Reckless Retribution (West Warriors Book 1) (28 page)

“Okay.” He smiled, his breathing still ragged.

“You did great.”

“Thanks.” He then watched me thoughtfully as I looked over his face and body. He had grazes, red marks, and bruises on him. But the one that caught my attention the most was the cut on his eyebrow, which had bled profusely. “I’ll heal,” he assured me, giving me a half attempt at a grin. He looked so tired. I just wanted to take him into my arms.

I then listened as the guys offered praise and gave him some specific feedback about how well he’d executed some of the moves, and Jamie listened intently to them, nodding as they spoke. I felt nauseous as Kal returned to tell us the judges had made their decision, and Jamie nervously blew out a breath.

We all left the side of the cage as the people inside it exited, leaving the two opponents and the announcer in the center. He gathered both the fighters on either side of him, and Jenson’s eyes darted about nervously, while Jamie’s stayed fixed ahead. I had all my fingers and toes crossed that he would win.

Taking to the microphone, the announcer began his speech. “The winner of tonight’s BAMMA Welterweight Championship goes to… the two-time consecutive champion, Jenson Day.”

My heart stopped, and the guys gasped and cursed. How could that possibly be? Jamie had the upper hand in most of those rounds. The announcer held up Jenson’s arm, who was grinning to the crowd, proud he had retained his undefeated title. Thunderous cheers and applause echoed around the room, and the loud music and flashing lights returned.

I felt devastated for Jamie, and I could see the disappointment in his eyes, but he nodded at the outcome, taking it professionally. Kal was spewing expletives to Dale and Kurt. Jamie turned and congratulated Jenson, and they both shook hands before he walked out of the cage toward us.

“That’s fucking bullshit. I had more control in all those fuckin’ rounds,” he fumed at Kal, eyes wide with fury.

“All right, son. C’mon.” Kal beckoned him with his hand, and he followed him while swigging on a water bottle he was handed. The guys and I trailed behind. Kal stopped in front of a cameraman and a guy with a microphone, and I was confused. Was he seriously going to make Jamie be interviewed? He’d literally just been told he’d lost a fight that was important to him, and possibly lost the big sponsorship deal that was in his reach, and now he was being thrown to the vultures, who were wanting him to talk about it. Feeling protective of him, I sighed angrily and crossed my arms across my chest, watching the farce. A sideways glance from Cam caught my attention, and I turned to look at him.

“What’s up?” he asked quietly.

“This.” I nodded to the cameras. “I think he feels bad enough without having these dudes rub salt into his wounds.”

He gave me a sympathetic smile. “I know, just something that has to be done.”

Turning back to watch the interview, they asked him all sorts of questions, and Jamie, ever the professional, answered them with poise, even though he was angry inside. He spoke about what a great opponent Jenson was, even though I knew it had dented his ego massively that he didn’t get to strip him of his title.

Five minutes later, Jamie made his way to the locker rooms and we followed behind. The crowd was shouting at him and praising him as he walked, and he shook some hands. It was a nice touch because it showed how much they liked and respected him, although I knew it wouldn’t make a difference on how he felt.

Inside the locker room, Jamie disappeared to the bathroom with some of the others. I just wanted to speak to him and make him feel better, although I knew that would be a fight in itself. I began to hear a lot of banging and shouting, and I wondered what was going on. It sounded like he was flipping out. I’d never heard him like that before, and it worried me. My heart was broken for him.

Twenty minutes passed, and the door finally opened. Jamie came out of the changing room followed by Kal, and I stood up to speak to him, but he just carried on walking right past me, hood up over his head and his eyes down. He didn’t even look at me. I might as well not have been there. Dread filled my stomach. He’d taken this way worse than I anticipated, and I didn’t know how to help him or what I could do. I felt helpless.

Kal, Dale, Kurt, and the guys were quiet as they grabbed the gear together. Their friends had left after the interview. The mood and tension was horrible. Kal nodded in the direction Jamie was heading, so I followed them. We exited the building, and Jamie got straight into his truck, reversed out of his parking spot, and sped off. Alone. He hadn’t even waited for Cam or any of the others. Swallowing down the sob that was rising in my throat, I kept telling myself that he would be okay.

Kal gestured to his car, and I reluctantly walked toward it, falling into step behind him. I wanted to ride with the others, so I could be around the conversations about Jamie, or even hear his voice if they attempted to call him. I looked to Jamie’s empty parking spot and worried about his frame of mind.

“Should he be driving in that state?” I asked. One of the team members should have at least gone with him.

“He just wants to be alone, love. He’s hard on himself, always is and always has been. He just needs a few days,” he said glumly, starting up his car.

I wondered if that last part was for my benefit and
I
should leave him alone for a few days. I wondered if Kal had a suspicion we were involved like Jamie had said, and that was why he wouldn’t let me ride with the others, in case I tried to follow him.

The ride home was almost excruciating. Kal was silent, and I was so worried about Jamie. I’d never seen him act like that. I knew he was angry, and he had every right to be; I just didn’t think he would take it this hard. He wanted some alone time, and I would have to respect that, as much as I didn’t want to. I wanted to go over to his house, climb into his bed, and just hold him. I didn’t want him being hard on himself.

****

Six days had passed, and I hadn’t seen or heard from him. The guys came into the club and trained as normal, but Jamie stayed away, and I missed him painfully. I wanted to ask if he was okay, but I didn’t want to risk Kal overhearing anything. He’d been practically glued to their hips. Today was Friday, and I’d had enough. I couldn’t take the separation any longer. I was desperate to see him. So after my shift, I took the plunge and walked to his house.

Reaching his front door, I tentatively knocked. Part of me wondered if it was the right thing to do, but I was willing to risk it just to see him. When he didn’t answer, I knocked again a little louder. His truck was parked outside, so I knew he was in. I was just contemplating trying the door handle and letting myself in, when it opened up and my heart surged, seeing him there in front of me. He looked surprised to see me.

“Where have you been?” I raised my eyebrows playfully. His face looked sore; he was bruised, marked, and cut. I wanted to kiss them all better.

“Sulking.” His smile was small, and he looked down at the floor then back up to me. His stubble was back, which reminded me of the time he went back home not so long ago. “Watching the fight over and over. Scrutinizing my moves. What I did right, opportunities I missed, and what I could have done better. Any weaknesses of his I missed….” He shrugged then crossed his arms over his chest.

Him rhyming off all of that made me feel sorry for him, and like Kal said, he was being hard on himself. “Oh, Jamie,” I sighed, cocking my head. “Don’t be so tough on yourself. You did amazing.”

“Yeah, well, not amazing enough evidently,” he said pointedly.

“I’m so proud of you. Everybody is.”

He nodded silently, but I wondered how much he actually agreed with that.

“Are you done shutting yourself off from the world?” I joked. I got a little laugh back and he shrugged again. “You’re not going to be alone forever, you know. One day, somebody will just want to be there for you, and you can’t just hide away in solitary confinement.”

He raised an eyebrow at that. “Well, until that happens, I’m happy just to be alone.”

I didn’t like the defeated look that was in his eyes, and I knew he wasn’t ready to leave his bubble yet.

“Okay, well, as long as you’re okay?” I gave him a smile, even though inside I was disappointed he didn’t want my company, but I knew I had to leave him alone for a bit longer until he was ready to face the world again.

“Thanks for checking up on me, and I’m sorry I’ve kept my distance. I just….” He sighed and laid his head against the doorframe, looking at me thoughtfully, but he didn’t finish his sentence. He just gave me an appreciative smile. I nodded, understanding how he felt, and returned his smile as I turned to walk.

“Do you need a ride back?” he offered, lifting his head to look at his truck.

“Nah, I’m good. Don’t be a stranger.” I gave him a little wave and set off for home. Even though I didn’t know when I was likely to see him again, I was happy I
had
seen him and that he wasn’t as angry as he was at himself anymore. I got to the end of his street and heard him shouting my name. Turning around, I saw him jogging toward me.

“Where are you going?”

“Home,” I said, surprised to see him standing out on the street with the rest of civilization.

“Do you wanna come back for a drink?”

I instantly brightened. “Yeah.” I tried not to sound too surprised he’d asked me back to his place. I then wondered what I’d be walking into. “Is it safe?” I mocked. It had been a week since his fight, and with the mood he’d been in, his house was probably a smelly mess.

“Shut up.” He nudged me, smiling as we walked back to his house. “Do you want some lunch?” he offered, as we stepped inside.

“Yeah, that would be nice,” I said, eyeing up his living quarters for disorder. He suddenly stopped walking, and because I wasn’t watching him, I went barreling straight into his back. “Sorry,” I apologized.

“Stop looking for a mess. I can take care of myself, you know.” He shook his head at me.

I chuckled, embarrassed I’d been caught, and followed him into the kitchen. He fixed us both a sandwich, and we sat in the front room to eat.

I took this as an opportunity to get to know more about him. “When did you get the house?”

“About a year after I moved in with Kal. My parents realized I wasn’t coming back home, and they didn’t like the fact Kal was looking after me. I wasn’t really his responsibility. They found this place and did it up for me. After a few years, I started making good money from the fights, so I pay for it now.”

“Wow,” I said, chewing a bite of my sandwich. I was really impressed. Most guys his age were still living with their parents, but he had a house already. Even if his choice in career wasn’t exactly normal. But who was I to judge? He loved what he did, and that was all that mattered. “Where do the other guys live?” I asked curiously.

“They have apartments and houses around Lake Louis.”

Lake Louis, I’d heard, was an idyllic and expensive area to live. I’d never been, but I’d heard a lot about it. It was close to where Taylor lived. Again, I was impressed that they were earning enough money to afford nice things for themselves. They worked damn hard for it. I was momentarily distracted by him swallowing a big chunk of his sandwich and then licking his lips. I’d not tasted those lips in a while.

“You done starin’, or do you want to hit the sack?” That sexy grin spread across his face.

I felt my cheeks blush; he was so brazen. “I need to go.” I laughed, swallowing my last bite and rubbing the remains of the crumbs from my fingers onto the plate.

“Why?” he asked, looking surprised.

“I need to sort Dad out.” I rolled my eyes at the mention of him.

He nodded, understanding, and I stood, taking both our plates into the kitchen. “C’mon, I’ll take you.” He grabbed his truck keys as I walked back into the hallway to meet him, and panic struck me. I didn’t want him anywhere near my house. If Dad saw….

“No, it’s best if you don’t,” I protested, stepping out his front door.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “When are you going to stop this?”

“Stop what?” I asked, as he locked the door behind us.

“Stop being scared of him. You need to have a life too, you know.”

“I am scared of him, Jamie. He put me in freaking hospital.”

His face winced and he gritted his teeth. “I can’t take you standing here telling me you’re scared of the father that I am about to take you home to. It’s not right,” he growled. I knew it wasn’t right, but there was little I could do about it right now. “One day, he’ll pay,” he threatened, as he climbing into his truck.

Sitting down next to him, I slammed the door closed. “Don’t say things like that. He’s my dad, Jamie, and it has nothing to do with you,” I snapped.

“It has everything to do with me when I’m… sleeping with you, and I have to look at the marks and bruises on your body because of him.” He glared at me as he started his truck.

I didn’t even think about my body when I was with him, and he’d never made reference to any marks before. I turned to look out of my window. “You don’t
have
to sleep with me, Jamie,” I said quietly.

As he tugged my hand, I looked at him. “Look, I’m sorry I said that. I just care about you, and I think it’s pretty obvious how much I like your damn body.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

I knew he cared about me. I just wished he was a little more careful with his words. He could be too direct and blunt at times. Leaning over to me, he cupped me cheek with his hand and sealed his mouth to mine. It was a welcome move. I hadn’t kissed him in almost three weeks. Cupping both of his cheeks, I deepened our kiss, leaning farther into him. I wanted him, here, now, anywhere. “Whoa! Don’t want to give old Mrs. Tate something to talk to me about.” He slowly pushed me away.

“God, Jamie, I haven’t touched you in ages and it’s killing me,” I panted, breathless.

“Aw, don’t say stuff like that in here.” He looked around the cab of his truck.

“Those back seats look inviting.” I bit my lip suggestively.

His hand flew to my mouth, quieting me. “Stop it. I can’t drive with a hard-on.”