Impact (The Fight for Life #2)

by K. A. Sterritt

My eyes snapped up to meet his. I gritted my teeth but couldn’t say anything.

  “Are you going to reconnect with her?” He appeared hesitant as if he knew he was leaning over the edge of the cliff and I might just push him off.

  “Nope.”

  He nodded. “Okay.”

  I cracked my knuckles under the table. “You got a problem with that?”

  “Nope.”

  “Good talk.”

  “Look, mate. I think you can go all the way, but you need to make sure you leave the past in the past.”

  “Have you really thought through having me back in Lilydale more often? Your wife was friends with my mother,” I said. “Most of them hate me for cutting her off.”

  Nick scrunched up his nose. “I guess I didn’t tell you about that.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Karen and I are divorced.”

  “Oh god. Sorry, man. When?”

  “A while now. Said I was married to the club and my fighters.”

  I took a sip of my coffee and smirked. “You are kind of intense.”

  “Only way to be. My fighters get one hundred percent from me because I coach, manage and promote. It’s not an easy job to do everything, but it’s best for my fighters and that’s my priority.” He appeared genuinely content with his choices, but I couldn’t imagine ever being happy about Juliette being out of my life. I wanted more from my life, but it wouldn’t mean much without her in it.

  Nick glanced at his watch. “Come on. It’s time to check out and head to the airport. Is Jules coming down?”

  “She might be out there already. Let’s go.”

  As we walked out, Nick patted me on the back. “Think about my offer. I really think it’s time.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Juliette

  When they emerged from the restaurant into the lobby, Nick headed for the front desk and Leo headed towards me. Good god, he was handsome. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to the way my body reacted to his overwhelming presence. His grey t-shirt clung to broad shoulders and bulging biceps while his navy board shorts hung perfectly on his lean waist. I tried not to be too obvious in my ogling, but I failed dismally given the smirk on Leo’s face when I raised my eyes to his.

  “Hey,” I said when he got closer.

  Leo wrapped his arms around me, squeezing the air out of my lungs in a move I was unprepared for. “Hey, beautiful,” he whispered in my ear.

  “Leo,” I croaked. “Struggling to breathe here.”

  He released me immediately. “Sorry.”

  “Everything okay?” I asked. I was worried Nick was going to tear him to shreds.

  “Everything will be okay, Jules.” He bit his bottom lip and glanced at Nick, who was approaching us. “Let’s go home.”

  We checked out and were returned to the airport by the same driver who’d picked us up. I gave up trying to lighten the mood. Both Leo and Nick appeared to be deep in thought, so I put my earbuds in when we found our seats on the plane and selected Rob Thomas’ solo album Something to Be as my in flight entertainment. With Street Corner Symphony playing in my ears, I even managed to drift off to sleep. It was Sunday afternoon by the time we landed in Melbourne and we’d parted ways with Nick. Words I couldn’t hear were exchanged before they shook hands and Nick headed to the carpark. He’d offered to drive us home, but we’d insisted we’d get a cab.

  Leo held my hand during our half-hour cab ride into the city, but he seemed a million miles away. It had been drizzling when we landed, but the rain was falling harder now, blurring the view and fogging the windows.

  “So Nick wasn’t too pissed about the fight?” I asked as we crossed the Yarra River. We were almost back to my apartment and I didn’t have a clue where his head was at.

  Leo shook his head, appearing to shake the thoughts out of his head. “Oh… he wasn’t happy with me, but I didn’t get the bollocking I was expecting.”

  “Well, it’s over now. We can just get on with our lives.” I squeezed his hand.

  He leaned over and whispered in my ear. “I can’t wait to get you naked.”

  His words shot desire straight between my legs and I smiled at the visuals bombarding my mind.

  A text message from my father interrupted our plan.

  See you at seven-fifteen for dinner.

  “Ugh. I totally forgot.” I cringed. “I agreed to have dinner at my parents’ place tonight.” I looked at him sheepishly. “Don’t suppose you want to come?”

  “Seriously?” He cocked his head.

  I nodded. “Sorry. Of course you don’t. Why would you?”

  The cab pulled up outside my apartment and Leo asked the driver to wait. We both got out and I dashed for cover from the rain while Leo retrieved my bags.

  “I’m sorry, Jules,” he said when he joined me under the awning. “I know she’s your mum, but I’m not ready to forgive her for what she did to me, but more importantly to you.”

  I hated what my mother had done and completely understood Leo’s stance, but I’d agreed to hear Dad out and then I’d get the hell out of there. I’d made the commitment and I’d stand by it. “I understand. I honestly do.” I placed my hand on his face and looked him in the eye. “My family is no picnic, but at least I’m facing it head-on.”

  “You have a forgiving heart, Juliette Salinger. I’m grateful for that because you forgave me for how badly I handled everything before you went away. How could I stand by and judge you forgiving your mum when I’ve benefited from your forgiveness too?”

  “Your mother showed up at my work last week,” I blurted it out. I didn’t know why exactly I’d chosen that moment to tell him, but it was weighing on me.

  Leo tensed. “I know.”

  I took a step back. “You do?”

  He nodded. “She told me.”

  “So that’s why you wanted me to go to Perth?” I asked, annoyed. “You were afraid I’d go against your wishes to stay away from her? She has texted me constantly since then and I’ve deleted every message. I’m waiting for you to tell me. I don’t want to hear it from her.”

  “Fuck, Juliette. I don’t want you having anything to do with her. Why didn’t you tell me she’s been harassing you?”

  I flew to my own defence. “When exactly? You bolted out of Dartmoor like it was on fire, then you refused to talk to me until I was railroaded into the crazy Perth trip. I didn’t want to bring it up over there while you were already in a shitty place and didn’t need the distraction. After the fight, you flipped out at me and then were too exhausted to talk. So really, Leo.” I had my hands on my hips now. “Tell me when I should’ve brought it up?”

  He shuddered and I felt bad for my rant, but it was true. There’d been no good opportunity to raise the subject without causing more damage.

  He couldn’t look me in the eye, and I was pretty sure he was grinding his teeth like a madman. “You’re right.” He pulled his cap off and ran his hand through his hair. “I’m wrecked, Jules. I’m gonna get going, but please tell me if she makes contact again.”

  “I won’t be late tonight.” I felt sick about his reaction to my confession. “I’ll call you when I’m done, okay?”

  “Sure.” He met my eyes. “I’ll talk to you later.” He kissed me on the cheek then returned to the waiting cab. I was wracked with indecision as I watched him retreat. Had we left on bad terms? Was it always going to be like this? The questions swirled around in my head and he’d gone before I could decide on any answers. Perhaps I’d never know all the answers.

  When I walked into to my apartment, it felt like I’d been gone a lot longer than a couple of days. I thought about the rollercoaster I’d been on since returning from Europe and was thankful for the quiet reliability of George, my trusty coffee machine. Even though it was late afternoon and I didn’t usually drink coffee after midday, I felt tired and needed a boost before heading to my parents’.

  When I flicked the power button, I smiled hearing the melody of happy bee
ps.

  Revived by the instant effects of caffeine, I went through the motions of unpacking, showering and getting dressed.

  Going to my parents’ house for dinner was the last thing on earth I felt like doing, but I had made the commitment. I’d considered pulling out, but I was curious about what Dad had to say.

  My phone rang on the hands-free as I pulled out of my apartment building around seven, silencing the radio.

  “Juliette. Hi. How are you? It’s Gwendolyn.”

  My desire to hang up on her was great. This woman either had balls of steel, no ability to take a hint or was driven by desperation. Possibly a combination of the three, but she had to stop contacting me. “I can’t talk to you behind Leo’s back, Gwendolyn. I’ve told you this already.”

  “I… um… I was just wondering how—”

  I could hear a desperation in her voice that tugged at my heart strings, but Leo was my priority.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Juliette. Listen to me. I—”

  “I have to go.” I cut her off. “I have dinner with my own crazy mother.” I cringed. “I didn’t mean you’re crazy too. I just meant… shit. I don’t know what I meant.”

  “Be careful with your mother.” Her tone changed and it sent shivers down my spine. “She’s unstable.”

  “Yeah, I kinda got that, but thanks for your diagnosis.” I knew I sounded sarcastic, but I was ready for this conversation to be over. “I really have to go now.”

  “Please just tell him I need to meet with him?”

  “Don’t call me again.” I ended the call and felt emotionally drained. I simply didn’t know what the right thing to do was. Should I be trying to get them to talk and maybe resolve their differences? If I’d learned one thing from my experiences with my own mother, it was that interfering was a one-way ticket to nowhere.

  I sat at the red light and peered through the windscreen at the people shuffling along the sidewalk, holding umbrellas. The windscreen wipers made them appear blurry, but they were just normal people getting on with their lives. I had no doubt they had their own issues. Everyone was dealing with something, and I never presumed anyone had it any worse than anyone else, but I was beginning to feel the walls closing in again. A horn beeping snapped me out of my daydream to see the light had changed to green. Glancing in my rear-view mirror, I saw a red Honda changing lanes to move out from behind me. I sat up straighter and pushed my shoulders back. The old Juliette would’ve craved an escape. But no more. I would face my life head-on, whatever it threw my way.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Leo

  I knew I shouldn’t have just walked away from Juliette standing outside her apartment like that, but I needed to go before I said anything I might regret. She had done nothing wrong, and of course she’d be curious about my mother. Unfortunately, curiosity in this instance was dangerous. I needed to try to explain to her exactly what had happened when my world had completely imploded. I’d speak to her later after she’d had dinner with her parents. I just needed to clear my head a little.

  The trouble with living in a small apartment was feeling stir crazy. Within ten minutes of being home, I couldn’t escape my own thoughts. Coming face to face with my mother, the feelings of rage, reuniting with Juliette, losing my fight after nearly killing myself through starvation and dehydration, Nick’s job offer and knowing Jules was with her witch of a mother was all just too much.

  I scrubbed my face with my hands and paced my living room. I needed to get out of there, and rather than clearing my mind, I was suddenly desperate to cloud it. I called the one person I knew would be up for a drink any night of the week.

  I grabbed my wallet and keys and jogged down to meet Adam in the part of St Kilda tourists didn’t regularly frequent. This was the bar I had practically lived in after my father died. I got a job there as a bouncer, but quit when I couldn’t control my urge to take out my grief on drunken idiots. It had felt way too good. Adam, aka Ginger Ninja, had approached me one night and told me about the illegal cage fighting scene he was a part of. I had been like a moth to the flame.

  Time seemed to stand still in that place, and it made no difference what night of the week it was, the customers and atmosphere were exactly the same—seedy and rough. I could still remember losing myself easily in the booze and bleary-eyed bodies. I had far too much on my mind and, like I had five years before, I made a beeline for the bar to rectify the situation as soon as possible.

  I jostled amongst the bodies and elbowed my way to the bar. Maeve had been bartending at The Tavern for a while now, and she smiled when I caught her eye.

  “What can I get you, Leo?”

  “Tequila. Straight up.”

  She nodded her head and reached for the bottle and a shot glass.

  “Tough night?”

  “You could say that.” I shuddered, attempting to push all thoughts from my mind and have a few hours off from my life. I picked up the shot glass and downed it quickly. I held up two fingers. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

  “Maeve,” the guy I recognised as the bar manager called out across the bar. “We have other customers, you know.”

  She rolled her eyes and smiled at me. She was flirting and my body barely reacted. It felt wrong, but the tequila was relaxing my senses and I couldn’t be bothered to walk away.

  “It’s good to see you, Leo.” She batted her eyelashes. “It’s been a while.”

  I downed my next two shots then leaned forward on my elbows. Her breath hitched. “I’ve been busy.”

  “I’ll have what he’s having.” I felt a strong hand slap me on the back and I looked up to see the Ginger Ninja plonking himself down on the stool next to me. “You started without me?”

  “Sorry, mate.” I laughed. It was great to see him. “Was the wife okay with you ditching her on a Sunday night?”

  “She has the girls over watching some reality TV shit.” He groaned. “You did me a favour.”

  “Good to see you, Adam.” I slapped him on the back and downed another shot.

  “What’s been going on, mate? We don’t hear from you for the last few months. What’s that about?”

  I thought back to the last fight night I had attended when Jules had been attacked. “I’ve been thinking about going back to the regular ring.”

  “Really? Is it ‘cause of the shit that went down when you took out Reaper?”

  “Partly.” I flinched as an image of the hooded fucker roughing up Jules on the other side of the cage flashed through my mind. “I don’t want my girl there. I can’t focus when I’m watching out for her in the crowd.”

  “You know there was some dickhead sniffing around here asking about you after that fight. I didn’t give him shit, but I got a bad feeling. Tall, blonde, skinny fucker.”

  “He found me.” The bastard had pointed a gun at me and threatened Jules.

  I remembered seeing missed calls from Adam, but I’d checked out from that scene for a few months and wasn’t sure I’d be going back.

  “I’m taking a break now if you want to join me?” Maeve leaned over the bar, whispering seductively. “Meet me by the bathrooms.”

  “Sorry, darlin’.” I sat back. “I have a girlfriend.”

  I knew I’d flirted a little with her out of habit, but even in my increasingly drunken state, I knew I was playing with fire and had no interest in her. She had warmed my bed many times, but there was no chance I was going anywhere with any girl other than Juliette.

  “Well, I’ll be damned.” She shook her head and laughed as she refilled our shot glasses. “The untouchable Leo Ashlar has been tamed.” When she finished pouring, she looked me in the eye. “Tequila will mess with your head, you know?”

  “I’m banking on it.” I held up my glass and downed it quickly, enjoying the burn as it washed down my throat.

  When she walked away, Adam let out a long whistle. “If I wasn’t married…”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Juliette

&nb
sp; When I pulled up outside my parents’ home, I cleared my mind.

  Walk in, be civil, brace for impact. Without the mask I’d always hidden behind, I had no clue how to tolerate my parents anymore. What I did know was that they’d taken too much from me and this dinner was my final concession.

  I glanced at the digital clock on the dash and saw it was seven twenty-three, eight minutes later than the time I was expected to arrive. I hadn’t planned on being late, but I didn’t mind in the slightest knowing I was.

  “Nice of you to join us,” my mother hissed when she opened the front door.

  “Fashionably late.” I grinned, knowing I was just antagonising the woman.

  “There’s nothing fashionable about it, Juliette, especially wearing that hideous bohemian top. Where on earth did you purchase that monstrosity?”

  “Good to see you too, Mother.” I walked past her, determined to let her criticisms wash over me. I was stronger now and disinterested in her approval that I now knew was impossible to achieve anyway. “Where’s Dad?”

  “Your father is in the lounge room on his third drink, thanks to your tardiness.”

  I turned back, irritated. “I’m eight minutes late, Mother, and to be honest, I didn’t want to come at all. Get a grip.”

  Without waiting for her response, I strode down the hallway to the lounge, knowing my mother was hot on my heels.

  Dad was standing by the window, staring out at god knows what. There was nothing but the side fence as a view.

  “Hey, Dad.” When he didn’t turn around, I cleared my throat and repeated myself. He snapped his head around and shook it as if he were coming out of a trance.

  “Juliette.” He crossed the room and gave me an uncharacteristically warm hug. “Thank you for coming.”

  I could smell the alcohol on his breath. “Sorry I’m late.”

  He waved me off and I had to stop myself from chuckling. My dad was tipsy, something I’d never seen before.

  “John.” Mum’s voice boomed with authority. “That’s enough.”

  Dad glared at her and I felt incredibly awkward. I knew this had been a bad idea. Something was different. “Maybe we should have some dinner.” I turned to Dad. “Maybe switch to water for a bit and eat something?”