Nyght's Eve (11 page)

“With Zoe?” Dare asked after a long moment of
silence.

“Yeah. She thinks I’m a man whore.”

“Well, yeah…you kind of are, aren’t you?”

Dante shot a dark look at him. “That’s the
fucking issue. The only time I really feel anything is when I’m fucking or
fighting, so that’s what I do...or did. She won’t let me touch her because of
it. So, we made a bet. If I can last four months without touching anyone else,
she’ll give me a shot.”

“Okay,” Dare said carefully as he began to
eat again. “So, you have two more months to go?”

Dante let out a groan like he was dying.
“It’s gonna kill me. I swear to God, I’m going to fucking die if I don’t touch
her soon. Besides, I don’t want anyone else...just her.”

Dare shoved more food in his mouth to keep
from having to say anything at the moment. Christ, he didn’t know what to say.
Dante Fox certainly had a reputation with the ladies. It was common for
soldiers returning from a warzone to deal with stress in whatever way they
could. Unfortunately, some lost themselves in a bottle trying to dull the
memories of what they had seen and done, while others found different ways to
beat back their personal demons.

Wasn’t he doing the same damn thing?

He was saved from responding when a large hand
came down on his back, almost knocking him off his stool.

“There he is! Damn good to see you, boy!”

Dare turned and had to smile as he saw
Malcolm Fox’s weathered face grinning at him. As a former Ranger himself,
Malcolm Fox was tough as nails. After he’d left the service, Malcolm Fox had moved
back to Breakers and opened The Fox Hole. Wanting to provide for his fellow
brothers-in-arms, he’d make a habit of employing men after they got out of the
military. Dare knew that the men that hung out at the bar had gained the
moniker Breakers’ Bad Boys, because most of them had bad-ass attitudes, tattoos,
and rode motorcycles, but they were damn good men who fiercely protected the
town.

“Malcolm,” he said in greeting as he shook
the older man’s hand.

“If it isn’t Dr. Hottie, himself.”

“Son of a bitch!”

“I had a good laugh about that when I heard
that’s what the women in town were calling you.” Malcolm laughed and slapped
Dare on the back again, then he turned to address his son. “Hey, I just got a
call from your sister. Danica tried to call you, but she said you didn’t
answer.”

“Damn it. I left my phone in the office. Is
she okay? What’s going on?”

“She’s fine. Just wanted to say hi, and said
she’d try again tomorrow or you could call her back later.” Malcolm explained
to Dare. “Ever since my daughter won that damn TV dance contest, she’s been
gallivanting all over the world.”

“Gemma,” Dante clarified. “She’s touring with
Gemma.”

“The singer? No, shit? That’s a huge
accomplishment,” Dare said and noticed both Malcolm and Dante beamed with
pride.

“I know. My sister has been the head
choreographer for Gemma for the last few years. They’re on tour now. Again.”

“It sucks having her so far away,” Malcolm
grumbled. “She should be home, where we know she’s safe.”

“And do what, dad? Tend bar?”

“She is part owner of this place, too!”

“Danica is a damn dancer,” Dante shot back.
“Even if we want her home you can’t just hide her in here.”

“Ha!” Malcolm cried out as he pointed a
finger at his son. “You say that, but I’m not the one who got banned from
visiting her.”

Dante scowled. “You should see all the men
hanging all over my sister after they see her dance on stage. The fucking
perverts.”

 
“Damn
right,” Malcolm agreed. He leaned a forearm on the bar, and smiled at Dare. “So,
I was glad to hear you were moving to Breakers.”

“Oh, I’m not—”

“Sure you are,” Malcolm said, barreling right
over Dare’s protest. “Don’t know if the Breakers Hospital is looking for anyone
right now, but I doubt they would turn down someone with your expertise and experience.”

“Really, I don’t—”

Malcolm slapped his back again, knocking the
wind out of him. “You be sure to stop on by the hospital when you have a
moment. I know one of the administrators there, Alda Hertz. She’s a good woman,
and will be happy to see you. I’ll tell her you’re coming by.”

“Dad, stop torturing the man.”

Malcolm winked at his son. “Just giving him
options. Since he seems to be sweet on our Evie, I thought I’d help make it
easier for him to settle in.”

“How the hell—”

“Breakers is a small town, son. If you don’t
want everyone to know your business, you shouldn’t be mauling her out where
everyone can see. Oh, and Dare? Your meal is on us. Welcome home.” Malcolm left
grinning before Dare could do more than scowl.

Dante snickered. “So, Evie, huh?”

“Fuck off. At least I’m not the one being
castrated by a stupid bet.”

Dante’s good humor vanished instantly at that
reminder. Both men brooded in silence until Dare finally said, “Hell. I’ve lost
my appetite. Why don’t you come with me to the gym? Let’s go beat the shit out
of each other for awhile in the ring.”

Dante blew out a breath. “Yeah, that sounds
good.”

****

Dare and Dante pounded on each other for a
good few hours at the gym to the entertainment of everyone at Fight Hard.

By the time Dante left to go back to the bar,
Dare felt the edge of his irritation had faded. He spent some time cooling down
with a light workout on the machines while he watched Hammer training some
young men in the ring. His friend was good with the fighters. Hammer showed an
aptitude for teaching just as strong as his own talent in the ring had been.

Finished with his workout, Dare went back
into the locker room to shower and change. He had to shake his head at the
accommodations Hammer had the place outfitted with. The damn locker room looked
like it belonged in some high-class country club or something instead of a
small town gym. After he got out of the shower, he heard his phone ping with an
incoming message as soon as he opened his locker. He sat down to check it with
his towel wrapped around his waist, and when he pulled up the text and saw it
was from Toro, Dare’s stomach clenched.

I
think this is what you were looking for. Your lady had it rough. Let me know if
you need anything else.
 

Dare opened the attached files, trying to
stay calm as he read through the information. It wasn’t easy. According to the
information that Toro had pulled together for him, Evie didn’t just have it
rough...she had lived through something no one should ever have to face.

When she had been fourteen, three men had
broken into her family home and had killed her parents. Her father had been
wealthy land developer, and one of the men had been caught dealing drugs using
the company as means to distribute. When the men forced their way in, Evie had
called the police and tried to hide, but the men had found her and taken her
with them when they fled the home.
 

Wounded, the family dog had aided in the
search for Evie through the woods located in the back of the property, leading
the search team straight to her. The drug dealers thought they could hide out
until it was safe to get away, but instead they had been apprehended in the
matter of hours. Two of the men were killed in the takedown, and the dog had
succumbed to his wounds and died only moments after Evie had been found.

Evie had testified at the trial of the
remaining man, ensuring that he was put away for life. The courtroom had been
filled with Breakers residents each day of the trial, full of people who had
been there to support Evie in honor of her parents' memories.

Dare’s heart ached for her loss, and couldn’t
imagine what she had suffered in the hours that those men had held her captive.
There were additional news articles highlighting a young girl’s struggle to
deal with the aftermath of what had happened to her family. She had been to
counseling and under the care of a psychiatrist, but what really seemed to have
helped her deal with her trauma had been how the men and women of the town had
come together and provided an impenetrable shield around her.

When she hadn’t wanted to leave Breakers, her
Uncle Tony and Aunt Colleen had moved their children Hunter, Beckett and
Francesca to be with her. Aiding the police department, Tony, Malcolm Fox and
several other men in the community had come together to rid the town of the
drugs flowing in, and had earned their moniker as the Breakers’ Bad Boys with
their unconventional methods to keep their town safe.

Dare sat there staring at his phone for long
minutes, surprised he didn’t crush the damn thing with the sheer force of his
rage thinking about how three men had ripped apart Evie’s life, all because of
drugs. He slowly put his phone down on one of the shelves inside the locker,
but didn’t move from his seat. The sound of the door opening had Dare turning,
and he saw as Hammer turned the corner. He paused, then moved to Dare’s side,
sitting down next to him on the bench.

“I just spoke to Kali. She’s at home cooking
up a storm.”

“Great.”

“Is there some reason you’re sitting here
looking so morose?”

“I did something. I asked a contact of mine
at the agency to pull up some background information about Evie.”

 
“Damn,
Nyght. Why’d you do that? You could have just asked me whatever you wanted to
know.”

“She said some cryptic things about her past
that I needed to know. I didn’t want to involve anyone.”

Hammer shook his head. “Brother, you should
know better. You don’t go digging into a woman’s past without a court order,
and even then she’s damn well gonna make you pay for it. So, you know about
what happened to her parents now?”

“Yeah. Jesus, Hammer.”

“I know. It’s why she works so hard to rehab
those dogs and is part of the search and rescue team. My cousin is a strong
woman, Dare. It was rough on her, but she survived.”

Dare glanced over. “Aren’t you gonna warn me
away from your cousin?”

“Why? You’re one of the best men I know. Why
wouldn’t I want my cousin with you?”

Dare let out a half laugh. “Christ, Hammer.
How can you say that? You don’t even know what I’ve been doing these last few
years.”

Hammer studied his friend, taking his time to
figure out exactly what he wanted to say. He turned so he was facing Dare on
the bench. Damn, it broke his heart the way Dare seemed to be bracing himself
as if for a blow. He looked so fucking lost, so alone, but he wasn’t. Hammer
may not know exactly what Dare had been through, but he knew enough to guess.
And if it was even close to what he’d imagined, then his friend wouldn’t be
left to pick up the pieces unaided.

“I know you, Dare. You’re not just my friend,
you’re like a brother to me. You may have gone through some tough shit, and
still may be going through the hard right now, but that doesn’t change the fact
that I know you’re a good man.” He held up his hand to stall whatever Dare would
have said. “You know, when I got back stateside and started fighting, I thought
I had found the perfect way to channel all the emotions I felt about what I had
been through.”

Dare nodded. “You were good at fighting.
Still are, Hammer. Actually, you’re a damn good trainer, too. I noticed that
today.”

“Thanks, that means a lot coming from you.”
And Hammer was shocked at just how much that was true. When he’d left the Army,
Hammer had been just as lost as Dare now seemed. But Hammer had been lucky to
find people who had helped and supported him when he’d started fighting with
the Cage Fighting League. Civilians didn’t understand just how much time in the
military could change a man...or how painful it was to come back and have
everyone expect something that wasn’t possible.
 

Hammer had faced that disappointment from
people when they’d realized he wasn’t the same man he used to be. He was
harder, more severe, and much more jaded. Growing up with a fucked up childhood
like he had, it was saying a lot when people barely recognized him upon his
return.

Then came the fame, but few people knew the
truth.

“What I’ve never told anyone is that after
every fight I had, I got sick. I mean throw my fucking guts up sick. I was so
fucking terrified I would really hurt someone, that I wouldn’t hear them ring
that bell. That I wouldn’t stop. Jesus, Dare. There were times I simply
switched off. As soon as the other guy came at me, I went into survival mode,
and just reacted. When the fight was over, that’s what I celebrated. Not the
win, but that I didn’t kill anyone. It made me sick to realize that, until I
finally understood it. Accepted it.”

“You seemed to make it work for you.”

Hammer nodded. “I did, but it took a long
fucking time, and a hell of a lot of training. We all have to deal with it. You,
me, Hunter, Storm, Dante. Hell, it’s why I don’t let any of the amateurs spar
with Dante in the ring in a real fight. He has good training instincts and the
younger guys respond to him, but he still has that edge to him and I can’t risk
him unleashing on some poor kid. It’s not his fault, though. We’ve spent years
training for combat, man. That’s not something we can just forget overnight.”