“Me too,” he told her gently. “Kait?”
“Yes?”
“I love you.” He said the words so tenderly that Kait wanted to record them and play them over and over in her mind on a never ending loop. The most wonderful thing was that she knew he meant it. He wasn’t the sort of man to tell a woman what she wanted to hear; he was too noble for that.
“I love you, too.”
“I’m going to win this next fight,” Jasper promised her. “Just you wait and see. And then when all my sponsors came crawling back, I’ll take you away on holiday to somewhere with a white sandy beach and clear blue ocean.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“It will be, but only because you’ll be there.”
Kait dropped her head against her knees. She wished Jasper were there so that she could pepper his face with adoring kisses. She wanted nothing more than to escape with him to some distant tropical shore. But one last fight stood between them and their happiness.
“I know you’re going to win this next fight,” Kait told him sincerely. And she truly felt that way. Now that she’d removed Carl’s tainted drinks from the equation, there was nothing stopping Jasper was storming to victory. Unless of course Carl realized what she’d done and altered the drinks again. The thought had crossed her mind when she lay in bed unable to sleep and tortured by her mounting concerns. She just had to hope and pray that Carl didn’t anticipate what she’d already done.
“I appreciate your belief in me,” Jasper told her, his voice warm and teasingly close through the phone.
Kait imagined him sprawled out on his sofa, probably shirtless. Her body tingled with the desire to be there with him, to be able to lean her head upon his strong, broad chest.
“I’ll always believe in you,” she promised him.
Chapter 108
Kait was about to prove her belief to Jasper. It was Friday, the day of his big fight, and she’d used her lunch hour at work to go in to town. The morning had already been an eventful one. Kait had learned that she’d got the promotion she’d been working so tirelessly for. Usually such news would fill her with joy and excitement, but her feelings were overshadowed by her concerns over the fight that night.
With her promotion, Kait could now afford to buy a house and leave her apartment. Her boss had given her a generous bonus to compensate for all her hard work. Kait had eyed the check she’d been given with keen interest. She could use that as a down payment on a new house or could buy a new car. But instead, she was standing outside the booking office looking comically out of place.
In her tight pencil skirt and patent black shoes, Kait took a steadying breath and then walked in to the bookies. Bleary eyed men were leaning up against the counters which bordered the shop, their necks keenly craned up towards the wall mounted televisions showing horses streaking across a grass track.
A few of them dared to look away from the screen to ogle Kait, but their gaze soon lifted back to the horses.
With her heart hammering in her chest, Kait approached the glass window at the far end of the shop and smiled at the assistant on the other side of it.
“Good afternoon,” she greeted the acne ridden man politely. He nodded a pushed a hand through his greasy hair.
“What are you in for?” He asked in a surprisingly deep voice.
“I want to put this,” Kait slid her check through the relevant slot in the glass, “all on tonight’s fight for Jasper Duboix to win.”
The assistant snorted and picked up the check.
“What?” Kait frowned at him.
“Lady, I’m not going to tell you what to do with your money, but Duboix went down in the second during his last fight. There’s no way he will win. The odds are literally,” he had a quick check on the computer screen beside him, “fifty to one.”
Kait felt a flutter of excitement run through her. So when Jasper won, which he was of course going to—she had to believe that—she’d get back fifty times her original bet. Her mind struggled to reach the grand total which would buy a house outright along with a car and a luxury beach holiday. She started to feel slightly dizzy.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” The guy asked warily, misreading Kait’s excitement for reluctance.
“Yes,” Kait nodded confidently. “I’m sure.”
“Okay then,” the guy began processing the bet, “but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Chapter 109
Outside the betting office, Kait hungrily cleaned in the fresh, outdoor air. Her hands were shaking by her side. She’d never in her life spent so much money before and definitely not in such a reckless way. There was a risk that she’d never see that money again which she’d worked so hard for, but it was worth it because placing the bet meant she was going all in on Jasper, and she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
When she was quite certain that her heart had settled in her chest, she headed back to the office, wondering how she’d possibly make it through the next few hours at work when all she could think about was the impending fight that was going to change their lives either for better or worse.
Chapter 110
Jasper turned up the music in his ears so that it was at a deafening volume. It was the only way to drown out all the negative thoughts which constantly plagued him. In just a t-shirt and shorts, he was heading out for a jog before going to train at the gym for a few hours. It was a good way to test his bad knee which had actually starting to improve over the last few days. Jasper was daring to believe that he perhaps wouldn’t need surgery on it at all.
His feet pounded the pavement in time with the angry rap music he listened to. It had been the music of his childhood, the soundtrack to his rise from the bottom to the top. He liked the emotion that came across in rap music, the gritty determination that the artists had and Jasper shared.
As the music played, he ran with the sun warming his back. He ran all through the upmarket neighborhood he lived in and ended up at the edge of the local pool where the sunlight glistened against its vast glassy surface. Picking up speed, Jasper completed a circuit around the pool. Even then he had only just started to sweat. He went around a second time. Now his t-shirt was starting to cling to his back and he was breathing heavily. The music pounding in his ears helped keep his energy up. He briskly jogged back to his apartment building where Carl was impatiently waiting at the front entrance.
“You’re late,” Carl taped the face of his designer watch. Jasper clocked the item with surprise, wondering why his agent hadn’t yet pawned it if times were really so hard for them both financially. And if Jasper was struggling for money, then surely Carl must be too since Jasper was his sole client? The watch was easily worth several thousands of dollars even second hand.
“Nice watch,” Jasper commented as he climbed in to the car which was parked on the curb and waiting for him.
“Win tonight and you can treat yourself to one,” Carl quipped, climbing in the driver’s side of the vehicle.
“I told you to be ready for ten,” Carl announced sharply as he started the engine.
“And what is it now?” Jasper glanced at the clock on the car’s dashboard, “ten fifteen, I’m hardly late.”
“We’re on a tight schedule today, Jasper,” Carl explained, gritting his teeth.
“And whose fault is that?” Jasper threw back. “You’re the one who wanted three hours this afternoon to just chill.”
“I told you, I’ve got a meeting.”
“With who?” Jasper lamented. “I don’t have any sponsors, and you don’t have any clients except me.”
“How about I let you do your job and you let me do mine, deal?”
“Deal,” Jasper grumbled, turning to look out the window at the houses speeding by. Houses he’d previously just jogged past. He’d forgotten how much he used to enjoy running, especially first thing in the morning or late at night when it felt like everyone else was sleeping and the whole world was beautifully still.
But
thanks to his bad knee, he’d tried to avoid running excessively.
“My knee is feeling better,” he commented to Carl.
“Is it? Oh, good,” Carl replied somewhat absently. Jasper frowned; he’d thought his agent would be ecstatic to hear such news. Perhaps he was just feeling nervous about the fight. After all, he had his career riding on it just as Jasper did. Win or lose, they were in it together. That’s what Jasper had always liked about Carl; he’d been with him as he rose to the top. It helped him feel like he could trust him. He just wished that Kait liked Carl at least a bit. It was going to be difficult juggling the pair of them in the future, but Jasper would adapt; he’d have to. He couldn’t foresee either of them going anywhere.
“I’m feeling really good about tonight,” Jasper added, smacking his hands together.
“Sure you’ll do great,” Carl was pulling in to the car park of the gym.
“Great? I’m going to kill it!” Jasper insisted.
“I know,” Carl turned and smiled at him, but there was a sadness in his eyes which Jasper hadn’t seen before.
“Everything okay?” He wondered anxiously.
“Yeah,” Carl shook himself, and the sadness was gone. He was back to his old, sharp self.
“Are you okay to spot me for a bit?” Jasper enquired as he climbed out of the car.
“Absolutely,” Carl grinned enthusiastically, “anything for you.”
Chapter 111
Kait held her breath as the lights went down in the arena, and the two fighters were introduced in to the ring. People were cheering louder for Jasper’s opponent, already discounting him as a has-been. It pained Kait to hear. She just had to keep telling herself that Jasper was about to turn it all around. She was once again on the front row on the opposite side of the ring to Jasper. She sat there tightly crossing her fingers.
He looked powerful and determined as he stepped in to the ring wearing bright red shorts and a matching helmet. As he banged his gloved hands together, he revealed his impressive muscles. Jasper was ready. Kait could feel the energy radiating off from him over to her. He’d been training aggressively and it had all been for this moment – for this chance to reclaim his rightful glory.
Chapter 112
Before a fight, Jasper always got tunnel vision. He had learned that it was important to focus solely on the task at hand, not get caught up in the excitement of the crowd or be cowed by the grandeur of a venue. All that mattered was landing his punches correctly and winning.
Jasper stepped in to the ring feeling like he was on fire. Every fiber in his body tingled with anticipation, ready to spring in to action. He could do this. He was not going to go down in the second, he was going to win! The referee dropped his arm, a bell sounded, and the first round commenced.
The next few minutes were a whirlwind of expertly executed punches, kicks, and dodges. Jasper thundered at his opponent like an angry tornado from which there was no escape. He punched hard and fast, and by the time the bell run to signal the end of the round he was ahead on points.
As he dropped down on to his stool in his corner of the ring, he tried not to get déjà vu. This was how it had gone down before – he’d come out strong and ended up burning out.
Leaning back Jasper panted heavily and removed his mouth guard so that he could drink from the sports bottle that Carl had just given him.
“Way to go there, champ,” Carl shouted to be heard over the excitement roar of the crowd.
“You’ve got this.”
Jasper could only nod as he hungrily downed the liquid inside the sports bottle, wiping his mouth afterward, and taking a few more seconds to gather his strength before commencing the next round.
Chapter 113
“Please, don’t be tainted,” Kait couldn’t take her eyes off the water bottle in Jasper’s hand as he gripped it tightly and drank deeply from it. With each swallow, Kait grew even tenser. Her mind hammered panicked questions at her.
What if Carl switched the drinks back? What if he’d known what she’d done? What if Jasper were now to lose? They’d both lose everything.
“Come on,” Kait crossed her fingers even tighter. It had to have worked. She had to have stopped Carl.
When Jasper got back up to his feet, he moved with both grace and power, like a panther. He walked back in to the center of the ring, still looking strong. And then the second round commenced.
Chapter 114
The fire which had originally been in Jasper’s veins was still there, fuelling every punch which he threw against his opponent. They landed with deadly accuracy. Jasper felt bone crack beneath his knuckles. He was unstoppable.
His opponent staggered back helplessly as blood poured from his nose. He swung loosely, and it connected with Jasper’s jaw, but Jasper didn’t even feel it. Again and again, Jasper punched. His opponent tried to remain on his feet but ultimately dropped to the mat in a bloodied heap.
Breathing hard, Jasper waited for the referee to come and do the count. The crowd was on their feet, hardly believing what they were seeing. Jasper Duboix, who had dropped in the second of his last match, had just bested his current opponent mirroring his own previous defeat. It was glorious, it was beautiful, it was -
The roar of the crowd was deafening as the referee announced Jasper the winner, rising one of his hands in triumph. Jasper was grinning madly as he drank in the euphoric sounds. He had done it, he had actually done it. He’d clawed his way back from the brink and come out on top.
Chapter 115
Kait was clapping so hard that her hands started to sting, but she didn’t care. Jasper had done it; he’d won! The reality of it hadn’t quite sunk in. She felt like she was in some wonderful dream from which she was terrified to wake.
She bounced up and down with glee and whistled and cheered for the man she loved, the man who was now doing a victory lap around the ring. But behind Jasper, Kait could see Carl lurking ringside looking deeply troubled. She wanted to laugh at his despair because she knew what he’d done to put himself there, and he only had himself to blame.
Chapter 116
When Jasper eventually left the ring, Kait swiftly went backstage to congratulate him. Now that the match was over, his ban on seeing her had been lifted, and she couldn’t wait to run into his arms.
She burst into his dressing room without knocking where he was standing by the sofa, grinning madly. He wrapped her in his arms and spun her around the room several times, both of them laughing like idiots.
“You did it!” Kait gushed before kissing him hard on the mouth. “I knew you would!”
“Yeah,” Jasper looked both bewildered and elated, not quite yet accepting the magnitude of his victory. “I did it.”
“I’m so, so proud of you,” Kait pressed herself against him, smiling to herself. If Jasper was happy now, she couldn’t wait to tell him about the money they’d just won. But the moment was ruined when the door to the dressing room opened, and Carl walked in wearing a sour expression and looking pale.
“See, told you I’d do it!” Jasper was smiling and reaching to shake his agent’s hand, but Carl remained rigid and reluctant to accept the gesture.
“Carl,” Jasper was frowning as he untangled himself from Kait and stepped towards his agent.
“What’s wrong? You should be on cloud nine right now. I just won the most important fight of my life.”
“Yes,” Carl gave the fakest of smiles. “Yes, you did. I wonder how you managed that.” He shot Kait a hateful glance.
“Don’t look at her like that!” Jasper shouted. “What’s going on here, Carl, why aren’t you happy for me?”
“Are you going to tell him, or should I?” Kait asked as she stepped forward and defiantly crossed her arms over her chest.
“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Carl snarled.
“Were you surprised when Jasper got up so easily after drinking from your sports bottles?” Kait asked him in a supercilious tone.
“
Did you expect him to stumble and fall, just like last time?”
“She’s being ridiculous,” Carl gestured wildly in Kait’s direction and widened his fake smile. “I’m happy for you, Jasper, of course I am.”
“I switched the drinks,” Kait told him coldly. “All the sports bottles were filled with pure, clean water.”
“You bitch!” Carl suddenly seethed, his face contorting with rage. “Do you have any idea how much money I lost today? Do you?”
“What?” Jasper stepped between them, looking hurt. “Carl…have you…have you been sabotaging me this whole time?”
Mason: Inked Reapers MC Page 48