Against the Ropes

by Sarah Castille

  Max dips his head and presses his forehead to mine. “I told you

  before, I could never be angry with you, baby. You are who you are.

  I was angry at myself for not managing the situation better, but the

  minute we stepped through the door I put it aside. You were so wound

  up I thought you could handle something more intense. I am a violent

  man, but I don’t want you ever to worry that I’ll be violent with you. I

  would rather cut off my hand than hurt you.”

  I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Okay.”

  “You don’t sound convinced.”

  “I think I just need a bit of time.”

  His brow creases with worry. “Are you…do you want to—”

  I kiss him softly. “No, Max. I’m not running away this time.”

  Chapter 23

  You Didn't Trust Me

  We make it back to the club just before opening. I have just prepped

  the first aid room when my phone vibrates. I check the Caller ID. Max.

  He tried to be respectful of my need to be alone on our trip home, but

  now that we’re back, my brief respite appears to be over.

  ....

  Where are u?

  First aid room. U know this **raises eyebrows**

  Just checking

  Okay

  Do you need anything?

  No, thanks

  Medical supplies?

  No

  Are you thirsty?

  No

  Hungry?

  No

  Cold?

  No

  Lonely?

  No

  I miss you

  U just saw me ten minutes ago

  Ten minutes is a long time

  This is true

  Do you need more time alone?

  If I did, I wouldn’t be here

  Good. I’m coming to see you

  Bad Max. Injured fighters only

  I am injured

  U r not **folds arms**

  I need minx medicine

  Have to go. Amanda calling

  .....

  Within ten seconds of speaking to Amanda on the phone, I deduce she

  is drunk. She only ever calls me Makayla when she is over her limit.

  “What have you been up to this afternoon?” I ask, after she mumbles

  something unintelligible into the phone. “It’s only seven o’clock on a

  Saturday night. You’re wasting your weekend.”

  “We settled a big case and the clients took us out for a few drinks.”

  “On a Saturday?”

  “Time has no meaning in a law firm,” she admonishes me. “You

  know that.”

  “Where are you now?”

  She giggles. “In a cab on my way to the Geek Club. I need to speak

  to Jake. I want to know if we would have had a chance if I hadn’t called

  a break.”

  Oh God. “You don’t want to do that, honey. He’s done with you.

  He’s moved on. You’re just going to embarrass yourself and get hurt in

  the process.”

  “I need closure,” she snaps. “I need to understand what went wrong.

  How could he choose that skinny society bitch over me?”

  “You hurt him.”

  “I didn’t mean to,” she says quietly.

  I fiddle with my first aid kit, repacking things that don’t need

  packing. “Couldn’t you go another night? Maybe when you haven’t

  been drinking all afternoon? Max and I could come with you.”

  “I’m going now. I need to get it over with.”

  I ball my skirt in my fist. “You can’t go there alone. It’s dangerous.

  What if Jake isn’t there?”

  She groans into the phone. “Seriously? You worry too much. I’ll go

  in, see if he’s there. If he is, I’ll talk to him, and leave. I’m not sticking

  around for the fights. And it’s not like I’m going alone to Ghost Town.

  It’s an upscale residential neighborhood. What could possibly happen?”

  “Something bad enough to cause Max to make me promise never

  to go there again.”

  Amanda snorts a laugh. “If Max had his way he would probably

  wrap you in cotton and lock you up so nothing could ever happen to

  you. He takes overprotectiveness to the extreme.”

  “He’s not that bad.”

  “Just sayin’.”

  “If I wanted to do something dangerous, he wouldn’t stop me,” I

  lie. “We have an open relationship. We would discuss it and he would

  understand my point of view.”

  “I thought I was the inebriated person in this conversation,” she

  laughs. Amanda knows me too well to be fooled. “Have a nice evening

  surrounded by hot, sweaty men.”

  “Wait,” I bark into the phone. “I’ll come with you. Promise you

  won’t go in until I get there.”

  “Don’t you have to work?”

  “I’m not leaving my best friend to wander drunk into a dangerous

  fight club looking for an altercation with her ex.”

  “You’re so sweet,” she sighs. “I remember seeing a bus stop about

  half a block away. I’ll wait for you there. DO NOT tell Max where you

  are going. I don’t want him to tip off Jake.”

  “But—”

  “If you tell him, don’t bother coming. If I find out Jake skipped out

  because you couldn’t keep a secret, I’ll be so mad at you…”

  My heart sinks. “Just promise you won’t go in without me.”

  “Pinky promise.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Max?” I knock on the door to his office and peek inside. Max

  points to the phone in his hand and waves me in.

  I take a seat on the big, comfy leather chair in front of his desk

  and wait for him to finish his call. His office reminds me of his suite

  upstairs—polished wood floors, exposed brick walls, modern fittings,

  and the big oak desk covered in D-rings. Only the paintings on the wall

  behind him don’t fit with the wood and stone decor. Both are framed

  tribal prints, one red and one green. They remind me of his tattoos.

  “Minx. What’s up?” Max asks after he finishes his call.

  I bite my lip and stare at the floor. The lie I had prepared sours on

  my tongue. I don’t want to lie to Max, but I can’t let Amanda go into

  the Geek Club alone. Maybe I can fudge it.

  “What’s wrong?” Max voice drops, and I look up just as his

  brow furrows.

  “Amanda needs me,” I say in a rush. “She’s about to do some-

  thing crazy. I know this is unprofessional, and I would never normally

  ever ask—”

  “Go, baby. I’ll find someone to cover for you.”

  My tension lifts and I exhale the breath I didn’t realize I was

  holding. “Aren’t you going to ask where or why?”

  Max grins. “I trust you. I can be reasonable, except when it comes

  to your safety.”

  My lungs tighten. I could have dealt with angry, shouting Max,

  but his kind understanding is almost too much too bear. I am an awful,

  horrible person. I am betraying his trust. He deserves better than me.

  I push myself up and ’round his desk. “Thank you.” I press a kiss

  to his forehead, but before I can turn away, he sweeps me into his lap.

  “That’s all I get?” he teases, and his dark eyes warm. “I suffer

  through an afternoon of silence and manage to restrain myself when my

  girl wants to disappear on a mysteri
ous errand, and all I get is a kiss on

  the forehead?”

  “Maybe you get a kiss on the cheek, too.” I brush my lips over his

  cheek, scratchy with his five o’clock shadow and smelling deliciously

  of cologne.

  Max frowns and twists his lips. “Hmmm.”

  “Maybe you get a kiss here, too.” I trace the outline of his lips with

  the tip of my tongue and nibble and suck his bottom lip. When he

  threads his fingers through my hair to pull me closer, I press my lips

  against his and dip my tongue into his warmth. Max moans into my

  mouth. A hot surge of need rushes through me.

  My phone rings and I look over at my purse on the chair. What if

  Amanda decided not to wait?

  “I’d better go.” I push myself away but Max holds me firm.

  “I might need more convincing.” He kisses me so hard and deep,

  my toes curl.

  My phone rings again, and I wiggle off his lap. “That’s probably

  Amanda.” I race over to the chair, grab my phone on the last ring, and

  accept the call. “Amanda. Don’t you dare go without me,” I bark into

  the receiver.

  “Ms. Delaney. Name is Ty. I’m a collector at Collections R Us. I’ve

  taken over your file from Sergio. Says here you missed a payment on

  Monday. I’m after our money.”

  My blood runs cold. “Where’s Sergio? Why are you calling me

  now?” I can’t disguise the horror in my voice.

  “You know why I’m calling.” His voice is low, rough, and nothing

  short of menacing. “Sergio is away to deal with a family emergency. I’m

  handling his files for him, and I want the fucking money.”

  “But…it’s Saturday night…you’re harassing me.”

  Ty makes a tsk tsk sound. “I’ll fucking call you whenever I fucking

  want you little deadbeat. Don’t think you’ll be putting me off the way

  you did to Serge. You had him twisted around your little finger but that

  crap doesn’t work with me. The money better be in our account first

  thing Monday morning or I’ll be taking a part of your paycheck for

  the rest of your fucking life and selling your parents’ house so fast they

  won’t know what hit them.”

  My hands shake so hard I have to grip the chair. “You aren’t allowed

  to threaten me. I’ll report you.”

  He snorts a laugh. “Christ. Like I haven’t heard that one before.

  How are you going to prove it? You got a record of this call? No fucking

  way. You got money to go to court? I don’t think so. I want my money

  honey or you and I will have a date at your workplace Monday morning

  eight a.m.”

  “Please,” I choke back a sob. “You’ll have your money. Just please

  leave my parents alone and don’t come to my work…”

  Work. Oh. My. God. I’m in Max’s office.

  I spin around. Max is standing behind me, only a few feet away.

  When I catch his gaze, his expression hardens into stone.

  “Give me the phone.” His face and his voice command compliance,

  and right now, I’m not up for a fight.

  “I have someone who wants to speak to you,” I say to Ty. I hand

  over the phone.

  “Who is this?” Max thunders.

  Ty talks for at least a minute. Max’s lips press into a thin line. His

  body stills. His face turns purple. Anger rolls off him in waves. His fury

  at my strip poker shenanigans was nothing compared to this. My thighs

  quiver and I curl up in the chair with my arms wrapped tight around

  my knees.

  “Tell me how much? The full amount.” After thirty seconds, he

  barks, “You’ll have your money on Friday and you will NEVER contact

  her again. Give me the account details.” He stalks over to his desk and

  writes the numbers on a piece of paper, and then he ends the call.

  I shake my head. “I can’t take your money, Max.”

  “You will.”

  “It’s my problem. I’ll deal with it.”

  His jaw clenches. “You don’t deal with people like that. He’ll run

  you into the ground and your parents too.”

  I nod and tears trickle down my cheeks. “That’s why I needed the

  second job.”

  His face stills and my heart skips a beat.

  “So take the money,” he shouts. “My company makes more than

  that in an afternoon.”

  “I can’t. I don’t want you to ever think it was about the money.”

  He closes his eyes and takes several deep breaths. “I know that,

  baby. I never thought for one minute you were like the others.”

  “I forbid you to make that payment, Max. If you do, I’ll never

  speak to you again. I’ll find a way out of it myself. I don’t want to be

  indebted to you. I don’t want to feel I owe you anything.” And I have

  to know I can walk away. If there was one thing I learned as a child, it

  was that.

  “Aaaargh.” Max throws the phone against the wall. I jump at the

  sharp crack as it hits the exposed brick and slides to the floor with a soft

  thud. “Of all the stubborn, irrational…”

  He rounds on me, striding toward my chair in a blaze of fury. “Why

  didn’t you tell me? After what they did to my family, how could you not

  let me know they were after you?”

  I exhale a long, slow breath. “It wasn’t him before. It was a guy

  named Sergio. He was different. More accommodating. We had a bit of

  give-and-take going. And with the second job I was pretty sure I could

  make the payments. There was no reason to involve you. And after you

  told me about your family, I didn’t want to put you through anything

  like that again.”

  “Christ.” Max rakes his hand through his hair. “Do you even under-

  stand? He will stop at NOTHING to get his money. I went through

  this when I was fourteen. He will harass you and torment you. He will

  show up at your work, your home, even if you go for a walk in the park.

  He will make your life a living hell.”

  “I’ll find a way. If it means I have to get another two jobs, then

  that’s what I’ll do. I owe the money. I intend to pay it back. If he had

  just let me make reasonable payments, it would have been fine. Plus I’ve

  filed all sorts of appeals and Amanda’s going to help me out. She’s just

  finished a big trial.”

  “Take the money and pay me back.”

  “I don’t want to owe you anything. My mother never borrowed a

  cent off anyone. Even when things were at their worst, she always found

  a way to get by. I admired her for that. I would be happy to have half

  her character.”

  Max slams his hand against the wall. “You didn’t trust me. Again.

  You didn’t think I could help you. No matter what I do, you won’t let

  me in.”

  “That’s not true.”

  He pulls open his door and looks back over his shoulder. “I am

  paying that debt, Makayla whether you want it or not. I will not let you

  suffer the way my family suffered. I won’t have him chasing after you or

  threaten your life. I’ll save you even if it means losing you.”

  The door swings closed. I am alone.

  An hour later my cab pulls up at the bus stop outside the Geek Club.

  I have tested my phone
and although it seems to have a few glitches, I

  have been able to text Amanda, check the weather, and find the nearest

  pizza joint.

  I step out of the cab, and Amanda tosses the driver a roll of bills

  and then throws her arms around me. “I’m so sorry you had a fight with

  Max. I can’t believe you still came.”

  My bottom lip quivers and I fight back the tears. I can cry later.

  Right now, Amanda needs me.

  We walk up the sidewalk to the Geek Club. Light shines from the

  edges of the blacked-out windows, and loud punk music almost drowns

  out the sounds of the fight going on inside. The night is cool and still.

  Wind brushes through the treetops. The street is eerily deserted.

  The side door is locked with no attendant in sight. Amanda sug-

  gests we walk around the garage and look for another entrance. We slip

  through a side gate and follow the wall around to the backyard. I am

  about to turn the corner when Amanda grips my shoulder and pulls me

  back behind a bush. The hushed murmur of voices carries toward us,

  and I peek through the leaves to see what’s going on.

  Three men, all wearing jeans and dark T-shirts are huddled in the

  corner. One man opens a shopping bag and pulls out four brick-size

  packages containing what looks like white powder.

  Oh. My. God. I gasp in a breath and stagger backward, pulling

  Amanda with me. “Drug deal,” I whisper. “We have to get out of

  here.” We turn to run, only to find the gate blocked by a bald giant in

  a leather jacket.

  I grab Amanda’s hand and we run back into the garden. I glance

  over my shoulder. The bruiser has been joined by the three drug dealers,

  and they are gaining on us. I wheeze in breath after breath and stumble

  over a toy truck and onto my knees. Amanda hauls me up and we keep

  running. The fence in front of us is about eight feet high and scalable if

  we find a foothold.

  Wham. Someone slams into me from behind and throws me up

  against the fence. A thick hand clamps around my neck and I suck

  frantically, trying to get air.

  “Gotcha.” My captor leans in to stare at me, his bald pate glistening

  in the moonlight. A smile creases his round, heavy face and his jowls

  jiggle as he laughs. His breath smells of garlic and onions. He brushes

  his humongous red nose against my cheek and sniffs as if he’s looking

  for truffles. I name him Pig.