Tyler's Undoing (Gloves Off Book 3)

by Dover, L. P.

  He said it like he didn’t believe it. It wasn’t like I would want to wear a bathing suit to a club anyway. It wasn’t my style. “Like who? Bree?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. “Did you and Cole deliberately not tell us because you thought we would argue?”

  He smirked and grabbed my hand, lifting it to his lips. “You, I wasn’t worried about. But Bree is a little wilder. Cole and I are just trying to avoid getting into trouble, which still might be hard considering you’re hot as hell and I know everyone will be looking at you.”

  “You do realize you’re being a little overprotective, right? Don’t get me wrong, it’s flattering, but you have nothing to worry about. I’ll be by your side all night.”

  “Trust me,” he said, kissing my palm, “I don’t plan on letting you go. I’m only here for Jake. He’s like a second father to me.”

  We pulled up to the Labyrinth and waiting outside the doors were people in nothing but bare skin and scraps of cloth covering their bodies. Oh, my God. This was his last place of employment. “Do you miss working here?”

  Tyler parked his truck and sighed, “Sometimes I do, but now I’m too busy with training. I just don’t have the time. I kind of like working at the gym now that we have a hot new employee.”

  “Yeah, I kind of like my new job too,” I giggled.

  “So are you ready to go in?” he asked, pointing at the club. “The sooner we make our appearance the sooner we can go home.”

  He didn’t have to tell me twice. I worked at a bar for so long, I was over the hype of it all. Opening my door, Tyler walked around to my side and put his arm around my waist. When we walked up to the line, I half expected us to have to wait. But of course Tyler kept going until we got to the front door and he strolled right on in.

  “The VIP treatment, huh?” I teased.

  “What can I say? I’m a very important person.”

  Rolling my eyes, he pulled me into the club and my mouth dropped wide open. Music blared over the speakers and there were people dancing everywhere. I got a little more than I bargained for when I saw a woman’s breasts flop out of her bathing suit top.

  Tyler shook his head. “And that is exactly why I didn’t want you wearing your bikini here. I’m the only one who has the privilege of seeing your tits.”

  “You’re such a caveman,” I teased, smacking him on the arm. “I can show my tits to anyone I want.”

  Jokingly, he winked and took my hand. “Yeah, but they might not live long enough to enjoy them. Come on, Cole said they were going to meet us at the bar.”

  On the way there, a group of girls hollered out Tyler’s name and waved him over, bouncing up and down in their skimpy bikinis.

  “Friends of yours?” I asked, glaring up at him.

  He let go of my hand and put his arm around my waist. “Do I need to shout it out to the world that I’m taken? Because I will if that’ll make you happy.” He waved at the girls but kept walking past, not acknowledging them any further. That earned a couple of snarls and glares sent my way, but I didn’t care. I was bound to get plenty more where that came from.

  “No, I just need to get used to people wanting you. I’ve never been with anyone that was in such high demand.”

  Glancing around the room there were a handful of people in regular clothes, but then I happened to get an eye full of a couple of men in Speedos. No matter how good looking a man was, there was no way in hell seeing him in a speedo was sexy. Well, maybe except for Tyler; he would look good wearing nothing but a sombrero and knee-high dress socks. I laughed picturing it in my mind.

  Up ahead, Cole and Bree sat at the bar with a couple of drinks. Cole was in a pair of khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, while Bree wore a little blue sundress. When Bree spotted me, she jumped out of her seat and pulled me down to the seat beside her, passing me a tequila sunrise.

  “Drink up, my lady. I bet you’re glad your boyfriend doesn’t work here anymore, aren’t you?”

  Shaking his head incredulously at Bree, he sat down on the stool beside me and ordered a double shot of whiskey on the rocks. Looking around at all of the half-naked bodies, I was actually kind of glad he didn’t work there anymore.

  “She has nothing to worry about, Bree.”

  But, I did.

  Bree tossed back her margarita and grabbed my hand, her eyes glassy from one too many drinks.

  “How many have you had?” I asked as she pulled me out of my seat.

  “Oh, just a couple. Cole and I were a little preoccupied this afternoon so I’m kind of drinking on an empty stomach.”

  Great, she’s going to get sick.

  Putting her arm around my shoulder, she glanced over at the dance floor where a slew of people were dancing. “You know what? I think we need to go out there and show those people how to dance. You up for it?”

  No, not really. I knew how to dance, but I hadn’t been to a dance club since I left California. I didn’t want to go out there looking like an idiot. Groaning, I turned to Tyler who shrugged his shoulders, smirking.

  “Don’t look at me, beautiful. I’d be happy to watch you two dance.”

  “So would I,” Cole agreed, coming up behind Bree, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Show us what you got, mama.”

  Tilting her head to the side, she kissed his lips and winked. “With pleasure.”

  Here we go.

  I looked back at Tyler, hoping he would save me, but all he and Cole did was laugh and turn their stools toward the dance floor so they could watch us. Typical men. If he wasn’t going to dance with me, I was going to make sure he regretted it. Smiling wickedly, I got behind Bree, putting my hands on her waist, and danced provocatively behind her, keeping my attention on Tyler.

  Slowly, he brought the glass of whiskey to his lips and watched me over the rim.

  “I think they like this,” Bree shouted, giggling.

  “Yeah, but they’re not the only ones,” I replied, looking around the room at a few other men who had eyeballs fixed on us . . . one of whom I recognized. Especially since his chest was bare and I could see the skull tattoo that took up his whole left bicep.

  Underneath the baseball cap he had sitting low on his forehead, I knew there would be dark brown hair and a set of hazel eyes peeking from underneath. And by the mischievous leer on his face, he recognized me, which wasn’t a good thing. His name was Jordan Graham, and he was a friend of my brother’s. If he was at the club, my brother was close by.

  Quickly, I glanced over at Tyler, but his attention was set on a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair, dressed in black slacks and a blue button down shirt. If I had to make a guess, I’d say it was probably Jake, the owner.

  “Bree, I need to get out of here,” I shouted in her ear. I turned to look for Jordan, but he wasn’t there anymore. Shit!

  Bree turned around and cupped her ear, still dancing to the song with a goofy grin on her face. “What did you say?”

  About that time, a set of arms wrapped around my waist and I immediately stiffened when I noticed the skull tattoo out of the corner of my eye.

  I elbowed him in the arm, but it didn’t faze him. The prick laughed and held me tighter. Bree’s eyes went wide and she rushed off toward the bar, no doubt to get Tyler. “You need to get off of me,” I warned him, clenching my teeth.

  “Or what? You’re going to get your boyfriend to kick my ass? I’d like to see him try. Ooh . . . maybe we could even get him suspended from the fight?”

  I gasped. It was a trap. Jordan wasn’t a fighter, so no one would recognize him. My brother set it up perfectly. When Jordan’s hand lifted to my breast I saw nothing but red, an insurmountable rage boiling through my veins. I was going to kill my brother for this.

  Thankful I was wearing a shoe with a heel, I lifted my foot and slammed it down on Jordan’s as hard as I could. He growled and let me go, but when I tried to run through the crowd, he caught my arm and pulled me back, his grip brutally tight.

  “You’re not g
oing anywhere, Kacey. I haven’t had my fun yet. Don’t you want to stay and watch? Your boyfriend’s almost here.”

  He swung me around so that I faced him. Over his shoulder Tyler’s gaze finally landed on us once Bree rushed up to him. I tried to push Jordan away, but he held me too damn tight. My struggles only infuriated Tyler even more when he realized what was happening. The room crackled like fire as he stormed his way through the crowd, everyone giving him a wide berth.

  Jordan cackled in my ear. “Show time.”

  Once Tyler made it to us, Jordan pretended to be oblivious and grinded against me.

  “You need to let her go, now!” Tyler demanded.

  Jordan smiled down at me and winked before turning to acknowledge Tyler. “Oh, hey man, what’s up? Is this your chick?”

  He let me go and I rushed over to Tyler’s side, grabbing a hold of his arm. I couldn’t let him fight. “Tyler, let’s go. He’s just a drunk asshole. The last thing you need is to get into a fight.”

  Nostrils flaring, he glared at Jordan and clenched his hands into tight fists. “Easier said than done when you watch a piece of shit putting their hands on what’s mine.”

  Desperately, I looked up at Cole who was on Tyler’s other side and silently demanded his help.

  Cole nodded and slapped Tyler on the shoulder. “Come on, Rushing. This cocksucker isn’t worth fucking up your title fight this weekend. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Please, Tyler, let’s go,” I pleaded, pulling on his arm.

  He snarled at Jordan and thankfully turned on his heel, placing his arm protectively over my shoulders. The front door felt like it was miles away, but we got there quickly and started for his truck. As fast as we went, we didn’t get out of there before Jordan started in on round two, following us.

  “You know, I have to say your chick can really move on the dance floor. My dick got so fucking hard rubbing it against her ass,” he said. Then he pointed to Bree. “Actually, I was hoping to get a little double action, if you know what I mean.”

  Abruptly, Tyler stopped and I knew it was over. Even when I looked over at Cole he knew it too.

  “Tyler, please,” I begged. “Keep walking. He’s trying to get you in trouble. Don’t let him win.” He wouldn’t look down at me—it was like he wasn’t even there.

  Jordan, however, didn’t stop. He kept adding fuel to the fire. “When you get tired of her, make sure to pass her my way. I know guys like you can go through several in a week.”

  Tyler moved so fast, all I felt was the rush of wind as he took off and tackled Jordan to the ground. Jordan might not be an MMA fighter, but he learned how to fight from my brother. And my brother was dirty. Tyler pounded on Jordan’s face, but then Jordan got free and rolled away, getting to his feet quickly.

  Laughing, Jordan wiped the blood off of his lip with the back of his hand. “So . . . the elusive Tyler Rushing is hard up over a female. Since you’re not going to share, can I at least compliment her nice rack? I got a pretty good handful of them earlier.”

  Tyler lunged again, but this time he hit Jordan so hard on the side of the face, he fell limp to the ground, smacking his head on the concrete. Gasping, I closed my eyes and covered my face with my hands, tears streaming down my cheeks. It was one thing to see a fight in the ring, but it was another seeing it for real, with real emotions.

  With his back to me, Tyler hung his head as Cole knelt down by Jordan’s limp body to check on him. Bree rushed to my side and put her arms around me, crying hysterically.

  “Oh my God, Kace, what are we going to do?”

  About that time, two sets of blue lights pulled into the parking lot and came straight toward us. Two officers jumped out of the car, one heading straight for Tyler and the other toward Cole and Jordan. The one who approached Tyler shook his head and sighed. Apparently, they knew each other.

  “When I got the call, I didn’t expect it to be you, son,” he announced regretfully. “You know I’m going to have to take you both in for questioning.”

  With his hands bloody and torn up at his sides, Tyler looked over at Jordan; who finally rolled over onto his back and slowly got to his feet, blood dripping down the side of his face. Since he was shirtless, the skin on his back was torn up from sliding across the pavement.

  “That’s fine, detective,” Tyler replied. “The cocksucker deserved it after physically harassing my girlfriend.”

  The detective turned his attention to me and Bree and lifted his brows. I raised my hand so he’d know it was me Tyler was referring to. When the detective approached, Tyler finally turned around and looked at me, he looked regretful.

  “I’m Detective Ryan Griffin,” he announced, extending his hand.

  I took his hand and shook it. “I’m Kacey Andrews.”

  The detective pointed to Jordan who was talking to the other officer. “Is that the guy who harassed you, Miss?”

  “Yes,” I answered.

  “What did he do?”

  Tyler turned his head, clenching his jaw. He didn’t want to hear it. As quietly as I could, I leaned forward and replied, “He grabbed my chest while we were in the club, detective. And then he followed us out here to the parking lot and instigated the fight. He also mentioned something about seeing if he could get Tyler suspended from the next fight.”

  He glanced at Cole and Bree and they both nodded in agreement. “All right, Miss Andrews, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to follow us to the station. It might be a little while before Tyler gets out, but I’m sure he’d rather have you there waiting for him instead of his father.” Turning to Tyler, he pointed to his car. “Let’s go, son.”

  Instead of going to the police car, he came to me and reached for my hand, giving me the keys to his truck. “I’m sorry, Kacey. I should’ve walked away, but I just couldn’t knowing that he touched you. Please say you forgive me. You don’t have to wait for me at the station.”

  I leaned up on my tip toes and gently kissed his lips. “I’m coming, Tyler. I’m not going to leave you there. I’ll wait for however long it takes.”

  Folding me in his arms, he kissed the side of my neck. “I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  All too soon he was out of my arms and in the back of the police car, being driven away. I had no clue what was going to happen or what his future held. If he got disqualified from the fight this weekend, then my brother had won. However, if Tyler didn’t get disqualified, then my brother was going to strike again. I had to tell Tyler the truth, now.

  ABOUT FIVE HOURS later, it was closing in on four o’clock in the morning and I was still at the police station. I watched as a couple of drunk men were brought in and taken away, along with a couple of prostitutes who were dressed in strips of cloth. It was an interesting night. It brought back memories of the times I had to pick my brother up from the local jailhouse.

  “Kacey?” a voice called out.

  Standing, I turned around to see the middle-aged guy, who was talking to Tyler in the club, head my way. “Jake?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I wanted to get here sooner, but I had to close up the club. I’m sorry about what happened.” He held out his hand toward the seats, so I sat down with him joining me.

  “It’s just a huge mess,” I complained. “What if Tyler can’t fight this weekend? What if he gets in trouble?”

  “That’s not going to happen. I know the people here and so does Tyler. He was just defending you.”

  “You think so?” I asked, hopeful.

  He turned to me and smiled. “I know so.”

  About two hours and several cups of stale coffee later, Jake had already told me about his wife who passed away from cancer, how he started the club, and how Tyler was like a son to him. He even told me about the time he made Tyler wear a toga one night for work. I would’ve loved to have seen that. I was sitting there laughing about it when Tyler strolled around the corner with the detective by his side. Jake and I both got to our feet, wait
ing on the verdict.

  Curiously, Tyler lifted his brows. “Do I want to know what you’re laughing at?”

  I snickered again. “Jake was just telling me stories about you and your toga wearing days. I needed to hear something funny to take away the edge.”

  Detective Griffin smiled and patted Tyler on the back before nodding at me and Jake. “It’s all good. Tyler can go now.” Turning on his heel, he waltzed off and passed Tyler’s file to the guy at the desk.

  “So, what’s going on?” I asked, glancing down at Tyler’s hands. They were clean, with no traces of blood, and only minor scratches.

  Tyler followed my gaze and looked down at his hands, sighing. “I’m in the clear. I can fight this weekend. However, I was told that I might need anger management classes.”

  Jake sniggered and slapped him on the shoulder. “No, you don’t. Any full-blooded male would’ve beaten the shit out of that guy for doing what he did. Just go home and get some rest. Your father isn’t going to lighten up your training just because you spent the whole night in jail.”

  “Isn’t that the fucking truth,” he grumbled.

  Once Jake said his goodbyes, I walked with Tyler out to the parking lot and to his truck. I still had his keys, so I unlocked the doors and hopped in the driver’s seat.

  “Have you been here the whole time?” he asked.

  Nodding, I started the truck and slowly crept out of the parking lot. “Yep,” I replied. “I wasn’t going to just leave you there. Jake kept me company after a while, so it wasn’t that bad.”

  “Well, I’m glad he could entertain you. Once everything is said and done, I’m going to need a good laugh as well. I came so damn close to not being able to compete.”

  Licking my dry lips, my heart pounded so hard it hurt and my hands started to sweat. “Tyler, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

  He leaned his head against the seat and turned his attention to me. “What is it, beautiful?”