Meant for Me (A Second Chance standalone)

by L. P. Dover

  The excitement in her face mirrored mine from last night. It was surreal how we finally ended together, and also got the chance to relive our dreams from the past. Last night was my night … now tonight was hers.

  We got to the club on time, and since it was still early there wasn’t a line at the front to get in. The door opened before we got to it and Jake appeared around the side with a huge grin on his face when he saw Claire.

  “Oh, kitten, you look beautiful,” he uttered wholeheartedly, opening his arms. He hugged her and kissed her on the forehead before motioning toward the staircase I knew was hidden behind the giant rug hanging down from the wall. “If you want you can go on up to my office and change while Mason and I grab a drink.”

  “What about me? I think I need one too to calm my nerves,” she scolded.

  Jake grinned wickedly at her. “Don’t worry, kitten. I already took your nerves into consideration. Your favorite bottle of wine is up there and perfectly chilled.”

  Pursing her lips and with her hands on her waist, Claire lifted a brow and asked, “Are you trying to butter me up, old man? Because if you are it’s not going to work. I’m only dancing one night and that’s it. Bribing me and giving me everything I want isn’t going to get me back here.”

  Jake burst out laughing and shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, you can’t fault me for trying. I had to at least give it a shot.”

  Claire shook her head and smiled. “Thank you anyway, though. I appreciate it.” Before she disappeared to go up to Jake’s office, she turned around and demanded one last thing, “You two better be in the front row, got it?”

  “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” I told her.

  As soon as she was gone, I followed Jake to the bar. “Fix whatever drink you want, Mason. It’s on the house,” he offered, motioning to the bottles behind the counter.

  “Don’t mind if I do,” I accepted.

  The liquor looked mighty appealing, so I grabbed the bottle of whiskey and poured myself a double shot of it. I sucked it back in one huge gulp and poured another. “Rough night?” Jake asked.

  I stared into the amber liquid in my glass and chuckled halfheartedly. It was Saturday night and I had no clue if someone was going to die in a fight somewhere. So, yeah, I guess I could consider that a rough night.

  Tossing back the whiskey, I took a deep breath before answering, “There’s just a lot going on in my life right now.”

  “Well, cheer up, son. I have some good news.” He grabbed the bottle of whiskey and poured me another shot. “You will not believe who agreed to fight you next Friday.”

  With wide eyes, I turned to him quickly and asked, “Who? Who is it?”

  “Does the name Matt Reynolds ring a bell?”

  The moment he said the name the whole world froze on its axis. Did I hear him right? Surely, he didn’t say the name I thought he did. Matt Reynolds was one of the best UFC fighters in the Heavyweight division. He came along and made a name for himself shortly after I left the sport. I knew who he was and he wasn’t going to be easy to take down, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to pass up the chance to fight him.

  “You do still want to fight, don’t you?” Jake asked, looking concerned with his brows furrowed.

  “Of course,” I exclaimed, “I’m not an idiot. How in the hell did you get him to agree to this?”

  Jake grabbed a glass and poured himself a shot of whiskey. He offered another one to me, but I shook my head and waved him off. The last thing I needed to be was drunk in a club with Claire. “That’s the funny thing,” Jake began, “Matt Reynolds comes in here a lot and he’ll watch the fights and network along with others while he’s here, but he’s never offered to fight. I guess he saw a challenge in you. This could be a good thing, Mason. This could be your opening to get back in the sport and do things right this time.”

  Sighing, I turned away and decided one last shot of whiskey wouldn’t hurt me. After I poured it, I glanced at Jake over my shoulder and said, “I don’t think so. I lost that chance a long time ago.”

  The thought was tempting, and I’d love nothing more than to do things right, especially with Claire by my side, but it just didn’t seem possible.

  Or was it?

  The club was packed, and if I had to estimate the number of people I would have to say at least five hundred or more were in the room. It was a good thing I had my place in the front row with Jake and Tyler beside me. Tilting my head to Tyler, I asked quietly, “So does Claire like to do this for free or does Jake pay her?”

  Tyler chuckled under his breath. “Oh, she would do it for free, but Jake always paid her eighty percent of the ticket sales. She used to bitch about it all the time, but Jake didn’t care. He put it in her check each week anyway.”

  Wow.

  Eighty percent was a large chunk of change. She probably made thousands each week. A few nights ago when she first told me she worked at the club she said she was ashamed to tell her family what she had done. She dabbled with drugs and made some stupid choices, which thankfully she didn’t go into detail about. However, I knew firsthand what those choices were because I made plenty of them with women I didn’t even know. I would rather forget those times, too.

  Jake leaned forward, addressing me and Tyler, “All right you two, it’s time for me to begin the announcement. Be prepared to be amazed, Mason. I have never seen a dancer with as much heart as Claire.”

  He got up and left, shaking hands with several of the people in their seats before making his way behind the curtain. The overheard lights began to dim, and were replaced with shimmering blue lights that glowed from the stage.

  The curtain pulled back and Jake appeared, smiling at the crowd with a microphone in his hand. “Good evening, everyone. As some of you know we haven’t had a show like this in a really long time. It just so happens that someone special has come in for a visit and has offered to bring in our summer season with a little bit of magic.”

  He paused for a moment, and then began moving toward the edge of the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Claire O’Briene, our summer goddess of The Labyrinth.”

  Jake quickly took his seat, and as soon as he did the lights shut off completely … everything silent. The sound of music slowly began to echo through the room while the blue lights grew steadily brighter. The misty fog in the room swirled around Claire when she took the stage, and it was so thick I could barely see her. However, when the smoke cleared nothing could prepare me for what I saw on that stage.

  Claire beamed down at me with the most serene smile I’d ever seen on her face. She looked exactly like a summer goddess in what appeared to be a short, pale yellow toga with crystals that glowed a brilliant shade of red in the light. She looked liked the sun, but moved gracefully like the wind. I could care less about any kind of dancing, but watching Claire do what she loved made it special. It was a part of who she was, just like fighting was a part of me.

  I was entranced by her movements, except all too quickly it was over and I was broken out of the trance when the music stopped, the booming voices of the crowd cheering in my ear. Getting to my feet, both Tyler and I whistled and clapped as loud as we could for her. Laughing, she shook her head as she made her way to the microphone.

  “Good evening, everyone. I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to watch me tonight. Some of you may already know that I used to dance here a few years ago when I worked here. I’m honored that I was given the chance to do so again, and I’m glad that you all made it a special night for me. Thank you.”

  She waved at everyone and then ran down the side steps straight for me, Jake, and Tyler. “That was so amazing,” she breathed, wrapping her arms around my neck. I lifted her in my arms and kissed her quickly on the lips.

  “You were beautiful up there,” I murmured in her ear. “I can’t believe I’ve never seen you dance before.”

  “I’ll try to do it more,” she promised as I set her down on her feet. She turned to acknowled
ge Jake and he hugged her, whispering something in her ear, before walking off to mingle with his guests.

  Tyler gave her a sideways hug and squeezed. “You looked awesome, kitten, like always. However, now I have to work the door. Jake let me off so I could watch you.” He kissed her on the head and reached out to shake my hand. “You two have fun tonight. I’ll catch you both later.”

  As soon as he left, there were several women who started coming up to Claire, hugging her and wanting to talk to her. I understood there would be people who wanted to mingle with her so when she looked over at me I mouthed the words ‘going to the bar’ to her so she would know where I was going. I ordered a beer and stood there for a moment watching the people come and go. For about fifteen minutes I stayed at the bar hoping to give Claire some time with her people before going back to her.

  However, when I got a clear view at her from across the room I wasn’t expecting her to be in the arms of another man. I could tell Claire was excited to see him by the joy in her wide-eyed gaze.

  Who the hell is he? I wondered. Better yet, why was he all over her?

  The closer I got, the more the guy came into view. He was about my age and same build with short, black hair. He happened to catch my eye and glared at me for a second before smiling back down at Claire who had the biggest grin on her face and was talking nonstop. Before I could march the rest of the way down to the stage, I felt the vibration of my phone buzzing in my pocket. The moment I saw the name pop up on the screen I knew something was going to be wrong. Ryan wouldn’t bother me this late at night if it wasn’t important.

  As soon as I walked out of the room to answer the phone my gaze caught something I wasn’t expecting to see … the telltale signs of a dragon tattoo snaking its way down a guy’s neck. He was most likely in his early forties, judging by the lines in his face and the light graying mixed in with his shortly cropped brown hair. The tattoo didn’t exactly fit in with the whole businesslike and arrogant persona he exuded, and if I wasn’t consciously looking for it on people’s necks I probably wouldn’t have seen it behind the collar of his crisp, white button down shirt. His pace slowed as he approached, his gaze narrowing as if he recognized me. A mischievous smirk splayed across his face as he walked past, heading into the stage room.

  Holy shit! I can’t believe I finally found the bastard.

  The only thing that made the situation completely screwed up was that not only did he go into the room I just left, but I watched him go straight down to where Claire and the other guy were standing by the stage. My phone stopped buzzing in my pocket and then immediately started back up again.

  “Dammit,” I hissed under my breath. Keeping my gaze on Claire and the guys around her, I clicked on my phone and answered it by saying, “Yeah, what’s going on?”

  Ryan cleared his throat. “I need to tell you something,” he replied.

  “I need to tell you something, too,” I cut in. “It looks like I found the man we’ve been looking for. He’s at The Labyrinth right now.”

  “Good, keep your eye on him. The sooner we figure out who he is and what connection he has to the deaths the sooner we can end this mess. However, the reason why I called is …” He paused, hesitating for a second, which only made me more irritable. Just tell me! I wanted to scream.

  “What is it?” I demanded impatiently.

  The last thing I expected to hear come through the phone was the words that came out of his mouth. “We found Austin’s missing wife,” Ryan said. “We found her in an alley off the main strip.”

  The moment he said those words I had images of a blonde haired beauty beaten and broken on the side of the road. Taking a seat, I kept the phone to my ear and closed my eyes. I didn’t want to ask where he found her at. I had seen death numerous times over the years and I didn’t want to see it with someone I knew.

  Hanging my head, I sighed and kept my voice low when I asked, “She’s dead isn’t she? You called to tell me she’s dead.”

  “No, Mason, she’s not dead. I called to tell you that she’s alive … Summer Moore is alive.”

  Mason looked pissed about me being with Wade, and I was sure he’d be even more angry when he found out who he was, considering our history. I glanced past Wade to Mason who was on the phone with a distraught expression on his face. I wonder what’s going on.

  “So are you coming back to us or just passing through?” Wade asked, grabbing my attention. He noticed me sneaking glances toward Mason, but he didn’t mention anything about it. Instead, he gazed at me with his mysterious hazel eyes and gave me his famous devilish smile that I was sure won him many hearts since I left. His once shoulder length dark brown hair was now cut shorter and gelled in messy spikes, and I had to admit it suited him better.

  “You looked sexy as hell up there on that stage. I’m sure Jake would love to have you back.”

  I laughed. “I’m sure he would love to have me back, but it’s not going to happen. Hey, Ty told me you went to the Bahamas. Did you have fun?”

  “I did,” he agreed, but then quickly changed the subject, moving closer. With a confident grin on his face, he put his arm around my shoulders and slowly brought his lips down to my ear so he could speak quietly. “So how long are you in town for? I thought maybe we could spend some time together. I can show you what you’ve been missing all these years.”

  Rolling my eyes, I pulled away and smacked him playfully on the arm, making him chuckle. “You never give up do you?”

  A man came up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder, and stated, “No, he doesn’t, which is why I like him. However, he’s going to have to show you what you’ve been missing at another time. We have somewhere else to be right now.” The man whispered something in his ear and then walked off, waiting for him by the door.

  “Before I go,” Wade began, “I’m having a party tomorrow night at my house. I want you to be there. Will you come?”

  “Yeah, that would be great. I have a question though … who’s the guy who was just here?” I asked. There was one thing I knew for certain, I didn’t like him. He seemed like he would be a complete dirt bag … arrogant. Arrogant men were a complete turn off for me. Mason was confident, smart, and strong, but never full of himself. If he ever did get like that I would kick his ass myself.

  “He’s my agent,” Wade said with a grin on his face. “I take it you didn’t care too much for him.”

  “Not really,” I admitted honestly. “Since when do you need an agent?”

  Wade sighed, his eyes going wide once he looked down and noticed the time on his watch. “Shit, Claire, I really need to go. I’ll talk to you more about it tomorrow, okay? I’ll text you the address to my house sometime in the afternoon.”

  He kissed me on the cheek and hurried off to his agent who had a scowl on his face, looking perturbed and impatient. By the time they were out the side door Mason stalked toward me, his eyes blazing … searching. I could actually feel the heat of his anger, and it wasn’t good.

  “Where did they go?” he demanded, examining the room.

  “Are you talking about the two men that were with me?” I asked nervously. By the wild look in his eyes I was afraid to tell him anything.

  “Yes,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Which way did they go?”

  I hesitated for a moment before pointing to the side door that led out to the right side of the club where the arena was. “They went out that way. Why? What are you going to do?”

  Taking me by the arm—it didn’t hurt, but I could tell he was ready to get out of the club—he pulled me to the door. “Mason, don’t do anything,” I pleaded. “Wade is just my friend now. You don’t have to go kick his ass because he got a little too close to me.”

  Huffing, he let go of my arm and reached down to take my hand, keeping his gaze on the people around us. “So that was Wade, huh?” he growled.

  “Yes.”

  Mason pulled me to the side and glared down at me. “Claire, that’s not what I’m
angry about. I mean, yeah, at first I wanted to break his fucking face for being all over you, but it’s not exactly him I’m interested in at the moment. Who was the other man who talked to you?”

  I scoffed. “Oh, you mean the one who acted like an arrogant prick? I didn’t exactly like him.”

  “So you don’t know him?” Mason asked, narrowing his gaze.

  Shaking my head, I said, “No, I don’t. Tonight was the first time I met him. Wade said he was his agent.”

  “What kind of agent? What’s his name?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered, shrugging my shoulders. “They were in a hurry to get out of here and he didn’t have time to tell me.”

  “Fuck,” Mason hissed under his breath. “Do you think Tyler would know who he is?”

  “Probably since Wade is one of his good friends. He should be at the front entrance so we can ask him.” His grip on my hand was tight, but it was probably because there were so many people in the club that if he wasn’t holding onto me he would easily lose me in the crowd if we got separated. Why does he want to know who the other guy is?

  Once we got to the door where Tyler stood flirting with a group of girls, I stopped Mason and mumbled quietly, “Let me handle this, okay? I’ll ask Tyler the questions.”

  Mason nodded and blew out a frustrated sigh. “That’s fine. Just ask him who the guy is and who he agents for. That way I can run a search on him and figure out how to find him.”

  “Why do you want to know who this guy is so badly?” I asked.

  Leaning closer, Mason pierced me with his emerald green gaze and answered in a low, menacing voice, “Because he’s the guy I’ve been looking for. He’s the one who has been seen with each of the deceased fighters around the days before their deaths. I have to find out who he is.”

  No wonder he was acting the way he was. I had no idea about it or I would’ve made sure to talk to the guy myself. However, it wasn’t just the guy that had Mason torn up. I saw his face when he took the phone call and I knew a look of worry when I saw one. It was the same look he had on his face when Melissa had been taken by my brother on his attempt to flee the country. As soon as we got to the car I was going to ask him.