Kyle's Return

by L. P. Dover

She studied me and then cupped a hand over her mouth. “Please tell me you know.”

  I glanced over at Kyle and then back to her and shook my head.

  Setting the puppy down, she moved closer with fear in her eyes. “I assumed someone would have called you. Darryl spent weeks trying to get the system to change their decision. He was so stressed.”

  “Oh my God,” I choked. “You can’t be serious.”

  A tear fell down her cheek and her lips trembled. “I’m afraid I am, sweetheart. The day after Darryl died of a heart attack was when the decision was made.”

  Bile rose up and burned like hot acid in my throat. I had never felt such terror than in that moment. Bolting up out of my seat, I raced to the bathroom and clutched the toilet. Over and over I whispered the word no probably a million times. Kyle knelt down behind me and pulled my hair back while I threw up my breakfast.

  “What’s going on, love? What is she talking about?” Lifting me up off the floor, he held me in his arms while I cried.

  “He’s out,” I whispered. “Alex is out of jail and he’ll come for me. He’ll find me.”

  Kyle froze, his muscles tense as he held me. “Fucking shit. Why the hell didn’t anyone tell you?”

  That was a good question. Lifting my head, he wiped away the tears with his thumbs. “I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell going to find out. We need to get out of here.”

  I called Mason three times before I finally got him to answer. “Damn girl, don’t you know how to leave a message?”

  “I would have if this wasn’t important. Why didn’t you tell me Alex was out of prison?”

  “What? How can that be?”

  “I was hoping you could answer that for me.”

  He growled low. “Fuck, I have no clue. Where are you at right now?”

  “We’re still in Cali. I want answers and I’m not leaving until I get them.”

  “All right, meet me at the station in half an hour. We’ll get the answers together.”

  After we hung up, Kyle drove us straight to the station. Shutting off the truck, he rolled the windows down while we waited on Mason. “It’s been three months since he’s been out. Don’t you think he would’ve come after you by now?”

  I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh air. “Not necessarily. Alex loved to play games. He’ll come after me in other ways before striking.”

  About that time, Mason pulled up and we got out of the truck. He looked pissed and ready to fight. “Let’s go.”

  Kyle took my hand and we followed Mason into the station, straight to one of the back offices where a young guy stood behind a desk, reading a file. His head lifted and when he saw us, he smiled. Throwing the file down, he marched around the desk and held out his hand. “Mason, what the hell are you doing here?”

  “I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing in Gary’s office?”

  He snorted. “Reading up on the newest case I’m being sent to solve. I head out tomorrow. Gary won’t be back for another couple of hours.”

  Mason shut the door and rushed behind the desk. “Good, then I’m sure he won’t mind if I use his computer.” He sat down and pounded away on the keys while Kyle and I just stood there.

  Holding out his hand, the young officer smiled devilishly at me, his blue eyes beaming. “I’m Bryce, it’s nice to meet you.”

  I shook his hand. “Megan.”

  Next, he held out his hand to Kyle and shook his. “So what brings you all here?” he asked, sitting down and putting his feet up on the desk.

  Mason huffed. “I need some information on Megan West’s case. Apparently, her psychotic, piece of shit ex was released from prison. I need to know why no one called to tell her.”

  His head jerked in my direction and he studied me. “So you’re Megan West?” I nodded. “I thought you looked familiar. I remember your case.”

  “And I wish I could forget it.”

  “If I recall correctly, he was only supposed to serve a couple of years since they couldn’t actually prove he was intent on killing you. You fucked him up bad. I remember him telling the judge you lured him to your house so you could attack him.”

  “That’s such bullshit and everyone knows it. He was going to kill me. I should’ve finished him off when I had the chance.”

  “Don’t worry, love. He’s not getting anywhere near you,” Kyle whispered, putting his arm around me.

  Mason sat back in the chair and huffed. “All right, I’m in. Megan, come take a look at this. I think I found out why no one called you.”

  Rushing over to the desk, I kneeled down beside him and looked at the screen. “What is all of that? That’s not my information. It says I live in Austin, Texas.”

  “And it also has the wrong phone number,” he added. “I don’t know where this information came from.”

  Bryce jumped up out of his seat and joined us. “What do you mean the information’s wrong? The only people who have access to this are us and the government.”

  Mason stood up and sighed. “Not unless it got hacked somehow. Anyone trying to call Megan would’ve gotten that wrong number. It looks like someone didn’t want her to know he was out.”

  Bryce stepped in front of him and typed a couple of codes into the computer. “It says here the information was put in back in January. Alex was still in prison at that time.”

  “Then he has someone helping him,” Kyle interjected.

  Mason leaned his hands on the desk. “That he does.”

  “According to the information, it says Alex Brady lives in Florida now. That’s where I’m headed tomorrow. If you want, I can head out tonight and go to the address listed,” Bryce offered.

  Mason nodded. “That could work.”

  “Not unless you think he’s found you,” Bryce mentioned to me. “If he had someone hack into the computers, he already knows where you are. Has anything happened to you in the last couple months?”

  Kyle spoke up. “We were chased by a car while on the way home last week. The cops back home haven’t been enthusiastic to help, given my track record.”

  Mason elbowed Bryce and then pointed at him. “That’s Kyle Andrews. Surely, you’ve heard of him.”

  Bryce’s eyes went wide. “Holy shit. I thought you couldn’t walk after your last fight.”

  Kyle’s jaw clenched. “Well, now I can. Let’s get back to Megan. What if it was Alex coming after us last week?”

  The thought made me sick. All this time, Kyle thought it was his enemy going after him when it could very well have been mine instead.

  “That one’s up in the air,” Mason stated honestly. “You have a lot of people who hate you. I don’t know if we can say that’s Alex right now.” He then turned to me. “Has anything else happened?”

  Closing my eyes, I tried to concentrate on everything that’d happened in the past three months. Nothing came to mind except one, utterly disturbing realization. “Oh no,” I whispered hoarsely.

  My legs started to go numb but Kyle was there to steady me. “What is it?”

  I looked up at him and then to Mason and Bryce. “The prank calls. I’ve gotten a few of them now. I never in my life thought it could be Alex, but it is. Now that I can replay the conversations in my head, it’s him. He found me. It’s only a matter of time now.”

  He’ll come for me.

  ***

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE he’s back. Has he called you this week?” Nic asked nervously. She was cruising along the treadmill while I was busting my backside to go as fast as I could. If he did come after me, I was going to be ready.

  “No calls this week, but Tyler’s been handling the phones more now that he knows.” I sucked in a huge breath and let it out shakily as my legs pumped. Only one more mile to go and I was done.

  “Megan?” I heard my name but I couldn’t concentrate on it. Alex was around and there was nothing I could do about it. There was a restraining order against him, but he didn’t give a shit about that. “Megan!” Kyle’s shout
snapped me out of my inner turmoil. I jumped off the treadmill, gasping for air. “What the hell are you doing?”

  My lungs burned but I sucked it up. “I’m making sure I’m ready, what does it look like I’m doing?” I stalked past him to the punching bag and pounded on it as hard as I could.

  “Megan, I’ve gotta go,” Nic called out, “but you’ll be at the restaurant tonight, right?”

  I punched the bag and the pain from the blow radiated up my arm. “Yep, I’ll be there.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, she glanced up at Kyle and then nodded, her voice just above a whisper. “Okay, I’ll see you around eight.”

  Once she was gone, Kyle grabbed a hold of the bag while I pummeled away on it.

  “He’s the one who came after us, Kyle. I know it. He’ll be back for me, especially because he knows I’m with you.”

  “Then let him come after me. If he’s watching you, the last thing he needs to see is your fear. He’ll eat that shit up.”

  Stepping back, I wiped the sweat from my brow. My whole body ached now that I wasn’t moving. “I’m not scared, I’m pissed. None of this would be happening if I’d just killed him when I had the chance. Now that he’s out, it’ll never be over. I’ll constantly be looking over my shoulder.”

  Kyle put his hands on my face and shook his head. “No you won’t because I’m going to keep you safe.”

  “You’re not always going to be with me, Kyle. You can’t be with me twenty-four-seven.”

  He kissed me and let his hands slide from my face. “You’re right, it’s almost impossible to be with you every single minute of every day. But I can promise that if you ever need me, I will find a way to get to you.”

  I laid my head on his chest, his heart beat hard and strong. “I don’t think I’m worried as much about what Alex will do to me, but what he’ll do to you. He’s psychotic, Kyle. I know you have a history of being the one everybody feared, but Alex has nothing to lose. He won’t show mercy.”

  He kissed my head. “Neither will I.” His phone started to ring and I stepped back so he could answer it.

  “Megan,” Tyler called, beckoning me up to the desk.

  I left Kyle so he could talk, and joined Tyler. “What’s up?”

  He looked up at me and got to his feet. “You okay? I know with everything going on, it’s a lot to deal with.”

  “I’ll be fine, I promise. Being here and around everyone keeps me sane.”

  “Just so you know, I have cameras being installed tomorrow around the perimeter. We’ll be able to look at everything through the computer.”

  “Thanks, Tyler. You don’t know how much I appreciate that.”

  Grabbing my shoulder, he pulled me in for a quick hug. “You’re part of my family now. And one day, quite literally, if you and Kyle ever—”

  “Okay, let’s not talk about that,” I laughed.

  “Talk about what?” Kyle said, joining us.

  Tyler grinned wide. “Oh, just about how I consider her a part of the family. And that one day if you two ever tied the knot, she’d be family for real.” He winked and chuckled the whole way down to the back hallway, leaving me and Kyle standing there in an awkward silence.

  “So,” I said, switching the subject, “who was on the phone?”

  He slid his phone back into his pocket. “It was Jake. He asked if I wanted to fight tonight. Apparently, after last week, he’s had a shit ton of people request me.” I could see a twinkle in his eyes at the thought of fighting, but he looked torn.

  “Are you going to go?”

  He shrugged. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I know we’re supposed to go to the restaurant and be Nicole’s taste testers.”

  “Kyle, I’m the one she asked to be her guinea pig, not you. You were just going to drive me over there. If you want to fight, please do. I think it’ll be good for you. Tyler can take me to the restaurant and then drop me off at the Labyrinth if we get done in time.”

  His eyes lit up. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” I exclaimed, smacking him on the arm. “I’m not going to keep you from something I know you want to do. We still have to live our lives, right?”

  He smiled. “Yes, otherwise he’s won already. If you don’t get to the Labyrinth in time, I’ll just head over to your place afterward.”

  I winked. “Sounds good to me. Just make sure to win. You might get a reward if you do.”

  “How about you in a whipped cream bikini with cherries on your nips?”

  Teasingly, I bit my lip. “I think you’ve watched Varsity Blues one too many times. But I’ll see what I can do.”

  ***

  THE CLUB WAS packed, and instead of being met with revulsion at the door, I was regarded with respect. It was a good feeling. As soon as I stepped inside, the bouncer, Zane, pushed me toward the bar. “What’s up, fucker?” he shouted.

  I chuckled. “Ready to fight. What’s up with you?”

  “Taking a night off so I can watch the fights. I’m thinking about entering.” Slapping his hand on the bar, the bartender looked over and shook his head with a grin. He poured Zane another shot of whiskey and slid it to him. “I’m putting it on your tab, Z.”

  Zane tossed the shot back and waved his hand toward me. “Add another one on it for my friend.”

  The bartender poured me one. “Thanks,” I said, downing it fast.

  Zane slapped me on the shoulder and sat down. “That’ll loosen you up for your fight. You’re gonna need it. After last weekend we’ve had at least a dozen fighters want to kick your ass.”

  “Well, they’ll just have to wait in line, won’t they?”

  “Fuck yeah they will.” He cleared his throat and then turned his body toward me.

  “Something you wanna say?” I asked.

  He cleared his throat again. “Well, more of a question. If you don’t want to, it’s fine. I figured there was no harm in asking, right?”

  I waved him on. “I’m listening.”

  “I was kind of wondering if you’d train me. I heard you were teaching classes at Rushing’s. Are there any spaces left?”

  “You want to fight in the UFC?”

  He nodded. “And I figured you’d be able to help me get there. I’ve seen you fight. You’re relentless.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  By looking at him, he had the physique to be a fighter, but there was more to it than that; it took heart. “I tell you what, let me talk to Tyler and see what times he’ll let me have the ring. The classes I teach are with teenage boys. You’ll need a different kind of training. I’ll have to work one on one with you.”

  With a wide grin, Zane held out his hand. “This is fucking awesome. Thank you.”

  I shook his hand. “You’re welcome. I’ll let you know what times I’ll be available.” Looking down at my phone, I had twenty minutes. “But right now it’s time for me to fight.”

  Zane jumped off the stool and grabbed the bartender’s attention. “I’ll close my tab after the fight. We’ll be back once my friend wins.”

  He barreled through the crowd until we got to the arena room. From what I could tell, Zane was charismatic and the people around the bar loved him. If he turned out to be a good fighter, his personality would definitely be a selling point. I could make him into the fighter I wished I could’ve been.

  We strolled through the hordes of people so we could get to the back room where the other fighters prepared. There were only a handful of fighters left, including the guy I met last week, Grady. “Which one am I fighting?”

  Before he could reply, Jake stopped at my side and pointed to a guy in the corner who was wrapping his hands. He was shorter than me with black hair and a large, Celtic cross tattoo that took up his entire back. “That’s my nephew, Justin Blackwell. He’s young and adventurous but he’s a good fighter. Just go easy on him, okay? He begged to be put against you.”

  He patted my shoulder and then waltzed o
ff to join his nephew. Justin nodded at me and I acknowledged him back. “Hopefully, Jake won’t mind if I kick his nephew’s ass.”

  Zane laughed. “He won’t. Justin bugs the shit out of Jake to put him against his best fighters so I think this is more of a lesson than anything.”

  “I see. Well, I can handle that.” At least it wasn’t an enemy who wanted to get a piece of me in the ring. I already let Dean kick my ass. I wasn’t going to let anyone else do it.

  “Hey, Andrews,” Grady shouted, grinning from ear to ear. “You gonna be ready to fight me next weekend?”

  “Are you ready to fight me?” I countered.

  Chuckling, he sauntered up to me and Zane and shook both of our hands. “Fuck if I know. I figured I might as well go up against the best, right?”

  “I’m nowhere near the best, brother.”

  Grady nodded. “Yeah, I heard about the whole paralyzed thing. That would’ve fucked me up.”

  “It did for a while, but now I’m back.”

  The announcer called out his name, signaling it was time to fight. “All right, it looks like I’m on. Drinks tonight after your fight. I’m not taking no for an answer.” He rushed out of the room on down to the ring.

  “He a good fighter?” I asked Zane.

  “Yep, he’s one of the best here. He’s a newcomer, only been fighting for about two months now. The crowd loves him.”

  We watched him fight and he was definitely skilled. If I was going against him at the next match, I had my work cut out for me. Justin, however, was a different story. I didn’t want to hold back, but with him being Jake’s nephew, I had no choice. The last thing I wanted was to fuck him up and not be allowed back.

  “Dude, you wiped the floor with him!” Zane exclaimed, putting his arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go celebrate.”

  “I have to hand it to him, he’s a good fighter. Just not a heavyweight.”

  Justin was quick on his feet, but I was way out of his range. I think he realized that in the beginning of round one. He stuck it out as long as he could, but ended up tapping out at the beginning of round two.

  By the time we got a place up at the bar, Justin sat there with his head down, looking glum. I sat down beside him while Zane sat to my right.