The Fighter's Block

by Hadley Quinn

  “He’s had a brother that’s taken advantage of him his whole life. Now that’s no longer a problem. Makes sense. He’s finding his own way, but maybe he’s desperate for money. Is there anything else about Andy that you can tell me? Did he say anything about Brian’s murder?”

  Dominic slowly shook his head. “We didn’t exactly chat it up. I only questioned him on how long this was going to go on. He actually said he didn’t want anything else to do with me; he just needed some money so he could leave town. I don’t want to sound hopeful, but I kind of believe him.”

  Cole silently considered that. Based on Andy’s meek and battered personality, it sounded probable. The guy was a total loner, a computer hacker with a conscience. His brother had used him for whatever he could. He was a habitual weed smoker, and other than a trip to work and back, he pretty much kept to himself and his computer.

  Cole stood and handed Mr. Martin a card with his number. “If Andy or anyone else calls you, let me know. Don’t let on that anyone knows about this, though. Go along with the phone conversation and agree with the demands, but call me next.”

  Dominic nodded.

  “And as for the other people involved in this, you might want to get a different lawyer. I’ve investigated Clarence Teagan for other cases and he’s not exactly tooting the ethics horn.”

  Dominic knew this but didn’t respond. He only nodded and watched Cole walk himself to the door. But one thought did occur to him and he stood.

  “Will you be telling Danielle about all of this?”

  Cole stopped and turned to face him. “She’s going to know one way or another. I suggest you find a way to do it yourself first.”

  Dominic’s face looked grim, but it wasn’t Cole’s problem. The guy had gone too far and he wasn’t going to stand there and reassure him about a single thing.

  He’d made his bed.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “This is bringing back some very happy memories,” Dani said, enjoying the feel of her husband’s arms holding her close. They were back on the pier in Atlantic City, reminiscing about their first trip together.

  “All I can remember is that I was some weak ass sap that was babbling about being in love,” Van replied.

  Dani laughed. “Aw, you were so cute.”

  He smiled as he kissed her head. “But it was the best moment of my life because the girl said she loved me back.”

  “Smart girl. I bet she would also tell you that you’re the most incredible man she’s ever met.”

  “Oh?”

  She nodded. “Yep. And that she loves you so much, sometimes it hurts. And that she looks forward to every up or down with you, no matter what.”

  “I love up and down.”

  She chuckled. “And she’d also tell you that she needs you more than anyone she’s ever needed in her life, and that she couldn’t make it through much without you.”

  “She sounds desperate.”

  With a laugh she lightly swatted his chest. “She sounds deeply and madly in love with you.”

  “That’s sounds pretty cool, too. Does she look good naked?”

  Dani laughed again and laid her face against him. “I don’t know, but I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if she didn’t look her best on occasion.”

  “Meh, I’m easy to work with once I’ve been won over.”

  “Oh? You mean you wouldn’t care if she gained, say, thirty pounds in the next seven-and-a-half months?”

  He lightly laughed. “Is she planning to go into plus-sized modeling?”

  Dani smiled and pulled back to face him. “No,” she replied seriously. “In fact, she plans to be done with modeling for good.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And why would she do that?”

  She softly bit her lip and placed her hands against his neck, lovingly running her thumbs along his jaw line. “Because she’s going to have your baby.”

  Van had been ready for a playful retort, but he pretty much froze as he stared at her. Dani waited for a reaction expectantly, but wasn’t sure if he was too surprised to reply or was devastated with the news.

  “I’m pregnant, Van,” she added. “We’re going to have a baby.”

  He finally swallowed. “Baby? Are you—are you—?”

  “Am I sure?” she tried with a smile. “Yes, I’m sure.”

  He swallowed again. His heart was pounding in his chest but he didn’t know what it meant. He wasn’t scared anymore, was he? A month ago hearing that news might have freaked him out, but now… Damn. Now he couldn’t be happier.

  “Wow, Dani. A baby.”

  He pulled her against his chest and pressed his lips to the top of her head. These last few months had been a whirlwind for him and he was still trying to keep up. He thought of the incredible relationship he shared with his wife and adding a kid just seemed to fit. He didn’t know what kind of parent he would be, but he would sure as hell try his best.

  Dani wrapped her arms around his neck and studied his face. “I’m guessing you’re okay with this but I can’t read you very well right now, Van. I know it’s a total surprise but—”

  “Okay with this?” he repeated with a smile. “Dani, I’m— Well, I’m surprised, yeah, but baby, this is… I’m more than okay with this. Having a family with you… I don’t know how good I’ll be but I’ll try. I’ll give you everything I have, babe. I know nothing about babies or pregnancy or…any of that shit.”

  She lightly laughed.

  “But I want this with you, Dani. I swear to God.”

  He leaned down and kissed her, savoring the taste of her lips and her tongue, and the idea that she was carrying his child. What a shocking thing for him to be so excited over!

  “I’m due in March,” she told him, looking into his eyes. “A year since we met. Kind of suiting.”

  He smiled at the thought. It was hard to believe he’d only known her for five months. They’d been through so much and it seemed like he’d known her much longer than that. “Have you been to a doctor?” he asked. “I want you to have the best care, sweetheart. Whatever you need—”

  “I’ve seen a doctor.” She smiled at his protective nature. “I’m only about six weeks along; I have another appointment in two weeks if you want to come with me.”

  “Fuck yeah—I mean, yeah, I do. I’ll go with you to anything. Everything.”

  “They’ll be scheduling an ultrasound for the beginning of September. We’ll be able to find out what we’re having if you want to know.”

  “You mean if it’s a boy or girl?”

  She nodded.

  He thought about it for a second. “What do you think? Do you want to know? I’m not sure if I care either way but…”

  “It doesn’t matter to me if we’re having a boy or girl, but I think it’d be fun to know. I don’t think I want to wait until March to find out.”

  He smiled when she did and nodded his head. “Yeah, that’s how I feel. I mean damn… A baby.” He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. “Let’s go celebrate. We’ll grab everyone back at the casino and have a party.”

  He took her hand and pulled her along with him. She was laughing as he scooped her up in a cradle and kissed her as he walked.

  Their friends really were in Atlantic City with them that weekend. It was Dani’s idea that they all get together to celebrate life and the fact that Van had been released. She secretly felt reason to celebrate because Brian was now out of her life, but she kept that to herself.

  They spotted Cody first. Van could barely wait until his hand of blackjack was over before he made him come along with them. Cody found Paul, and Marnie was with Jaime at the slots. Without knowing what was going on, they all gathered at the restaurant, waiting to find out why Van had the biggest grin on his face. The guys thought maybe he had just won a shitload of money, which would explain why he was willing to buy them all lunch.

  Van put his arm around Dani and proudly announced, “This beautiful woman is carrying my baby.” He put his
hand on her stomach for effect and there was an array of reactions at the table.

  “Oh my God!” Jaime squealed.

  “Dude, that’s awesome,” Cody offered.

  “Congrats, man,” Paul said.

  “A baby? Holy shit!”

  That, of course, was Marnie.

  “When are you due?” Jaime asked.

  “March.”

  “It better be a boy,” Cody joked. “We need those fighting genes to be passed along.”

  “It’ll be a girl with those same fighting genes,” Paul said.

  Everyone laughed.

  “God, I hope not,” Van scoffed with a chuckle.

  “You get what you get when it comes to kids,” Marnie said matter-of-factly. “But either way, it’ll be a good looking kid.”

  “Yes, I agree,” said Jaime. “You two are going to have beautiful children. And they’ll have great parents, I have no doubt. You guys will do a wonderful job.”

  Dani liked hearing her sister’s assurance and she smiled. “Thanks, Jaime.”

  “So what does this mean for your career?” Cody asked. “Nothing’s gonna change, right? You still gonna fight, still gonna live on The Block, right?”

  The table went silent. Van and Dani glanced at each other but Van shrugged. “Haven’t discussed it yet. Family first, bro. We’ll go from there.”

  There were nods of agreement, even though the group figured he would still continue to fight. It was in his blood to compete and nothing was going to take him away from it.

  There was only one person that disagreed with that notion, and that was Van himself.

  ***

  Monday began the familiar regiment of getting ready for a fight. Van was still scheduled to compete in the upcoming cash tournament and he hoped that his stint in jail hadn’t set him back physically.

  He hit the gym hard from the start.

  Dani had finished the advertisements for the event and they looked incredible. Mickey decided on two different styles, both showing pictures of the top fighters that would be competing in the event. Van was one of them, and Dani loved the picture of him so much that she enlarged the image just to hang in their apartment. Van thought it was odd, but these days he did anything he could to make her happy.

  She was at home on Friday when Van was at the gym. It was strange that she hadn’t seen Cole for such a long time. She’d only seen him once since Van had been released and it was because she’d knocked on his door to talk to him. He’d been just about to leave for the day and said he didn’t have time to talk. She thanked him for the advice he’d given her about Quincy and apologized once again for involving him in her messy life. He’d barely smiled and said, “Don’t worry about it.”

  And then he had to rush off somewhere.

  Today Dani knocked on his door again and waited for quite a while. There was no answer so she headed back to her apartment. He just so happened to be exiting the stairwell, saw her, and was about to retreat until she spotted him. It was too late to avoid her and she waited by her apartment door as he came down the hall.

  “Hey, stranger. Your brother must really keep you busy lately because I never see you anymore,” she said, looking over his worn jeans and t-shirt. She assumed he’d been at work.

  He barely nodded as he stopped five feet from her. “Yeah, it’s still summertime. Lots to do.”

  “Come on in,” she motioned. “I made enchiladas for my sister and her kids but they can’t make it until tonight. The food is still warm and it needs eaten.”

  She entered the apartment and left him standing there with the door wide open.

  He followed her in, hoping it would be easier than giving her another bullshit excuse. He’d uncovered so much about her life that it was ridiculous how much he knew her. She had no idea that her parents were behind the recent misery in her life, and she had no idea that someone from the Divehouse really might have set Van up for Brian’s murder. She was also unaware that Andy had been threatening to publicize the video of her over the Internet. The recording was non-existent, but Cole didn’t even believe Andy would have gone that far anyways. It was all about the money.

  “I can’t stay long,” he stated as he softly shut the door behind him. He looked around the apartment, not sure if he wanted Van to be there or not. He assumed he was at the gym.

  “You can eat, right? Or would you like me to pack it up so you can eat it later?”

  “Uh, I can eat here. Thanks.”

  She was pleased as she dished him up a pair of enchiladas. When she set the plate on the table she asked, “Salsa, sour cream, guacamole?”

  “Sure, all three.”

  Again she smiled as she set three small dishes on the table by his plate, along with some shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes.

  “Are you going to eat, too?” he asked as he sat. “Did you eat yet?”

  “Um, no I haven’t, but that’s for you. I can eat later.”

  “I won’t eat unless you do,” he replied, folding his arms across his chest defiantly.

  She narrowed her eyes at him but relented because she knew he was serious. She reluctantly dished herself half of an enchilada, grabbed a beer for Cole, and sat across from him.

  “You know, pregnancy affects people’s appetites,” she told him. “I do eat. But after spending the time making this, it just didn’t look appealing anymore.”

  He took a bite so he didn’t have to look at her beautiful face. When he swallowed he asked, “How you feeling lately? Everything okay?”

  She’d been watching him carefully, just about to ask him the same thing. Why did he seem so uncomfortable around her these days? She seriously wondered if he’d been avoiding her lately.

  “I’m feeling fine, thank you,” she replied. “Kind of tired once in a while, and like I said, food just appeals to me differently. I ate a tomato for breakfast,” she scowled.

  That made him chuckle a little. “Hey that’s a fruit, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe,” she laughed. “But who would salt it and eat it like an apple?”

  He finally glanced at her with a lifted brow. “Apparently you.”

  “Apparently so,” she smiled. Now he was at least amusing. Maybe he just had things going on lately.

  She cut a tiny piece from her food and took a bite. No, it didn’t taste like something she wanted to eat at the moment. But she forced it down and asked, “Have I offended you somehow, Cole?”

  He almost dropped his fork. When he made himself look at her, the worry lines on her face were apparent. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “No, of course not. Why would you think that?”

  “Well I’m sure you’ve been busy working, but it just seems like you’ve been avoiding me lately. But not only that, you seem really… I don’t know, short with me.”

  Did that mean impatient? Rude? He wasn’t sure but it made him feel bad. He did the only thing he could do and decided to tell her the truth. “I have been really busy lately. And yeah, I kind of have some things going on, so I’m really sorry if I seem distant.”

  She examined his face as he took another bite. It made sense to her, but he seemed way uneasy around her—more than when they’d first met.

  “So you’re not mad at me for that whole thing with Quincy?”

  He looked up at her. “Mad at you? Hell no, I’m not mad. You helped the case, so that helps me.” He’d said it before even thinking about it and quickly added, “I was worried you were going to do something stupid. You saved me the trouble of bailing you out of jail for breaking and entering.”

  She lightly laughed. “Ah, but I thought you were going to do that for me,” she teased. “But really, Cole. I’m so sorry for all of that. I don’t know what got into me. I was just so worried about Van and I was so afraid Quincy would run and I just… I wanted to help and Van had asked me not to. I was desperate. Lapse of judgment.”

  “You didn’t trust Van’s lawyer?” he had to ask.

  “Jack? Yes, I trusted Jack. But he’
s really secretive sometimes and I just… Okay, maybe I didn’t trust anyone at the time,” she admitted. “It was all really scary.”

  “Understandable,” he nodded. “But it’s over now.”

  “Somewhat.”

  He gave her a side-glance. “What do you mean? They couldn’t find anything solid that linked Van to the crime. His lawyer’s motion for a dismissal was a given. No judge could overlook how flimsy the so-called evidence was.” Cole couldn’t exactly go into detail because Dani would get suspicious about how much he knew.

  “And that’s it? Brian’s case goes unsolved?”

  He paused as he considered a response. “No, it won’t go unsolved. They’ll keep investigating it.”

  “And we won’t know anything until someone else is arrested?”

  Cole shrugged. “What is it that you need to know? Who they’re looking into? That sort of thing? Are you worried about someone in particular?”

  She didn’t answer right away. She’d considered all kinds of possibilities since Van was arrested. Someone had obviously wanted to frame him for Brian’s murder. Who would do something like that?

  “Dani, is there something you’re scared of?” Cole asked. “You seem really…uneasy. Is it just because the case is unsolved or is there something else?”

  “I’m worried about Van, I guess. I don’t want anything else to come from this, but I’m sure it will.”

  “You mean other people that were involved?”

  “Yes. What Quincy did was bad enough. I don’t know if he was involved in anything else, but I’m not sure if I want to know. If he had been working for Brian, maybe he found out about the diamonds. Maybe he killed him for that. But did Brian ever come across the diamonds? Where did Quincy get the box? Did he have them?”

  These were all very legitimate questions that Cole couldn’t discuss with her. Quincy claimed to know nothing about the jewelry, and when asked about the silver box, he said it was what Brian stuck the money in when he paid him the second half of the ten grand.

  But he couldn’t give her that information because it wasn’t public knowledge yet. “Let’s go over the whole diamond thing again. So you think that Brian saw them, knew they were in his apartment, but later on, when you moved out, he thought you took them?”