No Mercy: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World)

by D. M. Davis

  What is it with me and men? I’ve only ever dated Austin, except for my short stint with Gabriel, which I’m pretty sure wasn’t called dating. It more resembled a territorial fuck buddy who stole my heart but had no clue what to do with it, nor had any desire to find out.

  Besides those two and Emmy, I’ve only ever had guys as friends. And I don’t mean friends with benefits. I mean the truly would-do-anything-for-you kind of friends. Maybe even more brothers than friends. They don’t necessarily treat me like one of the guys, but I’m definitely not in the girl-you-date bucket either. Granted I’ve been with Austin from the age of fourteen, and given that I’m twenty-three now, it’s not like I was fair game for dating.

  Still, I don’t have many female friends. Emmy has kinda adopted me, and her friends and sisters-in-law have welcomed me into their group. But if it wasn’t for moving to Sunnyville, I’d still be strictly Y chromosome-abundant in my life.

  Perhaps it’s my chosen line of work. Actually, I’m sure it’s that. Yet a nagging part of me is screaming daddy issues. You know, looking for approval from the men in my life since I never got any from my sperm donor of a father.

  “You’re way too deep in thought over there to be doing any relaxing. Your foot is either tapping out Morse Code, or you’re working the Fibonacci Sequence in your head. Either way, we should go do something. An idle mind is a dangerous mind.” Rowdy sits up, slinging his legs over the side, facing me.

  I immediately still my foot. I can’t disagree with the idle mind remark. My thoughts have turned wayward and entirely too cavernous for poolside enjoyment. “What did you have in mind?”

  His face lights up like he’s been waiting for me to ask that very question. “I wouldn’t mind checking out that rollercoaster. You know, the one at the top of that casino.”

  My stomach tumbles at the idea. I clutch my midsection and take a long drink of bottled water. “I don’t think so.”

  I need to cut back on the booze, like altogether. Me and alcohol don’t seem to be destined for friendship. It seems to only want to fuck me over too. Who knew Gabriel and alcohol where in cahoots?

  Standing, I stretch and ignore Rowdy checking me out. We’re friends. That’s all we’ll ever be despite his appreciation of my body, his golden tongue, and his charming wit. I don’t know if I need another guy friend, but I definitely don’t need any more MMA fighters for boyfriends or even fuck buddies. I’ve had my fill. Been there done that. Got the t-shirt and the smashed heart to prove it.

  “How about a little blackjack, an overinflated buffet, and then maybe I watch you ride the make-you-puke-it-all-up rollercoaster you’re dying to try?” I don’t mind watching, but I’m all out of participation chits at the moment.

  Maybe forever.

  Life on the sidelines doesn’t seem so bad at the moment. I could use less drama in my life. Except the buffet. I’m all in. This girl’s gotta eat. You know, feed a broken heart, starve a cold… Or something like that.

  His dimpled grin stirs the darkness out of his pale blue eyes. “I’m all yours, darlin’.”

  Damn, it’s too bad he doesn’t do it for me. Or maybe I’m too far up misery creek to know if he does or not.

  Life with Rowdy seems like it might be fun. Maybe not completely drama-free, but he sure as fuck wouldn’t break my heart. But he’d also never make the universe move with a simple touch or a heated gaze. Life with Rowdy would be safe. He’d never send me a picture with his cock in another woman’s mouth.

  And if he did, maybe I wouldn’t care.

  Loyal. Brave. True. The words of Gabriel’s tattoo come to mind.

  Fuck loyalty. I’m done. It’s about me now.

  Me.

  I’ll be brave for me.

  I’ll be true to me.

  He can go screw himself and that blonde ring-chaser he rode in on.

  I’m D-O-N-E. Done.

  Rowdy’s chipperness is hard to ignore. It’s kinda contagious. He’s like a dog with a new chew toy. I can nearly see his tail wagging. I open the door to the Black Ops MMA Gym, Vegas edition, and pounding rock music and the smell of sweat assault my senses. Darkboy is all smiles.

  “If you like this, you’re gonna love the gym in Sunnyville. Be happy Cap is sending you there instead of leaving you here.” The door closes behind us. I take a moment for my eyes to adjust to fluorescent lights compared to the blaring Las Vegas day outside. “Don’t get me wrong—” I direct him past the empty reception desk and swipe my card to enter the private training space for the fighters. “This place is great, but once I saw what Cap had in store in Sunnyville, this place seems old school now.”

  Rowdy’s gaze ping-pongs around the room, landing on a few hulking guys working it out on the mats. “It’s incredible. Way better than Guy’s gym, or where I started back home, in Beaumont, Texas.”

  I’m glad he’s happy with what he sees. It only gets better once we get to Sunnyville. Though, admittedly, I’m not ready to go back—he needs to go. I can’t keep him here as a crutch. I need to stand on my own two feet. It’s been a nice escape, but I have to figure out what I’m doing and where I’m doing it.

  I introduce him to a few guys and step back as he gets lost in MMA talk.

  “Frankie?”

  No. I spin around coming face to face with Austin and sway on my feet.

  “Whoa.” He catches my elbow. “You okay?”

  It takes a millisecond after the dizziness disappears for my anger to rise. I’ve been with Austin for so long, I forgot for a split second I’m pissed at him. That the last time I saw him he nearly choked me out and accused me of some nasty things. That the time before was even worse. I knock his hands free. “Don’t touch me.”

  He puts his hands up. “I know. I had no intention of touching you. Honest. But you looked like you were about to pass out for a second.”

  “I’m fine.” I glance past him into the eyes of Rowdy, who’s scowling and moving toward us. “I’m fine,” I repeat when he stops in front of me, angling his body between me and Austin.

  “You sure?” Rowdy studies my face. “You look like you might faint.”

  “I turned too quickly.” I’ve been drinking more than I ever have before. I have to stop. It obviously doesn’t agree with me, and the stress of everything going on with Gabriel isn’t helping. I motion to Austin. “Rowdy, this is Austin.”

  Rowdy’s brows shoot up as if to ask, The Austin?

  I give a quick nod. “Austin, this is Rowdy. He’s one of Cap’s new fighters.”

  Reluctantly, they shake hands with short grunts of acknowledgment, as if they’d rather whip their dicks out and mark their territory. Fucking alpha males.

  Austin is the first to break the stare-off. “Uh, Frankie, do you think we could talk?” He glances at Rowdy before returning his gaze to me. “In private?”

  “Not happening.” Darkboy steps in front of me, his arms crossed, blocking me each time I try to step around him.

  The surprise on Austin’s face is priceless.

  Cap must have filled Rowdy in on my history with Austin as I shared minuscule details beyond my Gabriel troubles. I’d hoped to ease Rowdy into my shit show of a life, rather than bash him over the head with the details of my pathetic existence.

  “Who the fuck are you to tell me I can’t talk to her?” Austin, obviously overcoming his stupor, gives Rowdy a shove to dislodge him as the barrier between us.

  “I’m the motherf—"

  “Stop!” I quickly step between them when Rowdy comes back ready for a fight.

  Rowdy’s stormy eyes lock on me. “Don’t do that.” He pulls me away. “Don’t ever step in front of me, Frankie.” His voice is a pained whisper, his hands fisted at his sides. “I can’t see straight when I’m angry.” He runs his hands through his hair, making the waves of shoulder-length locks bounce back into place. “I don’t ever want to hurt you.”

  I grip his arm, tilting my head to catch his eyes he has trained over my shoulder. “Okay.” So, t
his is his dark streak I’ve been sensing but haven’t seen. “Understood.”

  He nods. “Never hurt you.” His eyes are full of more apology than necessary.

  “I never thought you would, Darkboy.”

  He smirks, letting out a punch of air. “You tagged me in the first few minutes of meeting me, calling me Darkboy. How is that?”

  Maybe my gauge on trusting people isn’t broken after all. It had been blinkered by love, but knowing it’s still there and working bumps up my confidence. I shrug. “I’m just that good.”

  He smiles on a nod, but frowns when he motions behind me. “You’re gonna talk to him, aren’t you?”

  Glancing over my shoulder, I spot Austin holding up the far wall, waiting. “I think I need to. There are things to be said.” Peace to be made. Hatchets to be buried. Adulting shit.

  “I’m not comfortable leaving you alone with him. Cap would have my head if something happened to you.”

  If he’s worried about Cap, he should meet Gabriel.

  Damn, I forgot. My stomach sours, and my heart flutters. I forgot Gabriel doesn’t give a shit about me either. My mind is mush. The force of that reality makes me want to get in my car and drive, never looking back.

  But before I can move forward, I have to put Austin behind me. Then, someday, I can do the same with Gabriel.

  The idea of saying goodbye to him saddens me more than saying goodbye to Austin. Maybe because Austin and I have been saying our goodbye slowly over the last year, emotional distance wedging us apart with each disappointment, each lie, each heartbreak. His latest attacks were simply nails in the coffin of our relationship.

  Whereas Gabriel and I barely started before we ended. But the impact is profound, cavernous, and aches in a way Austin’s betrayal never did.

  Well, fuck. I guess I should get one bad decision over with and behind me.

  After arriving last night, I couldn’t track my Angel down. She was nowhere to be found in any of our normal haunts. She’s not answering her phone. The asswipe she’s with hasn’t answered any of my calls or texts either.

  The guys at the gym said they hadn’t seen her but promised to give me a call if they did. They didn’t have any idea about Frankie and me being together. They knew she and Austin had broken up and the cliff-notes version of his meltdown, but if they know the whole story, it’s not from me or any of the guys in Sunnyville. We’re a tightknit family, and the guys left here in Vegas haven’t earned their place. Doesn’t mean they’re not great guys. It just means they’re not family. And the shit Frankie has been through is family business.

  I hate that family knows about my business. About my fuckup. But I’m here to make it right, make her understand I didn’t cheat on her. I never would.

  The idea of her even believing I would not only cheat on her but be callous enough to text her proof in the form of a blowjob pic eats at my insides. She went through hell with Austin, and here I am putting her through even more cheating humiliations—true or not—she believes it to be. And it kills me.

  Truth be told, I fucked up before she even left by not making my intentions clear, by not telling her she means more to me than sex. Except, I’m still not clear on where I see our future. I just know I want her in it.

  Leaving my sister’s apartment, I give the new guy a call, hoping this time he’ll pick up.

  It rings twice, and my heart jumps when he answers, “You’re a determined fuck.”

  “You have no idea. Where is she?” I should probably go easy on the guy, after all I’m looking for his help, but damn if his attitude isn’t rubbing me the wrong way.

  “Trying to forget you.”

  Fucker. “She can’t. She never will.” I won’t let her.

  “Yeah? Well, she’s talking to her ex as we speak. You’re already a distant memory.” His words hit me right in the heart and send my pulse racing.

  “She’s with Austin?” I pull over. My hands shake with rage. “You fucking let her meet up with the man who hurt her in more ways than you’ll ever know?”

  “Like your blowjob pic didn’t send her running to another state. I don’t even know you, but I know you’re an idiot for letting her go. How could you cheat on her?” He lets out a heavy sigh. “He’s an idiot too. What’s with all the guys in her life?”

  This is going downhill fast. “Listen, Rowdy—"

  “Cameron.”

  “What?”

  “My friends call me Rowdy. You can call me Cameron or Mr. Jenkins.”

  The fuck? This kid has balls, I’ll give him that. “Okay, Cameron.” No way in hell I’m calling him mister anything, except Mr. Pain-in-my-ass. “She can’t be alone with Austin. This isn’t just an asshole ex. Austin hurt her. You have to protect her. Promise you’ll get to her.”

  The line is silent for a moment. “I tried to stop her. She’s a stubborn one.”

  “That she is.”

  “She said she needed to do this…” I can nearly hear him pacing, torn between giving her what she wants and what she needs. “His tailfeathers ruffled a little when he met me, but he quickly backed down. He looked like a beatdown dog with his head hung low and his tail between his legs more than anything else.”

  “Where are you?”

  Silence.

  “Listen. You don’t know me. I get that. I know I fucked up. But I need to see Frankie. I need to talk to her, make things right, but I also need to know she’s safe. Please. Tell me where you are.”

  “We’re at Cap’s gym.”

  I hear Austin’s words. I see his mouth moving, but what I hear can’t be right. Pregnant? Some chick he was screwing around with while we were still together is having his baby. She’s having his baby.

  His. Baby.

  Not. Me.

  Her.

  And he’s happy.

  Fuck. Me.

  I sit on Cap’s couch in his office he uses when he’s here, my hands locked between my knees, trying to still their trembling. But it’s of no use, just as the tears streaming down my cheeks don’t listen when I tell them not to fall.

  It’s only been a few months, and he looks happier than he has in years. He’s thinner, not bulked up by the steroids he’d been using since his car accident. He’s clean. No drugs. No alcohol. No women. Except the one he impregnated when he was with me.

  He put his dick in her vagina and got her pregnant. He wouldn’t even do that with me. But he could with her.

  God, I’m an idiot.

  I hate that I’m shocked and jealous. He hurt me so badly, treated me like shit—like yesterday’s trash—and yet he’s the one walking off into the sunset with a happy ending and the family I always wanted.

  “I love her.” He twists the knife a little deeper.

  All I can do is nod like a damn bobblehead and try to stop my chin from trembling.

  He loves her.

  He doesn’t love me.

  He hasn’t for a while now.

  He’s getting married.

  He’s gonna be a father.

  And he’s happy.

  Fuck my derailed life. She took it.

  No. He jumped the fucking tracks and gave my life to her.

  I don’t want that life with him anymore, but why the hell does he get to be happy when he hurt me so badly?

  What the fuck kind of karmic bullshit is this?

  “I’m sorry, Frankie. I never meant to hurt you.”

  I scoff, a laugh nearly bubbling free. He can’t be serious! “Did you really try not to hurt me? Do you really, actually give a fuck how much you did?” I’m proud of the bite in my tone. I feel like such a putz for believing a word he fed me. The dreams he promised. The hope he grew and then so easily trampled on.

  His head drops. “I was out of my head. It was the steroids.”

  Bullshit. “You cheated before the accident. Before the steroids. By your own admission.” Lies. They come to him so easily. “So we’re clear. These tears aren’t for you.” I swipe angrily at my wet cheeks. “They
’re for the man I loved. The promises broken. The dreams that will never come true. The babies we’ll never have!” I stand to leave. “These tears don’t belong to you.”

  My vision spins as a wave of dizziness hits me. I grip the door handle to steady myself.

  “Frankie, please.”

  Please? “What do you want from me?”

  He comes closer. “Forgiveness… Understanding… Why can’t you be happy for me?”

  “Happy for you?” I balk with disgust. “You cheated on me for years. You lied to me over and over again. You were emotionally abusive. You assaulted me, not once but twice. You have yet to apologize for any of it. The fact you could do what you did to me and actually expect me to be happy for you now…”

  I open the door to step out but pause, meeting his eyes. “You haven’t asked for forgiveness. Telling me your sins isn’t the same as being remorseful. I’m not a priest. I’m the woman who was foolish enough to waste the last nine years of my life on you. I gave you all of my firsts.” My admission brings a new wave of tears. “Such a waste,” I whisper as I slip out the door, hurrying down the hall to the stairs as the world spins around me.

  At the top step, he grips my arm. “I’m sorry, Frankie.” His teary eyes hold mine, and for a second, I see the boy I fell in love with. “Please forgive me.”

  He’s unbelievable. He may mean it, but the fact he only apologized after I said he hadn’t diminishes its impact—its believability. “Maybe someday I can forgive you, Austin. Maybe even be happy for you. But that day is not today.”

  I pull away, and he releases me as I hear the gruff voice I haven’t heard in nearly a week. “Angel.”

  My heart jumps as if it heard its other half, as if the owner of that voice didn’t shatter what was left of its already broken pieces.

  I whip around, moving away from Austin, the motion doing nothing to help my unsteadiness. Coming about, I find Gabriel standing at the bottom of the stairs. His frown morphs into concern as he takes in my face, my distress evident even from a distance.