by Ciz, Alley
“Actually, comparing Chad Montgomery to Ken is an insult to the doll, not the man. Ken super loves Barbie and is an A-plus boyfriend.”
He growled in the back of his throat. “Not the point, Rock.”
“I know.” She ran a reassuring hand down his arm. “I’m sorry.”
“Forgiven.” The last thing he wanted to do was fight with his sister. It wasn’t her he was mad at, it was the situation.
“Listen.” She pushed him toward the stools at the island in the kitchen. “This is what you’re gonna do.”
He held up a hand to cut her off. “Wait. How do you even know what happened? Did she tell you she was going to leave me?”
“God, no, Vin.” She made a face, clearly offended he even made the accusation.
Now it was his turn to apologize.
“I had an email from Holly this morning. It was a video message telling me what she was doing and begging me to make sure you went to your fight and not after her.”
“How did she email you when I have her phone?” he asked, trying to piece together the timeline.
“She must have scheduled it, because I got it right before I came over.”
Ray and Deck made their way out of their rooms, not saying a word as if reading the tension in the room.
“You really want me to go to the city like everything is fine? Like Holly didn’t leave me?”
“The fuck?” the guys said in unison behind him but they ignored them.
“What I’m saying is…” Rocky leveled him with a look “…first, you go and win your fight. Then, you go and fight for your girl. Because”—she held up a finger when he tried to speak—“if you don’t, Holly is only going to be pissed when she sees you.”
He was quiet as he considered her words.
“Don’t forfeit one fight when you can win them both.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Vince was a mess, an utter disaster. He was in a holding pattern and he fucking hated it.
He was a man of action who wasn’t allowed to act.
It sucked big hairy balls.
Holly was gone.
She loved him, but she was gone.
He had a job to do, but she was gone.
His head needed to be in the game to win his fight, but she was gone.
If he didn’t win the fight, he wouldn’t be able to fund the women’s shelter. A shelter he had worked for years to be in the position to help build.
But still—she was gone.
He was in the city, and she was gone.
The real kick in the balls was that he knew she went back to people who had hurt her before.
Nightmares plagued him, the possibilities of what could happen to her without him there to protect her gutting him.
He had learned to ask instead of command, giving them each options when it came to the things that would affect their relationship. Then she went ahead and cut him out of the equation entirely.
He was pissed.
Holly was gone, and for the time being, he couldn’t do anything about it.
It needed to be tomorrow—Fight Night—because he really needed to hit something.
Forty-Three
Coven Conversations
From the Group Message Thread of The Coven
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: Meet in the lobby of the hotel in 1 hour.
MAKES BOYS CRY: Where we going?
ALPHABET SOUP: What’s up? This sounds serious.
PROTEIN PRINCESS: How can a text sound serious?
QUEEN OF SMUT: I think it’s more the fact we’re being summoned.
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: What’s going on?
THE OG PITA: Isn’t it too early to meet up for the fight?
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: I know what happened with Holly.
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: And more importantly, I know where she is.
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: Man you guys say I know how to leave you in suspense. But look at Jordan stepping up her game.
ALPHABET SOUP: Should we loop in Vince?
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: Seriously…
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: Boy has been like a chick in a rom-com when they go through the usual breakup scene.
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: Pathetic.
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: NO!!!!
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: DON’T say anything to Vince yet.
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: This shit has already fucked with his head enough. He needs to concentrate on the fight. There’s still the possibility my plan won’t work. I’m not going to let this cost him everything he’s worked for.
PROTEIN PRINCESS: Shit. This must be serious if we broke Jor enough to have her texting like Beck *crying laughing emoji*
QUEEN OF SMUT: *GIF of Whitney Houston pointing to herself then up saying “This”*
QUEEN OF SMUT: *GIF of Mike Tyson clapping hands and laughing*
THE OG PITA: GOD…we are THE WORST. We can’t even stay on topic when it’s serious.
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: *GIF of dog from Up turning his head saying “Squirrel”*
ALPHABET SOUP: *praise hands emoji* *praise hands emoji*
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: Can we be serious now?
MAKES BOYS CRY: Rock, Beck, will you be able to dip out without the guys getting suspicious?
ALPHABET SOUP: Yes?
QUEEN OF SMUT: I’m in the restaurant downstairs. I’ll just come get you like any other time we would do something Covenish. They won’t think anything of it.
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: *GIF of Seth Meyers pointing saying “That’s a freakin’ great idea”*
QUEEN OF SMUT: *GIF of guy gesturing to his temple as if to say he’s smart*
ALPHABET SOUP: Gem you good to meet us?
PROTEIN PRINCESS: Yup. I finished at Dickhead’s a little while ago. I’m already on the train headed to the city. Be there in about 30.
THE OG PITA: Dude…you and Chance just need to fuck each other and get it over with.
PROTEIN PRINCESS: *puking emoji*
MAKES BOYS CRY: Umm hmm…doth protest too much me thinks
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: Besides…
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: Aint nothing wrong with a little hate fucking.
QUEEN OF SMUT: Ooooo I FLOVE a good enemies-to-lovers story.
THE OG PITA: *GIF of girl saying “Girl, Same”*
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: OMG…Me too…But truth be told I would have thought that would have been Skye and BB3…except they aren’t “enemy” enough…but you and Chance…100%.
ALPHABET SOUP: I’d read it.
THE OG PITA: Kindle crack right there.
MAKES BOYS CRY: Yeah…me and Tuck again…not gonna happen
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: Famous last words.
PROTEIN PRINCESS: O
PROTEIN PRINCESS: M
PROTEIN PRINCESS: G
PROTEIN PRINCESS: I can’t even.
PROTEIN PRINCESS: Hurry up and meet in the hotel lobby. We need to get Holly back, because clearly I need new friends.
Chapter Forty-Four
Four days.
Holly had been back in her parents’ house for four days.
She was not going to make it to day five.
Her soul felt poisoned, every second she spent in her prison disguised as a mansion only added to the feeling like ingredients added to a recipe.
The silver lining—the fake silver, the kind that turns your skin green when you wear it—was at least she was at her parents’ house and not Chad’s. Her father tried to pressure, or force depending on your definition of the word, her to return to her old home, but she vehemently refused.
It was the day of Vince’s big fight. Her heart was both overjoyed at the thought of him accomplishing his dream but broken at missing out on getting to experience it with him.
Leaving him had felt like she'd ripped her heart out of her chest and left it behind next to her phone. Walking away had been the mermaid in the non-Disney version of the tale, where each step felt like walking on razor blades.
She had left her phone behind, knowing if she ke
pt it she would have been too tempted to give in to the attempts she knew Vince would make to reach her. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t keeping tabs on him.
Quite the opposite.
The moment she'd stepped inside the mansion, she commandeered one of the numerous iPads her parents had, using it to keep tabs on what Vince had been up to. Luckily for her, he was easy to track. Between the UFC and social media, thanks a lot in part to Jordan and Skye handling his accounts, she was able to take her internet stalking game to expert levels.
She was hiding out in the library, a room so grand it would make even Belle from Beauty and the Beast green with envy, as she scoured social media to find any crumb of information on Vince and how he was handling the lead up to his fight.
Some of the guys had posted here and there, but the girls were suspiciously inactive.
She’d watched the broadcast of yesterday’s weigh-ins, but it wasn’t the sight of him standing on stage in a glorified pair of boxer briefs that caught her attention—okay, who was she kidding, seeing him practically naked would never get old. But the haunted, almost dead look in his eyes had tears falling from her own. Gone was the playful alpha she fell for, in his place was a shell of her Stud Muffin.
The worst part?
She had done that. It was her fault. To protect him, she had to break him. It sucked. It sucked big hairy donkey balls.
“Miss Holly,” the accented voice of Mrs. Rodriquez, the long-time housekeeper and only person she held any affection for in this mausoleum, startled her. “I'm sorry, Miss Holly.”
“No, it’s fine.” She waved off her concern. “Did you need me?”
“Sí. You are needed in your father’s study.” There was a hint of a smile on her face, which was strange given the directive delivered.
Ugh. That was the last place she wanted to be. The only reason she pushed out of the large wingback chair she was curled up in and headed for her least favorite room in the almost ten-thousand-square-foot mansion was because it would only be worse if she didn’t.
“Chin up, chiquita.” Mrs. Rodriquez had used the endearment most of her life. “It's good.”
She respected the older woman too much to roll her eyes, but she highly doubted it. Her biggest hope was that she wasn’t being summoned to be ambushed by Chad again. The Vanderbuilt/Montgomery tag team was getting old.
Stepping over the threshold, she let out an audible groan spotting, not one, but both Montgomery men in the room. Posed to flee, she caught sight of the other occupants in the room—all seven of them.
The Coven had arrived.
Standing at the front of the group was Jordan, and she looked pissed. Like full-on ready to live up to her Mother of Dragons text handle and breathe fire all over the room.
“What are you guys doing here?” she asked the girls, ignoring the men in the room completely. She had said everything she needed to say to them—repeatedly.
“Bringing you home,” Gemma answered.
“Duh,” Becky added, causing her to laugh for first time since Christmas.
“Plus you’re already one of us, and I don’t feel like going through the process of breaking in another potential sister-in-law,” Rocky said lightly, as though the words weren't as heavily weighted as her maiden name. Holly would love to have her as a sister-in-law.
“Holly will not be going anywhere.” Her father’s voice boomed in the room.
“I’m pretty sure Holly is a grown woman and can make decisions for herself, but thanks for the input.” Skye’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
“Holly is staying here to fulfill the obligations set forth by this family.”
“Dude, we’re in the twenty-first century. Why don’t you join us?”
A snort escaped Holly at Maddey calling Randall Vanderbuilt dude.
“Holly knows her place. And it is not with the gym rat.” Chad made the mistake of adding his two cents.
“Listen here, you wannabe Ken doll.” Beth stepped into Chad’s personal space. “Vincent Steele is so much more than a gym rat. Why don’t you educate yourself so you’re not such an ignorant ass the next time you open your mouth.”
“And Holly”—Holly added, spurned on by the show of force from her friends, her true family, her Coven—“can speak for herself, thank you very much.” She detested when people referred to themselves in the third person, but she gave herself a pass seeing as the males in the room wanted to speak about her as if she weren’t standing there.
“If you must.” Her father looked down his nose at her as he spoke. “Can you please get it over with so we can be rid of this nuisance and get back to discussing the benefit you will be accompanying Chad to this evening. You and I both know what will happen if you don’t.”
She’d had enough.
From the moment she stepped back into her childhood prison, she had been laying the groundwork for returning home—her real home in New Jersey.
She wasn’t the same meek girl who grew up there. She was no longer afraid of what her father could do to her. Sure, he could physically hurt her, but she was no longer afraid.
The Coven may have arrived to fight for her, and though she loved them for it, she didn’t need them to fight her battles. She could fight them herself—Vince had taught her that.
Shoulders back, chin up, she declared, “I’m leaving.”
“No, you’re not,” her father scoffed.
“Yes. I am.”
“Holly, stop being ridiculous and go get cleaned up for tonight. I can’t be seen with you looking like”—Chad looked her up and down—“that.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the way I look, so fuck off, Chad.”
“Aww, it’s so cute when you can blatantly tell a man is trying to overcompensate for something,” Jordan said.
“It’s not much to write home about,” Holly agreed. “And on that note…” She turned for the door, and her father stalked in her direction.
His hand was raised to slap her across the face as he had done more times than she could count throughout her life. This time things would play out differently.
Instincts honed from hours spent learning from Vince, she blocked the hit, circling her hand around his wrist and twisted, while her other hand shot out and landed a solid jab to his nose.
There was a crunch, followed by a gush of blood.
Did I just break his nose?
“Damn, Rock,” Becky laughed. “She really was meant to be related to you.”
“For reals,” Gemma said. “At least if the way you two go around breaking douchebags’ noses is any indication.”
Her Covenettes surrounded her with hugs, and this time they turned for the door as a group.
“You step one foot outside that door and you know what I’ll do, Holly.” Her father’s voice was muffled with his hands cupped around his nose.
“You can try.” She stopped in the doorway to face him. “But if you do, I’ll release this to the media.” She pulled a flash drive from her pocket.
Randall Vanderbuilt’s eyes narrowed.
“You didn’t really think I came back here without a plan, did you? Come on, Dad, that’s so pedestrian.”
There were snickers behind her.
“I spent the last four days gathering all sorts of shady information on the three of you.” She pointed to all three men in front of her. "You even breathe wrong in the direction of my family—my real family—I will ruin you.” She tossed his same words back at him.
Surrounded by her people, she gathered the one bag she brought with her and settled into the leather seat of Jordan’s luxury vehicle, knowing there was one stop she needed to make before she went and got her man.
Chapter Forty-Five
“Dude.” Jase put his hand on Vince’s shoulder to stop his pacing. “Seriously, Creed, you need to chill. You’re going to be too tired to fight if you continue to wear a path in the carpet.”
Vince rolled his eyes. First, that was a ridiculous nickname solely based on h
is sister's name. And second, the floor was tile. But Jase Donnelly loved to embellish, it was practically in his DNA. Vince blamed the amount of time his friend spent with Maddey—her flowery words were clearly rubbing off on the puck head.
“He’s right, Vin.”
He shot Deck a look that screamed not helping, bro and continued pacing.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Deck countered with an I’m not the enemy here look.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
A squeak of sneakers against tile as he turned.
Five steps back the other direction.
He kept pacing, ignoring his friends. Didn’t they get it? Without Holly, this all meant nothing. Not that he could utter those words out loud, at least not to anyone but his sister.
His currently should-be-there-but-wasn’t sister.
Lifting his head for another pass of the room didn’t reveal anything he didn’t already know—no Rocky. His dad and uncle were huddled in a corner, most likely bitching about how off he’d been for the last four days—four days since his heart up and walked, ran, bused, or however the fuck she chose to get back to Connecticut—without Holly. He was a mess. He knew it. He would admit it.
“Will you stop your fucking pacing for like one minute, asshole?” Jase grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop and not letting go.
