by Laurie Roma
“Fuck you, man. I don’t have that kind of problem. It’s just…I made a bet with her.”
“With Zoe?” Dare asked after a long moment of silence.
“Yeah. She thinks I’m a man whore.”
“Well, yeah…you kind of are, aren’t you?”
Dante shot a dark look at him. “That’s the fucking issue. The only time I really feel anything is when I’m fucking or fighting, so that’s what I do...or did. She won’t let me touch her because of it. So, we made a bet. If I can last four months without touching anyone else, she’ll give me a shot.”
“Okay,” Dare said carefully as he began to eat again. “So, you have two more months to go?”
Dante let out a groan like he was dying. “It’s gonna kill me. I swear to God, I’m going to fucking die if I don’t touch her soon. Besides, I don’t want anyone else...just her.”
Dare shoved more food in his mouth to keep from having to say anything at the moment. Christ, he didn’t know what to say. Dante Fox certainly had a reputation with the ladies. It was common for soldiers returning from a warzone to deal with stress in whatever way they could. Unfortunately, some lost themselves in a bottle trying to dull the memories of what they had seen and done, while others found different ways to beat back their personal demons.
Wasn’t he doing the same damn thing?
He was saved from responding when a large hand came down on his back, almost knocking him off his stool.
“There he is! Damn good to see you, boy!”
Dare turned and had to smile as he saw Malcolm Fox’s weathered face grinning at him. As a former Ranger himself, Malcolm Fox was tough as nails. After he’d left the service, Malcolm Fox had moved back to Breakers and opened The Fox Hole. Wanting to provide for his fellow brothers-in-arms, he’d make a habit of employing men after they got out of the military. Dare knew that the men that hung out at the bar had gained the moniker Breakers’ Bad Boys, because most of them had bad-ass attitudes, tattoos, and rode motorcycles, but they were damn good men who fiercely protected the town.
“Malcolm,” he said in greeting as he shook the older man’s hand.
“If it isn’t Dr. Hottie, himself.”
“Son of a bitch!”
“I had a good laugh about that when I heard that’s what the women in town were calling you.” Malcolm laughed and slapped Dare on the back again, then he turned to address his son. “Hey, I just got a call from your sister. Danica tried to call you, but she said you didn’t answer.”
“Damn it. I left my phone in the office. Is she okay? What’s going on?”
“She’s fine. Just wanted to say hi, and said she’d try again tomorrow or you could call her back later.” Malcolm explained to Dare. “Ever since my daughter won that damn TV dance contest, she’s been gallivanting all over the world.”
“Gemma,” Dante clarified. “She’s touring with Gemma.”
“The singer? No, shit? That’s a huge accomplishment,” Dare said and noticed both Malcolm and Dante beamed with pride.
“I know. My sister has been the head choreographer for Gemma for the last few years. They’re on tour now. Again.”
“It sucks having her so far away,” Malcolm grumbled. “She should be home, where we know she’s safe.”
“And do what, dad? Tend bar?”
“She is part owner of this place, too!”
“Danica is a damn dancer,” Dante shot back. “Even if we want her home you can’t just hide her in here.”
“Ha!” Malcolm cried out as he pointed a finger at his son. “You say that, but I’m not the one who got banned from visiting her.”
Dante scowled. “You should see all the men hanging all over my sister after they see her dance on stage. The fucking perverts.”
“Damn right,” Malcolm agreed. He leaned a forearm on the bar, and smiled at Dare. “So, I was glad to hear you were moving to Breakers.”
“Oh, I’m not—”
“Sure you are,” Malcolm said, barreling right over Dare’s protest. “Don’t know if the Breakers Hospital is looking for anyone right now, but I doubt they would turn down someone with your expertise and experience.”
“Really, I don’t—”
Malcolm slapped his back again, knocking the wind out of him. “You be sure to stop on by the hospital when you have a moment. I know one of the administrators there, Alda Hertz. She’s a good woman, and will be happy to see you. I’ll tell her you’re coming by.”
“Dad, stop torturing the man.”
Malcolm winked at his son. “Just giving him options. Since he seems to be sweet on our Evie, I thought I’d help make it easier for him to settle in.”
“How the hell—”
“Breakers is a small town, son. If you don’t want everyone to know your business, you shouldn’t be mauling her out where everyone can see. Oh, and Dare? Your meal is on us. Welcome home.” Malcolm left grinning before Dare could do more than scowl.
Dante snickered. “So, Evie, huh?”
“Fuck off. At least I’m not the one being castrated by a stupid bet.”
Dante’s good humor vanished instantly at that reminder. Both men brooded in silence until Dare finally said, “Hell. I’ve lost my appetite. Why don’t you come with me to the gym? Let’s go beat the shit out of each other for awhile in the ring.”
Dante blew out a breath. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
****
Dare and Dante pounded on each other for a good few hours at the gym to the entertainment of everyone at Fight Hard.
By the time Dante left to go back to the bar, Dare felt the edge of his irritation had faded. He spent some time cooling down with a light workout on the machines while he watched Hammer training some young men in the ring. His friend was good with the fighters. Hammer showed an aptitude for teaching just as strong as his own talent in the ring had been.
Finished with his workout, Dare went back into the locker room to shower and change. He had to shake his head at the accommodations Hammer had the place outfitted with. The damn locker room looked like it belonged in some high-class country club or something instead of a small town gym. After he got out of the shower, he heard his phone ping with an incoming message as soon as he opened his locker. He sat down to check it with his towel wrapped around his waist, and when he pulled up the text and saw it was from Toro, Dare’s stomach clenched.
I think this is what you were looking for. Your lady had it rough. Let me know if you need anything else.
Dare opened the attached files, trying to stay calm as he read through the information. It wasn’t easy. According to the information that Toro had pulled together for him, Evie didn’t just have it rough...she had lived through something no one should ever have to face.
When she had been fourteen, three men had broken into her family home and had killed her parents. Her father had been wealthy land developer, and one of the men had been caught dealing drugs using the company as means to distribute. When the men forced their way in, Evie had called the police and tried to hide, but the men had found her and taken her with them when they fled the home.
Wounded, the family dog had aided in the search for Evie through the woods located in the back of the property, leading the search team straight to her. The drug dealers thought they could hide out until it was safe to get away, but instead they had been apprehended in the matter of hours. Two of the men were killed in the takedown, and the dog had succumbed to his wounds and died only moments after Evie had been found.
Evie had testified at the trial of the remaining man, ensuring that he was put away for life. The courtroom had been filled with Breakers residents each day of the trial, full of people who had been there to support Evie in honor of her parents' memories.
Dare’s heart ached for her loss, and couldn’t imagine what she had suffered in the hours that those men had held her captive. There were additional news articles highlighting a young girl’s struggle to deal with the aftermath of what had happened to her f
amily. She had been to counseling and under the care of a psychiatrist, but what really seemed to have helped her deal with her trauma had been how the men and women of the town had come together and provided an impenetrable shield around her.
When she hadn’t wanted to leave Breakers, her Uncle Tony and Aunt Colleen had moved their children Hunter, Beckett and Francesca to be with her. Aiding the police department, Tony, Malcolm Fox and several other men in the community had come together to rid the town of the drugs flowing in, and had earned their moniker as the Breakers’ Bad Boys with their unconventional methods to keep their town safe.
Dare sat there staring at his phone for long minutes, surprised he didn’t crush the damn thing with the sheer force of his rage thinking about how three men had ripped apart Evie’s life, all because of drugs. He slowly put his phone down on one of the shelves inside the locker, but didn’t move from his seat. The sound of the door opening had Dare turning, and he saw as Hammer turned the corner. He paused, then moved to Dare’s side, sitting down next to him on the bench.
“I just spoke to Kali. She’s at home cooking up a storm.”
“Great.”
“Is there some reason you’re sitting here looking so morose?”
“I did something. I asked a contact of mine at the agency to pull up some background information about Evie.”
“Damn, Nyght. Why’d you do that? You could have just asked me whatever you wanted to know.”
“She said some cryptic things about her past that I needed to know. I didn’t want to involve anyone.”
Hammer shook his head. “Brother, you should know better. You don’t go digging into a woman’s past without a court order, and even then she’s damn well gonna make you pay for it. So, you know about what happened to her parents now?”
“Yeah. Jesus, Hammer.”
“I know. It’s why she works so hard to rehab those dogs and is part of the search and rescue team. My cousin is a strong woman, Dare. It was rough on her, but she survived.”
Dare glanced over. “Aren’t you gonna warn me away from your cousin?”
“Why? You’re one of the best men I know. Why wouldn’t I want my cousin with you?”
Dare let out a half laugh. “Christ, Hammer. How can you say that? You don’t even know what I’ve been doing these last few years.”
Hammer studied his friend, taking his time to figure out exactly what he wanted to say. He turned so he was facing Dare on the bench. Damn, it broke his heart the way Dare seemed to be bracing himself as if for a blow. He looked so fucking lost, so alone, but he wasn’t. Hammer may not know exactly what Dare had been through, but he knew enough to guess. And if it was even close to what he’d imagined, then his friend wouldn’t be left to pick up the pieces unaided.
“I know you, Dare. You’re not just my friend, you’re like a brother to me. You may have gone through some tough shit, and still may be going through the hard right now, but that doesn’t change the fact that I know you’re a good man.” He held up his hand to stall whatever Dare would have said. “You know, when I got back stateside and started fighting, I thought I had found the perfect way to channel all the emotions I felt about what I had been through.”
Dare nodded. “You were good at fighting. Still are, Hammer. Actually, you’re a damn good trainer, too. I noticed that today.”
“Thanks, that means a lot coming from you.” And Hammer was shocked at just how much that was true. When he’d left the Army, Hammer had been just as lost as Dare now seemed. But Hammer had been lucky to find people who had helped and supported him when he’d started fighting with the Cage Fighting League. Civilians didn’t understand just how much time in the military could change a man...or how painful it was to come back and have everyone expect something that wasn’t possible.
Hammer had faced that disappointment from people when they’d realized he wasn’t the same man he used to be. He was harder, more severe, and much more jaded. Growing up with a fucked up childhood like he had, it was saying a lot when people barely recognized him upon his return.
Then came the fame, but few people knew the truth.
“What I’ve never told anyone is that after every fight I had, I got sick. I mean throw my fucking guts up sick. I was so fucking terrified I would really hurt someone, that I wouldn’t hear them ring that bell. That I wouldn’t stop. Jesus, Dare. There were times I simply switched off. As soon as the other guy came at me, I went into survival mode, and just reacted. When the fight was over, that’s what I celebrated. Not the win, but that I didn’t kill anyone. It made me sick to realize that, until I finally understood it. Accepted it.”
“You seemed to make it work for you.”
Hammer nodded. “I did, but it took a long fucking time, and a hell of a lot of training. We all have to deal with it. You, me, Hunter, Storm, Dante. Hell, it’s why I don’t let any of the amateurs spar with Dante in the ring in a real fight. He has good training instincts and the younger guys respond to him, but he still has that edge to him and I can’t risk him unleashing on some poor kid. It’s not his fault, though. We’ve spent years training for combat, man. That’s not something we can just forget overnight.”
Dare glanced away and stared down at his own hands. They were clean now, but in his mind he saw them covered with blood. Looking back up, Dare forced himself to say the words. “I killed someone, Hammer. I killed him looking him in the eyes just like I’m doing with you right now. I’m a fucking doctor. I’m supposed to save lives, not take them.”
“I’m sorry you had to do that,” Hammer said softly.
“He was the terrorist leader in Spain. I had to stop him before he blew up another church filled with people. It was like something out of a fucking nightmare, all the people dead or dying and there was nothing I could do. No way to stop it...until that moment. Until I did stop it.”
“You don’t have to explain your actions to me, Nyght. Whatever you were forced to do, I know you had a good reason without you having to tell me. No matter what, you are a good man. Nothing you tell me is going to convince me otherwise.”
Dare closed his eyes for a moment, overwhelmed by what Hammer’s acceptance of him made him feel. His chest grew tight with barely restrained emotions. To know the faith his friend had in him was staggering. And knowing that helped lift some of the weight that had been on his shoulders since he’d pulled the trigger in Spain.
“You don’t know how much that means to me to hear you say that,” Dare said in a low voice, rough with emotion.
“I mean it.” Hammer cleared his throat and patted Dare’s bare shoulder. “It took me a long time to get my head right. Even when I thought I had, things really changed for me when I met Kali.”
“She’s a good woman. Too damn good for you.”
Grinning, Hammer tapped the wooden bench with his fist. “Oh, I know it. But now that I have her, I’m gonna make damn sure she stays mine. It’s funny what loving the right woman can do for a man. She makes me better.”
Dare raised a brow at that. “If you say she completes you, I may just have to hit you.”
“Shut up. You know what I mean. She makes me want to be a better man for her. Not because she demands it. For some damn reason she loves me just as I am, but I want to be everything she needs, and that is how loving her makes me better. So, going back to what I said about my cousin—”
“Oh, no. I’m not looking for love—”
“Which is the perfect time for it to happen. I have it on good authority.”
Dare’s eyes narrowed. “And what is this authority?”
“The women, of course. Sometimes Kali and her friends get together and I can’t escape, so I have to listen to them babble on about all kinds of girly shit. According to them, people who aren’t looking for love are the ones who find it. And happy people who are in love seem to attract other happy people—”
“Oh my God!”
Hammer bellowed out a laugh. “I’m just fucking with you now. Come on, get dress
ed so we can go eat. I’m starving.” He paused with a smirk. “I would hug it out, but you’re in nothing but a towel and that is much closer to your junk than I want to be.”
“You’re such a dick.”
“Yeah, love you, too.”
Chapter Seven
Evie glanced at the empty bottle of wine on the table, then shook her head at her three friends who were sitting with her in the living room of the her house. “Why is it every time you three come over I end up with a hangover?”
“Because we’re fun,” Zoe Lang said with a laugh. As a bartender, she was used to pouring drinks and she topped off their glasses after opening a brand new bottle of wine.
Nikita leaned back on the couch and smiled as she pet one of Evie’s dogs who was sprawled out over her lap. “I don’t get hangovers.”
“Which is why we hate you.” Becca Nuria glared at her twin sister, making them all laugh. She and Nikita had identical facial features, but that was where the similarities stopped. Becca worked at the bakery with Kali and lived in the apartment above Sinfully Sweet. She was softer, more curvy than Nikita. Becca had a gentle nature, while her twin was basically bad-ass. “I still don’t understand how you’re not affected by alcohol the same way I am. It’s damn unfair.”
“Life is unfair,” Nikita replied with a shrug as she sipped from her glass. “I’m glad the adoption went well today. I liked that little mutt, and I’m glad you found him a good home.”
“The family that adopted Monster already loves him. It’s so nice to see when an entire family bonds with a dog,” Evie agreed. The mutt in question was a dog named Monster, who was one of the ugliest looking dogs they’d ever had at the center. Despite his looks, he had one of the sweetest dispositions and was caring and gentle. Evie and a few of the crew had rescued him from below a highway overpass where he had been abandoned.
“Too bad Kali is missing out tonight since she’s having dinner with Hammer and Dare. She’s gonna miss out on all the good gossip. I wanna hear all about you and Dr. Hottie,” Zoe said as she rubbed a foot on Lancelot who was sprawled on the floor near her feet.