The Beat and The Pulse Box Set 2

by Amity Cross

  “Well, I needed a job, and he offered me a lot more than what I was getting,” I declared, trying to justify my stupid life choices…and dance around the real reason I’d left.

  “You know, if you needed more money, you could’ve asked the Twins for a raise,” Ren countered, always on the ball. “They’ve been trying to give you more for years, but you wouldn’t take it. Unless something happened…” She trailed off, and for a moment, there was absolute silence. “Something happened.”

  “Let it go,” I said thinly, not wanting to spill the fact that Monica had been at her wedding, then in Sydney delivering home truths and stealing my boyfriend out from under me.

  “What happened, Josie?” she pressed. “You know I won’t let it go. I can just go call the Twins and hear it from them…FYI.”

  “Ren, please, leave it alone.” I leaned my forehead against the wall and screwed my eyes shut. I was way too tired to deal with this.

  “Okay, you’re really starting to worry me now. You know I’m here for you, and if you don’t talk to me now, I’m getting in the car and driving all the way across town to find you. I really hate that Gabe guy, just so you know. He’s way too arrogant. And seriously, after he KO’d Dean and won the title from Lincoln… It’s a low blow, Jo.”

  “Dean and I…” I started to say, and my heart began to sting as I opened up the wound he’d left behind. “I dumped Hamish because I had feelings for Dean.”

  “Holy fuck!”

  “But Monica…”

  “Holy fuck!” Ren repeated. “There’s a name I never wanted to hear again.”

  Glancing over my shoulder, I caught Gabe staring at me with a frown, so I edged toward the outside door. “Hang on a sec,” I muttered. “I’ve got an audience.”

  Ren sighed on the other end of the line as I pushed out of the gym and onto the street. A tram rattled by, and I ducked down the street and into an alcove away from the noise and passing pedestrians.

  “It’s a long story,” I said quietly, my gaze darting around like I was about to be sprung doing something naughty.

  “I’ve got the time,” Ren replied. “I’ve always got the time.”

  Taking a deep breath, I leaned into the corner of the building—by the service entry, no less—and told her everything. From start to finish, not even leaving out the part where I came to Melbourne and saw Hamish…then kissed Gabe. Okay, so I ran away to Melbourne, but everything else was put out there raw and bleeding. Every shred of heartache was there for my best friend to dissect and salivate over.

  “Bloody hell, Josie…” she said after I was finished. “You were going through all that, and you felt like you couldn’t call me?”

  “It wasn’t about you,” I said quietly, fighting back tears.

  “No, it was about you.”

  “I just couldn’t…” I began, pulling in a shaky breath. “I couldn’t stay there knowing I’d lost him to her.”

  “You let Monica walk all over you?” she asked quietly. “You? Josie Cunningham, ball of lightning?”

  “She won,” I said, my voice wavering. “She won.”

  “You got scared and ran away, Josie,” she said. “Just admit it.”

  “I was falling for him, Ren,” I exclaimed. “How could I stay there and see him every single day knowing he was fucking your bitch of a half-sister the night before. No matter what I did, he was never going to let his feelings for her go. It was a lost cause.”

  “How do you know he’s with her? You said it yourself, he told you he wanted you. I’ve never known Dean to be so sure about something in all the years I’ve known the guy. Monica has a long track record of lies and manipulation…to the highest order.”

  “He was sure about Monica. He was sure about it for ten fucking years.”

  “No,” she said stubbornly. “I think you’re making a mistake. I think you were already vulnerable and unsure about your relationship with Dean, and she came in, saw a way to bring you down, and took it. To Monica, you’re the enemy. Think about it this way… Monica goes to Sydney and tries to start something with Dean because she thinks he’s still interested because he went to see her after the wedding. He’s already with you, getting over his past hang-ups and having a great fucking time doing it. He tells her no because he’s only got eyes for you. Monica pulls a classic Monica and—”

  “Stop it, Ren,” I interrupted her. I knew she was only trying to help, but it was already done. I couldn’t go back now, and her reasoning was way off. I didn’t want to hear it.

  “You have to admit it’s possible,” she stated.

  “I know in my heart that it’s not,” I replied stubbornly. “It’s not.”

  “Josie… Do you think you’re holding onto your pain because it’s familiar?”

  “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” I scowled, staring across the street into nothingness.

  “Is it? I mean, look at how things went for you and Hamish. For almost two years, you guys fought, broke up, and got back together. So many times. Don’t you think that’s your version of familiar, like Dean’s was crushing on Monica?”

  My fingers began to go numb as her words sank in, and I almost dropped the phone onto the concrete. What if she was right?

  “You need to go back,” she said softly.

  “I don’t need to go anywhere,” I snapped, allowing my hurt pride to do the talking for me. “I’m doing fine just where I am.”

  Before she could reply, I ended the call and shoved my phone into my pocket. How dare she…

  Everyone was telling me I’d made the wrong choice, that I was acting on a whim, and now Ren was saying it was because I was addicted to conflict? What a stupid concept. I wanted to fall in love and be happy, not sauté myself in the juices of my own misery. That shit was for teenage girls.

  Even Hamish, the man I’d dumped for Dean, told me I should fight. The man I’d dumped at my best friend’s wedding. The man who I nearly stuffed things up for with his new girlfriend.

  Pushing off the wall, I strode down the street and went back into the gym, my thoughts rolling around in my head like a coin in a tumble dryer.

  I’d fought for Dean, hadn’t I? My whole life post-Sydney was hinged on that revelation and knowing it could all be a lie I’d sold myself? It stung.

  I had to believe I’d done the right thing by walking way, because if I didn’t? Knowing I’d thrown away something that could’ve grown into true love over a desire to feel pain, would destroy me.

  24

  Dean

  “What’s taking that cocksucker so long?”

  I was pacing back and forth so much I was probably wearing a groove into the floor of the gym.

  “Don’t worry,” Lincoln said, watching the computer. “He’ll accept. Just have a little patience.”

  We’d issued O’Connell the challenge for the middleweight belt last night after we found out Josie had taken a position working PR with him. I’d thought the little wanker would’ve been keen to accept straight away considering everything that’d gone down between us since our previous fight, but he was making me wait. Probably on purpose.

  “There,” Coach said, pointing at the screen as a notification popped up.

  Ceasing my restless pacing, I glanced over their shoulders at the laptop and clapped my hands together as I saw it was a message from O’Connell.

  “About time,” I declared. “What does it say?”

  Linc clicked on the message and said, “Challenge accepted.”

  “Yes,” I chortled. “Make that shit official.” I hesitated and glanced around the gym, my gaze resting on the closed door to Josie’s office. Realizing we had no PR guru to turn to for these kinds of things, I scratched my head. “Shit, how do we make it official?”

  “Leave it to me,” Coach said with a chuckle. “You boys get to training while I organize the details.”

  “He accepted for next fight night, right?” I asked, shifting my weight from foot to foot. My palms began to itch
, and I decided it was a good omen.

  “Six days from now,” Coach confirmed. “Pending AUFC approval.”

  “They’ll approve it,” Linc said, giving me a wink. “It’ll be the fight of the year. They wouldn’t want to miss out on the ticket sales.”

  Shit, O’Connell had accepted, and now I had to think of a way to follow through with Josie. Weigh-in was five days away, the fight six. I had five days to train and five days to plan the greatest gesture of love I’d ever declare in my entire life. How the fuck was I meant to do that?

  “C’mon,” Lincoln said, pushing me toward the weights. “Let’s get stuck into it before you shit your pants trying to overthink.”

  Hell, I had to fight for the middleweight title, and it hadn’t crossed my mind as much as Jo had. This fight could make or break my career. If I lost again, I’d have a hard time coming back from it…if I came back at all.

  I was putting everything I had on the line for her. Everything. The stakes had never been higher.

  Lincoln punched me in the arm, breaking me out of my spiraling reverie.

  “Ow, what was that for?” I exclaimed, rubbing my bicep.

  “Your phone’s ringing,” he replied, nodding toward the sound.

  I’d left my phone on the bench earlier where I could see it if it rang, so I picked it up, hoping for a miracle. Jo would know I’d challenged O’Connell, and a part of me was wishing she’d call to yell my ear off. Anything to hear her voice, to have time to try to get through to her…but it wasn’t her. Of course, it wasn’t.

  When I flipped over the phone and saw the name on the screen, my lip curled, and I knew I was about to cop a serve.

  “Ren Miller,” I said as I answered the call.

  “The gig’s up, Hayes,” she declared, getting right down to business. “I’ve been talking with Josie.”

  “No doubt,” I retorted, my entire body beginning to zing at the sound of Jo’s name.

  “I know everything,” she said, getting right to the point. “Probably a little more than I’d like to know, actually.”

  “Leave my cock out of it, Ren,” I drawled.

  “That’s what I said,” she said with a soft laugh. “What happened, Dean? What happened with Monica?”

  “Shit,” I cursed, running my hand over my face. “You know she…”

  “Showed up at my wedding,” she finished for me. “Thank you for that, by the way.”

  “It wasn’t me,” I muttered. “It was all Josie.”

  That was the Josie I’d fallen for, the version of her that was wild and protective, passionate and loving. The Josie who’d left was nothing like her. That Josie was letting her insecurities rule her life like it was gospel. Even the smartest people were capable of knee-jerk reactions when heartache was laid out on the table. Like that was any consolation.

  Fuck, I missed her.

  “Thanks for making me feel bad,” Ren replied, sounding exasperated. “I yelled at her for the whole Hamish thing. She never told me about Monica, not until today.”

  “That’s Jo,” I said. “That’s one of the many reasons… Yeah, that’s Jo.”

  “So?” she prodded, obviously wanting to hear my side of the story.

  “When I went to see Monica the day after your wedding…it was closure, Ren. I didn’t realize Josie wanted more, not until later…and it took me a while to get onto the same page. I had to work through the things I was holding onto out of habit, or it would’ve torn us apart eventually.”

  “But it did anyway.”

  “I never meant for it to spiral the way it did,” I said. “I never expected Monica to turn up here and try to start something. I told her to go home and never come back.”

  “Because you’re falling for Josie?”

  “Yeah,” I replied without the slightest hint of hesitation. “The door to my past was shut. I’d thrown away the key, but Jo…she… She doesn’t believe me, Ren. No matter what I said or did, she just didn’t want to hear it.”

  “I believe you.” She sighed like she’d had a hell of a time talking with Jo. “Shit, I thought I knew the limit of absolute stubbornness when I get it from Ash, but Josie…shit.”

  “I know,” I said. “Fuck, do I know.”

  “She made a mistake,” she said after a moment. “I pleaded for her to go back to you, but she shot me down. It’s her pride and fear talking. The Josie I know wants a guy like you, Dean. She wants to love you.”

  “I need a fucking miracle,” I muttered, rubbing my eyes.

  “She’s about grand declarations,” Ren said after a moment. “You’ll need to get in her face and piss her off.”

  “I know. I already tried that once.” At the Gala where I dropped the ball, pushing her too hard and punching my AUFC rival in the face.

  “So do it again.”

  I glanced at Lincoln who was listening in while doing another set of chin-ups.

  “I challenged O’Connell for the title,” I said to Ren. “All in. It’s not official yet, but it will be by the end of the day. Is that grand enough for you?”

  “A fight, Dean?” Ren asked, not sounding impressed. “Typical male logic.”

  “She won’t see me, so this way she’ll have to be in the same room as I am. When she sees me win…”

  “Winning a fight won’t win her over,” she argued.

  Grunting, I said, “No, but how I do it will.”

  “Go on…”

  “Jo’s a stickler for professionalism,” I explained. “She’s uptight about it. She was always giving me shit about my lack of the stuff, so I don’t see her getting along with O’Connell. He fights dirty, and it pisses her off. It’s only a matter of time before the cracks start showing. If I can get under her skin and show her she made a mistake…”

  “It’s harebrained,” came Ren’s reply. “It makes no sense, but if you think…”

  “I have to believe,” I said firmly. “If I don’t, then this was all for nothing. I don’t know what else to do to make her see she’s the only one for me.”

  Ren whistled, the sound echoing down the phone. “Dean Hayes, the sensitive new age fighter. Never thought I’d see the day.”

  “The boy has finally grown up,” I muttered, much to Linc’s amusement.

  “When’s the fight?” Ren asked. “If you want, I can get Ash and we can fly up for it.”

  “We’re looking at this Friday,” I replied. “You guys don’t have to do that, you know.”

  She laughed, and I could picture her shaking her head at me like I was a silly meathead fighter. “I know, but that’s what mates are for.”

  “You’re welcome to come, but I’ll have my hands full,” I said after giving it some thought.

  “I’ve been through my fair share of heartache, Dean,” she replied. “I understand more than you’ll ever know.”

  “Oh, I think I’m beginning to understand, Ren.”

  “Then you better win, Hayes.”

  “I plan on it.”

  Hanging up the call, I tossed my phone onto the bench and moved to join my twin brother, who was getting ready for some good old-fashioned sparring.

  “Okay?” he asked, tossing me a pair of gloves.

  “It will be,” I replied, pulling them on and flexing my fingers.

  “How do you want to do this?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Squaring my shoulders, I leveled my gaze with his and assumed the position. “Hit me, bro. Bend the rules and fight dirty for once in your life. If I’m going to beat O’Connell, I’m going to have to know all the dirty tricks in the book back to front.”

  He tilted his head to the side. “Fire with fire? That’s how you’re going to play this?”

  “Nope. I’m going to be the fucking fire hose that puts that asshole out.”

  25

  Josie

  I knew it was coming.

  One of the Twins was challenging Gabe for the middleweight title, but I was betting on Lincoln, not Dean.

  Staring at
the message I’d just sent accepting the terms of the fight, my stomach began to roll. I’d have to face him and Monica. I’d have to look him in the eye and pretend I wasn’t dying inside.

  Gabe leaned over my shoulder and smiled. “Nice work, Cunningham. Make sure it’s official.”

  My body began to recoil as I realized how close he’d moved while I was stewing in the juices of my own stupid mistakes. Pulling myself into check, I nodded and reached for my phone.

  “When you’re done here, come find me,” he went on, watching my changing expression.

  “Sure.” I swallowed hard and turned my attention onto my work.

  Registering the fight with the AUFC didn’t take long. Both Twins had fought a great deal in the few years I’d been working with them, so it was in and out with minimal fuss. Being a title fight, the approval went through straight away, and by the end of the day, I was sure we’d see advertisements going out online and through the pay-per-view sports channels. The turnaround was phenomenal.

  Out in the gym, I found Gabe on his own for once. He was in the back corner lifting a set of dumbbells, his muscles plump from his workout. My gaze lingered a moment too long as I approached, and his lips curved in amusement.

  “You wanted to talk to me?” I asked, standing before him.

  “Yeah, have a seat.” He nodded toward the bench press opposite.

  Reluctantly, I sat on the end and folded my hands into my lap. I already knew where this was going, and I didn’t want to talk about it. I might have left Sydney on bad terms with Dean, but I wasn’t about to spill all their secrets to their archnemesis. Not even a broken heart could drive me to do something so spiteful. Even stupid bitches like me had their limits.

  “Why did you leave the Hayes Twins?” Gabe asked, lifting the dumbbell again. “You were never clear on that.”

  “Difference of opinion,” I replied with a noncommittal shrug.

  He raised an eyebrow and continued his repetitions. “He was real easy to get to when we fought.” I frowned, and Gabe laughed, shaking his head. “If you weren’t already fucking him then, he sure wanted to.”