The Girl Worth Fighting for (The Girl #2)

by Julia Goda

  “Absolutely, no doubt in my mind, yes. She is everything. Nothing else matters. She’s the woman I plan on spending the rest of my life with. She’s had it tough and didn’t trust people to have her back, but that’s changing. I’m changing it. I told her she can rely on me, and I have no plans to go back on that. Ever.”

  “She’s had it rough?”

  Logan nodded. He forgot they hadn’t really talked in a couple of days, that he hadn’t had a chance to fill her in. So he did it now.

  “Fuck, Mom. You should have seen her face when she told me about her father giving up his parental rights. It split my heart right down in half.” He would never forget the lost look on Rainey’s face from that night. He’d wanted to hunt that fucker who hurt her down and rip his head off with his bare hands. His hands were still itching thinking about it now.

  His mom’s eyes turned sad. “That’s terrible, Logan. I can only imagine what that did to her, especially at such an important age for a girl. No wonder she didn’t want anything to do with you.”

  “Yeah. No wonder.”

  “But you broke through.”

  “I did.”

  “I’m proud of you, son.”

  “Thank you, Mom.”

  She gave him another hug, a hug only a mom can give her son.

  When she released him, he said, “I’m gonna need your help, Mom. She’s gonna need as many loving people around her as she can get. She might not know it yet, or she might not admit to it, but she’s gonna need all our help. I won’t let her get stuck in that head of hers ever again.”

  “Anything you need, honey. You know that.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Of course.”

  Logan’s phone rang, and he checked the caller ID. It was Jay.

  About fucking time.

  Logan had tried to reach him for days now, had left several messages, but Jay hadn’t returned any of his calls.

  He picked up on the second ring. “Jay, it’s about fucking time I heard from you.”

  “Logan. I got your messages, but I needed some time. Didn’t Pete tell you?”

  “Yeah, he told me. Would have liked to hear it from you though.” He wouldn’t make it easy on him. Jay had disappeared in the middle of training for the most important fight of his career without a word, without an explanation. Logan was pissed as fuck at his trainer and friend.

  “I…I know. Believe me, son, I know. I should have talked to you sooner.”

  Logan furrowed his brows. This didn’t sound like the Jay he knew. The Jay he knew would never apologize like this, would never cave that fast. He would trade insults and threats, tease the shit out of him for being such a girl. What he would never do is tell anyone they were right and apologize for his behavior right off the bat.

  “What’s going on, Jay? Where have you been?”

  “Can you meet for coffee? At the diner? I need to do this face-to-face.”

  “You’re not coming in today?” Logan was confused. If Jay needed to speak to him in person, then it would be easiest to just meet him at the gym.

  “You might not want me there anymore once you know,” Jay mumbled under his breath. That threw Logan completely. What the fuck was going on?

  “Jay—”

  “Meet me at the diner in fifteen. I’ll explain everything then.” Then Logan had dead air.

  “What the fuck?” Logan stared at his phone in disbelief. He couldn’t make rhyme or reason of Jay’s behavior.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I have no fucking clue. Jay has been AWOL for a few days, not showing up for training, not answering my calls. Now he wants to meet me for coffee to explain. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Did something happen during training?”

  Logan shook his head. “No. Nothing happened. Everything is going well. We’re right on schedule.”

  “You think he might want to drop you? That someone made him an offer or something?”

  Logan thought about it for a moment. Turnover in trainers wasn’t high at this level, but it also wasn’t unheard of. He couldn’t imagine why Jay would want to stop training him, but it was definitely a possibility he would want move on after this fight. He was a great trainer, had a lot of knowledge and experience. It wouldn’t surprise him if someone wanted to snatch him up. Maybe he’d gotten a great offer and had been out of town negotiating his new contract or something and was now ready to talk about it.

  “Maybe. It’s a possibility.”

  “Go meet him and let him explain. Racking your brain about it won’t do you any good.”

  Logan rubbed his hands over his face. “You’re right, it won’t. I gotta go.”

  He went to the bedroom to find a shirt and grabbed his bag with a change of clothes so he could shower and change after his training before he went to Rainey’s house. Then he kissed his mom on the cheek and promised to give her a call later that day before he left to meet his elusive and secretive trainer.

  ***

  Logan was sitting at a table by the front window. He had ordered coffee for the both of them when he saw Jay walk through the door. He gave him a chin lift and watched as the man he considered one of his father figures walked over with his head hanging low, not making eye contact. He almost looked guilty.

  Shit.

  Maybe his mom was right and Logan would have to look for another trainer soon. He had been with both Pete and Jay for so long, since he was a child, really, he couldn’t imagine ever training with anyone else. But if that was what this was about, then he would understand, even if it would suck. But he didn’t appreciate Jay not giving him a heads-up, not even mentioning he was interested in working with a different fighter, or that one had approached him.

  Jay sat down across from him, still avoiding his eyes. Logan watched as he reached for the menu. They both knew they wouldn’t be eating, so Logan lost his patience, not appreciating this game Jay was playing.

  “I ordered us coffee already. Time for you to spill it.”

  Jay dropped his hand mid-air, then ran it through his hair and sighed.

  “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about for a few days now.” He stopped as he seemingly tried to find the right words. Logan got more impatient when Jay didn’t continue.

  “And?” he prompted him.

  “It’s…” He stopped and looked around the diner, almost as if he was nervous. Then he changed the subject. “How’s your girl? Pete mentioned she came by the gym a few times. He had high praise for her.”

  Logan shook his head in exasperation. “Look, Jay, don’t try to change the subject. I’d love to tell you about Rainey, but I think we’ve got something else to discuss, don’t you?” Logan’s eyes bore into Jay’s as he waited. Then he waited some more. When Jay didn’t say anything for a solid minute, Logan was done.

  “You’re leaving, aren’t you? Signed a new contract. That’s what this is about, isn’t it?” He had no doubt he hit the nail right on the head when Jay flinched. It was a slight flinch, but Logan saw it. In one way, he understood why Jay had such a hard time telling him, it even made him somewhat happy, but on the other hand, he was getting tired of this game. Life happened. Things changed. People moved on. Jay was a part of Logan’s family and would remain that, even if he were training another fighter. Jay should know that.

  “Jay, I understand. I’m not thrilled, but I understand if you want to move on.”

  “No, Logan. You don’t understand. This is not…I’m not…I didn’t sign another contract. I would never do that without talking to you and Pete first. Hell, I’m not even looking. I’m happy where I am.”

  Logan frowned, even though he was relieved. “Then what the hell is going on? Are you sick?” He asked Jay the same question he had asked Pete the day before, the question Pete hadn’t answered. What would the odds be of two people in his life being severely sick?

  “No, I’m not sick.”

  “Then what, Jay? What the fuck is going on?” Logan rai
sed his voice in aggravation. “Jesus Christ, would you spit it out already!”

  “I—”

  Before Jay could say anything, Logan heard a loud gasp and felt eyes on him. He turned his head and saw Rainey standing by the front door, just a few feet inside the diner. He started to smile, happily surprised by the coincidence of unexpectedly running into his woman, when he noticed the expression on her face. It was frozen in shock while she stood stock-still. But it was the look in her eyes that made his heart plummet.

  Something was wrong.

  Very wrong.

  Did something happen to her mom?

  Then he noticed Lizzy standing beside her, a look of confusion on her face.

  “Rainey? What’s wrong? What happened?” He got up and was about to go to her when she seemed shocked out of her stupor and took a step back, away from him. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Jay was getting up also and came to stand beside him. Rainey’s eyes snapped to him, and she flinched before she took another step back and turned her glare to Logan.

  This glare was not just a glare.

  She wasn’t pissed, she wasn’t angry.

  No.

  She looked broken.

  Hurt.

  Betrayed.

  And all the heat of that betrayal was directed at him.

  What the fuck?

  “You bastard,” she whispered, her voice full of hate. “You fucking bastard.”

  Rainey

  Pain sliced through me at what I was seeing, pain so intense it literally took my breath away. It was too much, too big. I didn’t know what to do with it as I stared at Logan sitting in a booth across from none other but my father.

  Before I had started my car this morning to drive to work, Lizzy had called me to remind me it was my turn to bring the donuts. Good thing she had, because I would have forgotten, which would have meant endless grumbling and possible teasing for the rest of the day if anyone found out the reason why I forgot.

  “I knew you would forget. What with the hottie who took you to his apartment for the first time last night.” She was teasing me, but I wasn’t biting.

  “Oh no, my friend. I prepaid when I gave you my keys last night and kept my mouth shut about your whereabouts until after you had enough time to escape. How did that go by the way? Does your husband owe me a new door?”

  Lizzy laughed. “No, he doesn’t owe you a new door. Just a lamp that broke when he chased me through the house before he finally caught me in the guest bedroom.”

  Ugh. Did I want to know the details? Not really.

  “Please tell me you changed the sheets.”

  She laughed again. “No need. He carried me bridal style to his car after the chase. Such a caveman.”

  “As if you don’t love it,” I called her out on her fake exasperation. “So no grovelling? He came, he chased, he carried you off? I’m a little disappointed in you.”

  “Oh, I made him grovel all right. His knees should be hurting today for the amount of time he spent on them.” There was leering and longing in her voice. Okay, that’s more than I wanted or needed to know.

  “Please spare me the details. I’m gonna pretend nothing dirty happened between you two in my house.”

  “Pfft. Right. As if you and Logan don’t get dirty.”

  “We do. But it’s my house. You want the image of us getting it on anywhere in your house?”

  “I see your point. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

  “Consider it done. You already at the shelter?”

  “No, I was just about to leave.”

  “I can come get you. Logan doesn’t live that far away from you guys, and I’m just leaving.”

  “Great! That means I get to pick my donuts.”

  I giggled. Lizzy loved her donuts. More so than I did, which was saying something.

  We hung up, and I picked her up less than ten minutes later.

  I had debated on my way over if I should tell her about my mom’s surgery, but in the light of my recent revelation and decision to let people I loved and trusted help me, I knew I had no choice but to. So after a couple of minutes of friendly bickering, I spilled my beans.

  “I’m so sorry, Rainey.” Her words were sincere and heartfelt, as I knew they would be. “How are you feeling?”

  “I…I’m terrified, of course. I don’t want to lose her. But I don’t feel as alone as I did last time. I don’t know. Even just a few days ago when Ben told me, I was on the verge of losing it. And when she called me this morning, I was a mess and burst out into tears while I was standing in the middle of Logan’s kitchen with his mother watching, but I’m strangely okay now. Not okay as in I’m not worried or scared, but I don’t know. I feel braver somehow. Does that sound stupid?”

  “I don’t think it does. Not at all. You’re opening yourself up, letting us in, letting us help. You know you’re not alone in this and that gives you comfort and strength. But Rainey, you’ve always been strong. It’s just that now, you seem to be more grounded, if that makes any sense.”

  “Strangely, it does. God, I’m turning into a girl, aren’t I?”

  Lizzy shrugged. “Kinda. Doesn’t mean you can’t be badass. I mean, look at me. I’m a girl now, with real girlfriends, getting all soft and mushy, but I can still kick my husband’s ass and make him worship me on his knees when he gets out of line. It’s all about give and take. You give each other what you need, without question, which makes taking obsolete, because you already have everything you could ever want. I had to learn that. It wasn’t easy and took a while to sink in, but it’s the most logical thing to me now.”

  I nodded, thinking, mulling her words over. She was right. It sounded bizarre, yet crystal clear and logical.

  “And don’t think me showing you the light distracted me from you meeting Logan’s mother. I’m gonna make you talk. But lucky you, I need some sustenance first.”

  We pulled into the diner’s parking lot and got out. Lizzy was already contemplating what donuts she and her daughter were in the mood for. She was debating between honey glazed, old fashioned, and Boston cream when she decided to just get one of each, making me laugh. That laugh had died in less than a second when I’d spotted them across the room upon hearing Logan’s voice.

  Now I was standing here, frozen to the spot, while my mind tried to make sense of what I was seeing.

  And the only thing it could come up with was the fucking bastard had been playing me this whole time. He had pretended to not know who I was, who my asshole father was, when all along he had been in cahoots with him.

  God, I was such a fucking idiot.

  It was clear as day to me now why he wouldn’t give up his pursuit of me for over a month. He wasn’t in love with me, couldn’t be. He was doing it for my father, faking it, sweet-talking me into letting him get close. Oh, I didn’t doubt he had fun; that would have been too hard to fake for that long and that many times. But his main goal hadn’t been being with me. Why my father would come up with this ludicrous scheme was beyond me, but the proof was right here before my eyes.

  I had been wrong earlier.

  Everyone had been wrong. Logan had fooled all of us.

  God, how can one person fool so many without getting caught?

  But he was caught now. He hadn’t known he would run into me, so he didn’t need to have his guard up, didn’t need to slip his mask on while he was sitting down to a meeting with his partner in crime.

  I saw Logan’s mouth move, but didn’t hear a thing he said. It was no use anyway. There was nothing he could say, nothing I wanted to hear. I took a step back when he got up, when they both got up, and tried to make a run for it when Logan moved toward me.

  I had to get out of here.

  I heard nothing and saw nothing until I was outside, when I was suddenly swung around by a hand on my arm.

  “What’s going on? What happened?” It was Logan. Of course it was.

  “Get your hands off me.” I tried to wrench my arm free, but he t
ightened his grip and pulled me closer to him.

  “No. Not until you tell me what’s going on. And even then, I will not let you go. Not ever. I told you I would never leave you. I meant it.”

  He could not be believed. “Really, Logan? Are you serious?” I wasn’t screaming. I wasn’t hysterical. No, what I was, was way worse than that. I straightened my spine and took a deep breath, then held his eyes as right along with that breath, I re-erected my walls. One by one, they took shape, going higher, becoming firmer, impenetrable, until they were more solid than they’d ever been. Nobody would ever make it through them again.

  I was done.

  “No,” Logan whispered, sounding terrified. “Don’t you do that. Don’t lock me out.”

  Right. As if you care.

  “You can drop the charade, Logan.” I had stopped struggling against his hold and was now standing still. Passive.

  “Charade? What charade? Baby, what the hell are you talking about?” I didn’t let it penetrate, his endearment, his beseeching eyes, his confusion. Neither did I feel his hand on my arm, his fingers touching my cheek.

  I was cold.

  Stone cold.

  Ice cold.

  Unfeeling.

  I had to be in order to survive.

  I knew if I let any of that touch me, I would break into a million pieces, so many pieces I would never be able to fit them all back together again. Nothing would penetrate. I couldn’t let it. Then one thing did: my father’s voice saying my name.

  “Rainey. Princess.”

  I flinched at the pain hearing his voice caused my heart. No, I didn’t just flinch; I wrapped my arms around my stomach as if to hold myself together, scared I would crumble and fold in on myself like a ragdoll.

  “Princess?” Logan whispered in disbelief. His head whipped back and forth between my father and me.

  “What’s the hell is going on? Rainey?” That was Lizzy. I looked around and found her standing a little off to the side, between Logan and me and my father. I focused on her and begged her with my eyes to get me out of here.

  “Why are you calling my girlfriend Princess? Do you two know each other?”

  “Logan, son—” Another cut straight through the heart. A painful noise made its way up my throat and climbed out of my mouth. My eyes didn’t leave Lizzy’s when I saw comprehension fill them. Then they went from understanding straight into protection mode, which in Lizzy’s case was mixed with a healthy dose of fury.