by L. P. Dover
I nodded. “If I win the fight on Friday, I’ll call you Saturday morning once I drop Claire off at the airport. I’ll let you know what Erick says and what I’ll be doing.”
“Is there a reason you’re not telling Claire all of this?” he asked curiously. “She seems to be able to handle anything that comes her way.”
I scoffed. “You don’t even know the half of it. At the party last night I had an old rival try to attack her. While I was talking to Erick he had grabbed her and dragged her outside. I don’t know what he planned on doing to her, but she stopped him by hitting him over the head with a beer bottle.”
Ryan scowled, but then glanced down at my hands, which were a little torn up from beating them against Chase’s face. With a sly grin turning up the corner of his lips, he pointed to my hands and said, “I see you handled it as well. Give me this guy’s name and we’ll run it through the system. Me and you both know what could’ve happened if she didn’t fight back.”
“Yeah, I know, which is why I want her away from here. I didn’t tell her about what Erick said because if I did it would be harder to get her to leave. If she thinks I’m in trouble she’s going to want to stay. I need her gone so I know she’s safe,” I told him. I hated that I even brought Claire into all this mess, but I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without her.
Ryan placed a hand on my shoulder. “I understand, and just so you know she just got off the elevator.”
“All right, guys, here you go,” she said, handing us the coffees. “I didn’t know if you wanted sugar so I made sure to bring a couple of packs.”
“Thank you, Claire,” Ryan responded, taking two packs of sugar.
She offered some to me, but I shook my head. I didn’t like coffee at all so adding sugar wasn’t going to help anyway. “Thank you for getting this for us,” I mentioned gratefully.
“You’re welcome. Have you talked to Summer yet?” She took the seat next to Ryan and gazed up at me.
“No, I was telling him about last night and what happened to you,” I informed her. “If you don’t mind I’d like you to tell him what all happened while I talk to Summer. Can you do that for me?”
“Yeah,” she replied sadly. “I’ll tell him.”
Taking my coffee, I turned toward Summer’s door and knocked on it gently before going inside. When I turned the corner she was wide awake and watching the news. “Summer?” I called gently.
She turned her head slowly and spotted me, her voice gravelly and weak. “Mason? Is that really you?”
Her skin was still sickly pale, but I could see somewhat of an improvement with the knowledge in her eyes. She didn’t look as lost. Approaching the side of the bed, I reached out and took her hand before sitting down in the chair. “Yeah, it’s me … Mason Bradley. Do you remember me?”
“I do,” she whispered. “I’m sorry for not speaking to you yesterday. You remind me so much of Austin.” Chin trembling, she closed her eyes and squeezed my hand.
“It’s okay, Summer, I need you to talk to me. I know you probably don’t want to have to do this, but I need to know where you’ve been the last two weeks and what happened. I need to know what happened to Austin,” I finished cautiously.
Tears poured down her cheeks and she shook her head. “I can’t remember it all, Mason. I try to think, but it’s all a blur. The past two weeks have been nothing but a giant hole in my brain. I heard the doctor say I have post traumatic stress and that’s why I’m having trouble remembering everything, and that all my memories will most likely come back to me at some point. I may not remember where I’ve been, but I sure as hell can remember the pain. My heart aches, Mason, and in any moment I feel like I’m going to lose my mind and go insane.”
She broke out in sobs and curled into a ball, hiding her face behind her arms. “Shh … Summer you’re going to be okay, I promise. Just please bear with me for another minute.” Leaning over the bed, I scooped her upper body into my arms and put her head on my chest, rocking her. I was never good at offering comfort, it always made me uncomfortable, but I knew Summer needed it.
Her breathing started to slow and she wiped the tears away with the palms of her hands. “I got a text from him,” she muttered softly. “That night I got a text from Austin telling me he needed me to pick him up, but when I got there it wasn’t him waiting for me.”
“Who was it and what did they look like? Where did Austin text you to meet him?” I didn’t want to overwhelm her, but I had to know.
“I don’t know what he looked like; I couldn’t see his face. He wore a hat and dark glasses, but he looked young, maybe mid-twenties. The text from Austin told me to meet him in the parking lot of the MGM. When I didn’t see him I got out of the car and looked around. I didn’t realize the mistake I made until I was grabbed and put in the back of another car.”
“How many were with you?”
“There were two of them. I didn’t see much after that because they blindfolded me. I tried to talk to them, to figure out what was going on, but they ignored me.”
Taking a deep breath, I paused before asking the next question. “Did they hurt you?” I asked through clenched teeth, waiting on the answer.
It was the question I hated asking any female after they’d been in a hostage type situation. Her medical report indicated that she wasn’t raped, so knowing that gave me a little bit of peace, but she still went through an ordeal that put her in a complete catatonic state. It was scary seeing people when they were like that. It was almost like they were dead, but with a beating heart.
“No, they didn’t hurt me physically, other than pulling me this way and that. I think the damage came from hearing and not seeing. I never got to see Austin alive again, but I heard him as he struggled to breathe, begging them to let me go. I couldn’t go to him as he called my name. I felt so helpless.”
“There was nothing you could do, Summer,” I murmured soothingly, “but I’m here to do something about it. I’m close to figuring out who was responsible for this. Do you remember seeing Austin with a man that had a dragon tattoo on his neck at the UFC fight?”
Slowly lifting her gaze to me, she shook her head, furrowing her brows. “I don’t know. I didn’t go to the big fight that night. I wasn’t feeling good so I stayed in the hotel.”
“So Austin never mentioned anything about a man maybe wanting to offer him a sponsorship or anything?” I inquired curiously.
“He did mention something about it, but he didn’t give me specifics. He was afraid of getting his hopes up, but I could see the excitement in his eyes. He said if he could get the sponsorship he could open up the restaurant he’s always wanted. The day it all happened was the day he was supposed to meet somebody to talk about it. He told me I didn’t need to go so I stayed behind. If I would’ve gone none of this would have happened.”
“You don’t know that and you need to stop analyzing all of this with the ‘ifs.’ None of this is your fault, and if Austin talked to the guy I’ve been dealing with then I know how easy it would have been to give in. This guy is a manipulator and he’s damn well good at it. I’m going to take him down, Summer. You have my promise on that.”
She nodded quickly and the tears started to fall again. “Thank you, Mason. Austin missed you so much. He used to watch you fight and he would always point out what moves he taught you. I used to laugh at him every time. I honestly don’t know how I’m going to go back home without him. How am I going to get past this?”
Standing up, I squeezed her hand one more time before letting go. “You will get past it, Summer. Austin was a fighter and so are you. That’s what made you two perfect for each other. When you get back to Virginia, if you don’t think you can handle it there, then you are more than welcome to rent my house while you get on your feet. It’s still the same house I lived in when you and Austin were in North Carolina.”
Sighing, she looked away, fiddling with the blankets, and asked meekly, “Where will you be staying if I’m in your house?”
“I’m moving to California as soon as I’m done here in Vegas. My family is there,” I told her. I didn’t exactly want to tell her that I was moving there to be with the girl I loved, especially after she just lost the man she loved.
Time was moving swiftly away and by the clock on the wall I had one hour left until I needed to be at Tyler’s gym. Also, Summer’s eyes started to look heavy and I knew she needed her rest.
“Take care of yourself, okay? The offer to my house is still open if you change your mind,” I assured her.
Sadly, she smiled. “Thank you, Mason. I appreciate that, and if I decide to go that route I’ll call you.” I turned to walk out of the room, but the desperation in her voice stopped me cold. “Mason,” she cried.
I glanced back at her quickly, at her wide panicked eyes. Her chest heaved up and down with her short, anxious breaths. “Please be careful,” she sobbed. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, too.”
“Don’t you worry about me. All you need to worry about is getting yourself better. I’ll talk to you soon. Your sister should be here sometime today.” With that, I said my good-bye and left the room.
Claire was staring at her phone, but when she saw me, her eyes went wide and she jumped out of her seat. Ryan also got out of his and came over to find out the verdict.
“Is everything okay? How did it go in there?” she asked.
I glanced at Ryan and then back to her. “She told me what happened, but there was still a lot she wasn’t able to help me with. However, there was one thing she told me that confirmed one of my decisions.”
Claire narrowed her gaze in confusion and responded, “And what exactly would that be?”
Taking her face in my hands, I gazed down into her majestic blue eyes. “As much as I hate to see you go, from what Summer told me if I ever needed you as far away from here as possible now would be the time. They took her, Claire, and made her listen to Austin fight. She heard him die and there was nothing she could do about it. I’m not going to let them get to you to get to me.”
Her eyes misted over and she nodded. “Holy shit, I can’t believe someone would do that. For you, I’ll make sure to leave just as planned.”
She must have seen the pain in my face because she didn’t fight me on it like she normally would. I just wanted her safe, and being around me only made her more of a target.
On the way to the gym, Mason explained everything about the conversation he had with Summer. I couldn’t imagine what she went through; however, it still didn’t deter me from wanting to stay with Mason during this whole thing. We compromised and I was going to honor that. If I stayed he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on his tasks without worrying about me.
“Did you tell Ryan about what happened last night?” Mason asked.
“Yeah, he asked if I wanted to press charges, but I told him no. Maybe next time he’ll think twice about messing with a female. I regret not kicking him in the balls with my stilettos when I had the chance.”
Mason cringed. “Ouch, that would’ve hurt, but he deserved it.”
We arrived at the gym right on time, and when we got inside Tyler and his dad were already prepared. Stephen shook Mason’s hand and Tyler did the same before coming to my side. “Are you going to watch us or are you going to go do your thing in the other room?” he asked.
Mason lifted a brow and smirked, taking the tape from Stephen so he could wrap his hands. “Actually, I think I’m going to watch you guys today. Maybe I can learn a thing or two,” I teased.
Mason took off his T-shirt, which happened to be a Duke basketball shirt, his favorite college basketball team, and handed it to me. It smelled just like him and it took all I had not to bury my nose in it and breathe him in. His muscles rippled and flexed as he warmed up and every time he caught me staring he would grin at me and wink. I watched him train for about an hour when a text came through on my phone. I groaned when I saw it was from Wade.
Wade: Please call me, Claire. I need to tell you I’m sorry.
Me: You just did. Now leave me alone.
Wade: That’s not good enough. I’ll see you Friday at the club.
Rolling my eyes, I didn’t even bother to respond because there was nothing more I wanted to say to him. Mason surely wouldn’t like it if he saw me talking to Wade at the club, especially after what happened at the party.
“Hey, Claire!” Mason shouted from the cage.
I glanced up to see him and Tyler motioning me forward. “What do you want?” I hollered back. After putting my phone in my gym bag along with Mason’s shirt, I approached the ring with my arms crossed at the chest, waiting on a reply.
Mason jumped down and landed in front of me, dripping sweat and sexy as hell. Taking my hand, he pulled me up to the cage and helped me inside. “We’re going to show you some defense moves,” he explained. “After last night you need to know more than just how to smash a bottle over someone’s head.”
Tyler scowled and shook his head. “You know, I can’t believe I didn’t go last night. I would’ve kicked Chase’s ass.”
I scoffed. “Trust me, he got his ass kicked last night. Mason did a really good job at that.”
Mason smirked and grabbed my shoulders. “Okay, first things first, I’m going to teach you how to get out of someone’s grasp if they grab you from behind.” He glanced at Tyler and pointed to me. “All right, Tyler, put your arms around her, but if I see you trying to cop a feel I’m going to beat your ass, got it?”
Tyler chuckled and put one arm around my waist and the other just under my throat to around my shoulders. Mason circled around us, explaining what I had to do to get out of Tyler’s arms. After several failed attempts, I finally started to get an idea on how to maneuver my body. It was empowering learning how to protect myself. Mason taught me several defense moves before moving to offensive techniques. It was actually fun learning the different ways to strike and all of the different submission holds. When it came time for the groundwork, Mason made Tyler step back so he could grapple with me himself.
Tyler scoffed and glared halfheartedly at Mason, but his voice came out teasingly. “I see how you want to be. You let her hit and punch me, but you won’t let me roll around the floor with her. That’s just wrong, dude.”
Mason and I both laughed while Tyler jumped out of the cage and went to work out on one of the weight machines. “Where do you want me?” I asked.
He stalked behind me, putting his hands on my hips, and whispered in my ear, “I want you down on the mat and I’m going to straddle your waist.”
I did as he said and he took me by the wrists and held them above my head. “Okay, now try to get loose,” he commanded.
I tried with all the strength I had, but I couldn’t get out of his hold. He smiled down at me, and the more I fought the bigger his smile got. Relaxing my body, I let my arms and legs go limp. Biting my lip, I gazed up at his green gaze and begged in a soft, husky voice, “Kiss me, Mason.”
Letting my arms go, he took my face in his hands and lowered his lips to mine. Deepening the kiss, I could feel his guard slipping with each second that passed by. Only a few more and I’d have him. Once I slid one of my legs free, I pushed up with my body and kicked my leg over him as he toppled off to the side, ending with me straddling his waist.
“I got free, sucker,” I shouted triumphantly.
Mason put his hands on my hips and held me down on his cock, which I could feel getting harder by the second. “I think we might’ve just found another form of foreplay, don’t you think? That was fucking hot.”
Nodding excitedly, I lowered my head and whispered in his ear, “Oh yeah, and you are more than welcome to show me your moves anytime you want. Better yet, why don’t we use both your talents? You can pin me down and handcuff me with your cuffs. I can get the best of both worlds.”
Mason groaned, biting my earlobe. “You better be careful what you ask for, baby, because right now that sounds like a great idea. I’d love not
hing more than to see you at my mercy.”
“Well, then what are you waiting for?”
I was ready to go …
Three Days Later
The week went by too quickly and I regretfully counted down the days until I would be on a plane back to California. During the daytime, I showed Mason my favorite spots and even took him to the Hoover Dam. I tried to convince him to go on a helicopter ride through the Grand Canyon, but he said if we died then no one would be able to solve the case. Honestly, I think he’s just afraid of heights and didn’t want to tell me.
With that being said, we stayed on the ground. The afternoons were all tied up with his training at the gym with Tyler and his dad. He tried to get me up there with him in the ring, but I enjoyed just watching him move. Tyler was a great opponent, working well with Mason, and one of these days I knew deep down he would get noticed by the right people. His father had faith in him and wasn’t so bad himself being a retired boxer. The three made the perfect team.
Tonight was the last night I would completely have with Mason before the big fight against Matt Reynolds. I had a feeling he was keeping something from me, but I didn’t know how to get it out of him. Every time I would mention Erick’s name he would stiffen and try to change the subject. Eventually, I just gave up, because no matter what I did or what I said he still wouldn’t tell me. I had to trust he was doing the right thing.
While Mason was in the shower, I changed into the last set of lingerie he hadn’t seen on me since being in the Sin City. The red, mesh and lace babydoll was mostly see through with a set of matching red thongs. It was definitely sinful. Climbing into bed, I pulled out my phone and scrolled to that same picture of me and Mason all those months ago at Melissa’s wedding. We really needed to get some new pictures taken; ones with happy memories. Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t even know Mason was there watching me until he spoke.
