by Laura Day
Maple realized suddenly that she had spent most of her life looking at other people’s lives with hunger in her eyes. She wanted the little things that other people took for granted; she wanted the normalcy of a mundane life; she wanted the joy of ordinary things; she wanted the boredom that came with running a house, and working hard, and even raising children. She had just always assumed that those things were simply out of her reach.
Her mind slowly pulled her back to the past few days and the horror that had caused her to be in the hospital in the first place. She remembered that night vaguely, in foggy snippets that had the quality of a nightmare, but despite the unclear memory, she knew what had happened. She had been drugged and raped and deposited on the pavement like a piece of trash. The one consolation was that she had been declared free from STDs because her rapist had used a condom, given that there were no semen deposits to be found. The flipside, however, was that there was no evidence to mark him as her rapist, apart from her word, and considering the state she had been in, her word would be declared null and void.
It didn’t matter however; Maple did not want to take the case to court. She would have to live with that day now for the rest of her life; she didn’t want to have to relive it in court. With her thoughts spinning wildly, Maple got up and took a cab straight to the gym where she worked. She knew that he would be there, and he was the one person she wanted to see most in the world.
Maple walked through the bar and then down the stairs to the seedy gym that had been the turning point of her life. It was surprisingly full that day, but Maple spotted Jax immediately. He was six feet three, and towering, and powerfully muscled. He had tattoos covering the length of him, leaving only his shaved head and his face bare. Maple stood in the shadows, watching him fight, admiring the sensuous speed and agility of his attack.
She had watched him train several times in the past. She was aware of how skilled he was. There didn’t seem to be anything he couldn’t do. She had watched him practice the toughest, most accomplished forms of kickboxing, Olympic wrestling, and Brazilian jujitsu, all the while making it look like second nature. He had a way of moving that was both animalistic and graceful in the same breath. Maple wasn’t sure if that was her objective opinion, or her bias talking, but she found she didn’t care.
Jax was fighting against one of the younger of Evan’s recruits. He was a large, bulky guy in his early twenties. He, too, had a shaved head and a tattoo sleeve, but he had none of Jax’s finesse or discipline. Maple could tell from his rushed attacks that he was not thinking about his next move. Jax might have been an aggressive fighter, but he was also an intelligent one. He had his opponent to the ground within minutes and he wasn’t even breathing that deeply.
Maple waited patiently till Jax had helped the younger guy up and moved towards the benches to towel himself off before she decided to walk up to him. She grew suddenly self-conscious and hurried towards the bathrooms first. Things were a little depressing in there, and all the stains that Maple had worked so hard to get rid of had somehow worked themselves back onto the walls, the floors, and the bathroom’s tiled counters. She sighed deeply before turning to her reflection in the mirror.
As usual, the first thing she saw was the scar. Large and jagged, it raced down her left cheek in an ugly distorted line. Instinctively, her hand reached out to trace the line it left on her face. Her eyes were large and a warm brown color; her skin was clear and smooth; her lips were full and pink. However, the most prominent thing about her was still the scar. It frustrated Maple how much it bothered her. There were days when she actually didn’t care that much, and she always had hopes that the feeling would persevere, but then, the next day came and she would find self-loathing right where she had left it.
Turning her attention away from her face, Maple stared down at her body. She had lost weight during her stay in the hospital. Her cheeks were sunken in, and she could see the sharp bones of her collarbones protrude out from the neckline of the white sundress she wore. The dress, itself, was not hers. Jax’s sister, Jodie, had left her a few things when she had last visited her at the hospital. Jodie and Maple were the same height, but Jodie was slightly fuller and so the dress hung a little on Maple. She had tied it back with its pale blue ribbon so that it billowed slightly at the waist.
Patting herself down, Maple took a deep breath and went back into the gym. She managed to walk right up to Jax before she caught his notice.
“Maple!” he cried, his face lighting up at the sight of her. “Maple!”
He grabbed her and lifted her off her feet in one swift move, as he hugged her to his chest. She felt him lay a kiss on her cheek and her forehead before he set her back down while still keeping his arms wrapped around her protectively. Maple loved the look of pure, unadulterated joy coming off his face; it made her feel like the most important person on the planet.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “You weren’t supposed to be discharged till tomorrow morning."
“I know,” Maple said with a nod. “But I convinced Dr. Haan to sign off on an early discharge. I was going stir-crazy in that hospital room, and I didn’t think I could take another minute of it.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” Jax asked, turning suddenly indignant.
“I wanted to surprise you,” Maple said with a smile, as she stroked the side of his face.
“How’d you get here?”
“I took a cab,” Maple said. “I’m a big girl, Jax; you don’t have to worry so much.”
His expression turned instantly sour and Maple realized that under the circumstances that probably wasn’t the right thing to say. They hadn’t spoken in length about the rape or the man who had drugged her, but Maple already knew where Jax stood on the issue. For a lot of it, Jodie had been their go between because Jax was so enraged about everything that had happened and Maple was too tired.
“I have to thank Jodie for this dress,” Maple said quickly, trying to distract him. “It’s lovely. I’ve never worn anything quite so pretty.”
“You don’t need anything pretty,” Jax said as his expression softened. “You’re pretty enough as it is.”
Maple accepted the compliment wordlessly and leaned up to place a kiss on his cheek. She loved the fact that Jax never seemed to notice her scar. It was only when she was with him that she could completely forget about it, too. “I know we saw each other recently but... I missed you.”
Jax nodded. “I know exactly what you mean; I missed you, too.”
“Good,” Maple said. “Then how about we take advantage of your break today and go find a quiet place somewhere where we can be... together.”
Jax smiled pointedly, indicating that he knew exactly what she wanted. “I really, really want to,” he said immediately. “You have no idea how much... I just... I can’t really take a break today.”
“Why not?” Maple asked in confusion.
Jax’s eyebrows creased slightly, and she noticed the downward tilt of his mouth. “I... my fight with Conor is tonight,” he said quietly.
Maple felt her heart sink as she remembered the date. She desperately wanted Jax to back out of the fight, but she didn’t have the guts to say the words out loud. “You’re still going through with it?” was all she had the courage to say.
“Of course I am,” Jax said with fierce determination. “Especially now, after what that motherfucker did to you... I’m going to make him pay.”
“Jax...”
“He thinks he can go around drugging and raping women... he’s got another thing coming. I’m going to destroy that worthless fucker if it’s the last thing I do.”
Maple felt her throat and her heart constrict in unison, and she felt nausea well up inside her. She pushed the feeling down and put on a brave face. If Jax was going to insist on fighting Conor tonight, then Maple knew she had to be there.
“I want you to be careful,” Maple said pointedly, as she looked Jax in the eye. “Ok?”
“I will,” Ja
x said and nodded distractedly.
“Jax,” Maple said firmly.
Jax sighed. “Of course I will be careful.”
“Ok,” Maple said, trying to find some measure of comfort in his assurance. “Ok.”
“Conor will be there,” Jax said quietly.
Maple nodded. “I figured that out.”
“So maybe it would be better—”
“I’m going to be there tonight, Jax,” Maple interrupted. “No one can stop me from coming.”
“Maple...”
“There’s nothing you can say to convince me otherwise,” Maple said with finality.
Jax sighed. “Ok then.”
Maple nodded. “I know you have to get back to training,” she said. “Don’t let me keep you.”
“Where will you be?”
“Around here,” Maple assured him. “I need to talk to Evan anyway.”
Jax nodded and bent to kiss her gently on the lips. “I can’t wait to be with you,” he whispered into her ear before heading over to the corner ring to resume his training.
Maple watched him go, and then she made her way to Evan’s office. The blinds were half up, and she could see him behind his desk, writing something on what looked like a large ledger. She had to knock only once before he looked up.
“Maple,” he said with a surprised smile, as he rose and walked out from around his desk. “You’re out of the hospital.”
“They discharged me this morning with a clean bill of health,” Maple said with a smile as she gave Evan a hug.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Physically, I feel great,” Maple said honestly.
“And mentally?” Evan asked, lowering his voice in seriousness.
“Ah... that’s a more complicated question. I feel... so many things that it’s hard to keep track.”
“I understand,” Evan said, leading her to the chair in front of his desk. “Sit down.” He moved over to his own chair and sat down.
“I just wanted to come in and thank you Evan,” Maple said sincerely.
Evan waved away her thanks. “All I did was drive you and Jax to the hospital.”
“And you stayed,” Maple pointed out.
“It was the least I could do.”
“See that’s the thing,” Maple said. “For me... that’s far more than most people have ever done for me. I just wanted you to know that I was grateful.”
Evan nodded, looking touched. “I’m just glad you’re ok.”
Maple nodded quietly.
“Of course... things will take a little time,” Evan said. “What you went through was... something no woman should ever have to endure.”
“I’m worried about Jax,” Maple said quickly, unable to suppress the worry in her gut. “I think he feels like he can make everything right by beating Conor in the ring. He feels as though he can make him pay for what he did to me... and to his sister.”
Evan was nodding slowly. “I feel the same way,” he agreed. “But I haven’t been able to convince him to back out of this fight, and believe me, I tried.”
“I just... he’s not going to be thinking clearly in that ring tonight,” Maple said, spilling out all her worries and fears. “And that’s going to affect the way he fights.”
Evan looked at Maple pointedly. “Maple... don’t you think you should... report Conor to the police. I mean... that fucker drugged and raped you. He put you in hospital a few days ago, and he’s going to be here tonight, fighting against Jax. It’s not right; he should be in prison.”
“I know,” Maple nodded. “And I understand, but... I can’t take this to court, Evan.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t relive that night again,” Maple said. “I don’t want to have to go through those details in a courtroom full of people and watch them judge me.”
“I understand, but—”
“Do you remember when I first came to you asking for a job?” Maple interrupted.
“Yes?”
“I told you that I was a recovering addict because as my employer I thought you had the right to know exactly who you were hiring,” Maple said.
“Something that I respected you for,” Evan nodded.
“Well... there was something else about my past that I didn’t tell you, only because I didn’t feel it was relevant,” Maple said. “Around the time I tried to get clean... I worked in an... erotic massage parlor to keep myself afloat.”
“Oh.”
“Did Jax tell you that?”
Evan looked surprised. “Of course not. Jax would never take it upon himself to share another person’s story.”
“Well... I guess I’m telling you this now because I want you to understand that I know what’s going to happen if I take Conor to court. He’s going to dig up my past, including all the things of which I’m most ashamed. He’s going to paint me as a whore and a prostitute until the jury is convinced that I’m the one who seduced him. It will be an easy story to believe, given the way I look. I just... can’t do it. I can’t sit there and let him do that to me. I’ve worked too hard to pull myself out of that darkness.”
“Don’t you even want to try?” Evan asked earnestly.
“Think about it, Evan? Jax and Conor both went to court after Conor put Jodie in hospital. Jax served two years in prison and Conor got out with community service. What makes you think I will stand a chance?”
“The judge on that case had been bought,” Evan said.
“And if they can’t be bought, then they’re biased,” Maple said. “I’m not going to put myself through all that humiliation just to see Conor walk free with that smirk on his face. It will be too much for me to take, and it will be too much for Jax to take.”
Evan sighed. “I get it, Maple. It makes my blood boil, but I get it.”
Maple smiled. “I’d like to come back to work as soon as possible.”
“It’s too soon, Maple. Don’t you want some time to... recover?” Evan asked with concern.
“I’ve had enough time,” Maple said. “And I need to keep busy, or I’ll go crazy. I really want to come back to work.”
“Your job will be here waiting whenever you’re ready,” Evan said. “Tomorrow or a month from now.”
Maple smiled gratefully. “You’re an A-grade boss, you know that?”
Evan laughed out loud. “You’re the first person to ever say that to me.”
“I’ll see you tonight,” Maple said, as she rose from her seat.
Evan followed suit. “You’re coming tonight?” he asked cautiously.
“Yes,” Maple nodded. “And there’s no point in trying to convince me otherwise.”
Evan nodded without making an attempt. She said goodbye and walked out of his office and back into the musky gym. She spotted Jax off in one corner pummeling the life out of a punching bag. Maple could see the strength of his right hook from a mile away. She stood there watching him, hoping that it would be enough.
Book 3 of the Fighting Dirty trilogy, JAX THE DOM, is available now at bookstores everywhere! Go check it out!
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Did you love Jax the Killer? Then you should read Jax the Dom by Laura Day!
Jax the Dom is book 3 and finale in the Fighting Dirty Trilogy!
I hurt people.
I lose myself in the sweat and blood and the sound of bones breaking.
Maple’s different.
She saved me, made me whole again.
Now, someone wants to hurt her.
And it’s my turn to save her.
Even if it means going back to jail
Even if it means killing again.
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Jax the Killer
Jax the Dom
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