Impact (The Fight for Life #2) (4 page)

“Oh. Of course.” Her cheeks reddened. “Another time maybe.”

“Maybe,” I conceded, but there was zero chance I was going behind Leo’s back on this.

“It’s no wonder Leo is infatuated by you.” She chuckled. “You’re a tough nut.”

“I’ve had to be.”

She nodded. “I’ve done nothing wrong, Juliette. Leo has no right—”

“Stop.” I held up my hand. “Leo must have good reasons. This is all wrong. You need to go.”

“For five years, he has refused to see me.” Her eyes brimmed with tears and I felt a strange pang of empathy towards her. “I’ve tried to communicate with him, but it’s a one-way street. I’m his mother.”

“He doesn’t want anything to do with you,” I whispered, unsure why this conversation was still going.

“I hoped you could help me with that.” Her eyes softened. “The love he has for you has changed him, and I was selfishly hoping he might have a place for me in his life again.” She looked to the sky, and when her eyes drifted back to mine, the pain on her face was evident. “I’d just like an opportunity to speak to him in person,” she continued. “I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

Her words resonated with me, but this was Leo’s life, not mine. “My loyalty is to Leo, and he’s made his position very clear.”

She touched my arm gently. “Please just ask him to call me.”

I needed her to leave. “I’ll think about it, but please don’t just show up at my work again. It’s not fair.”

“I’m sorry.” She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “You've given me more hope than I've had in years.”

As I watched her walk away, my mind was a whir of warring thoughts. I didn’t want to pressure Leo to open up before he was ready, but I hated the idea of him doing that crazy fight in Perth. I knew it had to have something to do with seeing his mother again, and I just had a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“She seemed pretty intense,” Nicole said, interrupting my thoughts. “Who was she?”

“She—” I bit my bottom lip and shuddered “—is a problem.”

“Well, I’m starving. You ready to get some lunch?”

I nodded. I was absolutely ready for some to-die-for tomato soup and a light chat with a lovely, sane person who knew nothing about all of this.

After work, I headed home disappointed that Leo hadn’t called, but not surprised. He was stubborn, proud and damaged—a bad combination for accepting help. I didn’t want him to go, or if he had to, I wanted to be there with him. I got Nick’s number from Zac and called him at the fight club in Lilydale. Leo had said he was going with him to Perth and I needed details.

“Nick Matthews,” he answered after a few rings.

“Hello, Nick. It’s Juliette Salinger here.” I paused, feeling awkward. “I’m not sure if you remember—”

“Well, well, well. How could I forget you? You were a killer against Christina Lee.”

“Oh, thanks. Kinda feels like a million years ago now.”

“To what do I owe this pleasure, Ms Salinger? I’m betting it has something to do with Leo Ashlar.”

“Yes, it does, actually. How did you know?” I asked, stopping on the footbridge to watch the water run silently underneath.

“I’ve seen a bit of Leo over the past few months and you’ve come up.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

“It’s all good, darlin’.” He chuckled. “I’m pretty sure you’re the reason he wants to get out of the cage and back into the ring. You know. Clean up his act for the love of a good woman.”

“Oh.” I banged my forehead with my palm. Why was I incapable of speech?

“You wanna tell me why you’re calling?” he asked, chuckling.

“Right.” I lifted my gaze from the mesmerising river and focused on the point of my call. “I know Leo is fighting in Perth this weekend, and I want to know how crazy it really is.”

I heard him blow out a loud breath. “Leo is special,” he started. “Always was. He’s the most naturally gifted fighter I’ve ever known. There’s no doubt going up against a champion fighter in the condition he’ll be in is off-the-charts crazy, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Leo.”

“Okay.” I felt sick at the thought of it, despite Nick’s semi-reassuring words.

“Look, Juliette. I’ve got his back, and if it gets out of hand, I’ll take him down myself.”

“I wish I could be there for him.”

“He’ll need to focus.”

“I’m worried about him.” I paused, unsure if I should go on, but this was the guy who was going to be responsible for Leo’s well-being. He needed to know. “He saw his mother yesterday, and it’s clearly had a big impact on him. He’s taken this fight for the wrong reasons.”

When he didn’t reply, I looked at my screen to see if the call had dropped out. “Hello?”

“Sorry. I’m here.” Another pause made me feel anxious. “Thank you for telling me.”

I blew out a long, frustrated breath. “Can you keep me updated from Perth?”

“Sure, darlin’.”

I hung up and rummaged in my bag for the card Gwendolyn had given me at Dartmoor with her phone number on it, then sent her a text. I did not want to be the messenger because everyone knows the messenger is the one who gets shot.

I’m not getting between you and Leo. I’m sorry.

Without giving it too much thought, I’d given her my phone number, and at some point in the future, that would turn out to be a life-threatening decision. None the wiser, I went back to staring at the river. I found it calming. I figured Leo wasn’t going to call me until after the fight, and whilst that pissed me off, I knew his mind was all over the place.

My phone rang, snapping me out of my tortured thoughts. It was Dad. I knew he wanted to know how it went at Dartmoor with Mum yesterday. He had tried to talk me out of going and asked for me to wait until she came home next weekend, but Mum had sounded different on the phone. She hadn’t demanded I visit. She had asked, and strangely, her simple request had filled me with false hope.

“Hi, Dad,” I said quietly.

“Juliette. Why haven’t you called me back?”

I sighed. “Sleep and work, I guess.”

“I spoke to your mother last night and she told me what happened with Leo.”

“Yep.” I was so not in the mood.

“There are things you need to know about your mother.” He paused. “Things you deserve to know.”

I almost laughed so I wouldn’t cry. There were so many things
he
needed to know about my mother. “I don’t want to know.”

“Please, Juliette. I would like you to come to dinner next Sunday night and I’ll explain everything I’ve learned over the past few months. I think it will really help you.”

I stared down at the murky, brown water of the Yarra and suddenly wished I could transport myself back to a bridge in Paris or Budapest or pretty much any of the incredible places I’d visited in Europe over the past few months. Anywhere but right there, listening to my father tell me there was more I needed to know about the woman who’d hurt me so damn much.

“Fine,” I said, resigned to one more confrontation. “I’ll be there.”

Shit.

The next few days, I just went through the motions.
What am I doing with my life?
was on constant loop in my head. At least I had my first training session with Zac since being back from my trip to look forward to after work. I had missed my boxing training and I needed it.

Monday to Thursday was a battle of mind over body. I focused all my energy on the challenge. To cut my weight by Friday, my diet consisted of fruit and vegetables. Dousing them in spices did nothing to improve the flavour. I tried to trick myself into thinking the mushrooms were meat, but I craved a big juicy steak and, about a thousand times a day, came very close to throwing in the towel. I had to keep exercising to accelerate the flushing of fluids from my body, but with very few calories, it was increasingly difficult. I didn’t need a medical background to know how reckless it was. With very little fat to strip, the loss was muscle and fluid.

By Thursday evening, I was ready to rip someone’s head off and I was relieved Jules wasn’t going to see me in this state. I would call her when I got back from Perth and could think straighter.

The run I’d just completed was one of the toughest of my life. My feet felt like they were weighed down by cement. When I finished my shower, I draped a towel around my waist, nearly slipping on the wet tile as I rushed to answer the phone ringing from the bedroom.

I hit the green button. “Leo Ashlar.”

The voice that greeted me sent icy shivers down my spine and I immediately stopped drying myself. “Leo. Hello?” I didn’t respond. “Are you there?”

“This is a private number,” I seethed. “How did you get it?” I asked, but almost immediately knew the answer. “Forget it. Isabel gave it to you.” I shook my head. I fucking hated that woman. “What do you want?” Infuriated, I pressed the phone closer to my ear while I hissed out the snarky question.

“I want to meet in person.” My mother's tone was quiet, but stern.

“I have nothing to say to you and have no interest in anything you have to say.”

“Leo. I’m your—”

“Stop. I have to go. Don’t call me again.”

“It was lovely seeing Juliette again.”

“What do you mean
again
?” My blood ran cold.

I could hear her chuckling. “I showed up at her work and offered to take her to lunch earlier this week, but she’s a loyal little lady, isn’t she?”

“Do not,” I seethed. “I repeat. Do not go near her again.” When there was no answer, I looked down at my phone. She’d hung up.

I crumpled down on the edge of my bed and attempted to get my brain to assess my options, but I couldn’t think straight. I called Juliette, but it went to voicemail. I left her a message asking her to come into the bar tonight and told her we needed to talk.

I finished getting ready as quickly as my fatigued muscles would allow. I jumped in the Jeep and headed into the city. I was glad I didn't ride the bike. Just looking at the parking spot reminded me of Juliette, and the way she'd sat on the bike with her legs wrapped around me, kissing me as if she had no choice. This was all just so fucked up.

My boss, Adriana, greeted me as I walked into the bar. “Hey, Leo.” Her dark hair fell over her shoulder as she cocked her head to the side. “You okay?”

“All good,” I lied. “You?”

“Freaking awesome.”

I was slightly taken aback by her enthusiastic reply. There was usually sadness that followed her like a shadow. She'd never really recovered from being jilted at the altar a few years earlier. Last she had heard, her fiancé had been mixing it with a biker gang.

“Freaking awesome, huh?” I asked as I walked into the staff room after her.

“I met with the new bank manager today and I got the pre-approved loan to buy the cottage.”

“That’s awesome, Adri.” I knew she had her heart set on a cottage at Aireys Inlet on the Great Ocean Road. “I’m really happy for you.”

“He might be coming in for a drink later.” Her cheeks flushed.

“The banker?”

She grinned sheepishly. “Yep.”

I winked. “Go for it, Adri. You tell him I’ll take him down and have his balls if he hurts you.”

“Hate to say this, Leo, but you look like shit.” She stepped closer. “You don’t look like you could
take
anyone. Are you okay? Have you lost weight?”

“Maybe a bit.” I waved her off. “I’m okay.”

“If it’s quiet later, take off early. Okay?” she suggested. “You might be coming down with something.”

“Thanks, my friend.” Wallowing in self-pity was appealing, but I was also determined to win the war raging in my mind. A body’s survival instincts are strong, and when pushed to the limit, you find out just how all consuming. My plan had been to solely dwell on my body’s most primal need, but my mother’s phone call had put an end to that.

Yawning, I dragged my arse back to the bar. The fatigue was hard to fight, but it was just one more mind game I was up against. It was busy enough to make time pass fairly quickly, but I was constantly watching the door for Juliette or checking my phone whenever I had a chance. I knew I wasn’t working at the pace my fellow bartenders were accustomed to, but I was doing my best to keep up with the demanding patrons.

A man wearing an expensive-looking suit sidled up to the bar.

“What can I get you?” I asked.

“Canadian Club and dry.”

“Coming right up.”

“Is Adriana here?” he asked, looking up and down the bar.

Figuring this guy was her banker, I motioned with an upward nod. “She's out the back. I'll call her out in a second.”

“Thanks. Appreciate it.” He appeared slightly nervous, but he didn’t look like a creeper, which was a relief. He reminded me of the actor who had played Superman in that Man of Steel movie, but I couldn’t remember his name. I would be keeping an eye on him. Adri was my friend, and I looked out for my friends.

When I’d given Superman his drink, I wandered out to the staff room. My feet felt like dead weights and the room spun if I moved my head too quickly. I felt like shit.

I poked my head around the door. “You have a visitor, Adri.”

“Thanks, Leo.” She grinned like a schoolgirl. “I’ll be right out.”

I turned to leave.

“You’ll be scaring off the customers in your state,” Adri called out. She chuckled as she studied her reflection in a small compact mirror. “You’re meant to be the eye candy.”

“Thanks.” My body was screaming at me and I just wanted to sleep.

I got back to my job and plastered a smile on my face. When I thought I heard Juliette’s name, I glanced down the other end of the bar and locked onto her talking and laughing with a group of people I didn’t know. She looked incredible. Her long hair hung loosely around her shoulders and her fresh face was makeup free. No woman had ever looked more beautiful than she did in that moment with her own special brand of sexy confidence. She was talking to a muscled-up dude, and my blood instantly boiled when he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. She didn’t look particularly annoyed, but she was batting his arm away.
What the fuck?
I stalked towards them. “Get your fucking hands off her.” I had almost no energy, but I was ready to tear limbs from his body if he didn’t remove them from Juliette in the next two seconds.