by Naomi Niles
I laughed. “Exactly,” I nodded. “We are the better women.”
Chapter Eleven
Sam
The training facility was larger than I had expected, and I was really impressed as I made my way through the rings. I felt extremely inadequate as I glanced at the mixed martial arts fighters kicking up a sweat with their trainers. There were a few who were unaccompanied, and I watched them a little longer. They were obviously seasoned pros with skill.
I got so caught up in watching them that I forgot to keep an eye out for Talen. Then suddenly I felt a hard assault on my back and turned to find myself face-to-face with my brother.
“Fuck, man,” I said, trying to rub my back. “Was that meant to be gentle?”
Talen raised his eyebrows as one corner of his mouth curled up. He had never been one to smile easily. “Wasn’t it?”
“Hell, no,” I complained. “I’m going to have bruises for months.”
Talen’s smile was slow in coming, but it was by no means wide. People assumed that he was just not expressive or perpetually sardonic about life, but that was just the way he was. There was something refreshing about being around someone who just didn’t give a shit about what the world thought.
“Did you come here to hang with me?” he asked. “Or gawk at the other fighters?”
“Man, I thought I was fit,” I said, glancing around the massive training ring. “This is crazy, though. I don’t think I’ve ever had muscles like that.”
As though he were answering me, Talen pulled off his shirt to reveal the crazy muscles that were going on underneath it. He had a fully-fledged eight pack that was as defined as a bar of chocolate.
“Bloody hell, little bro,” I said. “When did that happen?”
“I’ve been training,” he replied shortly.
“I can see that,” I nodded. “But that eight pack came in fast.”
“I already had six,” he replied. “It wasn’t so hard to add two more.”
“You don’t have to sound so smug.”
Talen didn’t answer. He led me to an empty ring and gestured me inside. “Are you fucking serious?” I asked.
“What?”
“I’m not fighting you.”
“Scared you’re going to lose?” he challenged.
“Actually, yeah,” I nodded.
He shook his head and gestured to me to follow him.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“The gym,” he replied. “It’s just down the hall. I think it might be more your speed.”
My pride had taken a serious hit, but I was man enough to admit when I was outdone. And, I was certainly no match for profession MMA fighters. I was secretly thankful when I saw the gym was a ghost town. I had a feeling I would be outshone here, too. Talen and I started on weights first.
Talen may have been the youngest of the Burbank boys, but he was definitely the largest among us. Alan was the only one who might have surpassed Talen in height, but in sheer mass and power, Talen definitely won.
Like Alan, Talen had inherited dad’s fiery blue eyes. The sheer intensity of that color set against the darkness of his brown hair made him stand out in appearance. I was loath to admit that it was possible he might have been the better-looking brother. The thing about Talen, however, was that he didn’t give two shits.
He was the kind of guy who paid no attention to his appearance. His hair was cropped short and cut close to his scalp. That, combined with his extensive collection of tattoos covering his body and the fact that he rarely smiled, made him look like some sort of dangerous thug who had walked in off the streets. He had been close to taking that route actually, before Peter had stepped in.
“So,” I said. “How are you?”
Talen shrugged. “Fine.”
“That’s it?” I asked. “That’s all you’re going to give me?”
“Well… I do have some news,” he replied.
“Do I have to guess?”
“I’ve been booked for a fight,” he said.
If he was enthusiastic at all about the upcoming fight, he did an excellent job of hiding it. “Seriously?” I said. “Where?”
“Las Vegas.”
“No fucking way!” I practically yelled. “Talen, that’s a huge deal.”
He shrugged. “I have to win,” he said. “Otherwise, it will be a completely waste of my time.”
“You’ll win,” I said confidently. “You were born to fight.”
Talen kept bench pressing and didn’t add anything further. “I’m proud of you,” I said. “Dad would be, too.”
Talen put down the weights and glanced at me. “You think so?”
I reminded myself that he was only twenty-two. He was so young and yet, looking at him, you’d never be able to tell. He hid all his pain and insecurity behind a well-worn mask few could see through.
“I know so,” I said. “I wish I could have told Dad that he didn’t have anything to be worried about when it came to you.”
Talen snorted. “That would have been a waste of time. It seems everyone was worried about me.”
“Not me,” I said immediately. “I always knew you would turn your life around.”
“How did you know that?”
“Because I saw the fighter in you early on.”
Talen looked away from me as though he were uncomfortable with so much sentiment. I decided to change the subject. “So, have you spoken to Mom lately?” I asked.
His blue eyes flew to my face. “No,” he replied shortly.
“She told me to tell you that she thinks about you all the time,” I said, relaying the message from the day before. “And, she would like to see you soon.”
Talen looked down at his hands for a moment. “Okay,” he said, after a long silence.
“That’s it?”
“What do you want me to say, Sam?” he asked, somewhat defensively.
“If you need more time-”
“I don’t need time,” Talen replied, cutting me off. “I just…don’t see the point.”
“The point of what?”
“Meeting her,” he said. “Getting to know her, building a relationship with her.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because we’re strangers to one another,” he replied. “And if we try and get to know each other… Well, let’s just say, she’s probably not going to be what I expect and I’m probably not going to be what she expects. Why go through that disappointment?”
“Because she’s your mother,” I said gently.
“But she left,” he reminded me. “I was five. I learnt to live without a mother. I got pretty good at it, too. Why disrupt everything now?”
“Because she loves you,” I said, coming to her defence. “And she left because she was trying to protect us. You know the story, Talen; she explained it to you herself. Her life was in danger and by staying, she knew she would be putting us all at risk. She did what she had to do.”
“I understand,” Talen replied. “And I don’t blame her-”
“Kind of sounds like you do,” I said.
He sighed. “She just… She wants to talk about things,” he said. “She wants to talk about how she feels and how I feel and…that’s just not my style.”
“You don’t want to dredge up the past?”
“I don’t,” he said. “I don’t want to psychoanalyse all our relationships. I don’t want to have some big therapeutic discussion. I just want to live my life. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“She just wants to know you a little.”
“That’s the problem,” he sighed. “First, she’ll want to get to know me. Then, she’ll expect me to come around for dinners and birthdays and holidays. You know me, Sam. I don’t do traditional. I’m not a family man.”
“Funny,” I said. “That’s what I thought about Peter, John, and Alan. And now, they’re all settled and happy with their partners.”
“Be honest,” Talen said. “Can you see me settling down?”
I smiled. “No.”
“Thank you,” he nodded. “Because I’m not the sort to settle down. I’m a fighter, and I’ve committed to a life of chaos. It would be unfair of me to drag someone into this life with me.”
“Well, at the very least, we can be old bachelors together.”
Talen smiled. “I’m fine with that.”
We continued with our work out and an hour later, I threw in the towel. “Fucking hell, man,” I breathed. “That’s enough.”
“That was just the warm up,” Talen pointed out.
“Screw you,” I barked at him. “I’m going home.”
He laughed. “That’s okay. I don’t want to keep you from your bubble bath.”
I flipped him the bird as I headed for the exit. That was usually the way we bid each other farewell. It was our way of saying we loved each other. I washed quickly, trying to soothe my aching muscles, and then I headed to Jackson’s Bar for a nightcap.
Jackson was there, but the bar was pretty quiet that night. There were two groups of people wedged in at each end of the bar, but there was no one on the dance floor.
“Slow night?” I asked, taking a seat on the bar stool.
Jackson leaned across the bar and pushed a drink towards me. “It’s a week night,” he said, as though that explained it. “What you been up to today?”
“Met Talen for a work out session,” I replied.
“How is he?”
“The same,” I said. “Easy to be around, difficult to talk to.”
“If you say so,” he laughed. “How’re are things going with the MILF from the accident?”
I shrugged.
“That can’t be good.”
“I asked her out. She turned me down.”
“You?” Jackson asked. “The great Sam Burbank?”
“Save your pity,” I said. “I haven’t given up yet.”
“Why?” he asked, obviously baffled by my interest. “It’s not like this is a serious thing. And she has a kid… It’s not going to do you any good to get mixed up in all that.”
I shrugged. “Just because she has a kid doesn’t mean she wants something serious.”
Jackson was staring out across the bar, as though he were thinking about something else. “Well, it’s your call at the end of the day,” he said distractedly.
I stared at him for a moment, but he didn’t seem to notice. He was obviously preoccupied. I wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that his bar was practically empty.
“Hey, Jackson?”
“Yeah?”
“How are things going with the bar?” I asked. “Business picking up any?”
“It’s a new business,” he said, somewhat defensively. “It’ll take time.”
“Of course,” I nodded. “Hey, where are those financial statements you made me sign yesterday? I have some time now, I can look over them.”
“Oh…no need,” Jackson said, as he poured me another drink. “I’ve already handed them in.”
“But you have copies right?”
“Uh…yeah…sure.”
I wrinkled my eyebrows and looked at him pointedly. “You don’t sound very convincing.”
“Fuck, man, I’m half drunk,” he said, trying to gloss over the moment. But to me, it seemed like he was trying to avoid the question altogether.
“Are you saying you have copies of the financial statements or not?” I asked directly.
“Sure I do, man,” he replied. “I just don’t have them at the bar.”
“Where are they then?”
“At home,” he replied, but I noticed he wasn’t meeting my eye. “I have them locked up in a drawer.”
“Don’t you have a safe at home?” I asked.
“Uh…yeah?”
“Then, why not keep important documents in the safe?”
“That’s where I put them,” he said quickly.
“You said drawer.”
“I meant safe.”
I found myself staring at him, trying to figure out if I should be worried or not. Then, I reminded myself that this was Jackson. He was my closest friend and my partner.
“Let’s have this conversation when you’re not half drunk,” I said.
“Sure thing, man,” Jackson agreed, his eyes clouding over.
Chapter Twelve
Mia
As the judge dismissed the court after the trail, I felt a rush of relief and gratitude. The verdict had been declared as not guilty and Seth Danube was now officially a free man who had been wrongfully accused.
I didn’t even bother glancing over at the prosecution. I turned immediately towards Seth, who was sitting on my left looking positively awestruck.
I have him a smile. “You’re a free man, Seth,” I said to him gently.
He blinked once and turned to me as if in slow motion. “I’m…free,” he breathed.
“Leslie’s testimony really helped you,” I pointed out.
“She’s a star,” he replied. “And so are you.”
I smiled. “It was a team effort,” I said graciously.
“Thank you so much, Mia,” he said sincerely. “I would have lost hope a long time ago if it hadn’t been for you and Helen.”
Helen approached us at that exact moment, and Seth rose to greet her. They shared a hug just as someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to find myself face to face with none other than Andrew Dermott.
“Ms Dennis,” he said, in his deep voice. “I just wanted to come over and say…congratulations.”
He held out his hand to me, and after a moment’s pause, I accepted it. “Thank you,” I said, taken back by the gesture.
“You did a good job on this trial,” he continued. “I was impressed.”
I smiled. “I had the truth on my side,” I said. “And, the conviction of knowing my client was an innocent man.”
Andrew Dermott’s smile grew a little wider. “It’s been a long time since I met one of you.”
“One of me?” I repeated with a raised eyebrow.
“An idealistic lawyer,” he replied. He gave me a parting smile and headed out of the courthouse. I stared after him for a moment before turning back to Seth and Helen.
“Did my ears deceive me?” Helen asked.
I laughed. “Stranger things have happened.”
“Not in my line of vision,” she said.
We walked outside together and said goodbye to Seth on the steps of the courthouse. We watched as he walked over to the corner where his family, including his ex-wife, was waiting to greet him. Helen and I took a moment to appreciate the sight. Then she turned to me, and the veil of professionalism dropped from her eyes.
“I think this victory calls for a celebration,” she said decidedly.
“Umm…”
“Oh, come on, Mia,” she said impatiently. “We’ve been working on this case for months! For a while there, we weren’t even sure we were going to win. Like you said, we just saved an innocent man from the inside of a jail cell. I think we deserve to celebrate that.”
“I do, too,” I nodded. “It’s just that-”
“I know you’re worried about Renni,” Helen interrupted me. “But can’t you ask Vanessa to take her for one evening? You deserve a little time off.”
Thrilled by our victory, I found myself easily convinced. I nodded and called Vanessa, who was more than happy to take Renni for the evening and thrilled that I’d won the case. With that taken care of, I walked back over to where Helen stood with the rest of our behind-the-scenes team. There was Kelly, Brad, and Tate and everyone was ready to let down their hair. I could sense the need to relax and let loose for a night before the next trial came along.
“Where should we go?” Kelly asked.
“Let’s go to a bar,” Brad suggested.
“How about a club?” Tate said. “Then, we can dance, too.”
“I know a place we can go,” Brad said. “It’s this new bar that opened up a few miles from here. I’ve wanted to try
it out, but I haven’t had the time.”
“Great,” Helen said. “Then, it’s settled. Let’s go.”
We were all dressed in our office attire, but no one seemed to care. I had opted to wear a pencil skirt, a sleeveless silk beige blouse with thin straps, over which I’d worn my favorite black blazer. On the way to the bar, I removed my blazer and let my hair down from its rigid knot. Then I applied a darker shade of lipstick and sprayed myself with perfume.
“You are so damn lucky,” Kelly observed enviously.
“Lucky?”
“That you can transition like that so easily. You just went from professional chic to casual sexy,” she explained. “It’s because you’re hot. Unattractive women can never pull that off so easily.”
“You act as though you’re not an attractive woman,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“I work hard to be attractive,” she said quickly. “You think I would look this good if I didn’t try hard? Please.”
Helen snorted from the front seat. “Just listen to the two of you,” she said. “After you two little bitches pass the forty mark, then you can start complaining. Until then, shut it.”
Kelly and I exchanged a smile and fell silent. Brad and Tate were already parked outside the bar when Helen pulled up next to them. We walked in together and picked a table near the dance floor. The boys went off to get us drinks, and I found myself relaxing into the laid back atmosphere of the bar. It wasn’t particularly crowded, but that suited me just fine. I tended to get claustrophobic in big crowds.
A few moments later, Tate and Brad came back with a tray full of drinks. “Geez,” I said. “Went a little overboard with the drinks did you?”
“We’re celebrating aren’t we?” Tate said in a reproachful tone. “Just kick back and enjoy.”
I accepted the drink he pushed towards me with a smile. I wanted to follow their lead, shut my mind off and enjoy myself, but it was never as simple as that. When you became a parent, you could never shut your mind off – no matter how much you wanted to.
It wasn’t as though I could expect anyone to understand. Kelly was my age and happily single. Tate and Brad both had girlfriends, but neither one was tied down. Helen was the only other person in the group who had children, but both her sons were old enough that she didn’t need to worry about them anymore.
