He squirms away, making my hands slip through the ropes. My eyes meet Cassidy’s worried stare. She attempts an encouraging smile, but it falls short. Instead, her features change to fear. I duck down, knowing Andy is coming back at me from behind. I turn as he oversteps. Mumbled words escape my lips as my hand slams again into his side. “I told you it’s a bad idea to attack from behind.”
He takes each of my hits for a count of three before sliding to the other side of the mat. I follow, reminding myself of Trinity and her words at Parker’s last fight, no fear. And Christina pops into my head. She said I was afraid. I am afraid, of so many things. But I can’t be here. Not now when the win can be mine. I shift between my feet, crossing after Andy. A second of uncertainty moves over his features, and I know I have it. The win is mine. He turns away at the last moment, trying to put distance between us. Frank must see it too, because he chimes above the crowd. “Looks like our champ is a little skittish. Get the fuck back in the game, Andy. You’re gonna have to work for this win.”
I should be upset that he’s encouraging Andy to get back in, but that will make it so much sweeter when I take him down. Andy seems to hear his words. He stops mid-stride and swings at me as I come within a foot of him. He misses as my knuckles meet his abdomen. His body stiffens and his feet stagger back. I lower my body, taking his chest into my shoulder. We land in a pile of limbs on the mat. He attempts to roll away, but I push all of my weight onto his body. He gets a hit across my jaw twice before I’m restraining his arms and pummeling his side again. His hands go up, tapping my arm fervently. Usually a fight here would end in a knockout, but we’re so evenly matched a tap out is probably the only option. I stop in my assault and look at Frank to see if he’ll accept it. He steps onto the mat and yells out, “I think we might have ourselves a new champ.”
I stand as he holds up my hand. “Give it up for the Rookie.”
The crowd screams and boos all at once. The noise all sounds the same to me—white noise, words and movement that only mean one thing to me. I’m back where I love to be—victory and winning—all by my own choice.
Andy stands. He looks around like a deer in the headlights. A part of me feels sorry for him. He has never lost. Most likely he doesn’t know how to handle it. I’d step in and give him pointers, but that would be admitting I’ve been defeated myself, and I can’t do that. I’m still a fighter.
Cassidy climbs up onto the mat. Her arm goes around my back and she stands on her toes, meeting my lips with hers. It happens so fast I don’t have a chance to protest. When she pulls away, Andy pushes her away from me and he’s is in my face, his fist connecting with my jaw. She yells, “Andy, no!”
For a split second, everything seems to move in slow motion, but then it all speeds back up. I glance at Andy, who is glowering at me and getting an earful from Cassidy. She is pushing his chest and yelling at the top of her lungs. Tears are streaming down her face. He tries to take her into his arms but she pushes him away. She takes a look at me, with sadness crossing her mouth, and turns to climb down from the mat, her blonde ponytail bobbing with the movement. Andy moves to follow but my hand darts out to stop him. “Dude, let her go.”
He shifts, glaring at me. “What the hell do you know? You fucked everything up.”
A chuckle escapes my lips. “I think you might have fucked up a long time ago.”
I don’t get a chance to say anything else because Cassidy’s friend, the one she introduced as Andy’s girlfriend the night we met, steps up to him and slaps him. I turn away. The last thing I need is to be in the middle of all of this. I have enough shit to deal with.
As I make my way through the crowd, people congratulate me and try to hand over celebratory drinks. But my destination is way more enticing than staying here with these people. On my way out to the truck, Frank stops me halfway there. “Grey?”
I shift and turn in question.
“Congrats, buddy.” He hands me a wad of cash.
“This is well deserved.” He smiles and winks, which seems all wrong on his face. But I nod in response.
“Also, I want to give you a heads up. Andy will want a rematch. It’s not in his nature to accept a loss.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” My lip lifts.
“Good. You sure you don’t want to hang around and celebrate?”
“Nope, I have plans. Thanks, Frank. This has been good.”
“No problem, take care.”
I maneuver the truck out onto the dirt road that will take me back to civilization. My bed is calling my name. Maybe someday I’ll be able to celebrate after a win, but not tonight. I’ve been burned, and I’m not about to take the chance of ruining it again.
Chapter 13
Banging on my door wakes me the next morning. Meyer’s voice calls over and over, “Grey, open up. I need to talk to you.”
“What the hell!”
I walk across the room and yank the door wide. He stumbles in, catching himself before he’s laid out on the floor. He’s drunk again. I shake my head and turn toward the bathroom. His words stop me, though.
“Are you fighting underground?” His tone is desperate.
I glance back to see fear all over his face, but I don’t answer. It’s none of his business as far as I’m concerned. Frank’s words come back, “Everything is cool as long as they don’t find out you’re fighting for us.”
I wait him out, and he seems reluctant to say anything else. After a few more minutes of staring each other down, he gives in. “You can’t fight underground and fight for the mob, Grey. They’ll make good on their threats.”
I cross my arms in defiance. Good, let them do whatever the hell they want. I couldn’t give a shit at this point. After a few seconds, I leave him to his misery and shut the bathroom door to any other words of wisdom he might consider bestowing upon me. I can’t believe we used to be so close. I considered him my brother.
***
After that morning, Meyer disappeared. He didn’t come home for almost a week. I didn’t pay very close attention, though, because there were more immediate things I had to deal with.
Exactly one week after I had won the fight against Andy, Trinity called, all cryptic. She wanted me to meet her at a hotel on the strip. It had been a couple of weeks since I had seen her. I think the last time was Parker’s fight, so I gave in right away, feeling guilty for not checking up on her. But I was avoiding seeing her or Parker—avoiding the possibility that things for them wouldn’t always be like this. After Frank mentioned that the mob isn’t a forever thing for anyone, it made me aware that Trinity will at some point be vulnerable. I doubt they’d do anything to Parker, but I really don’t know. All of this is foreign to me, the way people use each other for their own gain. It sickens me.
When I pull up to the valet, Trinity is standing nervously at the entrance to the building. It’s a high rise with thirty-four floors, all in glass. Every night there’s a light show displayed against the glass with tricks involving mirrors. I’ve been impressed every time I’ve been around to see it. When she spots me, her hands clasp and unclasp over and over again. I know something’s up, and most likely it won’t be something I’ll be happy about.
She is wearing a long flowered dress, belted at her waist and matched with brown sandals. Her hair is pulled in a loose braid weaving down her shoulder. I lean in, kissing her cheek. “Hey, sis, what’s up?”
“Hi, Grey. How are you?” She tries for a genuine smile but fails miserably.
“I’m doing just fine. Trin, but you look like you’re about to lose your breakfast all over the sidewalk. Are you alright? What do you need to tell me? I know just by the way you’re acting it’s not something I’m going to be happy about.”
She punches my arm. “That isn’t a very nice thing to say. What if I were here to tell you something horrible, like I’m dying or something?”
The intake of breath through my nose speeds up for a second. I look intently at her and reply, “H
ey, don’t joke about shit like that.”
“Sorry.” She shakes her head and looks away.
“What’s up, Trin?” I’m done beating around the bush. If she wanted me to meet her here, she has a reason. It’s best she just spits it out.
She steps forward, placing her finger on my cheek. A long scratch extends from my jaw almost to my ear. Frank and Chris have kept me busy this week. I’ve had a fight almost every night. None of them was the rematch with Andy, but I’m sure once his ego is done being bruised he’ll step it up and challenge me.
“Hey, what happened to your cheek? Parker said you haven’t had any fights lately.”
I move her hand away. “It’s nothing. Why are we here?”
She looks away and begins speaking. “Remember that last week when mom said she was most sad about missing my wedding? She wanted to hold on, to see me walk down the aisle.”
I nod, already not liking where this is going, but I know I can’t stop it. My head fills with the memories as my sister speaks.
“I was sitting on her bed and she had this vision. She told me to close my eyes. She described it all—my dress, the flowers, everything; and as I imagined it, the images cemented into my mind. I knew she’d never be able to see it, but I knew someday I’d make her vision real.”
She takes a deep breath and grabs my hand. Her eyes meet mine. “Grey, I’m going to do it. We’re going to have that wedding.”
Air escapes my lips. Mom would be so proud of Trinity right now. I know I need to support her and help to make this easy for her. But I try for one last dig. “But aren’t you and Parker already married?”
She pulls her hand from mine with a scowl across her face. “Greylan Pace, why can’t you ever just be happy for me?”
I sigh and scoop her into my chest. Above her head I speak the words she needs to hear. “I will, Trinity. If this is what you want, I’ll support you.”
She pulls away, skeptical. “You will?”
“Yep, now tell me, what does this place have to do with this grand scheme you have going? And more important, does Parker know he’s involved in a wedding?”
She smiles that easy Trinity grin. Her body seems to relax. I’m disappointed I’m the one who put that apprehension there in the first place.
“Yes, of course he knows. He’s the one that got us a deal here, for almost nothing.”
I glance around at the entrance to the wide building. Six cream-colored columns are placed strategically, holding up a high ceiling of mirrors above the drive and entrance. It’s impressive, and I’m sure whatever Trinity plans will be unbelievable here.
I look down at her once again and the nervousness has returned.
She adds, “There’s one more thing, Grey.”
I stare, waiting, and she drops the bomb. “Mr. Luciano says he will pay for the entire wedding, sparing no expense because of you and Parker. He said you guys have done such a good job.”
I want to laugh out loud at that statement, but instead I pull her into a tight hug again. It’s best she doesn’t see my real reaction to this news.
After a few beats of my heart, which I’m trying to steady from the anger I’m gathering, she shifts and steps away. Her face is clear, just like that. There is no fear anymore, now that she has told me. I wish I could say the same. The fact that Luciano is now involved in her wedding heightens my fear even more. And not for myself, this time.
“Hey, do you want to see everything? It’s gorgeous in there.” Her tone is excited.
I grab her hand and we walk through the entrance together as she speaks, describing how she has staged all of the details from our mom’s vision.
I try to absorb everything as she guides me through the hotel, pointing out specific details, but my mind wanders to the situation we’re all in. No one in my life is free from the mob’s threats. Meyer swears they’ll act if I don’t follow through with their plans, but will they? What about Parker? What will happen when they find a new golden boy? Will they throw him away, as Frank put it? And Trin…I turn to look at her. She is so happy right now. Her life is different than what I would have wanted for her, but she’s happy and that is what matters, right?
After the tour, we make our way back out to the entrance and wait for our vehicles. I look over and ask, “So when will this magical day happen?”
Her smile widens, if that is possible. “It’s going to be on November 5th.” I realize now why she hadn’t told me the date yet. She picked our mom’s birthday. Her mouth wavers, but I smile back in response, not wanting to disappoint her anymore.
“Wow, that’s only a month away, Trin. Can it be done that fast?”
She looks down her nose at me. “Greylan, do you doubt me?”
My hands go up playfully. “No way, of course not.”
“Well, not me exactly; Mr. Luciano and Mollie, actually. They have a lot of connections around here.”
Tell me about it. I hadn’t thought about it, but I guess it makes sense that Mollie would be the one planning it. She never called me to set up the meeting with her father after Parker’s fight. I knew it was just an excuse. I’ve made a concerted effort to make sure we don’t run into each other, but it isn’t hard. We don’t run in the same circles.
Trinity’s jeep pulls around the drive and stops in front of us. She grabs my hand, squeezing it before walking to her car. She turns to face me at the door. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“Definitely. I get to be the one to give you away, remember.”
She nods, sadness filling her face momentarily. She slides her sunglasses on and climbs into her car. I watch as she speeds off, still not sure anymore if keeping her in the dark is the best decision. If she knows that Luciano is part of the mob, maybe if anything were to happen, she’d be on the defensive. But then I think about Parker and our conversation when I first moved here and realized I would be the loser, always on the receiving end. He was adamant about keeping Trinity in the dark, protecting her. It was the only thing we could agree on back then. I had no reason to disagree. Now, though, maybe Parker and I need to have a talk in the near future. But first I have to see Meyer. This is not going to be pretty.
Chapter 14
When I walk into the house, I realize that I haven’t seen Meyer in a week. The last time was the day he banged on my door, trying to confront me about fighting underground. I ignored him, not thinking twice about his words. He has left me alone this past week. I just thought maybe he got the hint and didn’t want to push his luck. But as I walk through the house, with everything in the same place I left it, it hits me that maybe his absence hasn’t been voluntary. Then again, this is Meyer, who I didn’t hear from for five years while I was in prison.
I spend a while in each room before finally stopping in front of his closed door. Reluctantly my hand turns the knob and I push the door, not making an attempt to enter. The door swings inward to reveal nothing out of the ordinary. Of course, there are clothes strewn across the floor and the bed is a mess. Now as I scan the room, my breath leaves my mouth. I didn’t realize I was holding it until now. Deep down I know Luciano is bad and dangerous, but nothing has happened yet; so I guess this is the first time something has mentally hit me as a possibility. But nothing is out of sorts, so Meyer is probably just being the same fuck-up as usual, not bothering to let anyone know where he is. But my mind keeps wandering with unappealing scenarios because of the past.
I pull out my phone as I walk into the room. It’s virtually impossible to see if anything is out of the ordinary in this place. He’s such a slob. I punch in his contact and wait as the tone continues ringing. His voicemail fails to pick up, so I can’t leave a message. My next option is Jimmy T. We haven’t spoken in a long time. I have to see him when I have fights on the circuit, but that’s where I draw the line. He’s my manager, but he doesn’t have my best interests in mind, so our communication is limited.
The phone rings as I look though Meyer’s drawers. Empty beer bottles litter the surfa
ce. Inside, though, they are virtually empty. This makes me wonder if he took his stuff and left. I cross the room to the closet as the ringing on the line continues. Jimmy doesn’t pick up, but his voice on the line says he’s not available. If I’m a bill collector, I can go to hell; but if I’m a fighter, please leave a message and number and he’ll get right back to me. Typical Jimmy. I heard through the grapevine that he’s had a steady stream of business of lower end fighters, but still something more than he had in Jersey. No doubt his connections with Luciano now have had a large impact.
“Um, Jimmy; hey man, it’s Grey. I need to talk to you. Give me a call when you get a chance.”
As I push the end button, my eyes scan the closet’s contents…or lack thereof. A couple of shirts hang haphazardly on their hangers. But the rest of the space is empty. I’m now convinced Meyer planned on leaving for a while, but obviously it was a rushed trip.
I turn to leave the room, but a folded piece of paper that I didn’t notice before catches my eye. It’s lying on the surface of the bed where the blankets and sheets have been pulled back. My name is scribbled on it in his messy handwriting. I pick it up and scan the contents.
Apparently I was correct. He left because he was feeling pressure. He didn’t want to take any chances or ruin my life any further, so he took off. It’s a sorry excuse for a note and typical of Meyer, of course. He did this before, but at least I got some sort of explanation this time. I pocket the note and head to my own room. I’m pretty sure that if I called Mollie, she’d possibly know where he is. After all, they were in on the plan to screw me over from the beginning. But I can’t bring myself to call her right now. As the days spread out, she is more of a distant memory that I’m able to forget on occasion. If this keeps up, maybe I’ll be able to forget about her completely; at least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
No Fear Page 8
