Brave

by Natalie Gayle

  That thought was weighing heavily on my mind as I picked up Dane along the route. He was not running quite as much distance as me yet.

  “Hey, man,” I tossed at him as he fell in on my right shoulder.

  “Hey.” He looked like death warmed up and I wondered what the hell.

  “You okay? You look like shit.”

  “Good, at least I feel like I look,” he mumbled. I’d jogged with him enough over the years to be able to make out his speech between breaths.

  “You sick?” First he shouldn’t be out here if he was. But second, I couldn’t risk being in contact with anyone that was sick. I couldn’t afford to get a virus or something that might interrupt my training.

  “Na man. Just didn’t get much sleep.”

  “How much is not much?” I was worried about him. Three or four times I tried to get him to tell me what was on his mind, but each time he kept shutting me down. Maybe today would be different. He looked worn down and tired enough that he just might crack and let me in.

  “Couple of hours,” he admitted and I knew he felt guilty, like he’d failed. Eight hours every night was a must. Six at a pinch when we were training like madmen. Even a nap in the afternoon was good, if you could swing it.

  “Fuck, Dane, you can’t do that to yourself.”

  “You think I don’t know that?”

  I guess he did, but I still felt like I needed to look out for him. That’s what mates did. “What, you just can’t sleep or is it something else?”

  He was quiet for a while and we kept running, our strides matching as we ran along the edge of the quite suburban street.

  I’d just about given up on him answering me when he finally spoke. “I’ve met someone.” It had to be a woman by the words he’d used, but it didn’t sound good.

  “Oh?” I left it hanging seeing what he would offer.

  “She’s not in a good place. Life’s tough for her. I’ve been helping her out.” Hell, that could mean anything. He could be helping her financially, emotionally or with maintenance around the house, but somehow I didn’t think it was that. Things did make a little more sense now—his odd disappearances, him being late.

  “I was coming from her place that night I found Eden.” Suddenly I sent up a silent thank you to whoever this woman was. She’d been the reason Dane had broken his routine and Eden had been spared.

  “She’s got a kid and a dick of an ex-husband.”

  Wholly fuck! This sounded like it was going to be complicated. “Okay.”

  “I’m not going to talk about it yet, man. So don’t even try, you don’t need the worry. Just wanted you to know what was going on. I’ve got it handled. I’m not doing anything stupid. I just needed you to know I’m more committed than ever, but my fight isn’t the only priority in my life. I sure as hell don’t want to do anything to fuck up your prep. I already screwed up once being late.”

  I could tell Dane felt bad about a lot of things, but if he wasn’t ready to talk, he wasn’t ready to talk. Shit, I knew all about that.

  “Thanks for telling me, man,” I said and meant it.

  He nodded.

  “Fight or no fight Dane, if you need me, you talk to me. You’re my best friend. I’ll always find time for you.”

  “I know, man.”

  “You good to pick up the pace. I’ve got lots of shit to do today. We’ve got a team meeting later this afternoon, too. Need to sort out the plan for the last few weeks. Need you there, man.”

  “I’m good on both accounts. Step it up, man.”

  And we did. By the time we got back to Onigashima there was no more chatting between us. Both of us were heaving, but we’d needed that run in more ways that one.

  * * *

  Xander

  Reed scheduled the team meeting for two thirty that afternoon. There were no classes at Onigashima until five that day.

  “Right, let’s get started.” I might be the fighter in this fight but Reed was firmly the boss when it came to getting me to the fight. Everyone shut up and looked to Reed. We’d turned a storage room I hadn’t done anything with into temporary fight headquarters. A trestle table had been set up in the middle with a few mismatched chairs we were now sitting on. Reed had a piece of paper the size of a map in front of him, broken into the last four weeks before the fight. A whole heap of things were written into each of the day blocks in different colours.

  We were at the pointy end of things. Reed needed to make sure everything was sorted for the last four weeks of prep and the logistics for the fight. A lot of stuff was happening fast.

  “I’ve mapped out the next four weeks the best I can with everything I know about what’s happening at the moment. We’re exactly four weeks out from the fight today. Everyone in this room is essential in some way to getting Xander to the fight in the best physical and mental condition possible.”

  I didn’t miss the way Reed looked directly at Eden as he said mental. He might be the boss on this gig but if he wanted to start taking pot shots at Eden, he and I would have words sooner, rather than later. She was as much a part of this team as Dane and now Seth. Dad also looked at Reed as if in warning, but it wasn’t his place to step in if necessary. It was mine.

  “The activities in red are all the training activities organised for Xander, right up until the fight. The blue are marketing activities and press conferences, that sort of thing. The green travel days. The yellow are obvious spare blocks of time, which will probably get gobbled up for more training or promo depending on what needs to be done closer to the fight. Finally, the orange is where the rest of us will intersect on this plan.”

  I could see Eden studying the plan intensely and I really wondered what she was thinking. This was a whole new level of crazy, but a necessary evil if we had any hope of getting to the fight sane.

  “Everyone with me so far?” There were nods all around the table.

  “So, now let’s look at the key dates. I’ve got tickets booked for everyone except you Eden, to fly out to Vegas two weeks before.” I heard her gasp and I kicked myself for not talking about this with her privately beforehand. I’d just kind of let it all slip by. I was so focused on the training and well ‘us’ that I forgot. Reed was also about as subtle and diplomatic as a sledge hammer.

  “Xan needs the time to acclimatise and finish his preparations where the fight is. He’s also going to be needed for a lot of media.” I knew Reed was saying this all for Eden’s benefit, but unfortunately his tone was always very dictatorial and it came across as harsh. I could see that she thought she’d been excluded and her back had stiffened up and she looked a little sullen.

  “Sorry Gem, I should have spoken to you about all this before. I forgot that you’ve never been through one of these preps. We just need to decide when you can get away. I know you have exams.” I looked at the plan and picked up the orange pen. “When do you have exams?”

  “This plan is hardly for Eden’s exam timetable, Xander,” Reed protested.

  Right this was going to stop now! “Without meaning to sound like a diva but is or is this not a plan about my life for the next four weeks?” He nodded stiffly. “Well, Eden is my girlfriend and a very big part of my life. Her exam timetable goes on this damned page.” I glared across the table to make sure he was absolutely clear. Reed said nothing, but nodded once in understanding.

  Eden looked at me and I saw worry written all over her face. Then she pointed to the plan. “My first is here.” It was four days before I left. “And the last is here.” It was the Friday of the following week. Shit, at best, it wouldn’t get her to Vegas until the weekend and the fight was the following Friday night.

  “They like to string it out!” I commented.

  “They do,” she agreed.

  “So you could theoretically fly out anytime from Friday night onwards. That might get you to Vegas for at least part of the weekend.” I really wanted her there to experience this with me. I needed her. She kept me sane and grounded. I knew I w
as going to need time out from the crazy. Eden would give me that.

  “Look maybe I should just stay here…?” I could see the indecision and the fears starting to rise again. “That way I’m in a familiar environment and you don’t have to worry about me.”

  I could almost feel Reed thinking beside me “Great idea Eden, go with that.” He was not the type that liked women around during fight prep.

  “Can we just get this sorted and move on? Maybe Eden’s right. I think...” Reed suggested.

  I cut him off savagely, “Well, it isn’t about what you want. It’s about what I need. And I need Eden with me as soon as possible.” I snarled at Reed. So far he’d heeded my warning about interfering where Eden was concerned. I wasn’t about to cop it now.

  “I’ll stay back and fly with Eden. I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave this place for as long as we’ve got planned here anyway. Even though we’ve got Owen and Lincoln taking over most of the classes and we’ve cut the schedule a bit, that’ll mean I’m around for at least another week to keep an eye on things here,” Dad suggested and I could see the relief in Eden’s eyes. I’d organised with dad to have Owen and Lincoln help out around here. This was their chance to show they could take on more responsibility. But I was worried about Eden. She’d never done anything like this before; dad was about the next best thing to having me there. Travelling overseas wouldn’t be so daunting if she had him with her.

  “Thanks, Dad. That would be awesome.”

  “Not a problem, Son. I want you concentrating on that fight. Eden and I will be just fine here until she’s finished her exams.” Dad looked over and winked at her. She gave him a shy smile and I hoped that would be fine.

  “When do you start school again, Eden?” Why didn’t I know that? Simple I’d been so caught up in this fight. I felt like such a shit boyfriend.

  “Not till late Feb next year.”

  “When have you got us coming back, Reed?”

  Reed pointed at the plan. “Here, the Tuesday after the fight.”

  “Make sure Eden and my tickets are flexible. We might head off for a couple of weeks or something after. How does that sound, Gem?” Her eyes twinkled and she gave a little shrug. Oh yeah. She liked that idea. Reed just nodded. Once the fight was over he wouldn’t give a shit what I did until the next one was scheduled. And right then I realised there was probably going to be more than just this fight. I really did intend to get back into the saddle, so to speak.

  “Okay, if everyone is cool with travel, can we move on to PR?” Reed pressed on. “It’s going to go into full swing about now in the US. It’ll probably take a couple of days for it to really start to get traction here, but it will. There’s a team of people here working with the crew out of the US. You’ve got the first of the press conferences about the announcement here on Monday. There’s another major press conference here, two days after you get to the States and the final one here the day before.” Reed pointed out the various time slots on the plan with a pen. “I’d expect others to pop up as we go but those are the scheduled ones so far.”

  Yeah and that was the problem. “I really don’t want to do more than that, Reed. I made that clear yesterday. The media people will create enough hype and bullshit without me commenting every three seconds on stuff. I just want and need to concentrate on the fight.” Everyone was tense around the table at the mention of media. It was a double-edged sword. Without it there wouldn’t be a fight, but it also took its toll.

  “We’ll see what we can do, man, but you know what promoters are like. They want to squeeze every last buck out of the fight.” Reed shrugged his shoulders as if he was already resigned to the fact it was going to be a circus. This next bit though, needed to come from me.

  “I think I need to let you all know to expect this media campaign to be particularly dirty and nasty. They’re going to stir up as much crap on me as possible. They haven’t said it, but I’m sure they’ll also drag up all the stuff about The Cobra to mess with my head and to get more bums on seats. One thing I have been very specific about is that the focus stays on me. I don’t want you, Eden, or anyone else being drawn into this. I signed up for it—none of you did. But after saying all this, I can’t guarantee it. So I need you all to be really careful with phone calls, social media, and all that sort of stuff. I’d expect the hordes to start descending next week.”

  I could see Eden starting to stress out. “Try not to worry too much, Eden. But fair warning—it won’t be easy.”

  She nodded her understanding but I could see she was freaking the hell out and she had exams coming up as well. If it didn’t rain, it poured.

  We spent the next hour going through a lot of other details that needed to be sorted out, but I got the impression Eden was already starting to retreat. We needed some time out before the crazy started.

  When we finished Eden disappeared straight to the bathroom and dad stopped me before I headed out.

  “You need to talk to her, Son. Get this straightened out now.” He didn’t bother disguising the worry in his voice.

  “Yeah, I know. I think I’m going to need some help with keeping her safe and out of this bullshit. You up for it?” He’d been doing it anyway, but I wanted to make it official.

  “Of course. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with it.”

  “You two seem to be getting on great and she trusts you.” For the first time since I’d started down this path I was second guessing myself. Was the bullshit I was going to put everyone through worth it? God, I hoped so.

  Dad was looking at me closely. “Don’t even go there. You need to stay one hundred percent on course. I’ll keep your girl safe.”

  I did something I rarely ever did. I gave him a man hug.

  “Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it.”

  “It’s no trouble, Son. I’m just looking out for the mother of my future grandchildren. Besides I like the girl.” He had a glint in his eye.

  “I think you might be putting the cart before the horse,” I said trying to hose him off.

  “We’ll see.” My old man had a very confident look on his face. I’m glad he felt that way, because right now I wasn’t so sure.

  Chapter 23

  Eden

  “Oh, it’s going to look incredible. Let me get the new linens to put on it,” I said to Xander and Len as they manoeuvred the bed into place and got rid of the old frame. Xander’s new bed and side tables had arrived this afternoon. Talk about an afternoon of craziness with this and the meeting. Hell, I didn’t know whether I was coming or going, with all this plus exam stress.

  Xander helped me with the linens and a couple of minutes later we had the bed looking like something out of an interior design magazine. The three of us all stood back and admired it.

  “Wow. It looks even better than I thought.” I was so pleased with the effect. The timber and steel created the perfect statement against the timber floor and the big open space. The linens were just gorgeous. Eventually we’d gone with a plain navy quilt and some cream coloured sheets. I’d added a pile of textured cushions that all blended and one in a tangerine colour that just “popped”.

  “Well, Gem, I have to give it to you sweets. That is genius. When you insisted on that orange cushion I thought “no way” but you wanted it so I went along with it. You were right; it just works.” He had a big smile on his face and seemed genuinely pleased—that made me happy! Next thing I know he grabbed me into a hug and kissed me hard.

  “Hey Dad, did you know my girl is a decorating genius as well as everything else?”

  Len chuckled. “Oh Son, I had no doubt at all. I’m reckoning Eden would be brilliant at just about anything she put her mind too. She puts up with you, doesn’t she?”

  “Cruel but true, Dad, and on that note the door’s that way.” Xander nodded his head toward the door. “I want to christen this bed.”

  “Xander!” I hissed.

  “Oh, don’t get all bent out of shape, girl. I’d be doing exactly the sam
e thing if I was in his shoes. Have fun kids! I’ll see you in the morning.” He winked at me and hurried off. Len really was a good sport.

  “Yeah. Not too early Dad!”

  “I can’t believe you two!” I was feeling embarrassed from head to toe. Well, maybe not so much but hey…

  “We’re guys. We can talk about sex and joke about it as long as it doesn’t get too personal and he doesn’t walk in on us.” Xander was enjoying playing and couldn’t seem to help that naughty little grin on his face.

  “Yeah, I can do without him seeing my backside again.”

  He caught me in his arms and backed me over to the bed. The back of my legs hit the frame and Xander kept pushing till we were on the mattress in a tangle of arms and legs, which had me giggling. Although when I finally came up for air, Xander was looking down at me— his face a study in seriousness and intensity.

  “What’s up?”

  “I wanted to apologise for this afternoon, Gem. I blindsided you with all that fight prep stuff and Reed was a dick. He has a thing about women being involved in fight preps, but I told him from the outset I wasn’t prepared to compromise when it came to you. If he couldn’t handle you being part of my life then I wasn’t on board.”

  He was so sincere as he said it and I knew this was laying heavily on his mind. I was also surprised. Had he really made me a kind of stipulation for him being involved? That was pretty major!

  “Yes, you’re right. This afternoon did take me by surprise. I guess I never realised the extent of this fight, I didn’t realise the magnitude, which was pretty stupid. But I never expected you’d want me to go with you! I mean we haven’t talked about it but, I just figured it was something you’d do then come back.”

  He nodded and looked at me intently

  “Before you, yes that’s exactly what I would have done, but not now. You’re so much a part of this journey and part of me I can’t not have you with me—it wouldn’t feel right.” His dark eyes were intense and I could tell he meant every single word he said. “You don’t keep your loved ones at home if you can avoid it and Eden I absolutely love you.”