by Carnal, MJ
Izzy was a tagalong, and we hated it when she was a little girl, but as she grew older, we’d used it to our advantage. We scared away more men than she’d ever know.
She was ours to protect…no matter the cost.
I had been lost in thought when she walked back into the work area after her client left. “All right, let’s go outside and you can tell me what happened.”
“Thanks, Izzy,” I said, following her out back.
We walked into the Florida evening sun, and my skin felt like it was being burned. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, just a brilliant blue color and the sun shining brightly.
“Why do you want to talk to that psycho?” She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the building in the shade.
“I want to catch her in her lies,” I said as I ran my fingers through my hair. “It’s the only way I can do it quick.”
“Why not just go to the police? I’m sure they can speed shit along if you tell them you’re Thomas’ brother.”
“I will if I have to, but I need to prove to Mia that she’s full of shit, Izzy. I can’t have this hanging over my head with the fight coming up, either.” I moved my neck from side to side, trying to crack it. I gave it a push before hearing the bones crack.
“What’s your plan?”
“I’m going to pretend I give a flying fuck and ask to take her take me to the doctor with her. I want to be the proud daddy. I’m hoping they can confirm that she isn’t pregnant, and that it will at least win some favor with Mia. Hopefully it will get Tammy out of my life once and for all.” I kicked a stone, watching it skip across the back parking lot.
“Could backfire in your face, brother.”
“It’s not my kid even if she is pregnant.”
“It only takes once.” She rolled her eyes like I was a fucking idiot.
“No shit, Sherlock. I used protection every time. She’s grasping at straws.”
“Fine, but when this shit blows up in your face, just remember I told you so.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll remind me every day, baby sister.” I laughed.
“Give it to me,” she said, holding out her hand.
Giving her my phone, I watched as she tapped the screen, and within seconds handed it back.
“You really have to show me how to do that,” I said, scrolling through my contacts and stopping on Tammy’s name.
“Nope. I’d miss out on all the good shit if I taught you boys everything.”
“You’re right. I’d give my left nut not to have to deal with your ass sometimes. Thanks, though, for this.” I wrapped her in my arms, kissing the top of her head.
“Just let me know if you need reinforcements. I know Ma told you you’re not allowed to hit girls, but that rule doesn’t apply to me.” Her smile grew so large it almost touched her eyes. “That’s the bonus of not having a dick and being part of the pussy party.” She laughed, slapping me on the chest.
“You’re my go-to chick for an ass beating, Izzy.” I smiled at her. She really could be adorable.
“Go get your shit straightened out. You have a fight to win, and I may or may not have something very important bet on the outcome.”
My smiled faded. “You didn’t bet on my fight, did you? Please tell me you at least picked me to win.”
She nodded. “Fuck yeah. Who else would I pick? You’re going to break that dude’s neck.”
“Only if I can get my mind in the game before that day. My life needs to even out so I can concentrate on one thing at a time.”
“Well, what the hell are you still standing here for? Get.” She shooed me.
“Yes, ma’am.” I saluted her as I walked away.
I reminded myself I had a mission as I sat in the hot car, waiting for the air conditioning to kick in. I had a mission. I gave myself a pep talk, psyching myself up. “You can do this. You have to do this. ” I held my breath and hit the call button. My stomach flipped with each ring.
“Michael?” she asked in almost a whisper.
I heard her voice, and I had to choke down the bile rising in my throat. “Hey, Tammy.” I almost convinced myself that the hello was sincere.
“Oh my God. I’m so happy to hear your voice, baby. I’ve been waiting for your call.”
I closed my eyes and gripped the steering wheel. “I’m sorry I’ve been a dick. Think you could forgive me?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“You know I love you, Michael. I could never stay mad at you.”
Her voice made my skin crawl. “How’s the baby?” I asked, rolling my eyes.
“Safe and sound. Growing bigger every day,” she replied in a cheery voice. Clearly she had an entire jar of screws lose in her head.
“I was thinking…” I stopped and gave myself a moment to carefully form my next words. “I was wondering if we could go to the doctor so I can see the baby on the monitor, like an ultrasound. I told my mother and she said it’s the most amazing experience to see the baby in the womb.”
She gasped. “You told your mother?”
“I did. She’s so excited to finally have a grandbaby. I want to show her a picture of our baby. What do you think?” I held my breath. Please be crazy enough not to question my lie.
She sucked in a breath. “Okay, I know a doctor at the hospital that I can call, I guess. Maybe she can get us in,” she said with a shaky voice.
“Tell her it needs to be as soon as possible. I can’t wait any longer, and it would make my mom really happy.”
“I’ll try and track her down at the hospital tonight. She may be there when I go into work.”
“Perfect,” I said, feeling relieved. “Listen, I gotta run. I’m supposed to be at my brother’s. Text me when you have the details.”
“I will, Michael. I love you.” She drew out the words.
Cue the creepy music from Psycho.
“Back at ya.” I tapped the end button, unable to spend another second on the phone listening to her and lying through my teeth.
She deserved the deception.
Chapter 21
I ignored Michael, his calls, and his text messages. The anger inside me hadn’t waned since I found out about Tammy.
He was the first guy in a long time that I’d let into my life. We weren’t on the fast track down the aisle, but I had spent more time with him in the last couple of weeks than I had with any other man in the last few years.
I didn’t drown my sorrows in ice cream and cry myself to sleep. I may have shed a tear or two after the shock wore off, but that was all Michael Gallo had been worth. I had too much on my plate to walk around all day upset about the shitty end to our relationship.
I did my shifts at the hospital and volunteered more than usual at the clinic. I filled my free time with work and kept my mind off him.
I hadn’t been to the gym to work out since it all exploded in my face. I couldn’t see him. Not yet. I didn’t have anything to say to him.
I stood on throbbing feet, filling out my last chart, about a child that had arrived via life-flight, before I could head home. She had drowned in the family pool and was found by her mother. The little girl had been revived to the point that she was breathing upon arriving in the ER. Brain damage was almost a certainty with the lack of oxygen for an extended period. Talking to the parents was bittersweet. They were happy that their baby had survived, but mortified about the possibility of complications and the possibility they’d never have their little girl back.
Every day the hospital chipped out another piece of my heart. Between losing patients, talking with families, and a general feeling of helplessness—I felt broken. I was a shell of the person I used to be before I started med school with big dreams and foolish hopes.
“Guess what?” a woman asked in a giddy tone, distracting me from the chart.
I ignored the voice, signing my name and flipping the chart closed. The outline of a person standing a little too close caught my attention, but I still I ignored her.
“Hey, I’m talking to you,” she said again, not moving.
Hell. I sighed before turning. “What?” I took in the sight of her—Tammy.
My blood turned ice cold as I stared at her smile. An overwhelming urge to claw her eyes out hit me, the fantasy in my mind bringing me a moment of joy.
“Michael and I are back together.” She smirked.
Well, isn’t he quick? She’s as big of an asshole as he is. He’d been texting me since the day I left him in the hall with her and they were already back together.
“That’s great news. I’m very happy for you.” I gave her my best fake smile. “I’m kind of in a rush. My shift ended and I need to go.”
The smile on her face faded. “I wanted you to know since you were so supportive, but I know there was something going on between you two. When I found you in the hallway it was obvious.” She crossed her arms.
“Nah, we’re just friends. You two are back together and you have a bundle of joy on the way. I’m truly happy for you both.” My cheeks hurt from the smile; I still needed to make the bullshit happiness I pretended to feel be a little more believable.
She squinted at me, her mouth set in a firm line. “You slept with him, didn’t you?”
I looked her in the eyes as I spoke very slowly. I wasn’t about to jump on the crazy train. “Michael and I are and were nothing. He’s yours.”
“Oh my God, you did. You’re a fucking whore. You’re the reason he broke up with me in the first place, aren’t you?” She bit her lip, gnawing on it, glaring at me.
I could almost see the wheels in her head spinning. Fucking great.
“I’m out. You can talk to Michael about me, but I don’t have time for your bullshit, sweetie.” I knew I sounded patronizing, but I couldn’t get in a fight with a pregnant woman.
“I’ll have a long conversation with him when we go to the doctor tomorrow for our first visit. He can’t wait to see his baby and show it to his mother.” Her phone rang, distracting her before she could continue.
I took the opportunity to get the hell away from her. “Good luck and congrats,” I said, walking away before she could catch up to me.
“Wait, wait!” she screamed only a few footsteps behind me, her heels clicking on the tile floor.
I stopped in my tracks, closing my eyes. “What?” I asked in a clipped tone.
“I wanted to show you our engagement photo.” She thrust her phone in front of my eyes.
If she had a knife in my chest, she’d turn it, just to make the pain that much worse.
I glanced at the photo and looked away quickly, not wanting it to be thrown in my face more than it already has. Something about the photo was off. “Wait, let me see that again.” I grabbed the phone.
“Look all you want, sweetheart. He’s mine, and this time, I’m not letting him go.” She released the phone with a giant-ass smile on her face.
Touching the screen, I enlarged the picture. The faces weren’t right. They didn’t match the bodies. I stood there gawking at it until Tammy grabbed it from my fingers.
“He’s so romantic. He proposed at the beach,” she said, staring at the picture.
It was creepy, and her mind must be totally twisted. I hadn’t realized until then how entirely off she was, and the depths of her craziness.
“It’s a fairytale,” I said. This bitch lives in La La Land.
“More than I could’ve ever dreamed of, really. He’s mine, all mine.” She hugged the phone, moving her body side to side.
“Yep, all yours.” I smiled. “I really have to go.” I needed to get away from her. “Good luck with your ultrasound,” I called out as I walked away.
I snuck a glance over my shoulder. She stood in the middle of the hall with her hands on her hips, glaring at me. Her very presence put me on edge, but her delusions told me she was far more dangerous than I had imagined. I was the enemy to her.
I wondered if Michael knew about the type of over-the-top nutty that was his fiancée. I asked the security guard to walk me to my car. I didn’t explain, but I never needed to. I felt a little more at ease as I drove home, but I looked in my rearview mirror every few seconds to make sure she wasn’t following me.
Sitting in my driveway, I opened my text messages, my finger hovered over Michael’s name and his last message.
Michael: Goddamn it, Mia. I need you.
My resolve wavered until I thought about Tammy. I wanted no part in their crazy bullshit. I would’ve described him as romantic and an amazing lover, but fuck, there wasn’t a cock in the world worth this hassle.
I wasn’t going to come between them.
My body felt heavy from a long shift on my feet, my mind was in a fog, and my heart ached. A small part of me wanted to see why he needed me, but I convinced myself it was a ploy.
The day had been emotionally draining already without opening my heart to him again and rubbing salt in the wound.
I pulled down the room-darkening shades and closed the drapes. I tossed my clothes to the floor before I grabbed a glass of water and my sleeping pills. I needed for this day to be over.
I climbed into bed and closed my eyes, wishing the day away. Sleep didn’t come easy. Every time I drifted off, a different nightmare would wake me up. Images of patients and their horrific injuries and the screams of the injured, faceless people startled me awake. The last one dealt with Tammy waiting to slice my throat open in my car after work.
The sleeping pills were supposed to help knock my ass out, but tonight, they sure as hell weren’t doing the trick.
I turned on the television, giving up on sleep, and looked through the guide. There had to be something happy to watch to help replace my nightmares. Sleepless in Seattle had an hour left, and I’d seen it a dozen times. I flipped to the channel and watched with stinging eyes. I needed the happily ever after.
I could recite the lines in the movie verbatim. When they meet on top of the Empire State Building at the end, it always brought me to tears.
I drifted off to thoughts of Sam and Annie.
Chapter 22
“I hope your ass has been working out, man. Countdown is in single digits. What the fuck have you been doing?” Rob said as I landed another blow.
“I got this, Rob. Shit’s been going on in my personal life that I’ve had to deal with, and I’m still dealing with it.” I stretched my shoulders, cracking my neck, readying myself for the next round. My heart hurt more than my muscles ached, but I couldn’t stop.
“You need to get everything worked out before the fight. You need your head in the game. An hour here and there will not make you a champion.”
“Oh ye of little faith. I took down ‘The Mauler’ and I sure as fuck can handle ‘The Heat.’ One problem will be taken care of today, and then I just have to win Mia back,” I said as I grabbed a bottle of water, downing it before crushing the plastic.
Mia walking away and shutting me out hurt more than any injury I’d ever suffered in the cage. She gave me something good and pure to look forward to each day, but it was ripped from me by the devil.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You hooked up with Mia, huh? You’re a lucky son of a bitch.” He shook his head but smiled. “She did ask me about you.”
“When?” I asked, feeling hopeful.
“Weeks ago. Wanted to know who you were.” He shrugged.
“Oh. I’d say we more than hooked up. I really like her, man.”
“Before you grow a pussy, can you at least train while you pour your heart out?”
“I’m done talking, dick. I’m going to make you pay for the pussy comment.”
I spent the next hour doing just that. Cocky bastard talked a good game, but he wasn’t as fast as me. Rob knew the moves; his technical skills couldn’t be beat. He used to be part of the circuit, but a nasty injury ended his fighting career.
I took my anger out on him. My jabs, kicks, and takedowns were aimed at him, but in my mind, Tammy received each piercing blow. The bitch ha
d crossed the line, making me miserable, and today I would call foul.
“Jesus, that’s the hardest you’ve hit me in a long time, man,” Rob huffed, grabbing his shoulder.
“I don’t have another outlet for my anger. You’re my personal punching bag,” I said, wiping the sweat from my eyes.
“Save some of it for the cage. He won’t know what hit ’em. Maybe you shouldn’t straighten the shit out first.” He smirked.
“Fuck you, Rob.”
“Kidding, Mike.” He laughed. “Let’s call it a day. Be here tomorrow morning at five. We don’t have a moment to waste.”
I collapsed on the bench, every muscle screaming as I rubbed my thighs. “I’ll be here. Be ready for another ass kicking.” I smirked. I never hit him hard enough to hurt him. I had more power in me than I ever took out on him. “Today I get everything ironed out and I’ll be back on track. My mind will be focused.”
“I hope so. If you want to get another big match like New York, you can’t lose the next one.”
“Shut the fuck up. I got this. I’m not losing. He won’t be an issue.” I pulled the tape off my hands, squeezing them to get the blood to flow to my fingers.
“That’s the type of thinking that’ll get your ass knocked out.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be in my corner?” I looked at Rob as he stood in front of me.
He had a cocky grin on his face; the bastard was trying to get me riled up more than I already was with the Tammy bullshit. “I am. Just reminding you to get your shit straight.”
“Okay, Mom. I gotta go do just that. Now shut the fuck up and get outta my face.”
Putting his hands up, Rob said, “I’m out. I expect a full report tomorrow. Bring some of that piss and vinegar with you for training. We’re sparring for real, and I better not be able to take you down or you’re in real trouble.”
Pointing at him, I smiled. “Keep spouting your shit and I’ll make sure you walk into the match with a limp.”
He laughed as he walked away and unlocked the doors. I looked through the glass, trying to will Mia to walk through the door.