in her head, but she ignored it as she followed Mike. Ryder had abandoned her, not the other way around. And she needed to find out what Mike was doing here, and why he kept playing peek-a-boo with her.

  She lost sight of him in the crowd, then caught him again going around the corner at the end of the fencing.

  “Mike!” she yelled, pushing her way through people before a powerful set of arms grabbed her from behind.

  “Where are you rushing off to, girly?” a gravelly voice asked.

  “I’m sorry I bumped into you. I’m trying to catch someone I know.” She tried to wiggle out of the man’s arms.

  He tightened his hold as he chuckled. “Well, girly, you stumbled into an area that’s only for the Moretti gang.”

  Oh, fuck. Her entire body tensed. She recognized that name. They had people in Martinsville. She gaped behind her at the guy who held her captive. Tattoos covered his body, and his head was shaved. He was larger than Cody.