Greatest Fight of All (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Lee Rose

  She stood up and called out to Adam. He said his good-bye to Destiny and went up to Jessy and Royce. “What’s going on?”

  “There’s trouble at the gym,” Royce said angrily, heading out the doors at a fast pace.

  Chapter 9

  Jessy was glad she wore tennis shoes and jeans to keep up with Royce and Adam.

  When they were in the car and headed back to the gym, she asked Royce, “What’s going on?”

  “Your dad says Gabe showed up all beat up. Some guys are at the gym looking to finish the job. Now they’re trying to get in the gym. Your dad called the police but who knows how long it will be before they show up. Blake and Sam left for lunch.” He stepped on the gas pedal. They arrived in a few minutes and they could see four men in checkered flannel shirts and red bandanas yelling at Jared because he wouldn’t let them in.

  “Jessy. Wait in the car until I tell you,” he said in a hard, cold voice. “Ready, Adam?”

  Adam cracked his knuckles. “I’ll just pretend he is Jonesy.”

  Royce cracked a smile. “That ought to do it. Just stay alert. You don’t need to get yourself injured this close to a fight.”

  They got out of the car and headed toward the group of men yelling at Jared.

  “If this is a public place you have no right to keep us from going in there,” one of the men yelled angrily. He had his arms crossed over his flannel shirt.

  “As the owner I certainly do have the right, especially if you are threatening one of my members. Gabriel Martinez is a member here. Now leave. I won’t tell you again,” Jared said in a cold deep voice. He didn’t look scared, instead he looked spitting mad. Royce knew Jared and Tom had grown fond of Gabe. He was a good kid who just wanted to get off the streets and stay out of trouble.

  “Who’s gonna stop us, old man?” one of the younger ones sneered, pulling out a knife from his back pocket, and he started waving it around carelessly. He barely looked out of his teens.

  “We are,” Royce said coldly, while keeping an eye on all four guys.

  They looked at Adam and Royce and laughed. “You’re still outnumbered. One old man and you two?”

  “Not anymore.” Royce heard Blake and Sam’s voices behind him. “So how are we gonna do this, boys? The easy way or the hard way?”

  The kid with the knife charged at Royce but he was ready. He swayed to the left, missing the knife completely. He executed a high kick, hitting his opponent’s arm and knocking the knife out of his hand. It landed too far for him to jump for it.

  “Now let’s fight like men with our hands, or can you only be tough with a weapon?” Royce asked with a smile, letting him know he was not intimidated. That’s what these punks fed off, the fear they instilled in people.

  “I can take you,” Royce’s opponent said before tackling him. Royce hit him with some hard punches. He took one punch to the stomach and grunted, but then he smiled at the punk. He threw a few quick punches to his face and knocked him to the ground. Finally the young punk got up and ran off, leaving his friends behind.

  Royce looked to see the other three men running off as fast as they could, and one of them was limping.

  Blake and Sam high-fived each other. “Yeah, that was fun.”

  Jared tried to look at them sternly for a minute but he ended up smiling and agreeing that he felt energized and might join them in the ring today. Royce laughed and signaled for Jessy to get out of the truck. She ran over to where they stood, looking everybody over for injuries.

  Chapter 10

  Doctor Jeremy Sides cleaned Gabe’s wounds. He often came in to treat the fighters if they got injured. He had been friends with her dad for years and knew them all well. He was in his fifties and kept in good shape. He often came in just to work out. His brown hair was slicked back with gel and he wore gold wire-rimmed glasses. “You’re going to be fine, young man. Your ribs are bruised but not broken. A few bruises and cuts that will hurt like hell, but they will go away. You were lucky.”

  Gabe nodded, taking small breaths as he spoke. It was obvious his side was hurting him. “Thanks to the workout I’ve been getting here I fought them off. I used some of the punches you showed me, Royce.”

  Jessy let out a small angry gasp. Her cheeks were red and she put her hands on her hips. “You mean all four of them jumped you? Those no good punks. I wish Royce would have hit them harder.”

  Royce put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. He couldn’t resist placing a kiss on her head. He liked Gabe, too. The kid had a lot of anger inside him and it was best to let it out here in the gym and not out on the streets where he could get in serious trouble. “He’s fine, Jessy, and you heard him. Now he knows how important it is to keep up with his schedule.”

  “That’s right,” Jared spoke up. It was obvious to Royce he was trying to tamper down his anger in front of everyone. Four adults beating on one teen was not fair. “You kept your head, son, and that’s what makes a good fighter. Getting emotional and losing focus does nothing for the fight.”

  “Yes sir.” Gabe grimaced as he moved a little. “As soon as Doc clears me I’ll work hard. You’ll see. My mom is so happy I am hanging out here and not in the streets. She works at night and she worries. I hope she doesn’t think I was out looking for trouble.”

  Jessy sat next to Gabe on the couch, looking like she wanted to cry. She patted his back gently and gave Gabe a shaky smile. “You’ll be back on track in no time, Gabe. Have your mom call us if she wants. My dad will tell her none of this was your fault.”

  “We’ll take you home, Gabe.” Sam lifted him carefully by the arm. “You should be proud of yourself, kid. You could take the easy road and just join the gang, but you stood up for what you believe in.”

  “We’ll go with you,” Adam and Blake offered. “You’re one of us now and we’ll keep an eye on you. Soon you’re gonna need a name like us. Something badass.”

  Gabe looked happy with being the center of attention, despite the pain he was in. Jessy guessed he was looking for approval just like anyone else. She patted Gabe on the back. “See you in a few days.”

  He nodded and headed out the door with the laughing and joking group of men that had just taken him under their wing.

  “You think we’re going to have trouble with the gang?” Jessy turned to her dad and asked when she saw him frown. They had won the fight and sent the group away with a good beating, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t come back.

  “Let’s just say I’m glad we have no windows for them to break,” Jared said gruffly, looking a little worried. He pushed his hand through his dark-brown hair that was sprinkled with gray strands. “The police say they will make extra rounds, but that brings me no comfort. They took their sweet time to even respond to us today.”

  “I’m here, Jared. If I hear anything I’ll call it in and call you,” Royce offered, but Jessy could see the concern in his eyes, too. They didn’t need this headache but they couldn’t have just ignored Gabe when he needed help.

  “Why can’t they just leave Gabe alone? Don’t they have enough members for their gang?” she grumbled. Her dad’s business had been located here for as long as she could remember. They never had any trouble before.

  “They want to keep up with their tough reputation,” Royce explained with a shake of his head. “I grew up in a neighborhood in Ohio not very different than this one.”

  “Maybe I should stay here in my office, too,” Jared replied thoughtfully. “It’s not the first time I have crashed on my couch.”

  “What about Jessy?” Royce said, looking at where she was sitting on her dad’s office couch. He looked concerned and she tried hard not to read anything into it. As much as she wanted Royce to have feelings for her, she knew he would be concerned about any member of the gym right now.

  “I can take care of myself and lock up the house,” Jessy insisted firmly. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off she couldn’t stop yawning. “Besides, how would they know where I lived? It’s
a good distance from here. If anything, they are going to mess with the gym.”

  “That’s what I think, too,” Jared agreed. “I’ll feel better if I’m here, too. I can have Tom stay over tomorrow if we need to.”

  Jared and Royce made plans while Jessy sat down on the couch, barely listening to their plans. She was tired, even though she was feeling somewhat better. She tried to keep busy as possible so she wouldn’t have time to mourn Royce. After a year of chasing him and flirting with him it was hard to switch to friendship mode. She stayed away from him as much as possible but sometimes she couldn’t avoid his company without being obvious. “I think I’ll have an early night, Dad. I could use some extra sleep.”

  “Of course, honey. Let Royce walk you to your car to make sure it’s safe. I need to call Tom.” He kissed her goodnight on the forehead. “Keep your cell phone right next to you and set the alarm.”

  “Don’t be a hero, Dad. Call the police if those punks show up.” She gave him a stern look but he just patted her head and picked up the phone on his desk, his mind back on business.

  Royce walked her to her car and looked around the empty parking lot to make sure it was clear. He opened her car door for her. He moved a strand of loose hair out of her face and she shivered. Hopefully he hadn’t noticed her reaction to his affectionate touch.

  “If you get scared, just call me and I’ll be right over,” he promised, and she knew he would. He was a good man. He was just a man that had no intention of ever settling down with one woman.

  She looked up into his handsome face and wished she had the right to soothe his wrinkled brow and kiss him until he no longer looked so upset. She almost reached out to caress his cheek but she pulled back at the last minute. “I’ll be fine. My dad has a top-of-the-line security alarm and I promise to lock up. Besides, those punks have no idea where I live.”

  “Keep an eye on my dad, Royce,” she pleaded, throwing her purse in the passenger seat. Even though it was evening, it was hot and humid outside. The air felt sticky and she longed for a long cool shower. “He thinks he can take on ten guys, but I worry about him.”

  “I will, Jessy.” He kissed her cheek in a friendly manner and she wished she had the guts to turn her head so his lips would land on hers. She still remembered how his mouth had devoured her in a hot kiss that night they spent together. His tongue had invaded her mouth and claimed it. His big hands had roamed over every inch of her body and she felt the spot between her legs heat up with excitement. She had to stop wishing for things that would never be again. “See you in the morning. Be careful.”

  Chapter 11

  Jessy’s heart sank when she drove into the parking lot of the gym the next morning. She saw a police vehicle. She raced inside, afraid of what she would find.

  Her dad met her at the door and hugged her right away. “It’s okay, honey. We were just reporting vandalism. Those punks painted their gang signs on the walls of the building and threw some glass beer bottles in the parking lot.”

  She let out a sigh of relief. There were two officers talking to Royce and Tom. Both men looked angry but unharmed.

  “Without visual proof we can’t do much I’m afraid,” one officer said remorsefully. He had black short hair and looked Hispanic. “We’ll file the report and keep it on hand, along with yesterday’s report.”

  The second officer looked to be in his late thirties with sandy blond hair. “If they keep coming around we’ll have a talk with them. We know this group well and have dealt with them in the past.”

  Jared led Jessy to the group. “Okay, thank you, officers. This is my daughter Jessy. She works here with us.”

  Both officers shook her hand. The younger one gave her a friendly smile. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Daniels. I’m Officer Lopez and this is my partner Officer Davis.”

  “Jessy,” she said automatically, shaking Officer Lopez’s hand. He was a handsome man in his late twenties and she couldn’t help but smile back. “Do you think we should be worried?”

  “Just always be alert. If you work late, have someone walk you to your car,” he suggested. He pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to her.

  “Feel free to call me if you need anything.” He gave her a flirty wink and she smiled back.

  She nodded and took the card. Maybe things were looking up finally. Officer Lopez was a good-looking man.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Royce said, sounding angry, but Jessy ignored his grumpy attitude and watched the officers walk away.

  She looked at the card and grinned at her dad, waving it around. “Well, Daddy, maybe we should call them if we hear any noises.”

  Her dad laughed and rolled his eyes. “Great. I have a possible war with Los Diablos and my daughter finds romance in the midst of it all.”

  She walked with him down the corridor that led to the offices. He gave her a fatherly look like she was just about to receive a lecture. Did he have one on how to treat a one-night stand? Royce was her first and last one-night stand.

  “What happened? I thought you had feelings for Royce?” he asked gruffly. He hated having what he called girly talks with her but he suffered through them anyway.

  “I did,” she admitted, and opened her office door. She set her briefcase down on her desk and sat down in her cushiony office chair. Her dad leaned against the office door waiting for an answer. “He says he only wants friendship from me. I can’t force him to return my feelings, so I have to move on, Dad. Life is too short to sit around hoping he’ll open his eyes one day. Plus, he made sense. If we get involved and it doesn’t work out it will be difficult to continue to work together.”

  She didn’t mention to her dad that she knew her feelings for Royce were real and wouldn’t go away anytime soon. She didn’t want her dad to worry, and he would. She would hide her feelings deep inside.

  Her dad walked around the desk and pulled her out of the chair. He gave her a big bear hug and she leaned in to him. She loved her dad’s hugs. They always made her appreciate that she had such a strong man in her life. He had been a rock when her mom died. Now that she was an adult she knew it had been hard to hide his deep grief and raise her and make the gym a success for their financial well-being. He had always been there for her even through her emotional teenage years when she had missed her mom so bad. “He’s a kick-ass fighter but a dumb man. You are beautiful and strong and Mr. Right will come along soon, honey. Just don’t give me anymore gray hairs by dating creeps like that Kyle.”

  “Never, Dad. Haven’t you met the new delivery guy? He’s in his fifties.” She smiled, hooking her arm through his and leaning on him.

  Jared snorted. “I knew we had seen the last of that wimp. He was too snobby for you, sweetheart. Is everything okay between you and Royce now?”

  Jessy heard the worry in his voice and she felt guilty for her part in it. She should have stayed far away from Royce from the very beginning. This was all her fault. She injected the right amount of happiness in her voice. Happiness that she did not feel. “Yeah, we talked it out and we are just friends. It’s all good.”

  “Are you okay with that, Jessy? He is a good manager and I like Royce, but you are my baby girl and you will always come first with me.”

  Jessy smiled and gave her dad a huge, tight hug. “I know, Dad, and thank you. You are the best, but I am fine with us being friends. It’s better this way.”

  If she said it enough times she might start believing it.

  Chapter 12

  Jessy was on her way to the vending machine to get a drink. She spotted Gabe sitting on the bleachers, watching Sam spar with the new member, Jackson.

  The gym was quiet during the afternoon. He looked sad and she wondered why he wasn’t in school. Deciding to see if she could help, she walked over to him and sat down.

  She bumped him playfully with her shoulder as she sat next to him. He wasn’t dressed in his workout clothes yet. “Hey, kid. You look better. What’s up?”

  Most of the bruises ha
d faded. He looked over at her with a glum expression. “Got kicked out of school and my mom is mad at me.”

  “Oh man.” She sympathized. “I remember those days, but they’ll be over before you know it. You’re a junior this year right?”

  He nodded. “I hate school. You can’t talk, you can’t breathe the wrong way, and adults never understand anything.”

  “I’m an adult but I understand, Gabe. I understand it’s hard out there,” she said softly.

  He looked at her briefly, then back at the ring. “You’re cool for a girl, Jessy, but you got it all. This is your family business here. I got nothing but troubles everywhere I turn. My dad didn’t care enough to keep in touch. My mom and teachers are never happy, even when I try. Now I got Los Diablos after me because I don’t wanna be in the gang.”

  Jessy took a drink of her water and watched Sam in the ring. “I don’t have it all, Gabe. Life is not fair. I won’t argue with you there. If life was fair my mom wouldn’t have got sick and died when I was eight. My dad had to grieve for the loss of his wife, run a business, and put up with an emotionally messed-up daughter.”

  “Damn, Jessy. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I would do without my mom. She is always yelling at me but I love her,” he confessed.

  She looked over at him and patted his arm gently. She wanted to wrap her arms around him until he stopped looking so sad, but she didn’t think he would let her. “I don’t know your mom but I do know she yells because she worries. So does my dad. She worries because she does care. She works hard all day just to make sure your needs are taken care of.”

  Gabe sighed. “I know. It pisses me off that she has to kill herself working because my dad is a deadbeat asshole.”

  Jessy nodded. “Give yourself some credit, Gabe. You could take the easy way out and join the gang, make some easy money, but you didn’t. See all these fighters here, Gabe? Not one of them has had a perfect life. I don’t think anyone ever does, but you know what? Those problems and how we deal with them are what makes us who we are. It’s what makes us determined to follow our dream and be successful.”