Fighter Daddy: A Bad Boy Secret Baby MMA Sports Romance

by Marci Fawn

  You don't win without any skill? He does. He can take a beating as if he doesn't feel it. And then when you've exhausted yourself, he picks you up and throws you around like a rag doll.

  Everyone fears pain? Some say Sam doesn't feel anything, that a part of his brain is broken or something. That's the reason he can keep fighting with wounds that make others yield instantly.

  Rumor has it Sam has quite a few hushed-up deaths on his record. Comas for sure. They don't call the guy Unbroken for nothing. I haven't heard of him losing a single fight. He's a default winner, which makes it hard to find opponents for him. Who wants to get a certain defeat on their record? And risk serious injury? His agents are offering sums to make a man's head spin to meet him in the cage.

  I have to give Ricky credit. He doesn't have to kill me himself. He can let Sam do that for him. No one would be shocked if I accepted that challenge. I am not known to avoid difficult fighters. No one would be surprised if Sam broke me in half, either.

  "I'm not suicidal," I tell Ricky.

  "I didn't think you were," he agrees. "But I'm offering a considerable bonus for the victory. I will count both your and Miss Feston's debts settled. You can keep the rest, if there's anything left. And I will release my guests, alive and unharmed."

  "What about Raina?" I growl. "I'm not letting you have her."

  "She is not up for negotiation. There is no future where I would allow that. I know you have a temper, Mr. Mason, but I urge you to consider this. You have the chance to save four lives, including your own. Untold glory, too, if you are the one to break Sam Unbroken."

  Five lives.

  "Easier said than done."

  "So they say."

  He doesn't sound like he cares much about my physical well-being. I look at Raina again, lying defenseless on the floor. I can't leave her with that monster. I have no intention to.

  "What if I refuse?" I ask.

  "I think you know the answer to that, Mr. Mason," Ricky says dismissively. "But I don't think you will. You're not the type of man to let yourself be gunned down like that."

  I look at the guns still trained at me. Ricky's guys have been busy waking up the initial attackers, all of whom are no doubt aching to receive the order to kill me.

  I don't have any choice. Until I devise a plan to save the prisoners and Raina, I need to play along with Ricky's proposal. He'll suspect me, of course, but I can play nice if needed.

  "Do you guarantee Raina's safety?" I demand.

  "Of course," Ricky says, a hint of wounded pride in his voice. "Miss Feston's well-being is my first priority. Both she and my guests will be treated well until the fight. But I must warn you. If you do not win, Mr. Mason, our deal is off. All of it."

  Yeah, I figured. Ricky Gerrard isn't a guy to value money above all else, but I did cost him a lot with Carson. He'll want to get paid. And he won't hand me Dad and Susan back just like that either, if at all.

  "All right," I say. "I accept."

  Ricky sounds pleased, as I think of Raina. Against my will, I've put her in terrible danger. If Ricky's doctor manages to save her, I'm in his debt. But if he discovers her pregnancy, we're all dead. I have to risk it. Ricky already has her. As long as I don't give him a reason, he might not look too closely.

  I wonder what Raina will say about all this once she wakes up. A bird that was almost free won't like coming back to a cage, but she has to bear with me. I would rather die than let Ricky have her, but I'm going to have to learn patience now.

  I have a plan to get us both out of this, but I need to set it in motion. This is a tactical retreat, nothing more. She will be mine and Ricky will be history. Maybe Raina does have a type for calculating bastards.

  "Excellent," Ricky exclaims. "I will get start arranging the fight immediately. Sam Unbroken's agents will be very happy, I'm sure. They haven't been able to get him in a cage for months."

  So am I. That match will be the fight of the decade, at least. I have no doubt all of my "friends" from the night before will go crazy if they hear of this.

  "One more thing," Ricky says, on cue. "You are welcome to use any of my training facilities and visit my club freely, as you are now my investment. But if I see you laying even a finger on Raina, I will not hesitate to make you suffer. Or let my guests take the punishment. Keep that in mind, Mr. Mason."

  I expected as much. I look at Raina, gorgeous even like that. I will do this for her. I will find a way to make her nightmares go away. Ricky doesn't know who he's trying to fuck with. I'm dangerous on my own, but now he's threatening my woman and child. There will be no forgiveness, no nothing.

  Only blood and death.

  It won't be easy. I have to keep Raina, our baby and the prisoners safe while trying not to get killed by Sam. I have no doubt Ricky will arrange something with his willing agents, to make sure I don't walk out of that cage on my own two feet.

  "I understand," I tell Ricky. "We have a deal."

  "I sincerely hope we do," he says with all the warmth of death. "I am a forgiving man, but I do not forget. You do not want to trick me again, Mr. Mason."

  But I do, very much so. Only this time, the stakes are much higher. Raina's life, my life, the life of our baby are all at stake here. I hold so many fates in my hands and the weight is heavy. I can't allow myself to slip up now. I still remember what they taught me. If you see a monster, you take him down. There are plenty of those in my way right now, but I have something new too.

  Someone to fight for.

  Raina

  The last thing I remember is Susan calling my name and Lee holding me.

  I wake up to something so horribly different that I gag. It might also be the fact I'm feeling like shit and my left side hurts. Right, right. I got shot!

  I dearly wish this was a drug-induced hallucination, because it can't be real.

  I am lying in a bed somewhere under Ricky's club. I know that for sure because I hear distant music. The torture rooms down here are soundproof, but the others aren't. The realization is enough to make me cry. My body is wracked with despairing sobs.

  I am back, again. I've escaped and escaped and escaped and one more time I find myself back in Ricky's cage. How did this happen? Wasn't I at Lee's apartment?

  Lee... The baby...

  I sit up so quickly it hurts. Where is Lee, what happened to him? Oh God, is he dead? He can't be dead, he can't be. I don't think I could live without him. I want him. Everything that he is. My beloved monster and me, we go everywhere together. I want my monster.

  And what about my baby? Did my baby live? If something happened to my child, I will destroy them.

  "Raina?" Susan asks.

  I look at her and new tears find their way down my cheeks. How did everything get so fucked up so fast? Not only am I back here in Ricky's prison, but Susan is here too. She's sitting on a chair next to my bed, looking tired and sad.

  Dark lines mark the trails where her mascara has run along with her tears. There is a cannula in her arm, leading into a bag filled with blood. Another cannula leads the fluid out of the bag and into my arm.

  "Susan," I whisper, my voice broken. "Susan, I'm so sorry, I don't know what to say—"

  "Oh Raina," Susan says, coming to sit by my bedside and hugging me. "I was so worried about you! They kept talking about a bullet wound and here I was, imagining your head being blown off! But when they rolled you in and told me it was going to be fine, I calmed down. But you still slept so long, sweetheart! And you were so pale, I started to worry if something went wrong with your operation after all..."

  "I'm fine, I'm fine," I whisper to her, not believing one word of it.

  I want to ask about the baby so badly, but I don't know who could be listening. I bite my tongue hard enough to draw blood and keep my silence. Aunt Susan might tell Ricky is she thinks it would help me. It most certainly wouldn't. The fact that I'm still alive tells me Ricky doesn't know, yet. Or he does and waits to kill me in some horrible way.

  Yeah
, "fine" is not the word I should be using.

  At that moment, I don't care. I need to lie to myself a little bit to be able to carry on. Too much horror has befallen me in the past few days. I don't even know what day it is. I don't even know if it's daytime. Judging by the music, it's not.

  "Aunt Susan," I begin again. "I am so sorry."

  To my surprise, Susan shakes her head and pinches my cheek gently, trying to put on a happy smile. She fails, but at least she's not being tortured. Images of Ed's hands still appear before my eyes every time I think of how Ricky deals with people he doesn't care about.

  "I know, sweetheart, I know," Susan tells me. "Lee came by and told me everything."

  He what?!

  Being upset with Lee for telling Susan and Philip about the mess we're in takes a firm second place in my heart. The first and prevailing emotion is utter, mind-blowing relief. Lee is alive. At least he was at some point. And he was here? How could he be here? I need answers, fast.

  "What did Lee tell you?" I demand. "Tell me everything."

  Susan pets my hair gently, trying to keep smiling.

  "Sweetheart, if you had money issues, you should have come to me. I know I don't have much, but we would have figured it out. Taken a loan, maybe. If I had thought you'd borrow from a man like that..."

  Money. Is that what Lee told her? My head hurts along with my body, but I have to keep a clear mind not to fuck everything up.

  "I didn't want alms from you."

  "Alms. Raina, you're practically my daughter! I would have gladly given you my savings to start up a business. Now you're in this horrible debt and Lee has to fight this guy..."

  What?

  Damn it, I need answers. From Lee, not Susan. It seems she doesn't know about me and Ricky or else I'd never hear the end of it, dying or not. One more thing, though.

  "Where is Philip?" I ask. "Is he okay?"

  "Yes, yes," Susan says. "We are okay. Lee explained that too. Philip was furious, of course. They have no right to keep us here. This is kidnapping, but I see they're dangerous people. I tell Philip that too, but he doesn't want to listen. We all need to be patient and wait and everything will be fine. Lee will win the fight and pay your debts and we are all free to go."

  There are a lot of blanks in her story, but I think I get the general gist of it. I wish I could share Susan's enthusiasm and belief in a happy ending. But I don't. I hear Ed screaming in my head, see him sliding off the chair with his arm a bloody stump.

  "Can I see Lee?" I ask.

  Susan hesitates.

  "I don't know, sweetheart, I'll ask the man outside your door," she says. "No one is allowed in here but me. Even Philip can't come, but he sends you his love and wishes you a quick recovery!"

  "Ask, please," I tell her.

  Susan goes off to see if Lee's on my guest list, carefully removing the cannula from her hand. I assume she's done this before.

  I'm guessing there is no chance that I could meet Lee, but I have to try. To my surprise, Susan returns with Victor. She waves to me from the door and disappears.

  "Why do you want to see Lee Mason?" he demands.

  After that night in the club, I'm more afraid of him than ever, but I make myself be brave.

  "I want to ask him what happened. And who he is fighting."

  "He is fighting an undefeated champion," Victor says with a sadistic grin.

  "I want to see him," I repeat stubbornly.

  Victor glares at me, but to my continued surprise, doesn't argue. He stomps off to check if it's okay for me to have visitors. I am left to sit there alone, wondering how I managed to mess my life up that badly. I run my fingers over the scar on my stomach gently, my hands shaking.

  Is the baby still there? I would give anything to know, to have some sort of proof of life. Right now I'm left with nothing but hope, hugging myself.

  Seeing Lee walk in is like sun peeking out between the clouds. He smiles, but stops a few feet away from the bed. I frown, reaching out my hand to touch him, hug him, kiss him. Lee shakes his head, nodding at something behind him. I notice he left the door open and that Victor is keeping a stern eye on us.

  "What's going on?" I ask. "Susan keeps telling me about a fight. How are you alive? Why am I here?"

  What happened in the apartment? Am I still pregnant? Does Ricky know?

  Lee holds up a hand to stop my questions from pouring out of me.

  "Are you okay?" he asks first.

  I force a smile on my face.

  "Yeah, I'm okay," I say. "As well as I can be."

  "Good," Lee says. "Susan kept me up to date with your progress."

  "And you?" I demand. "What is up with you? What happened back at your apartment?"

  Lee sighs.

  "A lot of things. Long story."

  I glare at him. How could he think I wouldn't want to know everything?

  "Well, I have all the time in the world. Start explaining."

  "Long story short?" he asks, sighing. "You were dying, so Ricky and I made a deal."

  "What kind of a deal?" I demand, feeling a cold shiver run down my spine. "That doesn't sound good. How can you deal with him? He's a psychopath."

  "I know," Lee says, grinning darkly. "That's why he decided he could use me in this match. It's a big fight, because the guy's a real piece of work. I'm guessing Ricky hopes he'll knock me out dead."

  No. I can't lose you too.

  My mouth drops open and I stretch my hand toward him again. He still stands out of my reach.

  "Do you think he will?"

  "No," Lee says. "But he is dangerous. That's why the money is so good. If I win, your debt to Ricky is settled."

  I can't believe what he's saying. That he'll risk his life for the stupid debt I owe Ricky.

  "Susan buys that, but I don't," I press. "What's really going on, Lee?"

  He gives me a reprimanding look.

  "What do you think, Raina?" he asks, all cheeriness gone from his voice. "He has hostages and a legal contract that would put you into debt slavery for the rest of your life. I'll do the fight. I'll win."

  "And then what?" I demand. "We all waltz off into the sunset?"

  "No," Lee corrects me. "The hostages walk free and so do I, but you are to stay with Ricky."

  I gasp for air. If he's telling me what I think he is, I'm going to kick his ass, bullet wound or not. Does he really mean to abandon me?

  The look in his eyes says no. I see him signal me, looking quickly at Victor and back. I understand, I do. He's saying we're being overheard and he can't say that he has no intention of leaving me here, but I am terrified. If we can't even talk freely, how does he expect to get us out of this? Not to mention there are two more hostages this time.

  I want to believe that he intends to free me too, I really do. I think back, trying to focus on the image I had of him back in the apartment. Strong, capable, ready to fight for me. I still see that. The fight has just gotten considerably more difficult.

  "I have to go," Lee says, sending a painful tinge of sadness through me. "I'll be back to see you if I can. Rest. Don't worry about a thing."

  Is he kidding me? Don't worry?

  For the third time, I reach out to touch him, but he merely smiles sadly and turns to go. I am left waving after him like a fool, aching for his touch more than ever. Not merely out of desire for him as a man like before. That is still there too. He looks as gorgeous as ever and I want him with the same fervor as I always did.

  But now another emotion has joined that. Lee's company is soothing on its own. I want him near me, because I simply enjoy spending time with him. I even miss the jokes he makes or the times when he teases me. I feel like someone took a part of me away.

  I need him, now more than ever as I'm still in the dark about our child. I want to ask someone so badly, but I don't dare. The lives of everyone around me depend on it, depend on Ricky not hearing a goddamned thing. I've seen enough of his jealousy.

  That's why Lee's absence is h
urting so deeply.

  I assume he can't touch me, least of all with Victor watching us like a hawk. But I am left aching without it, desperate to bury myself into his solid, warm embrace and leave all the problems of the world behind me.

  As empty and sad as Lee's departure leaves me, it's nothing compared to the unpleasant surprise that's in store for me. I have a third guest, the person I want to see the least in the world.

  Unlike Lee, Ricky closes the door behind him. I shiver in fear, trying to hide that from him. He gives me a quick kiss, making me wince in surprise. Ricky grins.

  "How are you feeling?" he asks. "I trust Dr. Morris did a good job."

  "Yes," I say. "He was your doctor?"

  "My best," Ricky assures me. "When I heard one of my own employees had accidentally shot you, I sent him at once. He was able to reach you in time."

  I suddenly think of the guy who shot me, and the look of sheer horror on his face.

  "You told them not to hurt me?"

  "Yes. I assure you the guy who shot you has been... dealt with."

  I imagine bloody hands again, except all over his body. I feel slightly bad for him, but not for long. He was trying to kill Lee.

  I don't know what else to say. I have no idea what Ricky really wants with me. Ever since I left, there haven't been many moment where we've been alone.

  "What do you plan to do to Susan and Philip?" I ask angrily as I remember that their fate hangs in the balance as much as mine.

  Ricky shrugs as if he barely has anything to do with their kidnapping.

  "You could say I'm keeping them for insurance," he says. "For now. They'll be free to go after Lee's match."

  "Is that a real promise?" I demand. "Or another one like when you promised you'd let Ed go?"

  Ricky doesn't answer. Cold dread settles into my stomach, making it turn as well as ache.

  He stands instead, bending to give me another kiss. A longer, lingering one this time. I want to resist, but I'm afraid for my life. I let him kiss me, barely answering.