“I’ll see that it happens. He asked about you.”
Alice looked up and barely kept from grinning. “He did?”
“Yeah. What happened between you two at the lake?”
“Nothing. And he needs to train and focus right now.”
Tavvy shook his head. “You’re not telling me everything. Did he try something?”
Alice smiled at the older man who had taken on the role of surrogate father since her own dad’s illness. “No. We kissed a little bit and we decided that anything more needed to wait until after his fight. That’s all.”
Tavvy nodded. “A wise decision. Maybe not the easiest to pull off, but wise nonetheless. Are you willing to see him after the fight?”
“Yeah. I thought maybe I’d come down and watch.”
“I’ll look forward to seeing you then. Are you going to tell him you’re coming down?”
Alice shook her head. “No. In fact, I need you to train the kids on Saturday. I think it would be better for him if I just stayed out of the way until he left.”
“He’s going to keep asking questions. What do I tell him?”
“Tell him I had a chance to participate in a small study at the university. Tell him I wish him luck in his fight.” Don’t tell him how much I regret deceiving him, or that I really wish we had met under different circumstances.
Chapter 18
“What do you mean, she’s not coming back for a few more weeks? I’m leaving in two days and I would really like to talk to her. Give me her cell phone number and I’ll just call her.” Bryant couldn’t believe she’d just taken off without a word and wasn’t planning on coming back until well after he’d left Oregon. I thought we were both feeling the chemistry.
“Bryant, you really need to forget about Alice for a while and focus on your upcoming fight.”
Bryant glared at his friend, knowing Zac was right, but not liking it any more coming from him than he had liked when Tavvy said it. “Fine. But I still want to talk to her.”
“I don’t think that would be in your best interest. She did tell me to wish you good luck in your fight and she’d be waiting for your call after it was over.” Tavvy had expanded on Alice’s comments a bit, not feeling the least bit guilty.
“She did? I guess it’s for the best. I just wish I could have seen her before she left.”
Tavvy ignored that last statement and directed their attention back to the meditation exercises he was trying to teach him. Bryant had done really well with the sprint exercises, and now that he could control his breathing, Tavvy wanted to teach him to control his mind just as quickly.
“Okay, now, just clear your mind. Now visualize your breathing, and then visualize where you want the fight to go. Focus your mind and see the outcome.” For the next five minutes, Tavvy walked Bryant and Zac through the exercise, finally calling a halt to the drill and sending both men to shower.
Marguerite was waiting for Tavvy when he came in and together they headed into town to make final preparations for Tavvy’s departure in two days’ time. He’d be leaving the majority of his belongings in Oregon, since he planned on returning to the Anders compound at some point.
Back at the cabins, Zac took a phone call from his wife and Bryant showered, still hurt that Alice hadn’t found a way to tell him she was leaving. That thought stuck with him for the rest of the afternoon, and he finally made a decision. I need to talk to her. Just for a few minutes.
Grabbing his cellphone he headed for the main cabin and Anders. Tavvy didn’t give him Alice’s number, but maybe Anders would see things differently.
Opening the door to the house, he stepped inside and went looking for the housekeeper. He’d always found her in the kitchen, but today she was nowhere in sight. A roast was in the oven and the makings for other dishes sat on the counter. “Marguerite?” No one answered.
He headed toward the back of the house. Anders’ office door was open but he wasn’t there either. Bryant thought Marguerite might be on the back porch. As he headed down the hallway, the sound of a familiar voice stopped him cold in his tracks. Alice?
He stepped in front of the closed door at the end of the hallway and listened. He distinctly heard Alice talking to someone, but the voice sounded strange and the syllables were slurred together at times. What?
Pushing the door ajar just a tiny bit, he stood peering through the small opening—in shock. Alice sat next to an elderly man who lay propped up in a hospital bed. He had the same build as Alice, and where her eyes were the brilliant green of lush summer fields, the older man’s eyes were dark brown.
He continued to watch silently. Alice lifted a spoonful of soup to the old man’s mouth, wiping the side of his lip where it drooped and some of the soup had spilled out. Looking closer, he realized the entire left side of the man’s face was drooping. A stroke patient?
“Daddy, the therapist said you’re doing great and you’re making wonderful progress.”
The rest of her conversation was lost as the realization of what had been taking place for the last two weeks became clear to Bryant. Terry Anders is ill! Too ill to have been training me the last few weeks! His daughter, however, looks fit as a fiddle. God, what an idiot I’ve been!
He must have made some sort of noise because when he opened his eyes he saw Alice looking at him from across the room, tears in her eyes, looking just miserable. “Bryant? What are you doing in here?”
“I came looking for your dad, hoping he’d give me your cellphone number so I could call and speak with you. Guess that’s a moot point now, huh?”
“Alice? Who is that?”
“Daddy, I can explain, but first, I need to talk to Bryant. I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t bother, Alice. Zac and I are leaving first thing in the morning. And should I assume Tavvy was in on this the entire time, too?”
“Bryant, please don’t blame him. I can explain—”
“You know, Alice, right now, I don’t want to hear it. I may not ever be ready to hear it. I have a fight coming up in less than two months. I thought I could trust you, but you’re just like all the other girls. Don’t plan on showing up for the morning run. Zac and I can handle it ourselves.”
“Bry—” she called after him, but he was hightailing it out of there. If she knew one thing about all of this, it was that she needed him to listen to her. She followed him as he stormed through the house, watching as he threw the front door open, only to find Marguerite and Tavvy coming up the steps.
“Bryant?” Tavvy said, seeing Alice standing behind him with her arms wrapped around her in a self-protective gesture. “What’s going on?”
Bryant stopped in front of Tavvy. “I can forgive you for going along with her ruse because I know you only wanted to help me. The offer of the apartment above the school still stands, but Zac and I are leaving first thing in the morning. You’re welcome to come with us or follow later. You do whatever you think is best.”
“Bryant, maybe you and Alice should sit down and talk…”
“No need. Marguerite, thank you for all the good food. I think Zac and I will eat in town tonight, though, if it’s all the same to you.” He practically flew down the steps, not stopping until he was inside the cabin and looking at Zac.
“What’s wrong?” his partner and best friend asked. “You look terrible.”
“What’s wrong is we’ve been duped this entire time. What an idiot I am. We thought Terry Anders was training me? The man can’t even feed himself. He had a stroke and his daughter, Alice, has been pretending she’s her father every day in the gym.”
“Really? I never even suspected. Why do you think she’d do that?”
Bryant shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. I thought maybe we had something worth exploring, but I guess not.”
“So what now?”
“We leave in the morning.”
“And Tavvy?” Zac asked. He knew that Bryant still needed more training if he was going to have a chance to beat Macken.<
br />
“He’s welcome to come or he can stay here. I don’t really care.” I. Don’t. Care. I don’t have the luxury of caring. Alice Anders was only an illusion. There are plenty of more women out there. I’ll finish this fight and then make it a priority to find me one. That’s what I’ll do.
Chapter 19
Bryant had arrived back home a day early, sulky and angry. No matter what they’d tried, he wasn’t talking to anyone. Zac wasn’t telling anyone what was going on either.
Two weeks later, Mason couldn’t stand it any longer. Best friend confidentiality clause my ass! Enough is enough!
“So, what’s up with you?” Mason asked, dodging a jab.
Bryant shook his head and circled around his brother. Ducking, he moved inside him and skillfully executed the back elbow strikes he’d learned in Oregon, catching Mason off guard and landing two solid strikes to his headgear before Mason could possibly defend himself.
“Holy shit! Where’d you learn to do that?” Mason asked, once Bryant moved away from him.
“Anders camp.” I actually learned a lot at the Anders camp, but how am I supposed to admit that I learned those things from a woman? Beck and Mason would laugh their asses off!
“So spill it. What really happened up there? You act like somebody stole your puppy or wrecked your truck.”
“I guess I realized that things aren’t always what they appear.”
Mason studied his younger brother and then smiled slowly. “You met a woman.”
Before he could mask his expression, Bryant knew he’d given himself away.
“Yeah, that’s it, isn’t it? You met a woman up there. What’d she do, ask to drive your truck? Tell you she liked Zac better?”
“No. She lied to me. Simple as that. She lied.”
Mason whistled. “That’s tough.” Bryant had always been the more traditional of the Burton brothers, and he considered honesty and loyalty the most important character traits a person could possess. “Does she know about Natalie?”
“No.”
He actually felt sorry for the woman in question. He didn’t need to know what had happened, but if she had lied to his brother, it would be a cold day in hell before Bryant ever considered forgiving her. She might as well forget she’d ever met Bryant Burton and move on with her life!
***
Alice looked at the calendar, realizing that Bryant’s fight against Macken was in just twenty-four hours. Tavvy had left two weeks earlier for Utah. He’d promised her that he’d try and explain to Bryant why Alice had deceived him, but so far she hadn’t heard anything positive back. Tavvy had said every time he tried to speak to Bryant about his time in Oregon, the fighter shut down or left the room. Every. Fricking. Time.
She was completely frustrated, and she couldn’t get him out of her head. No matter what she tried, nothing seemed to work.
With therapy, Alice’s father continued to improve, and he’d progressed to walking with, a walker and he could feed himself once again. He still needed help dressing and bathing, but Marguerite had those tasks handled.
Alice looked at the calendar one last time and made a decision. She’d never before felt this way about a man, and after numerous conversations with Marguerite, she doubted she ever would again. According to Marguerite, Alice wasn’t one to love easily or casually. The strength of the feelings Bryant had evoked in her deserved to be explored, and since she was the one who had broken their trust, it was up to her to fix it.
She packed a bag and left a note for her father and Marguerite. As she left the house, she worried about what she would say to him when she saw him, but decided she could figure that out later. She had a three-hour drive ahead of her and then a two-hour flight. By this time tomorrow, she’d be sitting in a crowded arena, getting ready to watch Bryant fight. And then she’d see if they had anything worth exploring.
Chapter 20
Tavvy squatted down in front of Bryant and waited until he raised his eyes. “One more round to go. Don’t lose your focus. You need to control your breathing and keep away from his fists.”
He nodded to the medical team who was carefully applying a thick layer of Vaseline to the cut above Bryant’ left eye. “If that cut opens up anymore, the referee won’t have a choice but to stop the fight. Keep away from him and protect your head no matter what. You’ve got this fight won on points, as long as you can hold on during this round.”
Bryant nodded, taking slow breaths as he brought his body back under control. He was tired. His body hurt in some places, and was numb in others. Macken had been a worthy opponent and Bryant realized that without the time he’d spent in Oregon, he would have lost this fight in round one.
“Thirty seconds,” the announcer called.
“Okay, you know what you have to do. Visualize your attack and then make it happen. You can win this. Macken is tired and you’ve landed enough kicks to his thigh, his stance is weakening. Capitalize on that. And watch your damn head!”
Bryant nodded, took another drink from the squirt bottle being held for him, and replaced his mouth guard. Standing up, he clapped his hands a time or two and then nodded once to Tavvy.
Visualizing how he wanted the next three minutes to go, the fighter circled cautiously around Macken, observing how his opponent was favoring his right leg. Bryant smiled inside and lured him in, landing a series of roundhouse kicks to the back of Macken’s right thigh while distracting him by throwing punches at his chest and head.
Macken backed away, wisely keeping a respectful distance for the first time since the match had begun.
Bryant controlled the movement of the ring, keeping himself in the center, and preventing any chance that he might end up with his back against the cage. With Macken’s extra reach and height, the last thing Bryant wanted to do was end this fight on the ground.
They’d fought on the ground a few times in the first two rounds, with Bryant managing to gain his feet again every time. Macken had become increasingly frustrated and he began to make poor decisions, forgetting to protect himself and leaving Bryant openings he was all too glad to take advantage of.
Ninety seconds into the third round, Bryant finally saw the precise opening he’d been waiting for. Turning into Macken as he moved forward with his arms swinging wide, Bryant delivered two harsh elbow strikes to his head and a series of elbow strikes to his ribs before ducking under Macken’s arm and twisting it behind his back.
Sweeping Macken’s feet out from underneath him, he dropped to the ground with the fighter, easily placing Macken in a guillotine hold while he was still dazed. He tightened his hold around Macken’s neck, waiting for him to either pass out or tap out. When he felt Macken’s body go lax, he looked up to meet the eyes of the referee who also read the signals correctly—he immediately ended the fight.
Bryant released his hold on Macken’s neck and pushed his body away. Rising to his feet, Bryant lifted his hands in victory. The referee called for doctors to attend to Macken and then joined Bryant in the center of the ring. The announcer declared Bryant the winner by submission via knockout.
Sweating, exhausted, Bryant grinned. He’d won. He was on his way at last. And Anders—both of them—had put him here. He scanned the crowd for the one person he wanted to see the most—really wanted to see. He wanted to see her face, her eyes, her smile. He knew she wouldn’t be here, but he wanted her to share this moment with him.
Chapter 21
The crowd went wild, and Alice could see Tavvy repeatedly slapping Bryant on the back. Throngs of well-wishers surrounded Bryant and Tavvy and the other Burton brothers, who’d joined Bryant in the ring.
In the crowd, Alice sat still, watching Bryant soak in the accolades of his adoring audience, glad the fight was over and she could stop worrying about him. He had several cuts on his face, and no doubt the cut above his eye would need stitches, but other than that and a few body bruises, he had fared better than most fighters who’d gone up against Macken. And he’d won!
; The crowd dissipated and Alice kept her seat in the stands, watching the action unfold around her. Since Bryant’s card had been the last of the evening, there was no hurry for the different camps to leave the cage in a hurry. The celebration continued for a while, before the doctors began urging Bryant back to the locker room.
Alice watched him leave with Tavvy, unaware of the two men who were watching her from the side of the cage. One of them grabbed Zac and pointed at her. Zac nodded vigorously, and the men slapped him on the back and headed in her direction.
“Alice?” a voice asked from above her, drawing her eyes away from the tunnel into which Bryant had disappeared only moments before.
“Yes? Do I know you?” The two men standing in the row below hers were gorgeous. Looking into their eyes, she suddenly realized who they were. “Bryant’s brothers, right?”
”Good guess, we’re not all as bad-looking as Bry.” Mason said with a smile. “I’m guessing you’re the girl he’s been mopping about for the past two weeks.”
Alice felt her cheeks color.
“So, what’s your intentions with our brother?” Beck asked.
Behind them she could see Zac. “Didn’t his sparring partner tell you?”
Beck shook his head. “Nope. Care to share yourself?”
“Not really. Let’s just say I owe your brother a rather large apology.”
“And you couldn’t have delivered that before his fight?” Beck asked.
“I didn’t want to distract him. I knew Tavvy would be working with him on his focus and I didn’t want to mess that up for him.”
“Listen, I can see you meant well.” Mason pressed his lips together. “But, Bry’s been burned in the past with women. Badly. He ain’t as tough as he looks. And those types of wounds take a long time to heal.”
Alice swallowed as she studied the eldest Burton brother, seeing the determination in his eyes to protect his brother from anything that might wish him harm. “I’m sorry, this was a mistake.” Alice turned to leave.
MMA Fighter's Fierce Temptation (The Burton Brothers Series Book 1) Page 7
