Timothy instructed as Leo worked on his combinations, “You’re gonna need to get faster. You’ve got the strength still, but it’s not enough. These new fighters know how to duck and cover. They’re cunning little fuckers. You can’t just beat them with fists.”
Suddenly, Jonathan stood, running to the mat with his phone raised above his head, “It’s her, Leo. Layana. She can meet with you in an hour. We got to end this.”
“This is more important, Jon. Tell her I can do another day instead.” Leo placed the mouth guard back in his mouth and waited for Timothy to raise his mat to his chest.
“Layana Richards?” Timothy removed his gear, tossing them onto the floor. “No, man. I don’t think you get it. It’s all everyone’s talking about around the rings. Whatever you need to do to cut that shit, you've gotta get it done. If you don’t solve it, you don’t have a chance in hell of ever competing again.” He jumped out of the ring and grabbed his gym bag from the benches. “I’ll be back when you’ve made this right.”
Leo called out to him, “Come on, man! It’s gonna be fine. I can get this worked out tomorrow.”
Timothy turned back towards the lone man in the ring, “You get it done today and remember my rules: No booze. No fighting. Get faster.” He turned his attention to Jonathan, “You’ve got my number. Give me a call when this is worked out.”
He disappeared up the stairs, leaving the boxer and his agent alone. Leo shouted in frustration, “What the hell, man! You saw me in there. I had it. Again. Why did you have to ruin it?” He kicked his glove across the room as he hopped out of the ring on to the gym’s floor.
The two men did not speak at all on their way to the Grand Hotel. The car pulled up to the back entrance where Leo exited swiftly. Seeing his agent following behind him, he quietly said, “What are you doing? Are you heading to this meeting?”
“No, you know I can’t do that. I’m gonna wait in the lobby wing for you to watch out for the press.” Leo began to walk again before Jonathan could catch his arm, “Leo, I know you don’t wanna hear this piece of advice, but I’m gonna give it to you anyway: give Layana what she wants. Whatever it is. Whatever the price. Just give it to her.”
Leo lowered his head and looked around for any eavesdroppers. His low voice growled, “Are you fucking telling me to sleep with her?”
Jonathan stood firm, “I’m telling you to do what you need to do to get rid of her.”
Leo walked away, his fists clenching into balls with Timothy’s rules replaying in his head. Control. This situation would require control, especially if his agent’s wishes came true. Nothing was worth the price of betraying Bailey like that—at least he thought so.
That was until he saw her. She sat alone in a back party room, her silky tan legs crossed over one another, catching the light of the chandelier. Her bleach blonde hair curled just at the place her neckline curved around her bursting breasts. She was leaned forward, busy texting someone on her phone, but Leo watched her with a familiar tinge of longing as she bit down on her red painted lips.
She looked up at him as he walked in the room, closing the door behind him. “Did you order anything?” he asked as he walked in brusquely
“Just a bottle of wine.” She placed a soft, manicured hand upon his tattooed arm. “I can get you something stronger if you want, though.”
“No, I’m not gonna have anything.” Leo’s mouth watered at her suggestion, but he would get through this without a taste of alcohol. “We need to talk.”
“So I hear. I hear your lawyers, that guy’s lawyer, and your new woman have been doing a lot of talking upon my behalf. Photographers have been swarming. I’ve had at least ten requests for tv interviews. I think I shall thank her for that next time I see her.” She raised her wine glass in the air, the liquid sloshing around from the motion, “To doing the help!”
Leo refused to play along, “I’m not here to talk about her.”
“Oh, Leo, have some fun with me. You’ve been with me so many times you know I love to tease.” She watched as his face remained stony and unmoving. Annoyed, she leaned forward towards him, “So what I’m guessing you want to talk about is my husband and what he knows.”
Leo leaned back, angling his body away from hers, “Yeah. I wanna know that I’m gonna be able to fight if I make a comeback.”
“A comeback? My dear Lionheart…surely you must be joking.” Again, she looked to how his face remained unchanged. “Well, my husband will believe anything I say to him. If I say we’re just friends, we’re just friends. He’s just that dumb and in love with me...But I’m not sure why I would want to do something like that.”
“Because you have to move on with your life. Because you don’t want the press or anyone smarter than a rock to know what kind of whore you are.”
“A ‘whore?’” She was done playing games. “The only one I slept with besides that ‘rock’ of my husband is you. Don’t act like you didn’t want it—that you didn’t call me in the middle of the night shitfaced and desperate. Don’t tell me you didn’t initiate every single moment of it!”
Layana stood up and walked slowly to the other side of the table where Leo sat. His eyes remained front, not daring to glance at her, even as she planted herself on his lap and draped a thin arm around his neck. With two fingers to his chin, she guided his head towards her bosom and whispered sweetly into his ear, “The only one who is a ‘whore’ in this equation is you.”
Leo pounded his fist into the tablecloth, “Screw you, Layana. Just tell me what you want from me. You want money? You want a car? What?”
Layana crossed her arms over her chest as she thought. Finally, she leaned back down to his ear and whispered, “You.” Her sweet, honey breath tickled the hairs on the back of his neck.
“What?” He stood, forcing her to stand with him.
She pressed her hands to the crease of her turquoise blue dress, and then returned her hands to Leo’s t-shirt. As she softened the wrinkles, she calmly said, “You heard me. I want you. I want you one last time. I don’t care when. I don’t care how. I want you. If you think that gold digging skank of yours is better than me, compare it. But I think you’ll find that what I can offer you is much more interesting than the maid’s.”
“You’re fucking nuts.” Leo again pounded his hand into the table, causing the plates and silverware to shake. “I’m not gonna do it.”
Her eyebrows shot up as she commanded the rest of her body to remain calm and to follow her script, “Then I’m not going to deny it. More so, I’ll make sure that every person knows about it. I’ll give them whatever juicy detail I can remember…and some that I can’t. And when I talk, I’ll be sure to go to my husband first. He’ll forgive me. He always does. But he certainly won’t let this slide.”
Leo bit down on his lip considering his options. Bailey would never know what really happened. The room was empty, clear of anyone that could talk. Jonathan wouldn’t even have to be aware of what he did. This was between him and Layana.
Doors had to be shut so that he could open another. If he wanted to box again, he was going to have to sacrifice himself first.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
“Mommy? Why are we going to grandma’s house? I thought we don’t live there anymore.” Lily looked at her quizzically from her booster seat in the back of the town car. Her grandmother’s quilt was draped over her legs, keeping her warm from the early autumn chill.
“We’re just going to stop over there for a couple minutes and meet with Great Aunt Catherine. She has something to discuss with me. But in the meantime, you can go outside and play in the backyard.”
Bailey had no idea what Catherine had wanted. It had been months since they had spoken to one another. And with Catherine’s daughter and son-in-law living in the place she once called home, Bailey really had no reason to return. But when Catherine had emailed Bailey about setting up a meeting, she couldn’t say no. Family was family, no matter how badly they may have treated her in the pa
st.
Lily asked excitedly, “Can I see my old room? Maybe it’s still purple.”
Bailey held her breath as she answered, “Honey, we’re just going to run in and run out. I don’t want you going inside. Dan will be with you, so you can play with him. Right, Dan?”
Dan, Leo’s head security officer, had been listening in. It was his job to know what was going on in his protectees’ lives. Bailey and Lily were no exception. If he was going to keep them safe, he had to understand what was going on. And occasionally, that meant hanging out in a stranger’s yard while he played entertainer for a kid. “I think I've got a soccer ball in the trunk from a vacation I took with my daughter.” He looked at Lily in the rearview mirror as he continued to drive, “Do you like playing soccer?”
She squealed, “I don’t know! I’ve never played soccer before.”
“Well, today is a good day to learn!” Dan turned reassuringly towards Bailey, who eased back in her passenger seat. She had enough on her plate, never mind having to soothe Lily on top of it all. Dan being around made it ever-so-slightly easier to manage, even if she thought his services were really unneeded.
The car pulled up to the Victorian home with the red and navy shutters. It appeared empty, no lights on, no cars in the garage. Even the door appeared to be boarded up with a sheet or two of plywood. In the unkempt yard stood a tired old woman looking out at the street.
Bailey walked slowly towards the home as Lily raced into the yard. The older woman watched as she zoomed past her towards the green grassy fields. She called out as she approached, “Hello, Lily. My, my, aren’t you just the spittin’ image of my sister.”
Bailey interjected, “Lily, go help Dan get the soccer ball while I talk to Great Aunt Catherine. Okay?”
Both women watched as Lily headed back towards the empty street where Dan was opening his trunk and pulling out a black and white ball. He led the girl to the back opening, just enough so they were able to allow the women to speak privately, but close enough that Dan could still keep his eyes out on both of his charges.
“What do you want? Why did you ask me to meet you here so urgently?” Bailey couldn’t bear to look at her. She looked just as her grandmother did when she passed with her longer white hair and her pressed sundress and shawl. She was a ghost, a mirage. But she was still the woman who kicked her out of her childhood home months earlier.
“Oh, Bailey, I didn’ call yer here t’ fight. I called ya’ here t’ make a peace offerin’.” She pulled out a yellow folder from her large tote bag and handed it to Bailey.
“I think it’s a little late for peace offerings. And I’m in no mood to be playing guessing games. Tell me what you want.”
Catherine sighed deeply, “It’s the deed, Bailey. The house is yours, if you want it.”
Bailey looked at her stunned. Part of her was shocked; the other part wasn’t sure where the trap laid. Her great aunt had fought so hard for this house and had no qualms about kicking her grandmother’s only grandchild out. There head to be a catch. “What happened to Rebecca and her husband? I thought you gave them the house?”
“They’re gone. His job let ‘im go, and they moved back to Mississippi, to my house. But I need this house gone ASAP. I can’t afford two mortgages, let alone supporting them on top of everything. So I’m offering it to you. If you want it, I’ll give it to you at market price.”
Bailey opened the folder and pulled out a contract. On top was the price written out in red ink. At the bottom of the paper were two sticky tabs indicating where she could sign her name.
“I’m not stupid. I know who you’re with now. I know you probably got some money, as well. But I know you’re smart. Your grandma didn’t raise you to be a fool. Ya have to know that whatever you got goin’ on with that man ain’t gonna last for long. Ya gonna need a home for Lily when it’s over.”
Bailey looked at her, stunned. “How dare you!” It was the only thing she could think of saying to the woman.
“Oh, don’t be daft, girl! You gotta know he ain’t staying loyal for long. This is how these things go. Men like him have too many outside distractions in their way. They’re certainly not the settlin’ type.” She looked at her with pity. Bailey couldn’t possibly be in love with Leo, let alone think that he was going to be a part of her future for long.
Bailey couldn’t blame her for bringing it up. After all, everyone knew his reputation with the drinking and the women. And knowing Bailey, she wasn’t exactly the best picker of men. They all knew how terrible Joe was; hell, he was abusive and kidnapped Lily. Leo was just another in the long string of bad decisions and choices that made up Bailey’s history. She had let her heart open the wrong ways and now there was nothing keeping it from spinning out of control.
Catherine took the folder from Bailey’s hand and opened up to the last page, “Listen, you've got a few days to think about it. But I’m only gonna be in town for the next week. I plan on putting it on the market the day I head back home. So if you decide to buy it, you call this number for the realtor. He’ll set you up and get the paperwork to me. I’m not gonna fight you on it. I’m not gonna try to take it away. It’s yours when you sign that bottom line.”
Bailey nodded, speechless, as she took back the paperwork and placed it carefully in her bag. Her hands shook as she nervously searched for the words to say next. But there was nothing she could think of worth saying to the woman who once accused her of stealing her grandmother’s precious pearl necklace.
Catherine looked out towards where Lily played with Dan. “You know, I remember when your granddaddy built this home. I came out to visit her shortly she had your father. I told her that this home was a deathtrap, that they should have gotten professionals to build it. But your gran just laughed and said, ‘Catie, this is my home. Ain’t nothing more perfect than a home.’” Catherine touched her hands to her lips, holding back the emotions that were suddenly spilling out of her mouth. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she pointed out towards Bailey’s daughter, “You know, that girl of yours sure does look like Josephine. Your gran would've loved to see her, and you, in this home. I do hope you’ll consider it.”
As she walked out of the gate, Bailey murmured under her breath, “We were in this home. This was our home.”
Bailey looked up at the deserted Victorian with the white paint peeling and the ivy climbing up the siding. It wasn’t anything like the estate she lived in with Leo. But it was home. It was the place she nursed broken hearts, recovered from losing both her mom and dad, and sought shelter from her ex. She had an opportunity now to make it hers for the rest of her life.
The month of working for Leo had been extremely lucrative. It padded her bank account enough to make a sizable down deposit. With another cleaning job, she could pay the rest off in no time and still have money to spare. Then she could focus on giving Lily everything she needed on her own, without the help of a wealthy boyfriend. She could be the mother, the provider, the supporter—everything she had struggled to be in the past.
The wheels turned as a plan formed. She could see this old home coming to life again. She could see Lily playing out in the field with her dog. Bailey could spend her time studying for her college degree in the expansive first floor library office. Leo could cook steaks on the wraparound deck as Jonathan sipped ice tea on a brand new swing.
The image hit her. There was no Leo in this equation. If she bought this home, there would be no cookouts, no cars in the garage, nor long nights in bed together. There would be no man for Lily to call her father—no one to kill the insects or chase a monster out of the closet. Picking this life meant leaving him and the security of his family mansion behind for good.
Bailey resigned herself that this was not a decision she could make without him. He had to be a part of the decision, even if it was to yell and scream that she couldn’t leave him. She wasn’t going to make it alone in that field. The early setting sun would soon be disappearing into the sky and she still had to head
to the police station before long.
She called out to her daughter who was busy running circles around Dan, a soccer ball in her arms. “Lily! Come on! Let’s get going before it rains!” Lily ran towards her with Dan following shortly behind her, both laughing as they waded through grass up to their calves.
That was until Lily stopped in the middle of the field with her small eyes wide open in terror. Bailey looked in their direction for what made her freeze. Dan was on his knees, pulling at something strapped to his waist.
Lily screamed, “Mommy! Look out!” Bailey watched as Dan pulled Lily to the ground with one swift knock. A sound of a bullet crackled through the afternoon air. She barely pulled in a breath before blackness overtook her.
Possessive_A Bad Boy Second Chance Motorcycle Club Romance Page 44
