“What?” I sound like a broken record, but my mind is having a tough time processing that not only am I done with rehab, but I have a fight. I hadn’t fought for months before I landed myself at Mountain View.
Max’s chuckle sounds over the line. “I know it’s a lot of news to take in at once. I’ll be there to pick you up tomorrow afternoon.”
Fuck, tomorrow? That’s too soon. I need more time with Tanner.
Thinking fast, I blurt the first idea to come to mind. “Actually, why don’t I meet you at the gym instead? There’s someone I want to introduce you to.”
“You met someone in rehab?” Max sounds skeptical at the thought. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to get involved with someone who has their own addiction to battle?”
His worry isn’t unwarranted, but I know once he meets Tanner, he’ll see there’s nothing to get worked up about.
“Trust me when I say I am a changed man and that being in rehab has made me see the light in a lot of ways. I’m no longer looking for quick hook ups with bimbos. You’ll understand tomorrow. Just trust me Max, please.”
His sigh is loud in my ear, but he relents saying he’ll see me and my guest tomorrow. We say our goodbyes and I head back to my man.
I’m outside our bedroom door, which is cracked, when I hear voices inside. Stopping to listen and take stock of the situation, I hear Christian pleading with Tanner.
“Come on, baby. I miss you. You know we’re better together than the two of you. He’s not even gay, he’s probably only using you because you’re available while he’s here.”
Christian’s words piss me off. I might have fought against my attraction to men, tried to ignore the way Tanner lit my body on fire, but that doesn’t mean what we have isn’t real, or that I’m using him.
“Fuck right off, Christian. You’re an arrogant prick who thinks money will get him everything, including me. It didn’t work before, and it won’t work now. We had a good time together, and yeah, I really liked you until that stunt you pulled. But we’re over. I don’t want anything to do with you. I like Lennox and I won’t let you ruin this for me.”
I’m curious what happened between the two of them, but I’ve always been afraid to bring it up. I didn’t want Tanner to think it made a difference in how I feel about him.
“You’re going to regret saying that Tanner. You have no idea what my money can buy me.”
With those words, Christian slams out of the room, a nasty snarl on his lips when he sees me standing there. “He’s mine. You’ll see. Money can buy so many things, and I know his price now.”
I chose not to engage him and push past him, firmly closing the door and turning the lock. When I turn to the bed, Tanner is a wreck. Christian obviously has a way of rattling him. I’m positive it has to do with whatever stunt he mentioned earlier.
I want to push him to tell me, but decide he needs comforting more than confrontation right now. I strip my shorts and tee off and climb in beside him, opening my arms. He cuddles up against me and I sigh out in contentment at how perfect we fit together. My worries about Christian the gnat can wait for another day.
Chapter 14
Tanner
I follow Lennox out of the car, staring at the impressive Rock Hard Gym. After he filled me in on what Max had to say, we packed up and headed out last night. Rockmound wasn’t far, just a few hours from Mountain View, but we needed—I needed—to be away from the rehab center and Christian. We spent the night at a motel just outside town, and while it made me uncomfortable the staff knew Lennox well, my man himself made sure to show me how much all that was in the past.
An impressive man with a cute Latina at his side waits by the doors. Mad Max Malone is exactly how I pictured him from the way Lennox talked about—more like idolized—the man when I asked him to tell me about his mentor.
“Hi there, I’m Max and this lovely lady is my wife, Layla.” He reaches out a hand to shake while gesturing with his head to the woman beside him.
“Tanner, it’s nice to meet you. Lennox has told me a lot about you.”
“Really? Hmm, interesting since he never mentioned you as anything other than his sponsor. His rehab is over, so why are you here?” Max lifts a brow to punctuate his question.
I swallow and look over to Lennox, the panic clear on my face. We have talked for hours about everything under the sun, but not once did we talk about whether he was going to be out with his team.
Layla slaps Max in the chest, hard. “You big oaf, leave the poor man alone. He’s obviously important to Lennox if he brought him here to meet you, so quit trying to intimidate him and run him off.”
Lennox steps up beside me and grabs up my hand. “Layla’s right, he is important to me. Max this is Tanner, my boyfriend.”
Max’s mouth falls open in shock at first, but then he closes it and a smile spreads wide on his face. “Well, its about damn time you discovered who you are.”
“What are you talking about? You mean you knew I liked guys? How is that possible when I didn’t even know?” Lennox shoots off question after question, his blue eyes full of shock and a tiny bit of fear. “Does everyone know?”
“No, calm down, Lenny. No one knows. The only reason I do is because of Layla.”
“Huh?” Lennox and I both turn to the woman who flushes fiercely at our attention.
“Umm, well Lennox, when you drink, sometimes you get a little, bold I guess is the word. You would flirt with anyone who was within talking distance, man or woman. It wasn’t until the night you saw Tanner that you really showed an interest in anyone.”
Oh, fuck me! This is not how I wanted Lennox to find out we had met before.
“Wait,” Max looks at his wife, “Is that why you suggested Mountain View? Did you know Tanner worked there?”
The blush from earlier is nothing compared to the scarlet staining her cheeks now. “I might have known when I suggested it.”
Lennox has been listening to the back and forth with his brows scrunched in confusion.
“Hold on, what are you two talking about? I had never met Tanner before Mountain View.”
Shit. Here goes nothing.
I clear my throat. “Actually, we met briefly the night you got your dui. In the bathroom at the Drunken Cat.”
His gaze meets mine and holds, his eyes searching for recognition or memory of what happened that night. When his eyes widen and a small gasp escapes his lips, I know he remembers it all now.
“Shit. I thought it was a fantasy I created after meeting you. I didn’t realize it was part memory. Your eyes, I remember your eyes.”
“I’m sorry, Lennox. I should have told you, but…” I let my words trail off, unsure how to explain why I didn’t say anything sooner.
“But you were hurt I didn’t remember you and I was being an ass. I don’t blame you, if you had told me I wouldn’t have believed you, not then.”
“So, you’re not mad at me?” I question, an unfamiliar wave of shyness creeping over me.
Lennox doesn’t answer with words; he pulls me into his arms and lowers his lips to mine. He strokes his tongue gently along my bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth. I gasp at the surge of arousal it sends through me and he takes it as an invitation to invade my mouth. Twisting his tongue alongside my own, his hands wander the length of my back, stopping at my waistband and teasing the skin there.
Max clears his throat and Layla giggles. I try to pull away, to put some distance between us, but Lennox won’t let me. He presses one more kiss to my lips before putting his arm around me and turning back to Max and Layla.
“So,” he squeezes me closer to his side, “what are we waiting for? We have a fight to plan.”
I let out a sigh of relief as the awkwardness recedes and follow Max into his office inside the gym. Max sits behind a desk and Layla settles onto his lap, while Lennox and I take the chairs situated in front.
“The fighter’s name in Miquel Hernandez. This will be his first legit fight, b
ut he’s made a name for himself on the underground circuit. Connor has fought him a few times, says he’s tough but he’s not as fast as you. His backer,” Max flips through a folder on his desk, searching for a name. “Ah, here it is, Christian Ramirez, he wants the guy to fight as soon as possible and he requested you.”
I feel the blood drain from my face, I can no longer hear the conversation around me and my vision fades. This can’t be happening.
“Tanner?” Lennox says my name and when I blink the room back into focus, he’s on his knees in front of me. “Hey, can you hear me? What’s wrong?”
“You can’t fight him.”
“What? Why not? I need to get my name back out there, this is the perfect opportunity. It’s all legit, Max checked the guy out.”
I shake my head. “No. You don’t understand. Christian is doing this. He’ll have a plan to destroy your career, maybe even your life. You can’t fight Miquel.”
Understanding dawns on his face, “This is what he meant when he threatened me.”
I look at Max, “When does he want the fight to happen?”
“Next Saturday.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to him. Maybe I can convince to play by the rules.”
Lennox grabs my face and forces me to meet his eyes. “You know what he wants Tanner, I won’t let you sacrifice yourself for me. I can beat this Miquel character. It doesn’t matter what tricks Christian has up his sleeve.”
I slowly nod in agreement, but inside my gut, I know I have to do whatever I can to get Christian to play fair. I have to keep Lennox from harm.
Chapter 15
Lennox
The last week as been the most stressful of my life. Tanner’s worry over what Christian has planned and vigorous training sessions with Max, have left me exhausted. There hasn’t been much time for anything more than a simple kiss between Tanner and I, but after tonight that will change.
Tanner is pacing back and forth in the locker room at Rock Hard. Christian agreed to using the gym for the fight, I expected him to refuse on principle, but he told Max location didn’t matter as much as outcome.
There is a knock at the door, and Calla sticks her head in. Max doesn’t look up from wrapping my hands, but Tanner and I both look in her direction to see what she needs.
“Sorry guys. I don’t mean to interrupt, but there’s a Christian here asking to speak with Tanner.”
“Fuck no!” I shout the words and Calla jumps as I startle her.
“It’s okay, Lennox. I’ll just go see what he wants and come right back. He can’t do anything at the moment, we’ll be surrounded by men willing to knock him out.”
I know he’s right. All the guys, and the few women, at Rock Hard hate Christian based off the little information Tanner has shared. Reluctantly, I nod letting him know I trust him to be safe. He rushes over and plants a kiss on my lips, whispering he’ll be fine and then he’s following Calla out the door.
Max and I sit in silence. He finishes the wraps and claps me on the shoulder. I can tell he wants to say something but is afraid how I’ll react, his posture giving him away.
“Spit it out, Max.”
He squeezes my shoulder where his hand still rests. “I just wanted to say I’m proud of you. For getting sober, for finally being yourself. Tanner is good for you, you’re a changed man since him. A man I am damn proud to know. But you can’t worry about him when you get in the ring tonight. Smith, Parker and the guys will watch out for him and keep an eye on Christian’s movements. You just focus on knocking this guy out.”
I blow out a breath. “You’re right. I know you’re right, but it doesn’t make it easy.”
“Trust me, I know.” Max gets a faraway gaze in his eye, and I know he’s remembering all the fights he’s had.
“You ever miss fighting?” I ask.
“Sometimes, but then I think about everything in my life now, and how fighting professionally again would interrupt that happiness. I wouldn’t change a thing about my life with Layla and Rock Hard. Layla and you and the guys, you are my family and I won’t give that up for anything.”
The door opens and Tanner slips back in. His stern look erasing the emotional fog that had descended.
“They’re ready for you to head out now.” He announces with a cold demeanor.
I stand and make my way over to stand in front of him. “What did he say?”
Tanner’s eyes glaze over, a wet sheen indicating the tears he’s trying to hold back. He swipes at them saying, “Nothing that matters. Just the same old bullshit as always.”
I don’t believe him, but I don’t have time to get the truth out of him. I kiss his lips and tell him, “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
I step away and head out to take down this fucker and show Christian he can’t always win.
Tanner
I watch Max and Lennox leave the locker room and take deep breaths trying to get myself under control. I can’t go out there and distract Lennox.
I lied to Lennox when I said it was just Christian’s normal bullshit. He’s gone too far this time and I don’t know if I can keep from giving in to his demands. It was one thing when he thought he’d buy me, keep me like some expensive prostitute he could share with his rich and entitled friends. But that was five years ago, and before my mom got sick.
A sob escapes me and my body trembles thinking about the words that left Christian’s mouth a few moments ago.
“Whether he wins or loses this fight, I’m gonna win. Because if you want your mom to keep receiving the treatments she needs, you’ll leave him. Publicly, immediately after the fight. Make it a good one, Tanner. I’m in the mood to be entertained.”
He walked away laughing after delivering that ultimatum, and I stood there staring after him, my world shattering around me.
How can I do this to Lennox? How can I let my mom suffer? I’m in a lose-lose situation with no way out. Christian wins.
Chapter 16
Lennox
I twist my head side to side, hearing the cracking of the tendons in my neck and shaking out my body to loosen my muscles, preparing for the fight ahead.
Christian sits ringside with a smug look on his face, as if he’s already won the fight. It makes me wish I had been able to get the truth of what happened between him and Tanner before coming out here.
Speaking of, Tanner is slowly making his way to a seat Layla saved for him right behind my team in my corner. He gives me a small, sad smile and I narrow my eyes, turning back to Christian.
He’s staring at my man like he can’t wait to devour him and that has a cloud of rage engulfing me. I’ll use it to take out this fucking ill prepared kid he sent to fight me, and then I’ll make sure he knows he can’t have what’s mine. Because Tanner is mine, and I’m not letting him go.
I look over Miquel one more time, feeling sorry for the kid. He may have been a star in the underground, but he clearly lacks formal training. Christian probably promised him a shit ton of money to be here.
I barely hear the ref announce the fight and the bell ring. Miquel has good instincts, but he holds his hands just a bit too low and as Max pointed out, he isn’t as fast as me. I circle him, bouncing on the balls of my feet, letting him believe he has a chance.
He takes a couple jabs at me and I even let him connect on one, discovering the kid has a lot force behind his punches. After a minute I grow bored and decide to end it. Stepping in close I tell him, “This isn’t anything against you, but money isn’t everything. Especially when it comes from a prick like Christian.”
I don’t give him time to respond. I jab an elbow into his eye and follow it with an upper cut square on his chin. The kid’s body instantly falls; he’s out like a light. I won.
But when I find Tanner’s eyes, it doesn’t feel like a win. He gives me another sad smile, this time there is a glistening in his eyes. He turns and heads toward the locker room like we agreed beforehand. I have to endure the after-fight bullshit, but as soon a
s I am able, I break away. I rush to find my man and demand to know what the fuck is going on.
I find him sitting on the bench in the locker room and I lock the door to make sure we aren’t disturbed. I kneel in front of him and rest my gloved hands on his thighs. I want to grab his face and force him to look at me, but in my hurry to see him I forgot to have Max help me get them off.
Lifting one to my mouth I take the strap between my teeth and yank. Once it’s loose, I fling it off and reach for my other glove, quickly getting rid of it. My hands are still wrapped in the blue tape Max used, but at least I have enough movement to grip Tanner.
“What’s going on? And don’t say nothing. Christian looked even smugger than his normal smugness and you look like someone died.”
He flinches at my words and tries to dislodge my grip on him. Tears begin streaming down his face. “I—I can’t be with you, Lennox. This isn’t going to work.”
“What did he say, Tanner? What’s he holding over you?” Because I know he’s got something on my man, if he’s this fucking distraught and trying to break things off.
He hiccups and sobs, his voice soft and watery when he finally whispers, “My mom.”
What the fuck? The asshole is holding Tanner’s mother against him?
“How?”
“I knew, but I pushed it to the back of my mind. He’s obviously been holding on to the info, ready to use it to get to me.”
“Tanner, babe, what are you talking about?”
“His family owns the facility where my mother gets her treatments. He has complete control over her care.”
“Then we’ll take her somewhere else.”
He’s shaking his head and I’m not even finished talking. “I can’t. I can’t afford anywhere else, this is the only facility that accepts her insurance.”
Giving Up the Fight - Faith Ryan Page 6
