Fierce

by L. G. Kelso

  "No, dear. It's a fact." His hand flipped over and he grabbed my arm, squeezing.

  "Let go," I said through gritted teeth.

  "Or what? You going to elbow me again?"

  No, this time I was going to do much worse.

  Just as my jab shot out, hard arms wrapped around me and yanked me back. A second later, Max released me and my feet settled back on the ground. He and Shane both stepped to my side, though slightly in front.

  "Don't touch her again, understand?" Max snapped.

  Will held up his hands and smirked. His eyes flitted between Max and me.

  Heels sounded outside the door, each click out of place and growing louder.

  "Max? Shane? Oh, there you two are!"

  Seriously? The universe was totally screwing with me. What was with my least favorite people showing up tonight?

  "Nicole? What... Why are you here?" Max asked. I had never heard such exasperation in his voice before.

  Nicole bounced into the room—okay, fine, maybe not bounced, but she did that walk that short girls with big boobs sometimes did so they give off that adorable, big chest vibe—and stopped a few feet from Max. No one moved.

  "You told me about the fights a while ago, and I wanted to support Shane," she said. "I was hoping maybe we could talk, Max. Shane, I'm sorry about the fight. It was so close. I know you'll get it next time."

  "Thanks," Shane said, voice gruff, but I knew that in his core he didn't believe anything she said.

  Will cleared his throat.

  Dammit, I needed out of this room. Too many people, too many heightened nerves, too much annoyance.

  Nicole took in the three of us, and I could see some kind of confusion cross her face. I could only guess how grumpy the three of us looked. Will, on the other hand, looked amused.

  Max touched my shoulder. My arm went up before I could help it, but stopped before hitting him.

  "Sorry," I mumbled.

  "Someone's on edge. More so than me," Shane said.

  Thank God, Will was more focused on Nicole's cleavage than what we were talking about. He leaned against the wall, crossing his feet so that the toes of one foot touched the ground as though he were some model.

  "Oh my God, you're Will Bennet," Nicole said. Her jaw dropped and her boobs managed to perk up, jutting even more cleavage out as she straightened her back.

  "I am. And you are?"

  "Nicole. Nicole LeBlanc."

  "It's a pleasure." He took her hand and she giggled.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Max. He didn't seem too care. Instead, his eyes were on me.

  "Friends with the boys here?" Will asked her.

  My eyes locked on Max, and I forced myself to keep listening to them.

  Shane backed away. I don't know where he went, but I didn't feel him next to me anymore.

  "Yes," she answered.

  "Just friends?" Will asked.

  I felt Will's eyes fall on Max and me, but I didn't bother to waste my time looking at him. Neither did Max.

  "Um, Max?" Nicole prompted.

  Max pulled his eyes away from me. "Huh?"

  "Will just asked if we were just friends."

  Seriously, what was happening in this room? Elementary school kids could have handled this better.

  "Yes, we're just friends. Right, Nicole?"

  "Yeah," she said. She frowned, but then smiled again when she looked at Will.

  Stupid, stupid girl.

  "Well then, would you be free tonight?"

  Panic seized me. My gaze flew to Nicole and I studied her, every detail, like we were about to go head-to-head, deciding how much of a threat she would be. She was petite. Short, not very toned, thin. Big boobs. Tight jeans. Probably wouldn't pose any kind of threat to the douche bag, but the memory of her hitting Max when she came in drunk wouldn't get out of my head. Max had acknowledged later that that wasn't the first time she had gone wacky while intoxicated.

  Could she be aggressive enough to set Will off? She was little, but that didn't mean he wouldn't get pissed. And even with the boobs, who knew?

  A hint of vodka already wafted from Nicole, and mixing with the scent of bleach and blood.

  I couldn't let this happen. Even with her annoying cuteness and envy-causing rack, I couldn't let her get beat up. I had kept my mouth shut before and it didn't do me any good. I couldn't stay quiet this time.

  "She can't," I said.

  "And why not?" Will glanced over at me.

  "I wanted to see if she wanted to hang out," I lied.

  "Why do I not believe you?" Will said. He shook his head. "Anyway, so how about we get a drink?"

  That was the last thing she needed around him.

  "Because Max was going to take her out for a surprise...night. He just was waiting for the right time to ask. Right, Max?" The words tumbled out before I could stop them.

  Nicole's eyes widened, freaking doe-like, mascara-outlined eyes. "Really?"

  I looked at Max. He stared at me, eyes narrowed and heavy. His jaw flexed, his lips pressed into a tight line.

  Oh my God. What had I just done?

  "Tori?" he said, voice quiet and wary.

  "I'm so sorry," I whispered. I meant the words for him, but also for myself. My chest tightened as I hurt Max and myself. I hadn't done anything about what happened. I had dropped charges. I had failed helping my girls. I couldn't let him do it to someone else. "I spoiled your surprise. I just didn't want her to make plans with Will."

  Please pick up on something in there. Please, please. Oh, God, please, Max.

  "I thought you two were together?" Will asked.

  Max didn't answer him. He tried to get my eyes to meet his, but it hurt too much. I looked at the ground, shook my head, and said, "No."

  Will reached out to touch Nicole's arm in my periphery.

  My scar seared along my scalp, phantom pain flared through my skull, and my knee's dull ache turned into throbbing, sharp twinges.

  "Right, Nicole? You two have history, and Max wanted to, well, talk. You two should get going."

  I was going to change my mind if she didn't leave soon.

  "It's so good to hear that. Nice to meet you, Will, but it looks like I've got a special night in store for me. You ready, Max?"

  Max didn't move, forcing me to look at him. I caught his eyes and prayed he could read the please my mind kept repeating. He stared at me for another minute; each second that passed turned the air into a hot, suffocating mess.

  Finally, he said, "No. Nicole. I'm not—"

  "Max," I said, my voice as low as I could make it. "Please. Go. She needs to leave. Later, we will talk later." I wanted to tell him he needed to get her out and away, but Will and Nicole had moved in and there was nothing I could say that wouldn't be overheard.

  His face looked even more confused, but he seemed to register that something wasn't right.

  "Umm. Yeah. Okay, let's go. I need to find Shane on the way out." He walked past me, stopped, and retreated a step.

  "Tori?" he whispered.

  "Hmm?"

  Words wouldn't work, and I couldn't stop looking at the floor.

  "This is what you want?"

  No, no, no. I nodded.

  He released a sharp breath and I held mine as he left.

  Crap. Now it was just Will and I. Where the hell had Shane gone?

  My skin prickled. I studied the black scuffs and now-dried red splotches on the chipped floor to keep the tears at bay. I had run Max off, the person I had thought I could be with, and I had screwed it up in a matter of seconds. Nothing like cock-blocking the crap out of your own life.

  As I stared at the floor, listening to Will's breathing and the lack of muffled excitement from the spectators' area, the crushing tightness in my chest turned to a coldness I had never felt before.

  Jeans rustled, and Will's feet moved. "Poor Tori, you just screwed yourself, didn't you? Max never had plans to take that girl out. I don't really care. I can go find
someone else to screw."

  The lump in my chest, burning like the air of a freezing night, exploded.

  "Fuck you," I growled, lunging forward and slamming my palms into Will's chest.

  Will hit the wall. Pieces of chipped paint sprinkled to the ground, and the wood groaned.

  "I hate to say it, but you just hit me like a girl. Maybe you're figuring this out after all."

  I wanted my fists to fly. I wanted to knock him senseless. A few months ago, had I been in this spot I probably would have, but part of me still feared that I wouldn't be able to protect myself. This time, he could keep the pressure on and I could never wake up. That, and I had another option. I could walk away.

  "No, but unlike you, fighting means something to me and it's meant to stay in the ring. Not to just jack people up."

  Anger like I had never felt seized my body, and burned my skin. But, as much as I wanted to plow into him, my beliefs became illuminated against the rage.

  Holy crap did I want him to cross that line. I wanted to destroy that line as much as I wanted to destroy every inch of him.

  He grabbed my hair at the base of my ponytail and yanked me backward. My shoulders pressed into the cold, scratchy wall as he pressed against me. Hot breath hissed in my face as I said, "I'm not in the mood to deal with your shit. Just try me. This is the last fucking time you screw up my life. Got it? That was it. No more. So try me."

  He swallowed, his eyes stared into mine, and his fingers squeezed tighter.

  I kept my gaze latched on his, and poured all my anger and frustration into it.

  He released my hair and dropped his hand to his side.

  The door banged open, metal cracking as the dented knob hit collided into the wall.

  I couldn't see around Will's large frame, but I had instant irritation for whomever had walked in here. The heat in my body sparked more, and my chest burned.

  Until I heard Shane's voice. "Have you seen Tori?"

  "I'm right here," I said as I scooted around Will.

  Shane's eyes fell to my chest, before looking at Will's tense back, and then taking in my face and... Oh crap. My hair. I reached up, yanked my messy hair out of the ponytail, and pulled it back, trying to smooth it out.

  "Shane?" I said. Looking down at my chest, I took in the red splotches that branched out across my skin.

  "What the hell, Tori? Is this why you sent Max off with that nutcase?" he snapped before spinning around and leaving the room. The door slammed closed behind him. I grabbed the handle.

  "You need to get out of this town," I said over my shoulder before bolting into the hallway.

  I had no idea where Shane could have gone so fast, but I couldn't find him. I pulled my phone out and called Max. It went straight to voicemail.

  Shit.

  I paced in the almost-summertime evening air.

  I wasn't sure how much more I could deal with tonight before I went totally ape shit and needed to be locked up somewhere. My heart and my chest had never hurt this much.

  What if they reconnected? What if he realized he still loved her?

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The weather seemed to be channeling my bipolar decision making. As I walked to the gym, rain drops pelted my shoulders the entirety of one block while I dialed Jeff's number and hung up, repeatedly, before the call could be completed. At the next block, the sun beat down, the moisture evaporated off my skin, and I decided calling Jeff was the worst idea possible.

  Okay, fine, it probably was a good idea, but I couldn't get myself to do it. As the clouds covered the sun again, the image of Jeff's face when I told him I would spar with Max forced its way back into my head. He had looked scared, wary, and concerned. Three things that I did not want to see on my fighting coach's face.

  More rain came down, this time little sprinkles that dirtied car windows and teased the dry plants. Typical New Mexican weather; it would be over in two minutes and the sun would scorch again.

  I would handle this. I had to handle this. Jeff would rush back, no doubt believing that I couldn't deal with this, and I didn't want to be the reason he wasn’t there for his cousin's death.

  I reached the gym just as the sun emerged from behind the cloud, although the rain still drizzled. Entering the gym, I frowned. The noise of people working didn't make me happy like it usually did. This time, it made me think about Max being somewhere nearby, and how I had no idea what the hell to say to him. Well, aside from telling him I was the biggest idiot I knew.

  Once in the dojo, I spotted Max, with his back to me. Even though the gym was full, he stood out. A water bottle rested in his grip, at his side. A group, including Shane, did drills to his left. I marched over to him. Shane caught my eye and frowned.

  "Oh, look. It's my girl Tori," Will said, from across the gym. "I was just telling the boys about how far we go back, and how tight we were."

  I flipped him off.

  Max turned around, expecting to see me. My feet stumbled before planting as I took in his expression.

  It reminded me of the way he regarded Nicole: wary and untrusting.

  "Max," I began. My voice wavered and caught.

  "Tori, what's going on?" he asked.

  "I'm sorry, Max. I needed you to get Nicole out of there."

  "Yeah, I got that. Because you have a thing for Will?"

  "What? No!"

  "Shane thought he walked into something. If that's not the case, then what is going on?" He lowered his gaze until my eyes locked onto his.

  I shifted my weight. Even with all the mental preparation, I wasn't sure how to exactly talk to him about this. Not here, not now anyway. I could feel Will, stalking around, waiting for a chance to prove he was the giant asshole I knew him to be.

  "If you are going to work with us today, Miss Rhoads, get against the wall," Nick said, interrupting the silence that had been my answer as the train wreck called my head tried to get my thoughts on track again.

  "Now," Nick said.

  "Can you stop with the Miss Rhoads crap?" I asked. I gave Max a quick look. Hopefully it was apologetic, but it probably wasn't since I wanted to shove my foot up Nick's ass. Max moved past me and to the wall. I crammed myself between him and Shane. Shane glared; I elbowed until he made space. Mick and Miguel joined us.

  "Shane, Miguel, and myself will start with the jab and cross. Full minute each person, then we rotate. Everyone will get rounds against the wall and rounds throwing. No using your hands to block. You can only slip and roll the punches," Nick said.

  "Max, we need to talk," I said.

  "Right now, you need to slip my punch," Nick interrupted. The timer beeped, and he threw a jab and cross combination. I bobbed my head to the side, slipping his punches. The wall made it impossible to go backward.

  Nick took it easy, and that only frustrated me more. I watched his core, waiting for the moves to come. Cross cross, slip to the right, jab, slip left.

  The timer dinged. Miguel moved in front of me. He was too easy; he telegraphed every move. He unnecessarily loaded his cross. I slipped each before his gloved fist hit the padded wall.

  Another round. Miguel moved to Max, and Shane moved to me.

  "You!" I directed at Shane. "Next time let me explain. What are you? A twelve-year-old girl?"

  He threw. I didn't see it coming. He caught my temple. Another round and rotation. My turn to throw punches for Max.

  "You're going to listen," I said, popping my mouthguard out and shoving it into my sports bra before throwing a jab. "Totally unprofessional, I know."

  Jab jab, cross, jab. Cross, beat, cross, jab jab. Jab, cross, jab, cross.

  "Shane misunderstood the situation."

  Max didn't slip; my cross hit him in the jaw.

  The timer went off. The group dispersed, moving onto the line drill already set up. However, Max stayed. He popped out his mouthpiece and stepped toward me. His head angled to the side slightly, and I squirmed under his gaze. There was so much in it, in the way he regarded
me. So much that he wanted to know, and so much emotion. Bits and pieces of frustration, probably over me dumping Nicole on him, sparked in the concern. There was something else: anger. The tension in his shoulders radiated across the few inches between us, and I knew, right then as I looked into his eyes and felt him so close, that his control warred within him.

  "Tori, what was going on if you two weren't…being intimate?"

  I would have laughed at the word choice, intimate, if it hadn't been about Will, and if Max's voice wasn't the coldest I had ever heard it. It was weird, because I knew the biting edge wasn't meant for me, nor was the anger picking up in clenched jaw and tensed arms directed at me. Regardless of the reason, his anger was on the verge of spilling, and he had already started to put the pieces together.

  "Max. Max," I said. The little bit of mental preparation I had done while getting punched at dissolved as a new outcome, and one I hadn't thought of, became a possibility. I reached out, and firmly put my hand on Max's chest. He moved into it, but I pushed harder. "Max, what is going on with you?"

  "Shane told me what he saw."

  "Right. And we established that was wrong."

  "You were against the wall, with Will against you and you…Shane said he saw him holding your hair and your wrist. And you wanted Nicole to get away from Will."

  "Also correct." I licked my lips. Damn those critical thinking skills of his.

  He reached out, and cupped his hand over my shoulder. "Was he hurting you?"

  My heart dropped. My head went from train wreck to post-apocalypse. I guess he could tell, because his hand left my shoulder and he pivoted around me.

  My hand still pressed against his chest, and before he could pass by me completely, I yanked my arm to his neck and jumped on his back, and hooked my legs around him. His gaze locked on Will.

  "Max, stop it. It's not what you think," I said, my lips grazing his ear. "I will take you down if you try to walk over there."

  He stopped walking.

  My intention hadn't been to lie. True, I didn't know how to explain why I did what I did, but I hadn't planned on outright lying. However, I also hadn't planned on Max going beast mode. Depending on Max's actions, he could lose the shot at the title, and while seeing Will get his ass kicked had a certain appeal, seeing him lose his title was even more appealing. That, and I couldn't let Max lose the chance to get the championship. He had been working too hard to get this far and then get disqualified, and I knew Will wouldn't let a brawl fly without getting Max in trouble for it.