Kyle's Return

by L. P. Dover

  I bumped him with my shoulder. “I do. He means a lot to me. I’m just worried about what he’ll do to Alex if they ever meet. I don’t want to see him in jail, or worse.”

  Kyle and Kacey bumped into each other, laughing as they got off of the rollercoaster for the millionth time. “Whatever he does, it’s his choice. If Alex is stupid enough to come after you again, he’s going to have more than just Kyle going after him. That fucker will get what he deserves.”

  Yes, he will. And his payback will come from me.

  “I think we’re done. I don’t think my stomach can handle another ride,” Kacey said, laughing.

  Kyle chuckled and put his arm around my waist. “I was afraid she was going to upchuck her dinner on me.” Then he nudged me. “You about ready to call it a night?”

  “I am, if you are.”

  He leaned down toward my ear and nipped it. “I’m ready to give you a ride.”

  ***

  “WHERE DO YOU want to go?” Nic asked. It was our girl’s night out and we were dressed and ready to go.

  “I figured we could get something to eat and then, I don’t know, catch a movie or something.”

  Nicole followed me out the door, beaming. “Sounds like fun. I texted Greg if it wasn’t too late when we got back that I’d see him. Hopefully, you don’t mind.”

  “Nope, because I’m pretty sure I’ll be seeing Kyle.” Actually, we would be seeing him tonight. Nic just didn’t know it yet.

  We got in my car and started on our way to the city. “I figured as much. You two are inseparable.”

  “So are you and Greg,” I laughed. “I take it things are getting serious?”

  She shrugged. “I guess so. I mean, we have sex and it’s fun, but we don’t talk about our relationship. I don’t want to appear needy so I just don’t even bring it up.”

  “Maybe you should,” I suggested.

  “Eh, I might. I like the way things are right now.”

  I didn’t believe her, but I let it go. We were past the stage in life where casual relationships were the thing. I wanted to find something real, someone I could be with for the rest of my life. I found that person in the most unlikely form imaginable.

  I was craving Italian food so I drove us to our favorite spot for dinner. My stomach was in knots the entire time, but I put on a fake smile like I wasn’t about to cause the next World War. Kyle was going to be pissed. After dinner, we got in the car and I took a deep breath. It was eight o’ clock, which meant he would be fighting in about an hour. Once we made it across town, it’d be about time.

  “Where to now?” Nicole asked, her gaze narrowed as she looked out the window. We were going in the opposite direction from the movie theater.

  “There’s somewhere I want to go. I didn’t tell you because you’d fight me on it.”

  Eyes wide, she glared at me. “You can’t be serious. Are we actually going to the club?”

  “Since when do you have problems with dancing and having a good time?”

  “Uh, when a stalker who tried to kill you might be there. Not to mention, Kyle’s going to flip the fuck out. Are you sure this is a good idea?”

  We made it to the club and I parked, my hands shook as I pulled out the keys. I wasn’t scared of Alex, but more afraid of what was going to happen if I saw him. “Sitting around and waiting for that prick to make another move isn’t a good idea. If you don’t want to do this, I can take you home. Either way I’m going inside.”

  Blowing out a breath, she rested her head against the seat. “Don’t take me home. If you’re so hell bent on doing this, I’m not going to let you do it alone.”

  “Thanks, Nic.”

  The line wrapped around the building, but Zane was the one working the front. I hated skipping lines, but I had no choice. He saw us approach and his eyes lit up. “What the hell are you doing here? Andrews didn’t say you were coming.”

  “That’s because he doesn’t know,” I replied.

  “Why not?”

  Nicole huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Because her psychotic ex who tried to kill her is out of jail and most likely in there right now.”

  Clenching my jaw, I rolled my eyes and groaned. Zane laughed at first, but then stopped when he saw we were serious. “Shit, you’re not kidding.”

  “I wish we were. Zane, I’d like you to meet Nicole. Nicole, this is Zane.”

  “Nice to meet you,” he said, shaking her hand. He motioned for another bouncer to take his place and pulled us aside. “Does Andrews know about this?”

  “Yes, but we’re not certain it’s my ex. I’m almost positive it is, but I won’t know unless I see him for myself.”

  Zane’s jaw clenched and his gaze grew hard. “Well, you’re not going to do it alone. I’ll walk you in there and take you where you need to go. Andrews will kill me if anything happens to you.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it. I won’t let Kyle kick your ass for letting us come inside.”

  “You better not.” He started toward the door with us in tow. “All right, girls, right through here.”

  There were people everywhere and we had to squeeze through. Taking Nicole’s hand, I held on tight and pulled her with me. “Where’s Kyle at?” I asked.

  “He’s in the back room with the other fighters.” He looked down at his watch. “His fight is supposed to start in three minutes. Do you see your ex anywhere?”

  I glanced around the room but there were too many people. “Not yet. It’s hard to tell with this many people.” The crowd buzzed with excitement and I could hear Kyle’s name being spoken through the various conversations as we passed. Zane pushed us through and found us three seats so we could sit down and watch the fight. “Do you think Kyle will see us here?”

  He shook his head. “I doubt he’ll be looking that closely; especially since he doesn’t know you’re going to be here.”

  The announcer walked up into the ring and addressed the crowd. When he called out Kyle’s name, the people shouted and clapped. The way Kyle smiled walking down to the ring made my insides flutter. He jumped into the ring and circled around with his hand in the air.

  “Maybe Alex isn’t here,” Nic whispered in my ear.

  I shrugged. “Maybe, but we just got here. I’ll keep looking.” The announcer called out the next fighter’s name, but I kept searching the crowd. Nicole elbowed me in the side. “What?” She had her finger pointed at something and I followed her line of sight. I gasped and grabbed her knee in a tight squeeze.

  His hair was dyed a deep brown and his eyes were still as dark as night. Instead of being medium sized, he had beefed up to be just as huge as Kyle, all muscular and cut. I guess he had nothing else to do in prison but work out. There was no way I could fight him and get away like I did before. Grabbing Zane’s arm, I squeezed it hard. “What the fuck is Alex doing in the ring?”

  As we looked on, Kyle shook Alex’s hand and talked to him like they were friends. Zane looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “In the ring? That’s Grady Danvers. He’s been fighting here for two months. He and Kyle are friends.”

  Friends? Two months? Holy fuck.

  Alex had changed so much, even if you saw a picture of him before, you’d question if it was him now. But no amount of muscles or changing the color of his hair could disguise him from me. What made it even more real was the tattoo on his arm. Because intertwined in his tattoos was my name.

  The fight had started and I felt so sick I could barely stand.

  Zane helped steady me as I sat down in the chair. “You’re serious aren’t you? Kyle has no fucking clue he’s been chatting it up with your ex. I need to tell Jake.”

  I swallowed hard. “Yes, you do, but more importantly, I need to call Detective Griffin. He’s been trying to find Alex.”

  “There’s also something more important than that,” Nic cut in. She peered up into the ring where both Kyle and Alex pummeled each other before Kyle knocked him down to the mat. The first round was almost
over. “Someone needs to tell Kyle.”

  ***

  IT WAS THE end of round one. Chuckling, I helped Grady to his feet. “Have you thought about competing in the UFC? I don’t think I’ve seen your name before.”

  “You haven’t,” he replied with a smirk. “Maybe one day I’ll think about it. Right now it’s not what I’m interested in.” He strolled over to his corner and I went to mine. Zane rushed up to the cage and waved me over with impatience.

  “What’s your problem?” I asked with a chuckle.

  He glared over at Grady, his expression dark. “I don’t have the problem, you do. You’re not fighting who you think you are, Andrews.”

  What the hell was he talking about? “Oh yeah? Who am I fighting?” My gaze caught someone in the crowd as Zane answered and by the look in her honey eyes, everything fell into place.

  “It’s Alex, Megan’s ex.”

  Hearing his name made me snap. Anger boiled in my veins and even more so that Megan was there without my knowledge. However, if she wasn’t, I’d have never known what her bastard of an ex was up to.

  Ding, ding, ding. Round two. Without so much as a second thought, I stormed over to Alex, not caring about technique or rules. I punched him on the side of the head and then countered with an elbow to the nose. I wanted blood and I sure as hell was going to get it. The crowd roared in excitement but it only fueled my rage. Before I could get a hold of his neck, he slipped away, laughing. He swiped the blood away from his nose, but more gushed out.

  “Damn, you’re a sneaky son of a bitch, aren’t you?” he taunted.

  We circled around the ring and I snarled. “Fuck you, Alex. Game over.”

  He broke out in a smile. “Ah, so you know who I am. My girl must be here.” He looked around for her and I went on the attack.

  I rammed into his legs and took him down to the mat. He countered by elbowing me in the side. I felt a rib crack. The pain was nothing compared to the rage I felt. “So help me if you ever get near her again, I’ll break your fucking neck,” I hissed.

  We grappled on the mat and I was close to getting his neck in my grasp, but the fucker played dirty. “You gonna kill me, cocksucker? Take your best shot.” Elbowing me again in the same spot, I growled and let him go. Now he was back up on his feet and his eyes lit up when he found Megan in the crowd. “She’s a beautiful thing, isn’t she? Sorry to tell you, one way or another, I’ll have that sweet pussy wrapped around my cock again soon.”

  Something clicked the moment I heard those words come out of his mouth. The thought of him touching and violating her kicked me over the edge. I wanted him to suffer like he’d done to her for years.

  Alex flexed his arms and rubbed a hand over his arm, right where Megan’s name was clearly visible. “One way or another,” he repeated.

  Ding, ding, ding. The bell rang, ending the round, but I didn’t give a fuck. I barreled toward him and slammed him against the cage. He pounded his fist against the back of my head but I countered with deadly force. Blood sprayed everywhere and I knew it was mine mixed with his. Shouts and screams from the crowd echoed in my ear, but I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to.

  “Andrews, stop,” a voice yelled above the others.

  Hands wrapped around my chest, pulling me away. Still, I punched and kicked. Alex was a bloody mess, but he laughed the entire time. I couldn’t look away from him until Megan stepped in my line of sight with tears streaming down her cheeks.

  Her hands clasped my face, drawing me toward her. “Kyle, it’s me, calm down.” I tried to look over at Alex, but she gripped me harder. “Don’t focus on him. Look at me.” Clenching my teeth, I closed my eyes for only a second and then opened them back up.

  Nicole pointed toward the ring. Jake had two of his bouncers apprehend Alex and drag him toward the back room. “They’ve got him. When did the detective say he would be here?”

  “Soon,” Megan answered, then focused on me. “I called Ryan Griffin, the detective Mason put on my case. When we saw Alex enter the ring, I called him. He’s coming to take Alex away for questioning.”

  “He wants you back,” I growled.

  Swallowing hard, she nodded. “I know, babe. He can try, but this time he won’t make it out alive.”

  That was for damn sure. “Zane, let me go,” I commanded.

  He snorted and held on tighter. “Are you going to behave and not go on a killing spree?”

  “Keep holding me back and you’ll be my first victim.” He let me go and stepped back.

  Megan jumped in my arms as soon as I was free, clutching me desperately. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

  I wanted to be angry with her for putting herself in danger, but if she hadn’t . . . Wrapping my arms around her waist, I held her tight and breathed her in. “I was pissed, but if you didn’t come, I wouldn’t have known who Grady was.”

  “You guys, I think the police are here,” Nicole informed us.

  Megan pulled away and we watched as three police officers waltzed into the back room and emerged with Alex in their grasp. Holding Megan close, I glared at him as they walked past. His dark, soulless eyes watched her as if she was prey. She didn’t balk, but stood her ground and glared back at him. As soon as he was gone, she let out her breath.

  Jake trudged up with one of the officers beside him. The officer was a couple inches shorter than me with red hair and beady eyes. “Megan, this is the Chief of Police, Ryan Griffin.”

  Ryan stepped forward and held out his hand to her. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Ms. West.” He glanced at me and Nicole, then back to Megan. “If you don’t mind, I’d like for you all to come to the station.”

  “Of course,” Megan agreed. “We’ll be right there.”

  Ryan stalked off and Jake pulled us to the side. “Megan, are you okay?”

  She nodded. “I’m fine.”

  “So what’s going on?” he asked us all.

  I huffed and was about to answer, but Megan jumped in. “My ex, who was in jail for trying to kill me, is back and harassing me. I’m pretty sure he’s the one who tried to run me and Kyle over. I guess he doesn’t like seeing me with another man.”

  “So basically he wants Kyle out of the way.”

  “And me,” she said wearily. “He would rather see me dead than with anyone else.”

  Jake sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry you have to go through this again. Just know that he’ll never be allowed back in here.”

  “Thanks,” she murmured.

  His attention swayed to me. “Why don’t you wash up quickly in my office? You don’t want to go to the station covered in blood.”

  Nodding, I grabbed Megan’s hand. “Come with me.” I didn’t want to let her out of my sight.

  ***

  AS LONG AS I lived, I knew I would never get the vision out of my mind of watching Kyle charge after Alex. It was terrifying, almost as if Kyle was someone else. Nicole followed us in my car so I could ride with him to the police station.

  “You’re quiet,” I whispered. The whole time he spent washing up in Jake’s bathroom, he was silent. Now we were on our way to the police station and I wanted him to talk to me.

  He grabbed my hand and brought it up to his split lip and kissed it. “There’s just a lot on my mind right now.”

  I nodded. “I know.”

  We pulled into the parking lot of the police station and he shut off his truck, but made no move to get out. Nicole parked beside us and waited. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that,” he murmured.

  I turned my body to face him. “Like what?”

  His head was down, but then he sighed and faced me. “In a rage. The last thing I want is for you to be afraid of me.”

  “Kyle, that’s never going to happen. Just because you went after Alex doesn’t make me think you’ll hurt me. On the contrary, it lets me know that you’ll do anything to keep me safe. It makes me love you more.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “I do love you. It scar
es the fuck out of me, but I do.”

  I snickered, which brought a small smile to his face. “I’m glad to know that something scares the big, bad Kyle Andrews.”

  Chuckling, he opened up his door. “Just don’t go telling people.”

  “Your secret’s safe with me.”

  We joined up with Nicole. “How about we get this over with and go home and eat ice cream?” she suggested.

  “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  Once inside the station, we were directed to Ryan’s office, who finished up his call and motioned us in. “Good, you’re here. I just got off the phone with Mason and told him everything that happened tonight.”

  “So what do you need from us?” I asked.

  Sighing, he leaned over on his desk, clasping his hands. “We have a problem. I can’t find any connections Alex has to anyone here, and by the description of the car that tried to run you over, I can’t pin it on him without evidence.”

  “What about the restraining order? The phone calls?”

  “The order is still in effect,” he added. “However, Mr. Brady swears up and down that he didn’t know you were in Vegas. Now that he knows, he has no choice but to adhere to the order.”

  Kyle tensed beside me, growling. “That’s bullshit and you know it.”

  Ryan nodded. “It is, but if he gets near Megan again in any way, charges will be filed and he’ll go back to jail. If he so much as leaves another flower on your doorstep, I’ll haul his ass in myself.”

  “What are you going to do with him tonight?” I questioned.

  He stood and headed for the door. “I’m going to talk to him. I thought you’d want to watch. He won’t be able to see you.”

  Kyle and Nic both lifted their brows, waiting on my reply. Taking a deep breath, I stood and they followed suit. “Let’s go.”

  We followed Ryan down a long hallway and he opened a door to a room with a line of chairs. The window was off to the left and through it, we could see Alex sitting casually at a table. His face was black and blue, but he had a smirk like nothing was wrong.