Free Me (Caged Hearts Book 1)

by West, Heather

  “Like he was ever strong enough for cage fighting,” Anna declared with a sour look.

  “So why did you guys break up?”

  Anna’s look darkened. “He got Cindy Rogers pregnant at that party at Dennis’ house, remember?”

  Kait did remember, all too well. Anna had been utterly devastated by the news. Ashton had opted to do the honourable thing and was standing by Cindy, but that left Anna standing alone. She’d skipped college for an entire week, unable to face anyone. She needn’t had worried about seeing Ashton though. He dropped out that same week, forced to take a job on his father’s farm in order to make some money for his imminent arrival.

  “God, I remember,” Kait declared softly.

  Anna blinked rapidly, her blue eyes now sparkling.

  “His kid would be ten now. Can you believe it?”

  “No,” Kait answered honestly. “That’s crazy.”

  “Isn’t it?” Anna fiercely pushed a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Ashton was all over cage fighting. He even knew where all the top guys went to train, and he’d go and linger around there as if some of their ability might rub off on him. To think I used to be so hung up on that guy!”

  “He knew where they trained?” Kait wondered if the gym where they trained in town would be the same one used ten years ago. Probably not, but it was still worth a shot.

  “Yeah, over at that exclusive place in the centre of town with the posh name no one could pronounce. I think it relocated over to near where your offices are.”

  Well that would make sense. Jasper had mentioned that he was on his way back from the gym.

  “I could use another drink,” Anna declared as she stood up, even though their glasses were still relatively full.

  Chapter 7

  Fuelled by the cocktails in her system, when Kait got back to her apartment, she opened up her laptop and sat cross legged on her bed and began conducting a frantic search.

  All she had to type in to the search engine was Jasper Duboix – Fighter, and suddenly she was presented with a wealth of results. The text blurred together in her drunken vision, but she managed to read enough details to begin to piece together a picture of who Jasper Duboix truly was.

  He wasn’t a cage fighter as she had presumed. He was actually a mixed martial arts fighter and a champion in his field. He had represented Great Britain at international events numerous times and had won various accolades. Kait’s eyes widened as she became increasingly impressed by his achievements. In his field, Jasper was a superstar.

  Kait found him on Twitter where he had over ten thousand followers. As she scrolled through his time line, she scrutinized each Tweet for something revealing but they gave nothing away. Jasper’s Tweets were solely focused on his sport and sometimes his diet. He photographed the protein shake he had in the morning and the weights he was currently working in the gym. There were a few shots of him before a match but nothing about who Jasper was outside of the ring. Also, nothing about the night he had spent with Kait.

  Her eyes misted as she found posts for the date they had met. There were three in total.

  Up fresh and early, ready to hit the day hard - @J_Duboix

  Time to carb load before my next big match - @J_Duboix

  Feeling pumped after my work out #workhardplayhard - @J_Duboix

  Kait slumped back against her pillows. There was nothing about saving a stranger who had made his heart race. Had their encounter truly meant nothing to him? Fighting back tears, Kait slammed the laptop shut and curled up on to her side. She needed to forget all about Jasper Duboix. She needed to move on with her life, as clearly she had meant nothing to him.

  Chapter 8

  Bright rays of sunlight burned against Kait’s eyes causing her to moan and roll over. With a deep groan she sat up and pushed her palms against her temple. Her body ached from sleeping awkwardly, and looking down she realized that she was still wearing her clothes from the night before.

  “Urgh,” Kait coughed. Her mouth felt as though she’d spent the night consuming sand. Reaching for her nearby cell phone, she saw that she had a new message. It was from Anna.

  My head is banging like you wouldn’t believe this morning. Great night though! We MUST do it again soon! Love ya xoxo

  Kait dropped the phone back down and pushed her fingers through her golden hair. A few seconds passed as she gathered her senses and then her body froze with panic. She was surely late for work. Outside the sun was already shining which meant she wasextremelylate for work. She made a panicked dash towards the bathroom but stopped abruptly in the hallway when her brain finally caught up and she remembered that it was Saturday. She didn’t need to be at work. With her shoulders sagging with relief, Kait continued towards the bathroom, figuring that she needed a shower to sharpen her senses and wash away the fog of fatigue.

  Chapter 9

  With her skin glowing from the heat of the shower, Kait made herself breakfast and flicked on the television. A news report was on which she glimpsed at with mild interest. For some reason, she was struggling to focus on the presenter despite their serious expression and grave tone.

  Holding a fresh mug of coffee, Kait wandered back into her bedroom and grabbed her phone. Then she flopped down on to the sofa with no intention to move for the rest of the day. Her head ached with the promise of a blinding headache, and her bones throbbed. She needed a day of rest and relaxation, but as she sipped her coffee, she found her spare hand calling up Jasper’s twitter page, unable to suppress her own curiosity. He’d already tweeted twice that morning;

  I’m up and hungry for more! Last night was just the appetizer, the main course is coming at 8pm! - @J_Duboix

  Tonight! Ample Garden Theatre @8pm! Tickets $25 at the door! #bringthepain - @J_Duboix

  He had a fight that night. Kait ceased looking at the television, completely entranced by the message on her phone. Jasper was fighting again tonight despite the brutal beating he’d endured in the cage. Yes, he’d won, but at what cost?

  Guilt swelled through Kait as she thought of his wounded chest. A wound which could have been avoided, a wound which he refused to seek medical attention for. How could a professional athlete be so careless with their own well-being? His recklessness infuriated her.

  Two fights in as many nights seemed crazy. Admittedly she didn’t know the industry, but it felt excessive by any standards. Surely Jasper needed more than a day to recover from a bout in the ring. Why was he pushing himself so much?

  Looking back at his Twitter, Kait noticed that some of his followers echoed her thoughts in their replies to his message;

  Woah, @J_Duboix is an ANIMAL killing it again in the ring tonight!

  Seriously, dude, do you ever like, sleep?

  @J_Duboix must be sponsored by #duracell because he never stops!!

  Kait closed the Twitter page and put down her phone. Frowning, she stood up and went to retrieve her laptop. Settling back on her sofa, she opened it up and ran another search on Jasper Duboix. This time her mind was more alert to take in all the findings.

  There was a lot documented about his triumphs as a fighter. Jasper seemed to be a prolific fighter, entering both Mixed Martial Arts and Cage Fighting tournaments and almost always winning. By all accounts he was a fierce competitor with a steely determination to win. As Kait read more about Jasper, she started to discover where some of his determination might come from.

  He’d grown up in the foster care system and apparently never knew his birth parents after being abandoned in a local church as a baby. Kait found only the one article about Jasper’s childhood. It was on the BBC website and had come out shortly after his triumph at the Olympics that year. He’d enjoyed a flush of celebrity yet Kait hadn’t recognized him. Then again, she was always too consumed with work to watch much television.

  There were tellingly no quotes from Jasper in the article, just accounts of where he had grown up and how troubled he had once been. Apparently he was regularly in trouble
with the police in his early teens, but then he found martial arts at fourteen and turned his life around.

  Kait admired his grit and tenacity, but her admiration only angered her. She wanted to hate Jasper; she wanted to discover that he was a creep with a wife and a couple of kids who he publically doted on and then screwed over behind their backs. But from what she could find online, Jasper was very much single and focused solely on his fighting career.

  “Dammit,” Kait sighed as she raised her mug and drained the last of her coffee. As her search had increased, she’d discovered websites listing his numerous charitable efforts over the years. He regularly helped various children’s charities through donations and also celebrity events. He climbed mountains for charity, ran marathons, and even trained some young, aspiring fighters who were within the foster care system as he once had been. Jasper Duboix seemed like a great guy. Someone who had worked hard to forge their own success despite their early knocks in life. The more Kait read about him, the more she liked him.

  “Dammit,” she repeated as she picked up her phone and started looking up the directions to the venue of the fight that night, committing them to the device’s memory.

  “No.” Kait suddenly threw down her phone and shook her head. What was she doing? Did she intend to just show up at the fight and try to see Jasper? She’d look like the world’s craziest stalker. But from what she’d seen online, Jasper didn’t have any family or a girlfriend to watch his back. He was pushing himself too hard with back to back fights. He needed someone who cared about him to intervene, to tell him to take better care of himself. Did Kait care that deeply about him? Did she want to be his girlfriend?

  All the questions circling around made Kait’s head pound uncomfortably.

  “He left!” She lamented to herself in the solitude of her apartment. “He doesn’t want to see you again! Stop being so damn needy! Get a grip!”

  But as the day wore on, Kait couldn’t stop thinking about Jasper Duboix, the hardened fighter with the heart of gold. He’d so willingly come to her aide without a second thought for his own safety. He’d even been stabbed. Not once did he fret about his upcoming fights. He just gritted his teeth and helped her. He had been the perfect gentleman. And when he kissed her, Kait was certain that she’d felt something there and that it hadn’t just been one sided. When they kissed, the whole world melted away, and that was something she hadn’t experienced before.

  She ran a new search for Jasper Duboix – Girlfriend. He was seemingly very much single. He was quoted in several interviews on the topic of his single status:

  “Right now my focus is on my career. I don’t have time to maintain my training schedule and a relationship.”

  Kait pouted as she read the quote. Was that why he’d left? Because he wouldn’t have time for her? It felt so petty, and yet Kait sort of understood. She was driven to the point of obsessed. She regularly stopped seeing guys because she simply didn’t have time for them. Or more precisely she was unwilling to make time for them, but she also didn’t really care for those guys. When they were together, her mind was still running over what she needed to do at work or her latest grocery shopping list. They lacked the ability to make time stop all together in the way Jasper did. There was something between them; Kait was certain of it.

  With a few clicks on her laptop, she’d purchased a ticket to his fight that evening. Her heart raced as she confirmed the transaction. She had no idea how she’d locate him once she was at the venue. What if he refused to see her? Kait didn’t know his number or anything. But he did have Twitter, and he seemed to respond to messages from his followers. Kait had an account she barely used. She only went on it to occasionally stalk celebrities she liked. She could contact Jasper through there, but then she really did risk looking crazy. Perhaps she could message him later at the fight. Say she went along with a friend and noticed he was there competing. Keep it casual, keep it light. But was it believable?

  Kait chewed on her lip and mulled it over. She was determined to see Jasper if only to tell him that she was worried about it. Maybe he didn’t want to hear it, but she needed to tell him all the same. He was pushing himself too much and being reckless with his health, and despite his lack of interest, Kait did truly care about him. Her heart had climbed up in to her throat when she saw him bloodied on the television screen at the bar. She felt sick thinking of him getting hurt again. Even though he was a champion fighter, he was still just a man whose bones could break, whose skin could split.

  Kait glanced at the clock. She had over eight hours until the fight. The thought of seeing Jasper in the flesh made her stomach churn uneasily. She considered calling Anna and begging her to join her at the event, but she didn’t want her friend to witness her shame if Jasper did just turn her away. She just had to hope that he’d at least be willing to see her.

  Chapter 10

  Kait’s heart was pounding as she walked towards the venue of the fight that evening. Crowds of people swarmed around her. There were couples, groups of men, and some people seemingly alone like she was. All the while she kept thinking about seeing Jasper again. But before she'd be able to see him, she’d have to sit through an entire match. She’d have to watch him take punches and kicks. The thought made her feel sick.

  When Kait was eventually settled in her seat, which was blissfully quite far back from the main stage in the centre of the arena, she pulled out her phone with a shaking hand. This was it. Jasper’s image was everywhere inside, covering countless promotional posters. It was reasonable for her to pretend that she’d attended with a friend and seen he was fighting purely by coincidence.

  Taking a deep breath Kait sent the Tweet.

  Joined a friend to watch a fight and wow, you’re here @J_Duboix #smallworld

  Biting her nails, Kait waited. People settled in to their seats around her, and soon the entire venue was full with expectant spectators. Checking her watch, she saw that it was quarter to eight. Just fifteen minutes until the fight began. Jasper might not even check his Twitter account before a fight, instead needing to remain completely focused on the task ahead.

  Ripples of excitement bounced through the crowd. The air was electric, and everyone was perched on the edge of their seats, Kait included. Though she wasn’t holding her breath for the fight, she was waiting to see if the man she couldn’t stop thinking about would actually get back to her.

  Ten to eight.

  Her phone chirped in her pocket, and Kait thought her heart might stop. Frantically, she reached for it and saw that she had several Twitter notifications.

  @J_Duboix was now following her and had sent her a direct message. With a swift swipe of her finger, Kait was reading it.

  Wow, small world indeed :) Fancy coming back stage after the fight? Just you x

  Kait exhaled and laughed at the same time. He wanted to see her. She felt so giddy, she thought she might float up out of her seat. But her jubilation was eclipsed by the lights which suddenly dimmed. The sounds of the crowd became thunderous as an announcer declared that the fight was about to start. Checking her phone, Kait realised that Jasper must have messaged her with just seconds to spare before he was about to enter the ring. Did that mean that his thoughts would be of her while he was out there?

  When Jasper’s was name was called and he sauntered in to the ring, the crowd erupted in to wild whoops and cheers. He was clearly very popular and had his fair share of fans. Men and women alike shouted out his name in an encouraging fashion. Jasper nodded courteously in recognition of their calls, but then his face hardened, just as his opponent was heralded and also entered the ring.

  Kait didn’t want to watch. She wanted to tear her eyes away, to get up and leave, but instead she forced herself to be a spectator. This was what Jasper clearly lived for: the thrill of the fight. The bell for the first round rang out, and the two men sprung in to action. Kicks were expertly executed as were several punches. Most of the time they were dodging one another and bouncing around the
large mat beneath their feet, but occasionally a blow inevitably landed. Despite the cries of the jeering crowd you could hear bones crunch and blood splatter. Kait clenched her jaw and tightened her hands as Jasper walked to the edge of the ring after a particularly vicious round. He spat blood in to a bucket and poured water over his sweating face. Even though Kait was sat far away, she could see that Jasper was exhausted. His chest heaved, and he slumped in his chair whilst his opponent was still rigid and alert.

  “He shouldn’t be fighting,” Kait concluded to herself with a shake of her head. “It’s too soon; he’s too worn out.”

  Anger began to replace any concern she had for Jasper. Another bell chimed as the next round started. Jasper slowly stood up whilst his opponent in blue sprung to his feet as though filled with boundless energy.

  “Come on, Jasper,” Kait willed him as around her the crowd chanted for him. Despite his previous wins, he was the underdog in this battle. His broad, strong shoulders sagged with exhaustion. Why was he doing this to himself? Why had he chosen to fight two nights in a row?