by L. P. Dover
“Hey, what’s up?” he answered.
I threw the roses in the trash and held both notes in my hand. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, I don’t like it.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, concern etched in his voice.
“I’ve been getting flowers at my apartment. Today is the second time they were left on my doorstep.”
“Oh, is that it? It’s probably your douchebag ex wanting you back. Why don’t you tell him to fuck off?”
Sitting down on the couch, I sighed and peered down at the two pieces of paper. “Well, it’s probably because it’s not him. Bradley isn’t the type to leave black roses.”
“Black? Who the hell would leave you black flowers? Was there a note?”
I nodded like an idiot knowing he couldn’t see me. “Two of them, actually. The first one came with a single black rose. It said one is for the beginning.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“How the hell should I know? But then today, I found two black roses with another note. This one said, two, there is nothing you can do. Kind of creepy if you ask me.”
“Shit. And you have no idea who it could be?”
“I’m clueless, Ryley. I just know I don’t like it. I get that weird spidery feeling when I think about it.”
“Where’s Paxton? Ashleigh told me about you staying with him. Is he there?”
“No, he hasn’t been spending much time with me. I guess pushing him away finally worked.” Over the past three days I’d been nearly nonexistent to him, until today when he raced me in the pool.
“And you of all people should know how that works out,” he snapped. “Do you remember when you bitched me out for doing that to Ashleigh?”
I remembered that day very well. I hated watching her suffer because of what he was putting her through. “Yes,” I answered reluctantly.
“Well, the guy likes you, Gabby. Yes, he pissed me off by taking you and Ashleigh to the Dark Side, but if he didn’t I don’t know what I would’ve done if you guys weren’t there. The guy’s probably just done with being turned down. It sounds to me like you’re going to have to make the first move. Any man in their right mind would be gun-shy by now. Shit, you’ve turned him down how many times? A hundred and seventy-three?”
“You know why I won’t do that, Ryley.”
He scoffed. “That’s bullshit and you know it. I think you’re just afraid, so stop making up excuses. But on to more important things . . . whatever you do, don’t go to your apartment without someone with you. If you get anymore notes, you might seriously need to go to the police. Or better yet, get your brother to call Mason. He’ll know what to do.”
Mason was my brother’s friend and my stand in coach when he couldn’t make it. He was an MMA fighter and an undercover detective. With his amazing skills, he busted a whole underground fighting ring last year after several fighters lost their lives. He was a legend in the UFC community.
“If I get anymore letters I’ll call Mason myself,” I promised. “I’ve wanted to talk to Paxton about it, but we haven’t really had the chance to talk with his newfound busy schedule.”
“Well, make him listen,” he shouted. “All you have to do is make the first move. I promise.”
“Okay, I’m going to him now. It’s probably nothing to be worried about.” Getting up from the couch, I shoved the notes in my back pocket and started for the door.
“Just keep me updated, Gabby. And stay out of trouble.”
“Will do. I’ll talk to you soon.” We said our goodbyes and I rushed out of my apartment and down to the car.
My heart was on overdrive the whole way to the track, and thankfully, I made it there without having a heart attack. There were cars everywhere, especially race cars. You had to pay to park, so I gave the man my money and found a parking place amongst the drunken patrons. Great. I wasn’t in the mood for problems.
Once parked, I hopped out of the Hummer and started on my way, not paying attention to anyone as I passed by. “Hey baby, you alone tonight? I’d be happy to give you a ride.”
Biting my tongue, I kept going, but the idiot wouldn’t stop. “I see we’re playing hard to get. I told you I’d give a ride tonight, sugar lips. What ya say?” He grabbed his crotch and nodded at me.
“I say go fuck yourself, dickhead. I’d rather my dildo give me a ride.”
Shouts of laughter sounded behind me, along with the snarls of the man I just told to fuck off. He called me a “no good, stupid cunt” and I replied with a finger in the air. Why men thought that kind of shit would help them get a piece of ass was beyond me. I guess some women liked the disgusting pick up lines.
The track was huge and I had no clue where to find Paxton. In the middle, there were cars getting ready to race and some that had just gotten done racing. There were people everywhere in the stands, so I searched through the crowd until I found an open section. To my luck, there was a spot right near the front. Once I was seated, there was one person I recognized coming down the steps toward my section. When his head lifted, he spotted me almost immediately and smiled.
Sliding past the people on our row, he sat down beside me with a beer in hand. The baseball cap covering his head hung low over his eyes, but not so much that I couldn’t recognize him.
“Gabriella,” he greeted with a nod.
“Cliff,” I replied back. “So we meet again.”
“I must admit, I didn’t peg you for a racing type of girl.”
I snorted. “You’d be surprised the types of things I do. I’m not taking someone else’s seat am I? I just got here and I didn’t know where to go.”
He shook his head. “No, not at all. Who are you here with?”
Behind him, I scanned the crowd to see if I could find Paxton but I couldn’t see him anywhere. “I’m kind of by myself, but I’m looking for someone. I know he’s here.”
“Your boyfriend?”
“No, definitely not. His name is Paxton.”
Cliff snorted and gestured toward the center of the track. “If you happen to be talking about Paxton Emerson, he’s out there about to race.”
Eyes wide, I followed his line of sight until I saw him, leaned up against a bright blue Acura NSX. “He races? I didn’t know that.”
“Oh, yeah, he’s one of the best out there. I also heard he’s some kind of champion MMA fighter. I don’t keep up with that sport, so I have no clue who he is. I’m more of a football type of guy.” The thought made me laugh. “What’s so funny?” he asked, grinning at me.
“I guess it would probably shock you to know that I’m an MMA fighter too.”
Chuckling, he took another gulp of his beer and set it down, clearly not believing me. When he noticed I wasn’t laughing, his smile turned sheepish. “You’re shitting me, right? You’re sexy as fuck. How could you be a fighter?”
“Hey, I’m not the only one. There are other women fighters who are hot.” I slid my phone out of my back pocket and showed him the promotional picture of me and Jaden Eller before our last fight.
His eyes went wide. “Holy shit. That really is you. Damn, I never would’ve thought it.”
I put my phone back and giggled. “It’s new for me. I just started this year. My brother was the Heavyweight champ for a while. Now he’s retired and he coaches me.”
“Well, then it looks like I’m sitting beside MMA royalty over here. I’m honored,” he said, bumping me in the shoulder.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, whatever. Most people who know me would say I’m a royal pain in the ass. So, tell me about Paxton. If you just moved here how do you know he’s one of the best?”
Picking his beer back up, he kept his gaze on Paxton. “He’s been here the past couple of nights. I’ve watched him race. I heard by one of our other neighbors that this place was pretty tight. I’d love to be out there racing, but with me trying to get onto the force, I don’t have the time for it.”
Speaking of talking to neighbors, I wanted to ask him
about the roses to see if he saw the person who put them on my doorstep. Before I could do that, he patted me on the knee and pointed to the track. “He’s up.”
Turning my attention to the cars, Paxton was strapped in his Acura and getting into place along with several other drivers. “How many laps do they have to do?”
“Just three if you go by the last couple of nights. I guess it’s because they have so many people racing. Your boy is in one of the advanced groups.”
No wonder he was able to keep up with me in the go kart race. He had his own experience racing. Sly bastard. The track wasn’t just shaped like an oval. It actually had twists and turns, but it was very tight. There wasn’t much room for error.
Once the flag went down, they were off, the sounds of their motors revving echoed in my ears. Paxton was neck and neck with another driver, but then a third one came up and tried to sneak in between them. The excitement had my adrenaline pumping. So this was what he was doing the past three nights. I was starting to feel a little better about his intentions on going out.
One lap down and two more to go. He was in the lead and gaining distance. He took the turns with ease, just like he did on the go karts.
“So what’s going on with you and Paxton?” Cliff asked. “You said he’s not your boyfriend and you had no idea he raced, but yet you’re here to watch him.”
I snorted. “I guess you can say I kind of lost a bet and I’m paying him back. It’s really hard to explain.”
Paxton was on his third lap and almost to the finish line. Getting to my feet, I watched in complete and utter amazement as he zipped by and crossed the finish line, the checkered flag waving rapidly in the air. Cliff stood and joined me as I jumped up and down, screaming Paxton’s name. I can’t believe he didn’t tell me he raced.
Paxton leapt out of his car and a swarm of people rushed up to him, giving him high fives and congratulating him. It was all great until a tall blonde jumped in his arms and hugged him around the neck. I’d never personally seen him with a female other than Kacey. The smile he gave her wasn’t his normal smile either. Who the hell was she?
My gut clenched and I realized for the first time, I didn’t like other women talking to him, or touching him. I had no right to be jealous, but I was. “Who’s that down there with him? Has she been here the past few nights?”
Cliff furrowed his brows and turned to look. “Oh yeah, I’ve seen her here. She’s with your boy’s crowd.” With narrowed eyes, he glanced back at me. “Why do you want to know?”
I waved him off. “No reason, she just looks like someone I might know. I think I’m going to head out though. Do you mind walking me to my car? I had a little bit of trouble coming in and the last thing I want is to have to kick some fucktard’s ass.”
“As much as I’d like to see that, I think I can handle it myself. Why don’t we go get some coffee? There’s a place right up the street from our apartment . . .”
“Macie’s café?” I blurted out.
He chuckled and nodded. “I have to be at the station early in the morning, so I figured coffee would be the better alternative for tonight.”
We started up the stands and I couldn’t help but look back at Paxton and the blonde, celebrating his win. I guess he was over wanting to be with me, and I quickly realized how much I hated it.
I turned my attention back to Cliff. “Oh yeah, that’s right. How’s the training going? Do you think you’ll make the squad?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I think I have a fighting chance. Do you want to just meet me at the café?”
“Yes, let’s do that. There’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about.”
He walked me to the Hummer and then left to find his car. It felt wrong to get coffee with him, but if I wasn’t going to be home for the next week or so, I needed a pair of eyes to keep watch.
Cliff and I both grabbed a coffee and I snatched up a pumpkin muffin. Ever since I’d been at Paxton’s house I hadn’t had one. We decided to sit outside at their iron wrought tables since they were about to close up.
“So what did you want to talk about?” Cliff asked.
“Have you seen anyone near my apartment? Like maybe someone who came by and left some flowers on my doorstep?”
Shaking his head, he took a sip of his coffee. “No, but I did see them in front of your door. I was tempted to take them away. I thought it might be your ex wanting you back.”
“Why were you wanting to take them away?” I asked, laughing.
His brown eyes bore into mine, all serious. “Because I thought that if you didn’t get back with your ex, I might be able to ask you out.”
“Really? Oh, wow.” I shoved a bite of my muffin in my mouth, not knowing what to say. He was hot as hell, but he wasn’t Paxton. “So you didn’t see the person who left them?”
“No, but I can keep a look out for you. Are you worried about something?”
Looking down at my coffee, I didn’t really know how to explain it. It was just a feeling I had when I read the note. “I’m not sure yet. I know it wasn’t my ex who put them there and other than that, I don’t know of anyone who would’ve done it.”
“What about Paxton? Could it be him?”
“I know for a fact it’s not.”
“And how do you know that?”
“I just do.” Reaching into my purse, I pulled out a pen and grabbed a napkin on the table. “I’m going to give you my number. If you see anyone at my door, I want you to call me.” I wrote my number down and passed it to him.
“You know, I have some friends at the station who owe me a favor. I could get them to run the prints on the letters, if there’s any on them that is.”
“Really?” I asked, wide-eyed. “You’d do that? I didn’t really want to go to the police about this, but if you think it would help that’d be great.” The notes were in my back pocket so I pulled them out and handed them to him.
He stared down at them. “It’ll probably take a couple of days, but I’ll see what they can do.”
Sitting back in my chair, I sighed and took a sip of my coffee. “Thank you. I appreciate you doing this for me.”
About that time, something caught the corner of my eye. I squinted and focused my attention on the blue sports car headed our way.
Cliff sat back in his chair and put the notes in his pocket with an amused smirk on his face. “It looks like your boyfriend found you,” he quipped, taking another sip of his coffee.
Paxton obviously didn’t know I was with someone else because when he saw Cliff, his expression went from passive to livid. Slamming on the brakes, he got out of the car and glared at us.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I said as I got to my feet. He sure as hell was acting like it though. “What are you doing?” I asked incredulously.
His nostrils flared. “I could ask you the same thing. Whoever that is, say goodnight. The date’s over.” Cliff chuckled, drawing both mine and Paxton’s attention. Paxton clearly wasn’t in the mood to be provoked. “Is there a problem?”
Smirking, Cliff gestured toward us both and shook his head. “No, I’m just curious to see how she handles this. Gabriella doesn’t seem like the type of girl to put up with someone telling her what to do.”
“Oh, so you know her now?” Paxton growled. “Who the fuck are you?”
His anger and possessiveness was turning me on. Hot damn, he was sexy when that little vein bulged on his forehead.
Cliff didn’t move an inch. He stayed perfectly comfortable in his chair. “I’m her neighbor. And yes, I’d say I’m getting to know her quite well.”
Paxton stepped forward, but I blocked him and put a hand on his chest. “Pax, stop. You’re acting like an idiot. Why do you even care? I thought you were over me. Cliff’s my friend and has been kind enough to help me out with something.” I glared up at him and hissed. “Why don’t you just go back to your blonde from the track?”
His scowl turned into a mask of confusion. “
What are you talking about? Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I think you need to leave. I’ll be back when I feel like it.”
“Sorry, but that’s not going to happen,” he said grabbing my hand. “You made a deal and you’re going to keep it.” He pulled me toward his car and when I looked back, Cliff got up from the table, his smile gone.
“I don’t think I’d do that if I were you,” he warned. Slowly, Cliff reached behind his back and my eyes went wide. Was he reaching for a fucking gun?
Paxton stopped, but he didn’t let me go. “Gabby, so help me God, either get in my car now, or get in the Hummer and follow me home. I don’t want this night to get ugly.”
“Then put the testosterone away and let me handle this.” Reluctantly, he let me go and walked back to his car, keeping his venomous stare on Cliff.
Cliff never took his eyes away from Paxton, even when I was safely away. “Please tell me you’re not going back to his place. I can take you to your apartment if you need me to. I’m not scared of that fucker.”
Sighing, I grabbed my purse and faced him. Now that Pax wasn’t hiding his feelings, the tension between us had come to a breaking point and it was about to explode. It was time to let it.
“I’m not going back to my apartment, Cliff.”
He scoffed. “You can’t be fucking serious. I never thought you’d let someone talk to you like that.”
“Trust me, I don’t. He’s going to get an earful when we get back.”
“Why do you have to go with him at all?”
I chuckled, but he didn’t see the humor in it. “It’s complicated. I honestly can’t explain any more than that. But if you would, please call me if you see or hear anything.”
He nodded and huffed. “All right, I’ll call. Are you sure you’re going to be okay? You’re not being forced into anything are you? You can tell me and I’ll get you out of here.”
Pax wouldn’t have to force me to do anything. I couldn’t wait to get back to his place. First, I would give him a piece of my mind. Then, I’d give him a piece of something else. “No, he’s not forcing me. Believe me, this is something I want to do. I made a deal and I won’t break it.”