Inside Danger (Outside The Ropes Book 2) (15 page)

Gerri Luxman was in the ring. Her brown curls slicked back and tied in a pouf. She was standing in her corner, statue still, waiting for the fight to begin.

The first two rounds were uneventful. I landed only a few body blows, which felt more like hitting a brick wall; they didn’t seem to faze her. She didn’t get any punches though. I was able to block the few she attempted. We mainly gave each other space as we circled around the ring.

The third round started with a punch to my head. And I felt it. An explosion of pain and white that rocked my vision and snapped my head. But I stayed standing and blocked the rest of the combination she threw my way.

Retreating a few steps back, I blinked a few times, clearing the fuzzy spots. The pain throbbing in my left temple was welcomed as it took over my thoughts. The girl who delivered it became my only focus and I stepped towards her. The sting radiated through my body, alerting my muscles.

She jabbed in my direction to keep me back. But I slipped past and my gloved fist made contact with her stomach and then her chin. She hit my sides, lightning pain shooting through me with each blow. I was high off the pain, exhilarated. I was confident I could take it all and continue standing.

I took a few more punches to the side as I delivered two more to her ribs. Her strength wavered, her punches lessening and my fist now shook her body instead of hitting a wall.

The bell rung and we had to separate. Adrenaline pulsed in me, consuming and covering my pain.

Dexter pushed something cold to the side of my head and ear.

“How you feeling?” at my nod he continued, “I think you won that round too, you landed the better, cleaner hits, and more of them. You’re making a dent in her.” His words confirmed my thoughts.

“Only three more rounds. You got this,” he reminded me.

I had to go three more rounds. I sucked in air. I felt good, plenty of stamina left. Rising to my feet, I pushed away the cold press and shook out some of my muscles.

The next round I came out swinging, eager to get back to where we were. It took a few more body shots till she dropped her arms enough to let me get a head shot. I took full advantage of the opening and landed a quick three punch combination, two to her left cheek and one slamming one to her right that sent her to the ground.

She bounced up almost immediately, but stayed on one knee taking advantage of the count to recover. The fire in her eyes as she drilled into me only made my own fire blaze higher. I loved the anticipation and smiled broadly in response to her sour look.

At nine she sprung to standing, lunging towards me with fist flying. She was losing control and I loved it. I ducked down, below her swinging arm and my fist sunk into her stomach. She buckled and retreated a few steps back.

She kept her distance, jabbing the air if I tried to get too close and I was fine with giving her space for now. I had two more rounds to go.

The fifth round, she had recovered enough to attack again, but she still tried to keep me away. She was taking advantage of her longer arm reach and as I tried to get inside them, she landed another punch to my left temple. The flash of light wasn’t accompanied with pain this time, but a roaring thunder. I felt nothing as my vision tunneled.

I didn’t retreat back, but stepped in close and took my own shots. A quick series of shots to her torso, each one pushing her back, inch by inch, till she was against the ropes. I raised my punches and connected several to her jaw. The ropes were all that kept her up. My body moved, continuing the onslaught, but my mind sparked a warning, it couldn’t end yet. Stopping my swings was painful, and my excitement flashed to anger as I let my brain take control of my actions.

I stepped back some and slowed my punches, giving her enough space to pick herself up and block. I had to make it look natural.

The referee pushed me back further, standing in between a bloody Gerri and me. Then the bell rung and we each moved to our corners. Gerri’s team stuck cotton up her nose to stop the bleeding.

Dexter wiped my face and gloves with a towel, and then he reapplied Vaseline to my face with a large, goofy grin.

“You’re there. You got this…”

I couldn’t focus on his words. My muscles sung with the need to finish this and I watched my opponent until the sixth, and final round began.

She stood back up, but I was thrilled to see the weakness in her slightly shaky muscles. I charged back in, her punches barely registering. My only concern was to get back into position, inside her arm reach. Once there, I didn’t let up with my punches to her torso, and as her arms fell away, I connected with her face. Repeatedly. My arms moved over and over, my body vibrated with each impact, until she dropped to the ground.

As far as I was concerned, there was nothing beyond the ring. Only the ref’s counting reached my ears. Only the sight of her trying to raise herself up filled my vision.

“Six.”

She lifted up, her arms straight beneath her.

“Seven.”

Head lifted, blood dripping from her mouth.

“Eight.”

Her head rolled back down.

“Nine.”

She dropped her arms. Giving up the fight.

“Ten.”

I won. In the sixth. With a Knockout.

When Dexter jumped around me in congratulations, my mind opened back up to the outside world and the first thought was Gage. I turned to the spot he had been, but the seat was empty.

I SCANNED THE ROOM, LOOKING FOR GAGE but never finding him. Even as a few reporters representing papers and blogs I never heard of questioned me, I still searched with the corner of my eye. I wanted to see him. I felt charged with energy but his disappearance again was an anchor, reminding me that tonight’s victory wasn’t worth celebrating.

The more time that passed, the heavier the realization became. I won. I did what Nick wanted. It changed nothing. But in time it would, I reminded myself. I had won. And I would do it two more times, and then I would be free of this. I could do it, I had to. But Gage would still be in.

I cut the reporters off, I was barely able to focus on the questions anyways. A buzzing filled my head, intensifying as the pain returned. My sides ached and ear throbbed. But it was a delicious ache that made me feel stronger. I could take whatever was thrown at me, head on.

Dexter pulled me back to a locker room, and after taking off my gloves, cutting away the tape, and giving me an ice pack, he left me to shower and change.

The cool water felt good on my heated skin, but I kept the shower short, my body too wired to stay in one spot. I dressed in jeans, t-shirt, and zip up hoody then checked out my face in the mirror, my lower left jaw was an angry red that traveled to my almost purple ear. I poked the offended ear and nearly laughed. She had hit me good, but it didn’t matter.

It reminded me of when Gage had reprimanded me my first fight for celebrating a win where I was hit, twice. This time I had been hit a lot more, my ribs were evidence of that, but I couldn’t stop the surge of pride I felt all the same. I just wish he had stuck around, even if it was to yell at me about it, I’d enjoy that fight.

I had to shake him from my thoughts.

The second I stepped out of the locker room I was surrounded.

“Fan-fucking-tastic fight,” Aliya wrapped her arms around me.

Leona was the next to step up. “I would ask what you’ve been up to, but I can tell you must have been training.”

“You killed it out there.” Danny gave me a half hug. “You ready to party?”

I looked around the excited group, wanting to say yes, but doubting I should.

Dexter raised an eyebrow at me. “C’mon Rea. You need some fun.” His bright smile was persuasive.

But the air was vacuumed from me as Gage stepped to my side. I hadn’t been looking for him just then and didn’t see him approaching. His eyes were bright, his dark grey shirt and dark denim jeans contrasted nicely with the light color. The fit of his clothes showed off his hard body, and I had to remind myself he wasn’t mine to touch.

He looked down at me and one hand pushed my hair back from the side of my face as he inspected my ear.

“You did good. You feeling okay?” His voice was just as soft as his smile.

I shrugged his hand away and nodded.

“Are we watching the next fight or do you want to go out now?” Danny asked, rubbing his hands together.

“You should come with us,” Aliya said to Gage.

But Leona frowned and looked to Dexter as she grabbed his hand and said something too low for anyone else to hear.

Gage hadn’t taken his eyes off me, I knew because I could feel the intensity of his gaze as I looked anywhere else.

“Regan and I have other plans tonight,” he spoke evenly.

I whipped my eyes to him, excitement building as we made eye contact. He grabbed my hand in his and heat traveled through me. There was no way I could say no, and I didn’t want to.

Aliya grinned at us but nudged my shoulder. “Maybe another night then. But frickin’ answer your phone sometimes.”

I nodded to her, barely able to look away from Gage, and waved to everyone as he walked us out of the building.

The parking garage was filled with cars, but nobody was around but us. He kept me close to him, tugging on my hand if I slipped too far away as we walked to his SUV. We both hadn’t spoken and I didn’t know what to say or if I could even speak. I didn’t know what I was doing. All I knew was that I wanted him. I wanted to share my adrenaline rush with him. I wanted to celebrate this small victory with him.

He pulled me to the passenger side door and opened it for me. I set my bag down on the floorboard of the seat, but the thought of letting his hand go, breaking our connection, gripped my heart. I looked up at him, taking a step towards him instead of into the car.

He moved towards me at the same time, and then his full lips were on mine and every wall I had tried to put up against him disappeared, like the imaginary blocks they were. He pulled me into him, our bodies pressed together, as his arms wrapped securely around me, heat radiating between us. My hands moved up his shoulders, neck, and then into his hair, fingers running through the silky thickness of it. I gripped his hair, angling his head to let my tongue explore his mouth further. I had missed this and finally felt like a piece of me was back in place.

His chest vibrated as he moaned into my mouth and then his arms dipped down, picking me up and guiding my legs around his waist. His hand snaked up my back and tangled in my hair as he held my head in place. Taking the few steps to his car, he set me down on the passenger seat, leaning over me. His lips dragged down my chin and neck with hot nibbles and licks. His hand unzipped my sweater but stayed on top of my shirt as he glided them over my curves, from chest to hip.

I pulled at the front of his shirt, wanting him to be on me, to feel his body pressed to mine again. His fingers ran along the edge of my jeans, tickling the skin underneath. I nearly cried out when I felt him slow his kisses and pull away.

My hands still fisted the material of his shirt, not letting him go, not letting him pull away, as I searched his face.

His features were broken with a mix of too many emotions to decipher, and his mouth kept opening to say something but he didn’t. His face firmed with his decision made. He kissed my lips in a soft peck, but pulled my hands from him at the same time. Then he stepped away and closed the door.

A few deep breaths and he was in the driver’s seat pulling out of the garage. I tried to get a grip on the ache in my chest. He was here next to me, he hadn’t left me, only ended the kiss.

I licked my lips, taking in the remaining taste of him, easing the tightness in my muscles. As we turned onto the street, I questioned, “Where are we going?” I should have asked sooner.

His knuckles turned white as his one hand gripped the steering wheel; His other hand moved to my leg and squeezed my knee. “Trust me, okay?”

Those walls that disappeared at the touch of his lips began going up again, maybe they were more like sliding doors.

I ignored his question, like he had ignored mine. “Where are we going?” I asked with more force and tossed his hand off of my knee.

His heavy exhale was all the answer I needed. My heart clenched with the knowing, he was stabbing me in the back. I had been so stupid to walk off with him, to think that he was here for me, really for me, and not for Rusnak or Nick.

“To the club. Nick needs to talk to you.” His voice was flat, but his eyes were watching me.

Tears burned behind my eyes. “I was so fucking stupid.” I was unable to hold back my thoughts, he had sliced me open and it was all spilling out. “I should have known you only showed up tonight for them. You wouldn’t come here for me.”

“I’m here for you,” he interrupted me. “I wanted to see you. I have to take you there, but I wouldn’t do it if I thought it was dangerous for you. But I’ll stay with you the entire time, I’ll keep you safe. I wouldn’t let them hurt you.”

I knocked his hand away as he reached for me. “That’s bullshit and you know it. Were you keeping me safe when I was with Demetri, when I was stuck at Rusnak’s, or how about now while I’m at his girlfriend’s place. Tell me how you’re keeping me safe because I don’t see you anywhere around.”

His eyes flashed to me, lit with anger, and he pulled the SUV over to the curb and threw it into park. Cars zoomed past us.

“Are you fucking serious right now? I’m doing what I can. You’re the one that pushed me away. You’re the one that made the choice to get involved in the first fucking place, not me. I told you to stay away and what did you do? You made a deal with Nick and Silas. This is all your fucking fault and now you’re throwing it in my face that I’m not doing enough?” He pressed his lips together, breathing through his nose, reigning in his emotion. When he spoke again his voice was calmer, but still strained with anger. “Don’t take your mistakes out on me. I’m doing what I can.”

I couldn’t respond to what he said because I knew he was right. I had brought this all on myself and it wasn’t his job to fix it. But I wanted to rip the truth from him, I wanted him to face it and admit that he had no control, just like me.