No Fear

by Heather Allen

  It’s enough to propel me forward. I yell out, “Luciano!”

  He turns, not as surprised to see me as I’d hoped.

  “Greylan, you care to join the party? I’ve just about had enough of you as it is. These two wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for you.” A scowl spreads over his face, making him look like the true mob boss I pictured in my thoughts as a child.

  Meyer yells, “Grey, go back. This isn’t about you. Get away.”

  I can’t believe he’s saying these things. My feet won’t move; they’re frozen in place. I can’t let this happen. One of Luciano’s guys tries to grab my arm, but I move away and kick him in the groin. He bends over in pain. Luciano grabs a gun from the thug closest to him and aims it at me. My hands go up into the air. Fuck.

  Before I know it, though, lights shine in the night. I’m blinded momentarily, and then there are bodies—all dressed in black, moving all over the place. It reminds me of ants; when you disrupt their line, they scatter. A shot is fired and another…and more, until I lose count. My heart stops and my feet are moving forward. A loud beating overhead, the source of the light, whips around the desert floor and I realize what is happening. A raid. We’re saved, but are we? I rush to where I last saw Meyer and Mollie. The sight is one that will burn my eyes forever. I won’t ever be able to get it out of my head. Mollie is sitting sprawled out on the ground, blood all over, with Meyer’s lifeless body in her arms and tears streaming relentlessly down her face. I look away, not wanting to face this. My eyes land on Luciano—his white suit, dirty with soot from being pushed to the ground, and a blossoming red spot on his chest. I rush at him, but I’m grabbed from behind. Jackson’s breath is hot on my neck. He softly says, “No, don’t; he’s not worth it.”

  I feel like I’m falling as I sink to the ground. Meyer is gone. My ears begin ringing and the last thing I remember is soft arms around me and Christina saying, crying out, “Hang in there, Grey. Please, hang in there.” I’m confused by her words. I feel something sticky on my side and realize as I look down that I’ve been shot.

  “Hang in there, baby. I love you. Please don’t leave me.”

  Chapter 33

  When I wake up, my head is foggy. I remember what happened the night before, but it seems like it happened so long ago—as if I’m in a tunnel, seeing things far away. But reality hits when Christina and Jackson explain the events as they saw them after I passed out from a bullet to my gut.

  Apparently, Meyer had been working with the FBI to take Luciano down. They found him when he left Vegas, before Luciano got to him, and somehow they were able to persuade him to come back and make things right by setting Luciano up. The guilt got to him, I guess. Oh man, Meyer. Christina said he died from the bullet to his chest. She said that Luciano was going to kill Meyer and Mollie for helping me defy him. His own daughter. I still can’t even fathom that. Christina said Mollie left right after they took her father away, and no one has heard from her. I don’t think anyone will.

  An hour later, Trinity walks into the room, a look of regret on her face. I want to wipe it away. She has nothing to be sorry about. This was all me, just as she said to Christina: how could I let them control me like that?

  My voice comes out low. “Trin, you better not have any regret on that face.” Christina and Jackson leave us, which is good because we have a lot to say. There’s a lot of healing to do.

  She shakes her head, her long dark hair dragging along her back with the movement. “No, Grey, no regrets; we just need to talk. And before I say anything, please know that I have always had you in mind, first and foremost.”

  Before she can get any further, I ask the only thing I can focus on at the moment because I’ve been dreading this day for a long time. “Are you still going through with the wedding?”

  She smiles, shaking her head. I can’t help the smile as it spreads across my lips. I’m relieved. And at that moment, anything else she has to say will be fine, as long as Parker isn’t in her life anymore.

  She sits on the edge of the chair closest to the bed and grabs my hand. “Now that that’s out of the way, can we talk?”

  I nod. “Yep.” I’m still feeling pretty euphoric about the no wedding news.

  “Okay, first I want to tell you that you’re an asshole, for letting your little sister get involved with the mob.” My mouth hangs open as she giggles at my reaction and continues.

  “Lucky for you, your friend was looking out.”

  My brows quip in confusion. Then it comes to me. “Meyer?”

  She nods. “Before he left town, he told me about the mob and Parker. It was really hard to do, but I convinced everyone—even you—that I was still in it and didn’t know. But you know me better than anyone. That’s why last night, when you didn’t come up to argue with me, I was so surprised. Why would you think I’d be okay with all of this?”

  I shake my head, pissed at myself for not following my first instinct the night before.

  “I don’t know, Trin. You’ve grown up so much and I just want you to be happy. I’ve fucked up a lot. I want you to make your own decisions. I guess I decided to step away at the wrong time.”

  She shifts in the chair, crossing her legs. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up too much. After Meyer left, when he told me, I really didn’t know what to do. I wanted to crawl out of my skin because I hated being with Parker, knowing that he was lying to me. I was very angry with you too. Here were the two big strong guys supposed to be protecting me, and you both let me believe I was safe, that the world was okay.”

  “Oh, Trin. I wanted to tell you so many times. I was going to, but I thought I was keeping you safe by not telling you.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Well, when Meyer came back and told me that he had a plan, it was the perfect chance. I knew I could help you and get you out of this crap. That’s all I ever wanted. You lost five years of your life and your dream because of some idiot. I wanted you to be free, finally.”

  “I didn’t know when it would all go down or how, but my job was to keep playing the part. It was so hard not telling you, especially last night at the restaurant when you didn’t even give me a hard time.”

  I shake my head again at my stupidity. I was finally willing to let her go and decide for herself, and she already had. Looking at my sister and her wide chocolate eyes, I admire her. She took care of me when I didn’t even know I needed it.

  “So here is the part, my part of this whole thing.” A tear escapes her eye. “I’m so sorry about Meyer. He wanted to be around for this part. It was what he was looking forward to the most.”

  I wait, sad and heartbroken that my friend would do all of this for me. I miss the idiot already.

  “The fight with Parker is still on. Of course, you have to be approved to get back in the cage. But as soon as you are, you have to win. It’s going to set some other things off. The FBI is still after others. Luciano wasn’t the only one.”

  I realize as she speaks that I would have never been able to get out without Meyer’s help. It was his last gift to me, his way of taking his regret away. My heart hangs with the loss. Maybe I was too hard on him. Maybe I really didn’t know him like I thought I did.

  I frown, still not sure what more she has to do with this. At this point, I want Trinity and Christina as far away from the mob as possible. I glance around the room, noticing for the first time the table on the other side, which is full of vases and flower arrangements. Trinity follows my gaze and smiles. “Lots of people want you to get better.”

  I shift to face her again, wincing at the pain spreading from my side. It’ll be a while until I’ll be back in the cage. This worries me.

  “Trin, what does that mean for you? Can they send you away until I fight?”

  She shakes her head apologetically. I want to scream, knowing what it means. “I have to go back. Parker will suspect something if I leave out of the blue. I have to keep pretending.”

  Suddenly, I don’t like this plan at all, and I wa
nt to talk to someone in charge. How can they put my sister in danger like this?

  “Trinity, I want to speak with one of the people in charge of this whole thing. And what about Luciano? The other people will know now that he has been arrested. They won’t do anything to get caught now.” A thousand other thoughts run around through my head, but I can’t contain any of them because the fear for my sister blares louder than anything else.

  She shakes her head. “It was done quietly. He was taken, caught shooting Meyer and you. They all think he went too far as it is. He wasn’t careful like the rest of them. But by the time you are ready to fight again, everyone will be comfortable again. Their guards will be down, business as usual.”

  I’m amazed at my sister’s knowledge but still uneasy with this whole plan, and I still want to talk to someone in charge. But I decide it can wait, because my whole body decides it would rather rest instead. My sister hugs me before she leaves the room. She looks back over her shoulder before my eyes close. “Grey, soon we’ll be done with all this. I promise.” My last thought is of Meyer. He made a promise to get me out of this too.

  Chapter 34

  Exactly one month after I was shot, I am scheduled to fight Parker. It has killed me every day to know that Trinity is living with Parker; but the few times she has been able to talk, she assured me that he believed every word she fed him about fighting me and deciding it was best we didn’t talk. I knew if he bought that, she would be okay. That’s one thing about Trinity—she’s stubborn. If she makes up her mind about something, there’s no changing it. I’m sure Parker figures he would be safe from her knowing about the mob if she isn’t speaking to me. My sister is pretty ingenious, I guess.

  The fight is tonight, and my nerves are more on edge than ever. I’ve spoken to the officers in charge of the operation a bunch of times, and they’ve assured me that they are all set with the plans. I had never been in direct contact with any of the others involved with Luciano until yesterday. Someone called me to explain that my contract is still in effect. He claimed that, while Luciano is on vacation, others would be overseeing me to make sure I’m following through. The conversation ended with, “Make sure you throw the fight.” I was pissed after I hung up, but I called the officer as instructed. The authorities are after them for illegal betting and fixing the outcome of a fight. It’s not the steep charge of attempted murder that Luciano got, but I’m for whatever it takes to get these idiots. I just want out and my family to be safe.

  Christina and Jackson wait for me downstairs as I get ready upstairs. I walk the length of the hallway to the closed door on the other side. Hesitating, I push the door. It creaks as it swings inward. Meyer’s unmade bed is just as he left it. I haven’t been able to bring myself to go in here since we found the note not that long ago. I’m still shocked that I’ll never see him again or hear his goofy thoughts on shit. A moment later, I leave and close the door behind me. I vow silently that, for Meyer, I’ll do exactly as he asked. I’ll win. I’ve been looking forward to this fight for a very long time.

  ***

  The announcer’s gravelly voice calls, “Greylan Pace, here to challenge our champion, Parker Harris.”

  I jog out, with Jackson beside me. When we get to the cage, a brooding figure stands on the step, blocking my way. I glance up to the bulky, dark-haired guy—the next champ, I decide, when his time comes. Andy steps down, slaps me on the back, and leans in so I can hear over the crowd. “Beat his ass.” This brings a smile to my lips. Never in a million years would I have thought I’d respect this kid, but he has been able to put what happened in the underground ring behind him and see the big picture. We’ve even trained over the past month together. Jackson is a traitor. He wants to drop me to train the kid. I couldn’t agree more.

  Just as the door to the cage closes me in, Parker’s name is announced. The crowd goes wild. I scan the screaming fans, and the thought that runs through my head is: It’s about time someone knocked Parker Harris off his pedestal.

  As he climbs the stairs and the door closes him in, he looks across the mat—glaring, his face heating with color. A few minutes later the whistle signals the round, and I’m surging across the space with one thought on my mind: Free my sister of this idiot.

  My arm moves up and forward, meeting his chest. He flinches, returning his own hit to my gut. I knew he would try to play dirty, I just hadn’t expected it so soon. Pain shoots through me as if the wound is newly opened. Anger spreads; it’s exactly what I need. I grab his shoulders, falling backward to the mat. He doesn’t expect it. My legs clench around his middle as he tries to get into my guard. I squeeze my thighs as he tries to move away. His hand comes back down to my side, but I force my teeth together to ride out the pain. He moves out of the lock, allowing my leg to lock over his shoulder for a triangle lock. I lift my hand to force his head back into my leg and apply pressure from my fist to his neck. Tears form in his eyes, and I know he wants to hold on as long as possible, but his hand taps my shoulder seconds later. Immediately I release him, standing to the win.

  The referee consults the judges, who name me the winner. My breath heaves from the pain in my side. The wound is gone on the outside, but I know inside I’ll have more healing to do after this. Parker is going to fight as dirty as he can.

  As the next round commences, he is on me in seconds. I remember his speed and how I thought he was fast that first day in the ring with him. He forces me to the floor. My legs clench his middle, and he attacks with a ground and pound, hammering my middle. I’m not sure how much more I will be able to handle. He moves his neck to the side. I lift up off my back, intending a side guillotine, but he hops out of my grasp to the side and places his arm around my neck in a shoulder suppression and choke. Fuck! I tap out when I know I won’t get out.

  The next two rounds are equal. I get a tap out from him and he gets another from me. By the time the fifth round starts, my body is aching. I know he’s done some damage to my gut. It feels like I was shot all over again. Jackson grabs my shoulder and holds a rag to my nose as blood seeps out. “This is the round that counts. Do it. For Meyer, for you.”

  I nod, knowing this is probably it for me. Six long years ago, I was approaching my last amateur fight and wanting nothing more than to be in this spot, challenging whoever was at the top. I never imagined how life could spin out of my control. Now I have a handle on it again, and I’m going to conquer this dream that I had so long ago. Now is my time.

  The ref calls the round and I’m in the center. I swing a roundhouse kick to Parker’s side. He moves with the hit. I step into him, punching his face and chest. He tries to block and attempts another strike to my gut, but it misses. We move around the mat a few times, each of us knowing this is it. He is the first to try for a leg sweep. I move away but, at the last minute, jam my foot in his sweep, causing him to fall backward. I force my knee into his leg as he tries for a clench around my waist. I twist into his leg, punching my whole body down into his hip and landing with my arm around his neck. I tighten the guillotine, knowing this could be it. It seems to take forever, but the tap comes a minute later. I rise up on my toes, a surge of air flowing into my lungs. We both stand as the round is called. I watch as the referee consults with the judges. Parker steps into my space. He says under his breath, “You know that was a bad move for your sister, don’t you?”

  As if we didn’t just fight for five rounds, my hand moves through the air and knocks his jaw away from me. I want to kill him, but Jackson is at my back before I can take another step. He speaks close to my ear, as he always does when he needs to get my attention. “Grey, not worth it. Walk away.”

  The referee comes over, claiming, “I could disqualify you for that. Hands off.”

  I raise my hands in the air to show him I won’t try anything else. In my peripheral vision, I can see Parker’s smirk. I want to wipe it away, but I know he’ll get what he has coming.

  The ref hands me the championship belt, takes my arm, and
raises it stating, “Greylan Pace, the new Welterweight Champion.” It feels wonderful to finally have this victory. I’ve wanted this for so long. I know now that fighting isn’t everything. And this will be my last but, more than anything, I have no more fear of what’s to come.

  Epilogue

  The sun peeks through the curtains at the window. I roll over, gazing at my bride’s smooth, worry-free face. Today is the day I make her mine forever. I memorize every freckle and smooth my fingers through her hair for a few minutes. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for this woman. Everything we’ve been through has cemented that fact.

  Six months ago, I won the fight against my sister’s husband. It put me in the top spot, but I gave it up just as fast as I got it. I knew my time in Vegas was over, so I passed it on. Well, he earned it, killing it with every fight. Andy is on top now, and it’s as it should be. I just hope there’s a handle on the backhanded control of all the fights. I encouraged Andy to tell anyone offering him money to fix fights, to go to hell. He laughed, thinking I was joking, but I wasn’t. That was all I could reveal, though. We’ve all been slapped on the hand and told not to reveal any of the events that happened with the mob to anyone. The last thing I want to do is relive it, so it’s no problem. I hadn’t exactly followed up with my parole officer after I moved to Vegas, and that was deeply frowned upon; but the FBI made it disappear after I helped, so I’m more than willing to put it all behind me. We all got what we wanted.

  Christina rolls in my arms; her face finds the crook of my neck, and she begins kissing lazily. Between tiny nips she sighs, her words coming out slow and soft. “Rookie, you’re gonna be off the market today. You okay with that?”

  This brings a smile to my lips. My hand moves through her hair one more time before trailing down her back and slowing at her smooth ass. I whisper, “I was never on the market after I met you. Somehow you made me tap out very early.” I tap her backside for effect, and my fingers find other places that make her breathing against my skin speed up. I love this woman so much, and everything that I can give her, I will.