Meant for Me (A Second Chance standalone)

by L. P. Dover

  I watched her dance around the room and clapped every time she finished a move. I even got up and taught her a couple of things as well. “You are a terrific dancer, Madison. I bet one day you’ll get into Julliard and be a famous dancer when you get older.”

  She giggled and cuddled up next to me on the couch when she was done dancing. “Can I come home with you to California? I want you to be my mommy.”

  Putting my arm around her, I squeezed her tight and sighed. “It doesn’t work that way, sweetheart. You live here with your dad. I can’t just take you away.” She gazed up at me, frowning. “But if I could I would be honored to have a little girl as beautiful and as smart as you. One day I hope I will.”

  We sat there on the couch for a while, and we both must’ve fallen asleep because one minute it was peaceful and the next we heard Mira calling out for Madison. “Madison, where are you? Hit a button so I’ll know where you’re at.”

  “Uh oh,” Madison cried. “I think daddy’s friends are here.” Taking my hand, she tried to pull me to the door. “You can hide in my room with me.”

  We made it to the door and I peered around the edge. Mira looked frantic, gazing up and down the hallway until her eyes landed on Madison. “There you are, Madison. I was worried about you. You disappeared and I didn’t know where you went. I need you to go to your room for just a few minutes okay?”

  Bending down on my knees, I wrapped my arms around Madison’s little body and squeezed her tight. “Thank you for trying to hide me, but I have to stay here. I had a wonderful time with you, but you need to get to your room, okay? I’m going to miss you.”

  “I don’t want you to go,” she cried.

  Mira gasped and bent down on her knees beside me, turning Madison’s face toward her. “Oh sweet heavens, Madison, you spoke. I can’t believe I finally got to hear your voice.” She gazed over at me with wide, tearful yet joyful eyes. “She’s never spoken before, or at least not to anyone here. Whatever you did, thank you.”

  Downstairs, we could hear the sound of male voices and footsteps pounding across the floor. I hugged Madison one more time and put her in Mira’s arms. A tear fell down her cheek and before Mira ran off with her down the hall, I whispered in her ear, “You take care of yourself, Madison, and whatever you do, keep dancing and be strong. I wish more than anything that I could take you with me.”

  “Good-bye, Miss Claire,” Mira uttered. She bolted down the hallway and disappeared around the corner just as Chase turned the other corner and noticed me standing in the doorway.

  “It’s time to go have some fun, sweetheart. Are you ready?”

  No, but I didn’t exactly have a choice.

  “So, you think today is the day?” Ryan asked. He knew everything Erick had told me from the night before because I spent the last hour discussing it with him.

  “I know it is,” I responded confidently. “Erick’s people will be here at four o’clock to take me somewhere for the fight. I don’t know where it is, but I’ll have my trackers on so you can find me.”

  “All right, I’ll have my people ready. I have a file being sent over to me today with information from the Ohio killings. There’s an outstanding warrant for a man named Michael Turner. I’ll have his picture in a little while and I’ll send it to you so you can let me know if it’s him. But in the meantime, do what you have to do until we get there. I don’t want you getting yourself killed. Do you think you’ll be able to carry your gun with you?”

  They were probably going to check me for weapons and take my phone in the process. I didn’t know if I should risk it. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” I uttered in all honesty. “If they find it there’ll be questions. That’s the last thing I want when I’m so close.”

  Ryan sighed. “Fine, but be careful. This all ends today.”

  “Yes, it will, and I’m going to be there to end it.”

  It was a little past three o’clock and I had less than an hour until I met the unknown. Claire should’ve landed in California about an hour ago, except I hadn’t heard a word from her yet. I tried calling her phone, but it went straight to voicemail all ten times I called.

  I hated to do what I was about to do, but I knew she still had the tracker inside her bra. Picking up the phone, I dialed Ryan again and he answered immediately, “Mason, what’s going on?”

  “Can you do me a favor? When you gave me the trackers I made sure to put one in one of Claire’s bras. She left to go back to California and she should’ve called me by now. I have to know she got there safely before I go into this fight tonight.”

  “Yeah, sure, give me one minute to pull it up. I was about to do that so I could keep tabs on where you go once four o’clock hit.” I heard the tapping of his fingers hitting the keyboard keys, and after about thirty seconds he had it. “Okay, it looks like she’s at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County airport. Is that where she’s supposed to be?”

  “Yes,” I breathed, releasing a relieved sigh. “Thank you for checking.”

  “No problem, Mason. Now get your head in the game, okay?”

  “I will. Have you gotten the file yet?” I asked. “Because I’m running out of time.”

  “No, not yet. I don’t know what’s taking so long, but it should be soon,” he grunted impatiently.

  After he hung up, I dialed Melissa since she was the one who was supposed to pick Claire up from the airport. If Claire didn’t call before I left, I knew there would be no way to talk to her once I did.

  Melissa picked up on the second ring and squealed, “Hey, Mason, how are you? Are things going okay there?”

  “Hey Mel,” I said quickly. “Yeah, things are fine for now. Have you picked Claire up yet?”

  “Well, I’m here to pick her up, but her flight was delayed about an hour. The plane just pulled up so I should see her here in the next little bit.”

  Groaning, I ran my hands impatiently through my hair. “Okay, I was hoping to talk to her before I had to leave. Will you do me a favor then, please?”

  “Of course, what do you need?”

  I wanted to hear Claire’s voice, but it didn’t look like I was going to get the chance. Sighing, I spoke softly into the phone, “Tell her that I love her and that I’ll be coming home soon.”

  “Oh, isn’t that sweet,” Melissa cooed. “I’ll be sure to tell her as soon as I see her. So I guess this means things are wrapping up if you’re coming home, right?” She paused for a moment before everything snapped into place and her tone changed. “Oh hell, Mason, what’s going on? You’re doing something dangerous today aren’t you? That’s why you’re getting all weird on me right now.”

  Warily, I collapsed onto the bed and closed my eyes, taking in deep, calming breaths. “If I tell you what’s going on I know you’ll tell Claire so it’s best to keep it to myself. All you need to know is that it’s all coming to an end.”

  Melissa sighed. “Just be careful, Mason. You’re all the family I have left other than Brett.”

  “I know, Mel. I’ll be safe. Just tell Claire what I said for me.” Looking over at the clock, I noticed I had fifteen minutes left. “Okay, I have to go now, but I’ll see you soon.”

  As soon as she said her good-bye’s and hung up, I grabbed my bag and made my way out the door. When I got into the lobby, I sat down and glanced up at Claire’s favorite part of the Bellagio hotel, the massive collection of glass flowers on the ceiling. She had a passion for art.

  I couldn’t recall how long I stared at them before the sound of someone clearing their throat caught my attention.

  “I hate to drag you away from your flower gazing, but it’s time to go.”

  My head snapped forward, and there in front of me was a guy about the same build as me, with a black hat hung low on his face, shadowing his eyes. However, it didn’t disguise the mischievous leer turning up the corner of his lips. I also didn’t miss the slight bulge on the waist of his jeans signaling that he was sporting a firearm underneath.

&n
bsp; Standing, I grabbed my bag and smiled. “Let’s go then. Lead the way,” I said. As we walked out of the hotel, my phone buzzed and I hastily looked down at it. It was Ryan, but the image he was sending me was taking forever to load.

  Once out to the parking lot, I followed the guy to a black, Mercedes G500 with illegal, dark tinted windows. I checked my phone again and the picture still hadn’t loaded. Dammit! I exited out of the file he was sending so the douche bag in front of me wouldn’t see it. Looking down at the duffle bag in my hands, he shook his head and held out his hand. “Before you get in I’m going to need to look through your bag and take your phone,” he requested.

  Lifting a brow, I handed him my bag and chuckled. “Are you afraid I’m going to call someone or something?”

  The guy shrugged his shoulders and looked through my bag. “We just like to play it safe, you know? I’m sure you understand.”

  There wasn’t much in there except a pair of my fighting shorts, tape, and a pair of my black gloves. He pocketed my phone and handed me back my bag. “Okay, everything looks good. Hop in the back and put the blindfold over your eyes. I’ll give you back your phone later.”

  “What happens if I don’t win the fight? Are you going to keep my phone?” I inquired sarcastically.

  The guy smirked. “No, it’s just you won’t need it if you lose. It’s kind of hard to call someone if you can’t use your hands, right? I’ll leave you to your imagination on that one. Now get in so we can go.”

  The second I opened the door and slid in the backseat, my whole body froze when I saw the blindfold lying on the seat and a certain, familiar scent engaging my nose. My blood ran cold and I couldn’t decipher if it was my mind playing tricks on me or if I actually smelled the hint of raspberries; the same raspberry scent I always associated with Claire.

  There was no fucking way. If her scent still lingered that would mean she was in the car just recently. The situation only got worse when I picked up the blindfold and there, hanging off of it, was a strand of bright, blonde hair; the same color as Claire’s.

  “Dude, come on. Put the blindfold on and let’s go. You’re not scared, are you?” the guy teased.

  No, I was pissed! If anything happened to Claire someone was going to die.

  Putting the blindfold on, I sat back in the seat and clenched my teeth together to keep my anger in check. “No, I’m not scared,” I snapped. “I’m ready to get this started.” Or better yet, ended.

  With the blindfold on I couldn’t see where we were going, but of course, that didn’t matter. As soon as Ryan followed the trackers he’d get everyone in motion. We were about two minutes down the road when my phone began to ring.

  “Let’s see what we have here,” the guy crooned. “Ah, it looks like you have a Melissa calling. Who is this Melissa by the way? Is she a friend, lover, a girl you like to fuck?”

  Trying to sound as disinterested as possible, I replied, “Not that it’s any of your business, but she happens to be my cousin.”

  “Well, shit, I thought there’d be a story there … unless you fuck your cousin,” he teased.

  I snorted, disgust curling my lip. “Sorry to disappoint you, but no, I don’t swing that way.”

  “It was just a joke, dude, lighten up. Anyway, we have about thirty minutes before we get where we need to go.” My phone stopped ringing, but then started right back up again. “Wow, this Melissa must either be annoying or really wants to talk to you.”

  The feeling in the pit of my stomach grew heavier and heavier. Melissa wouldn’t call me like that unless something was wrong, and it only added to the confirmation that Claire wasn’t on that plane. The only time they could’ve gotten her would have been after I dropped her off at the airport. I had to imagine she would scream and fight if someone tried to take her. Unless …

  “Are you going to let me answer it or let it keep on ringing?” I asked impatiently. I really wanted to answer the phone. I had to know for sure if Claire was on that plane or not.

  “Neither,” he responded, “I’m going to shut it off so I don’t have to listen to its incessant ringing.”

  “What if it’s important?”

  He scoffed. “Dude, nothing is as important as tonight. You’re getting the chance to win a shit load of money. Do you know how many people would kill to be in your place right now? In just one night you could pursue all your dreams and do anything you want.”

  “Have you done it before? Battled for money?”

  “I did once a few months ago, but I only got two million dollars for my reward. It doesn’t matter though because what I do now pays pretty damn well. Erick saw potential in me and offered me a job with him. I get everything I want so it’s hard to complain.”

  “What kinds of things do you have to do to get what you want?” I inquired curiously. “Do you have to kill people for it?”

  He chuckled, but there was nothing humorous about it. “I don’t think you want to know the answer to that. The less you know the better. So take my word of advice … do as Erick says tonight and you’ll be fine. There’s a lot riding on this fight and if you fuck that up there’ll be consequences. My bets are actually on you to win so if you lose I’m going to lose five-hundred thousand dollars.”

  Gasping, I almost choked on my words when I hollered, “You have got to be shitting me! How much will you get if I win?”

  “That depends,” he said. “It’s all based on your opponent. The bloodier and more violent the fight, the more money you get. The same goes for the people gambling on you. Some people are simply just betting that you lose while some will bet for you to win. Others are getting more technical, take for instance, there is one person who thinks you’ll break your opponents arm and such. It’s a win-win for everyone involved if you gamble on the right fighter.”

  “Are you supposed to be telling me all of this?” I wondered out loud. I still didn’t know the guy’s name and here I was talking to him like everything was normal when obviously the situation was all shades of fucked up.

  “That’s part of my job, Mason. I’m the one who picks up the fighters and explains everything to them so that when I drop you off you’ll know exactly what’s expected of you. He doesn’t want to waste time on the semantics once you get there. I’m very perceptive and that’s what Erick likes about me. I can tell who’s going to flake once they’re in the ring and the ones who are going to be the moneymakers.”

  It was all more in depth than I thought it would be. This didn’t just involve me and another fighter; it was with a whole goddamned lot of gamblers voting on the enjoyment of watching two people beat each other to death. Instead of it being dogs people were gambling on, it was actual people. Austin’s situation finally began to fall into place. He was one of the ones they thought would flake and that was why they brought in Summer; to ensure he didn’t. I was the one who told Erick that Claire was leaving town, and in doing so I condemned her to this fate. If she was gone, they knew they wouldn’t have anything for me to fight for. She’s going to be so angry at me for keeping this from her.

  The time went by quickly and I spent the majority of the ride thinking about all the vile things that could be happening to Claire. If anything happened to her I’d never forgive myself.

  “All right, we’re here,” the guy announced, “but I do have to make sure you leave on the blindfold until we get inside. For security reasons, I can’t let you see where we’re at.”

  He got out of the car and opened my door, and once I stepped outside I could tell we were inside a building from the musty smell of dust and mold. It felt open almost, and not an enclosed space. I remembered there being several abandoned warehouses out where Austin’s body had been found and by the way the air smelled it reminded me of something an old warehouse would smell like.

  “Okay, just a little bit further and then I’ll let you take off the blindfold before we go down the stairs. The last thing we need is you falling down them and breaking your neck.”

 
; “Thanks for your concern,” I mumbled sarcastically. “You know, I don’t even know your name.”

  “You can call me Brody for now. It’ll suffice for the time being.” We took a few more steps and then stopped while Brody punched in a few numbers on a keypad, or at least that was what it sounded like. When he was done, I heard a lock unhinge and the sound of a heavy metal door creaking as it opened.

  “Okay, you can take the blindfold off now,” he told me.

  When I slid it off my head, I had to blink a few times to get my eyes adjusted to the surroundings. It was kind of dark, but once I got used to it I was able to see what was in front of me. I was right about the heavy metal door, but with it having a security code it’d take Ryan and his people at least a couple of minutes to crack it. Those valuable minutes could be the difference between life and death.

  Please, God, all I ask is that you let me get Claire out of this, I prayed.

  I followed Brody down the steps and the closer we got to the bottom, the more light that filtered in. When I turned the corner, the hallway was fairly narrow and reminded me of a stoned passageway leading to the dungeon below a medieval castle. It even had the sconces blazing with fire lining up and down the hallway.

  “What the hell is this place?”

  Brody laughed and started down the hall. “Yeah, I know, it’s a little over the top, but it’s what Erick wanted. He’s the one who pays the bills so I guess he can have his place however he wants it.”

  Trailing him down the hall, the deeper we went the more unsettled I became. I had no clue if the trackers would hold up being that far underground so I had to have faith that they would or at least have faith that Ryan pin pointed my location before the signal was lost.

  Brody turned to me and pointed to a large set of doors. “All right, I’m going to show you where you’ll be fighting and then I’ll take you to a room so you can change and warm up if you’d like.”

  Replying with a simple nod and silence, I followed him through the large wooden doors. The moment I stepped through, my eyes went wide in wonder. “Holy shit,” I mumbled under my breath.