by Dover, L. P.
“What’s in it?” Bree asked curiously, taking a seat on my bed.
I opened up the envelope and pulled out the stack of papers enclosed. On top, there was a letter with a check attached to it . . . a ten thousand dollar check. Holy shit!
Bree’s eyes went wide and she screamed, “Oh my God, that’s ten thousand dollars! What the hell did you do, go all Pretty Woman on his ass?”
“No,” I shrieked. “Let me read the letter and see what’s going on.”
Kacey,
Let me start off by saying, you better not rip up the fucking check. I know how stubborn you are and I know you want to work for your money, but I’m ready to see you achieve your goals. I’m impatient and I know you’ve worked hard for what you have. With that being said, I AM going to make you work off the money, but at least now I know you have enough to get your restaurant opened and running. I have faith in you and in your abilities to do this.
Attached, you’ll find vacant properties in the Vegas area, all in good locations. Bree should be there with you, so I want you to look at the different places and decide which ones would be best. By this time next week I want to see you achieving your dreams. I’m going to be there with you every step of the way, for as long as you can put up with me. I love you.
Tyler
Speechless, I passed the letter to Bree and rummaged through the papers.
“Holy shit, is he for real? This is insane,” she exclaimed. I handed her some of the ads and we both curled up on the bed and inspected every single one.
“I think it’s time, Bree. I know we’re still young and we didn’t expect this to happen so soon, but I think we can do it. Are you ready to take the leap?”
“You better fucking believe it.”
Fight Night
INSTEAD OF COMING on Friday, Paxton missed his flight and decided to head up early Saturday morning, instead of waiting at the airport for a later flight. It made Tyler happy that I didn’t have Paxton sleeping in the same house as me.
I couldn’t wait to see Tyler and tell him the good news—Bree and I were ready to put in a bid for the restaurant. As soon as he won the fight tonight and I had him home, I was going to show him the place.
Paxton: I just got my luggage. I’ll be out in five.
I hadn’t been waiting for long before the text came through. It was closing in on three o’clock in the afternoon, so we didn’t have much time before he needed to be at the arena. Once the five minutes was up, I drove around to the pickup lane and there he was in a pair of jeans and gray T-shirt, his black hair covered by a navy blue baseball cap.
I pulled up beside him and unlocked the doors.
“Thanks for picking me up,” he said, putting his bags in the back and getting in, reaching over to give me a hug.
“You’re welcome. I am your girlfriend for the evening, remember? It wouldn’t be very loving of me to leave you at the airport, now would it?” I teased.
“No, it wouldn’t. Have you talked to your brother today?”
As soon as the driving lane cleared up, I slid out and started on our way to the arena. Shaking my head, I turned to him and replied, “No, why? Have you?”
Pursing his lips, he sat back in the seat and furrowed his brows, looking worried. “No, I haven’t. I’m surprised he hasn’t tried calling one of us.”
“You don’t think he suspects something, do you?”
“How can he? We’ve been super careful.” Pax’s words were confident, but his face looked worried.
Have we been careful enough? My brother was an expert on finding things out. He always had a way of being in the right place at the right time. It’s like he had his own private camera in every place imaginable. Maybe he should’ve been a private detective.
“If I call him, it’ll definitely look weird. I never do unless I’m pissed at him. I’m assuming we should just continue on with our plan. What time do we absolutely have to be at the MGM?”
Sighing, Paxton shrugged his shoulders. “I would say in another hour and a half at the latest.”
Looking at the clock, we had about ten more minutes before we reached my house. I had just enough time to take a shower and get ready before we had to be at the arena. Unfortunately, I had a feeling something wasn’t right, and Pax felt it too. Maybe it was just nerves? Somehow I didn’t believe that.
I had just gotten out of the shower when I heard several voices in the living room. “Pax?” I called out. Tightening up my robe, I stuck my head into the hallway and gasped. My brother, along with three of his friends, including Jordan, were out there, and they all turned my way. I glared at Jordan who in return smiled and winked at me. Disgusted, I flipped him off.
Paxton kept his face blank when he looked at me and I had no clue what was going on. “Kyle, what are you doing here?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. The devilish look in his mismatched eyes was scary, almost malicious.
“I came here to see you and Paxton before the fight. Is there something wrong with that?” he countered.
When I looked over at Paxton, he shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes.
“No, I guess not,” I replied. “But I need to finish getting ready, so I’ll be out in just a few.”
“Kacey, wait,” Kyle commanded as his phone started to ring. He held up his finger. “Give me one second.”
Sighing, I leaned against the door frame and waited for him to get off of the phone. I really can’t wait for this day to be over with.
Hanging up his phone, he took another step closer to me. “All right, it looks as if there’s been a change in plans. Judging by the way you look right now, I don’t think you’ll make it in time,” he said to me.
I was in my robe, my wet hair tied up in a towel. I still had an hour before we were supposed to be at the arena. “What’s going on?”
Kyle put his phone back in his pocket and shrugged his shoulders. “It looks like we need to get there early. We all have to be ready for the photo shoot in twenty minutes.”
There was no way in hell I’d be ready and at the arena in twenty minutes. “So what are you saying?” I asked impatiently.
He looked at his friends and nodded toward the door. “I’m saying, we need to leave now. Paxton can come with me and you can meet us out there.” He reached in his back pocket and handed me an envelope. “It has your ticket in it if you run late.”
Paxton got to his feet and grabbed his bag and walked over to me, his gaze guarded.
Kyle smiled at me and then fist bumped Paxton.
“I’ll see you outside,” Pax said to him.
Once Kyle and his friends were out of the house, Paxton turned toward the door and stared at them through the window. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I want you to be careful, okay? Something’s not right.”
Yeah, I felt it too. I knew something was off all day.
“Same to you,” I whispered. “I’ll see you in a little bit okay?”
He nodded and leaned down to kiss my cheek. “Make sure you call me if you need me. I’ll find a way back to you.”
“I will. Now go.” I shoved him toward the door.
Paxton looked back at me once before heading out the door and down to Kyle’s car.
What was going on?
I had just put my ticket in my purse and was ready to leave, when a knock sounded on my front door.
“What the hell do you want?” I snapped when I was confronted with my guests.
Smiling wolfishly with his devilish green eyes, Liam opened the screen door and leaned against the frame, Jordan loitering around behind him. I wanted to slam the door in Liam’s face, but I didn’t want him to know I was scared—he fed off of that shit.
“We’re here to keep you company, sweet thing.” He pushed off the frame and barged into my house, grabbing a hold of my arm and pulling me inside.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I asked frantically. I looked back and Jordan shut the door, locking it, along with closing the blinds in the su
rrounding windows. Terrified couldn’t begin to describe the way I was feeling inside.
Liam stopped me in the middle of the living room and leered up and down my body. “You look really cute in your dress, sunshine. Where’s your cell phone?”
It was in my purse, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. Liam let my arm go and I instantly crossed my arms over my chest, defiantly. “I don’t know,” I snapped. “Where’s Kyle?”
Jordan stopped in front of me with a malevolent sneer, his hazel eyes amused. “Don’t worry, Kyle knows we’re here. Now, answer the question . . . where’s your cell phone?”
“I’m not telling you shit,” I spat. “I have to get to the arena. Everyone’s waiting on me.”
Coming up behind me, Liam brushed the hair off my neck and lowered his nose to my skin, breathing me in. Instantly, I jumped and tried to move away, but he and Jordan had me sandwiched in. “Sorry, sunshine, but you’re not going anywhere. Before I say anymore, I need your cell phone.”
When I didn’t answer, they both chuckled. “Okay, I see how it is,” Liam said. “I’m just going to have to go looking for it.” His arms wrapped around my waist and he frisked me, even though it was clear I didn’t have it on my body with the dress I was wearing. “I wonder if it’s up here?” he moaned in my ear, sliding his hands up to my breasts.
It’s a strange feeling to be touched by someone you absolutely hate. It’s like all of your fighting instincts appear. As hard as I could, I elbowed him in the side and he doubled over. My car keys were on the kitchen counter, so I raced toward them. I didn’t get very far, as I was tackled to the floor by Jordan, his body heavy on top of mine. He flipped me over and straddled my waist, holding my arms above my head.
“Now that wasn’t very nice,” he taunted. “We can’t have that.” His breath smelled like cigarette smoke, so I turned my head and tried to keep from gagging. However, I knew I was in trouble when Liam stood above me.
Licking his lips, he smiled down at me with a set of cable ties in his hands. “No, we can’t, and I have just the right solution. Let’s get her to her room.”
Grasping my wrists tight, Jordan roughly pulled me to my feet and slung me over his shoulder, rough hands sliding up my bare thighs.
“So help me God, if you don’t get your hands off me . . .”
“Oh, stop being so dramatic,” he griped, smacking me on the ass. “I’m just having a little bit of fun. Once the fights are over, we’ll let you go.”
Jordan slammed me down on my bed and before I could move, Liam straddled my waist. Pulling my arms up to the headboard, Jordan held them tight while Liam wrapped the cable ties around each wrist. I tried to move, but the plastic bit into my skin. The searing pain, along with fear of being tied down, brought tears to my eyes.
“Guys, this really hurts. Please let me go.”
“Sorry, sunshine,” Liam replied, sliding off my body, “but no can do.” He opened my closet door and rummaged through my things, until he found a couple of my silk scarves—one cream colored and the other black.
Taking them out, he smoothed them through his fingers and moaned when he peered down at me, helpless and completely at his mercy. Kyle won’t let him do anything to me, will he? That was the million dollar question. Obviously, he was so wrapped up in his desire to win he would put me at the mercy of someone as sadistic as Liam.
As Liam spread my legs and tied me to the posts on my bed, all I could think about was Tyler. If I didn’t show up to the arena, he would know something was wrong and he wouldn’t be able to concentrate. This was a much surer way to fuck with his head, instead of him only seeing me with Paxton.
Looking at the clock, I had two hours until Tyler’s fight with my brother. Until then, I was in hell. Please God, let Tyler win.
IT WAS TEN minutes before my fight and Kacey was nowhere to be seen. I texted her and called her, but she never answered. Something was wrong. If Kyle was up to something, I would kill him. My coach, Darren Blake, watched me pace along the floor of my room, staring curiously at me. He didn’t know what was going on.
Darren was in his mid-thirties with light brown hair he kept shaved close to his scalp, and arm muscles that were as big around as my thighs. He always wore form fitting clothes, so the ladies could see how big he actually was. The guy was a monster and it was because of him and Kacey that I decided to turn my life around—to be the type of fighter I knew I could be.
“Do you want to tell me what’s got you all pissed off?” he asked casually. “Is it because Kacey’s not here?” He made it sound like she stood me up, but I knew that wasn’t the case.
“Yes, but it’s not in the way you think. Something’s wrong.”
Storming out of my room, I saw Tyler standing in the doorway of his own room, talking to his father. He tensed when I walked by, but I didn’t acknowledge him because there were too many people around. I was pretty sure he knew something was wrong when he saw Kacey wasn’t with me.
When I got to Kyle’s room, I pounded my fist angrily on the door. The door opened and his brows lifted amusingly when he saw me standing there, fuming. “Can I help you? Shouldn’t you be about ready to fight?”
“Where’s Kacey?” I thundered. “She’s not here.” Glancing into his room, there were two people missing . . . Liam and Jordan. You have got to be fucking kidding me. And Kyle had the gall to look at me like nothing was wrong.
“Oh, I know,” he replied. “Did she not call you?”
“No,” I snapped. “What the fuck’s going on, Kyle? If you have some sort of plan involving Kacey you better rethink it, now.”
Kyle chuckled and slapped me on the shoulder. “Calm down, my friend. She wasn’t feeling good, so she decided to stay at home. I guess I don’t get to see the torment on Tyler’s face when he sees you two together. Oh well, I’ll kick his ass without her here. Now go and finish getting ready. We’re going to get our seats so we can watch you win your title.”
He held out his hand and reluctantly I shook it, wishing deep down I could break his fucking face. “All right, I’ll see you out there.” Fucking liar.
Turning on my heel, I headed back to my room and watched him and his friends walk down the hall toward the arena. Out of the corner of my eye, Tyler noticed them leave too. I opened my door and stepped inside, leaving it cracked because at any moment Tyler would be storming in. It took all of three seconds. He was already dressed in his black and neon green fighting shorts and black robe, his body tense.
“Where is she?” he growled, shutting the door.
Darren got to his feet. “Dude, what the fuck?”
“Darren, it’s okay,” I said, stepping in his path. “Tyler and I are on the same side here.” Turning to Tyler, I picked up my phone and checked to see if Kacey had called . . . nothing. “I don’t know what’s going on. I’ve tried calling and texting her, but she’s not responding. Kyle said she was sick and told him she wasn’t coming. You and I both know that’s a load of horse shit.”
“Goddammit,” Tyler hissed, angrily fisting his hands in his hair. “Where do you think she is?”
“Pax, man, we need to get going. Your fight starts in five minutes. You need to get into position, or you forfeit,” Darren warned regretfully.
As dread settled in the pit of my stomach, I could see the anguish in Tyler’s eyes. “I don’t think the problem is where she’s at, more so than who she’s with.”
Tyler’s eyes went wide. “What do you mean?”
“Did you notice Liam and Jordan weren’t with Kyle just a few minutes ago?”
“Holy fuck,” he growled as realization set in. Turning on his heel, he started for the door and angrily slammed it open. “I’m going to find her.”
“I’m going too,” I announced. “If those cocksuckers are with her, you’re going to need my help.”
Impatiently, Tyler slammed the door and turned around. “No, you have to stay here. If you forfeit your fight, Kyle will know something’s wrong. Kacey wouldn�
��t want you missing this chance to win a title.”
“What about you? She would say the same thing to you. If you go and don’t get back in time, you’ll basically be letting Kyle win,” I exclaimed. “You can’t let that happen.”
“It doesn’t matter. Making sure Kacey is safe is the only thing on my mind right now. She’s worth more than any fucking title.” With those last words, he disappeared out the door.
For the first time in my life, I felt helpless. I was worried about Kacey and I didn’t know what to do.
Darren stopped at my side and put his hand on my shoulder. “I know you want to help, but he’s right, you need to go out there and fight. You going out there will help Tyler more than you think.”
“How is that?” I asked blandly.
He turned and looked me in the eyes. “By you going out there, you will give him the time he needs to find Kacey and get back. Stretch the fight out for as long as possible, to the third round if you can. I know you can do this.”
Sighing, I nodded my head and opened the door. “Let’s do this.”
I’ll do it for Kacey.
“SON, WHAT ARE you doing?” my father shouted as I stormed past him into my room. He had everything ready on the table for me to tape up my hands, and he even had on his black and green T-shirt with Coach printed on the back.
“I’m going to get Kacey. She’s in trouble.” I grabbed my keys and started for the door, but my father stepped in my way.
“You can’t leave, Tyler. What about the fight . . . your title?”
Breathing hard, I closed my eyes and tried not to picture Kacey screaming for help with Liam’s hands all over her. I could feel the anger boiling in my veins.
“If I don’t get her, I’ll lose more than just the title, dad. She needs me right now.”
I expected my father to argue with me, but I was surprised when he nodded his head and opened the door. “Then I’m coming with you. You’re not going to do this alone. Now come on, let’s go. There’s still time.”