Fight It Out Series Box Set

by T M Kelly

  I let my body fall to the ground. What were we doing here? Did they think Stephen was inside the house? As my mind wandered toward all the negative thoughts, an ambulance pulled up and hit the brakes quickly. Two EMTs jumped out and ran to the back to grab a stretcher. As they rolled it inside, I had this visual of Stephen being carried back out with a sheet covering his whole body. I threw my hands over my eyes, hating where my mind continued to take me.

  “Zo.” Tyler nudged my side. “Look.”

  The paramedics were carrying someone out with a sheet covering the body. “No,” I yelled and jumped up. “No, no, no.” I placed my hands on the mattress. It took me a moment before I had the strength to pull the sheet back. “Andy,” I said and placed my hand on his chest. “Oh, Andy, I’m so sorry.” I glanced up at the woman standing across from me. “Did he just die?”

  “The coroner needs to look him over and tell you the time of death. I’m sorry.” She moved the sheet back over Andy.

  I stepped back and watched as they lifted him up into the back of the ambulance. How unfair. He was so young. I fell to the ground and wrapped my arms around my legs. This night was not getting better. I didn’t know how much more I could take.

  “Zoe.” Tyler knelt down beside me. We sat there holding hands and staring at one another.

  “Did you see him?” I heard someone yell beside me. I glanced up and then turned in the direction the man was looking. An agent was running down the road toward a figure who was dragging a body behind him.

  I jumped up. This seemed too easy. Then the word sloppy rolled through my mind. Detective Alan said the killer had started to become sloppy with his abductions. They had not figured out the reason, but they had a feeling he was desperate for something.

  Another agent blew past me. “Grab the van,” the guy yelled.

  Tyler and I both stepped back, trying to stay out of the way. There were several agents all heading in the same direction. The van with Alan appeared and they all jumped out. It had to be the killer. Was that Stephen being dragged? I wrapped my arms around my chest and waited. I needed to think positively. Stephen was alive. He would be okay.

  Without thinking, I started to walk toward the group of agents huddled in a circle right in the middle of the road. “Hold him down,” the woman who drove us here said and knelt to place cuffs around his wrists. “This is your lucky day.” She pushed her knee into his back and stood up.

  As the cluster of agents dissipated, there was a paramedic straddling a lifeless body while giving chest compressions. “Charge the defibrillator.”

  The other guy yelled fifteen seconds.

  “We don’t have much time.” She rubbed the paddles together and waited until the machine flashed one second. “Clear.” She placed the paddles on the person’s chest. As the machine beeped and sent a charge, the body lifted off the ground.

  I stepped closer, trying to see the body. As the face came into view, I realized it was Stephen. No.

  The machine showed a flatline. “Charge it again.” A few seconds later, it beeped. “Clear.” Everything went silent as we waited to see if the charge would help. Could they bring him back to life? Right as I was losing hope, there was a faint beep beep. “There he is.” Without waiting another second, the paramedic started to bark off orders.

  Alan touched my shoulder. “Do you both want to ride in the ambulance with him?”

  “Can we?” I turned to face the detective.

  “Follow me.”

  I reached for Tyler’s hand as we approached the truck. The one paramedic was starting an I.V. while the other was placing electrodes on different areas of Stephen’s chest.

  The paramedic finished attaching several wires to a machine. “You can sit here,” he said and jumped out of the ambulance. He ran around the side and a second later, the engine started up.

  I looked back at Tyler. “You get in first.” Stephen’s face was covered in blood and his shirt was soaked. I placed my hand on his thigh and watched how Tyler reached for his hand. “Is he going to be okay?” I asked the woman checking the machines. Once I asked the question, I knew it was ridiculous. He had to be brought back to life just minutes ago.

  “We’ll know more when we get to the hospital.” She adjusted the oxygen mask. “I’m concerned about the stab wound.”

  The truck peeled out with lights flashing as they sped down the road. I couldn’t stop staring at Tyler and how he watched Stephen. It was as if he had forgotten I was there. I could hear him from over the noise of the ambulance. “I’m so sorry. I was wrong to change what we had. Please forgive me.”

  His words caught me off guard. What did he mean by change what they had? Was he meaning, me? Did Tyler regret including me? I sat back on the bench and rested my head against the metal. Did I do it again? Did I give my heart too soon? I thought those old habits had died the moment I set foot in Las Vegas?

  The ride to the hospital took about ten minutes. The whole time we were in the back of the vehicle, Tyler never once looked my way. It was as if he really did forget about me.

  As they pulled up to the entrance to the hospital, I jumped out and stepped to the side. Tyler was holding Stephen’s hand as he jumped out and followed the paramedics through the sliding glass doors.

  I watched as they disappeared around the corner. A few minutes later, the paramedics hopped into the ambulance and drove off. The parking lot was empty. As the truck turned, everything felt quiet. Too quiet. I placed my hands in my pockets and rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet. Before I made a split-second decision that could change everything, I glanced around hoping to see someone, anyone, but I was alone. Something I had begun to feel all too familiar with over the years.

  29

  Zoe

  There was a taxi parked across the street. I waved my hand trying to get his attention. It only took three tries. I gave the man directions to my house. My animals were still at Tyler’s place, so my house would feel lonely.

  I had a hide-a-key under the large flower pot by the left side of the door on my porch. As I stepped inside, I had the urge to call my parents. I pulled my phone from my back pocket and noticed several messages. There were ten from Tyler.

  I ignored them and pulled up contacts to find my parents’ home number. After the second ring, my mom answered. “Are you okay, honey? It’s the middle of the night.”

  “Yeah, I just needed to hear your voice.”

  “Zoe.” I heard my mom yawn. There was rustling in the background and muffled sounds.

  “Zo, what happened?” My dad was my protector.

  “Nothing happened. Can’t I just want to hear my parents’ voices?”

  “You only want that when something has happened.” My dad sighed. “Talk.”

  I lightly laughed at my dad’s directive tone. “I’m that transparent?”

  “Pretty much, darling,” my mom said.

  “I think I did it again.”

  “What, sweetie?” Mom seemed worried.

  “Gave my heart away.”

  “He or she didn’t give theirs back in return?” I loved how Dad said he or she.

  “They were too in love with each other.”

  “They,” my mom said and cleared her throat.

  “Two men. It wasn’t planned.”

  “They never are,” Dad teased. “Were they together long before you came in the picture?”

  “Yeah. I just let myself believe it wouldn’t matter.”

  “Do you think you are reading too much into this? You did always overthink and put words into people’s mouths.” Dad yelped. “Well, she did.”

  “Ignore your father, honey. He forgot about the word compassion.”

  There was a knock at my door. “Hold on.” I kept the phone to my ear as I checked who was knocking at this hour. It couldn’t be Tyler; he was at the hospital with Stephen. I lifted up on my tip-toes. “Fuck.” I stumbled back and my butt came in contact with the back of the couch.

  “What is it, Z
oe?” My dad sounded worried.

  “It’s him.”

  “Him him? Well, open that damn door. The bad guys don’t make a habit of just showing up in the middle of the night.”

  “Mom,” I hissed.

  “Your mom’s right. If you didn’t mean anything, he wouldn’t be there right now.”

  “You both are no help.”

  Tyler started to yell my name. “Honey, I can hear him through the phone. Hang up and answer that damn door.” My dad loved to be demanding. “Then call us tomorrow and tell us all about these two men.”

  “Yeah, okay. I love you,” I mumbled and hit end on my phone.

  “Zoe, I’ll stay out here all night if I have to.”

  I rested my forehead against the wood surface. My parents were right; I did read too much into things. Not everything, but most things. Before I had the strength to open the door, I closed my eyes and counted to ten while doing a deep-breathing exercise. When I felt ready, I stepped back and pulled the door open.

  Tyler lunged forward and picked me up around my waist. My feet were off the ground as he kicked the door closed. “Don’t you ever leave me like that again.” He slid my body down slowly. “Stephen woke up and asked where you were. I looked around and saw you were gone.”

  I grabbed his hands and pulled out of his embrace. “I freaked out.” Saying the words out loud helped me see how ridiculous I was being.

  He grabbed my bicep and turned me to face him. “I don’t understand?”

  I let out a heavy sigh and closed my eyes, trying to find that inner calm. “It’s dumb.”

  “Zo, tell me.”

  “I saw you with Stephen,” I said and rolled my head side to side. “It made me feel like a third wheel. Like I didn’t belong there.”

  He stepped forward and bent to be eye level. “But you do belong. It is going to be weird. We took this a little too fast maybe.” He placed his hands on either side of my face. “I’m the type of person who takes what they want. Life’s too short.”

  “You just waited two years to do that with me?”

  He dropped his hands and stood up. “Yeah, sometimes I’m an idiot.”

  I don’t know what it was about his words, but I started to giggle and couldn’t stop. I bumped into the back of the couch and fell over the edge, which caused me to laugh louder. Tyler surprised me by falling over too and pulling me into his arms.

  “I never let you go in those two years.”

  He was right. I put up with his cranky attitude and kept him as my trainer the whole time. “Most women would have said ‘fuck you’ and left.”

  “You’re not like most women.”

  “Maybe.”

  Tyler leaned forward and kissed me lightly. “Come back to the hospital with me.” He kissed me again. “Please.”

  I didn’t move for the longest time. My eyes were locked onto him. This was different and somehow my parents knew that even two thousand miles away.

  “Okay.”

  The moment we stepped into Stephen’s hospital room, my body started to shake. There were several machines surrounding his bed and continuously beeping. The sound was unnerving. He looked so peaceful lying there, but I knew that was a lie. There was nothing peaceful about what Stephen had experienced.

  I took the last few steps, and my body touched the side of the bed. Stephen slowly opened his eyes. “There you are,” he said in a hushed tone.

  I reached for his hand. “Yeah, I had a moment of dumb.” I looked up at Tyler. “It happens to the best of us.”

  Stephen smiled. It was good to see his face light up. “I’ve been there.”

  There was awkward silence between the three of us. What did we say next? “How are you?” seemed wrong. It was too soon to ask about what happened in that house.

  “Zoe,” Stephen said and coughed. “You do belong here.”

  His words caught me off guard. “I’m not sure what you mean, Stephen?”

  Before he could answer, his body shook and the machines lit up. I watched as he let out a deep sigh and then I noticed two straight lines on one of the machines.

  “Stephen,” I screamed and bent over his body. “Stephen, wake up.” He couldn’t be dead. I felt numb. My mind felt foggy. I rested my head on his chest. “Stephen, give me more time. Please.” Suddenly, my body was pulled back. “No, I can’t leave him.” Whoever was tugging me backward wasn’t listening to a word I said. “No,” I screamed louder.

  Then my head was resting against a warm chest. “Zoe.” I could hear my voice spoken over and over. It was Tyler, and he was moving his hand up and down my back. “Shhhh, I’m here.”

  I turned my head slightly, trying to get a glimpse of Stephen. There were four medical professionals huddled around his bed.

  I tightened my arms around Tyler’s waist. This wasn’t the end, right?

  30

  Zoe

  “This seat taken?” a strong male voice said from beside me.

  I looked up to find the owner of AFC standing over me. “Chuck. Hey. No,” I said and moved over to give him some room.

  The last five days had been spent at the gym. I couldn’t go home and going to Tyler’s place was even worse. Instead, I used the back room that had a spare bed and trained on and off for easily twelve hours each day. Tyler bunked with me and helped with my training.

  “Think we should postpone the fight?”

  I stood up. “What? Why?” My stomach was screaming to be fed, so I started to remove the tape from my hands. “Don’t take that away from me, too.”

  “Zoe, putting you in the octagon in this state of mind is a dangerous call.”

  “What state of mind? I’m fine. I promised my fans this fight, and I always deliver on a promise.” Just then Lucky sauntered over and sat down at my feet. “Hey, buddy.”

  “Is this the new gym mascot?” Chuck asked and bent to scratch behind her ears.

  “Sorta. Sammy, my cat, is somewhere around here, too.”

  “Zoe.” Chuck had this tone that felt off from his normal lighthearted way. “Julian asked me to stop by.”

  “Because he can’t get through to me?”

  “No, because he’s concerned.”

  I wanted to fight. The last five days I put everything into my training. My focus was solely on getting my body ready for the octagon. I couldn’t believe Chuck was seriously considering removing my name from the fight ticket.

  “She’s ready,” I heard Tyler say from behind me. “You should see her during practice. She’s stronger than ever.” Tyler grabbed my hand and helped me remove the last of the tape. “The fight was already postponed. It’s time. Vera has been bashing Zoe on social media.”

  “Well, that’s all for show,” I quickly interjected.

  “I question that with Vera.”

  “If you’re sure, Zoe,” Chuck said and started to head toward the front door. “The fight is in three days. I need to know you’re at your best. If you bring anything from your personal life into the octagon, we could have a problem.”

  “I will keep my shit at the door,” I said and grabbed my water bottle. “This fight is about Vera and me. What’s in my personal life is not a part of the fight.”

  “I’m glad you said that. I’ll see you Saturday then.”

  “Think he believes me?”

  “Not a word,” Tyler said and grabbed some of the equipment. “You done for the afternoon?”

  It was weird Tyler didn’t care that I trained non-stop. Actually most of the time, he trained right along with me. “For now.”

  “What’s for dinner?” Julian said and stepped into the small spare room in the gym.

  “Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Dinner of champions,” I teased and held out my second half. “I can make more.”

  “I’m good.” He sat down on the side of the bed. “Still fighting Saturday?”

  “Yes,” I said and rolled my eyes. “Chuck tried to remove my name, but I begged a little too much.” Sammy, my cat, was sl
eeping at the end of the bed. He got up and plopped down right next to Julian. “Guess he likes you.”

  “Well, he did get the petting of a lifetime at Tyler’s place.”

  “So you both are buddies now?”

  “Well yeah.” He chuckled and picked Sammy up into his lap. “Any word?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

  “That’s Tyler’s line, too.” He set Sammy back on the bed and stood up. “You both are going to have to talk about it sometime.” I took a bite of my sandwich and turned the TV up. “Guess that’s my cue to leave.”

  I didn’t say anything as Julian left the room. What could I say?

  31

  Zoe

  “Good luck.” Charlie reached in and gave me a big hug. “Don’t let her take that belt from you, Zoe.”

  I made my way around to all my team members to give them a hug. When it was time to hug Tyler, we both stopped and stared at each other. He leaned in and whispered, “Do this for Stephen.” I closed my eyes at his words and nodded. Then he placed my mouthpiece in and tapped my fists.

  This fight was a long time coming. Vera Kornikova had spent countless hours on social media talking trash. It was a bit over-the-top, and she had received some serious praise from AFC fans.

  I knew I had my work cut out for me with this fight. There were a lot of negative factors against me. I promised Chuck all the personal shit would stay out of the octagon, and I planned to keep that promise.

  The referee checked to make sure I was ready to enter the ring. He placed Vaseline on my forehead and below my eyes and then cleared me to enter. I walked up the steps and stopped at the entrance to the ring. My mind wanted to wander, but I fought against the emotions. This was my time. My fight. Nothing else mattered for the next twenty-five minutes. I closed my eyes, took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Then I stepped into the octagon and threw my hands up in the air. The crowd roared. It was almost deafening.