Breaking the Habit: The Breaking Series #4

by Leigh, Ember

  The blank mass of faces bore down on him as he skipped around the octagon, fists held high. He allowed himself one glimpse down at the photographers’ area, caught Riley’s piercing gaze immediately. He pointed at her as he rocketed by. Reminding her. Sending her the words he’d been feeling in his heart for the past couple of weeks, the ones that had been solidified by their recent time apart: I love you, Ri.

  The cheers of the arena grew deafening as the fighters took their place in the center. The ref read the rules.

  And then the bell rang.

  Levi’s body tensed as the ref fell away, and his whole world shrank to Benny the Bulldozer. Benny launched quickly, fists flying, and landing one across Levi’s jaw. Shock popped and fizzled inside him as he scrambled to react. Gasps rippled through the crowd.

  Not a good start, not a good start.

  Levi had to work double-time to gain the advantage from that piss poor start. Benny was amped and unpredictable—a lethal combination in this sport—and landed more blows than Levi liked to let through.

  But Levi scrapped hard, managing to end the round with a brutal rain of punches that kept Benny cowering against the cage. When the bell rang, the ref had to pull Levi off him. Levi struggled only briefly, launching himself to the edge where Travis and Lex waited for him.

  “Strange start to that one,” Travis mumbled, squirting water into Levi’s mouth.

  Levi shook his head, chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. “I don’t fucking know,” he mumbled around the mouthguard.

  “Not what I like to hear,” Travis said. “Don’t let him rattle you. We’ve been studying his weaknesses for three weeks. His jujitsu background will keep you guessing, but once you get him in place, you’ll show him who’s fucking winning this.”

  Levi nodded vehemently as he spoke, staring across the octagon at Benny. Time for the next round. Levi and Benny met again in the middle, and the bell rang.

  Levi struck first in the second round, trying to even the score and knock him off balance in the same way. But Benny didn’t get knocked off. No, he sprang back and knocked Levi to the ground with a shocking thud. All the air left Levi’s body, and Benny was on top of him.

  He registered the distant roar of the arena as the audience protested or cheered for the turn of events. Thousands of sets of eyes sizzled on the octagon. Levi fought the headlock that Benny tried to serve him with, the image of the title belt burning behind his eyes. Thinking of Gage. The payout he’d miss because…what? Because he couldn’t focus and let this asshole get a submission.

  Levi wriggled out of the hold and slammed Benny onto his back. Cheers swelled through the arena. The tables turned. Levi pinned him with his knees on either side of his shoulders and brought out the lead fists.

  The crowd went wild. Chanting erupted again.

  You got this. You got this.

  But Levi didn’t get the knock out, and somehow, Benny magicked his way out of the hold. Face busted and bleeding freely, Benny backed Levi up against the cage and locked him there.

  And then the pummeling began.

  Levi’s ears were ringing by the time the ref pulled him off. Which meant the round was over. Once again, neither of them had a clear lead. No submissions. No knock outs. No fucking winner.

  Anxiety pulsed through his veins as he stumbled back toward Travis. The lead tang of blood reached his tongue. Lex dabbed at his face, swiping gel across his cheeks, frowning.

  “He got you good on your forehead,” Lex said. “You got a gash the size of the Grand Canyon.”

  “I fucking can’t with this guy,” Levi mumbled around the guard, chest heaving.

  “You fucking can,” Travis said.

  “I’m not in the fucking lead,” Levi shouted, desperation finally edging past his defenses.

  “Because you haven’t had the third round yet,” Travis snapped, snatching up the water bottle. “Do you remember the last six months we’ve been training? You’re really gonna act like two even battles mean you’ve lost?”

  Levi sighed, his rationale clicking into place. “No, dude. I’m good. I’m here.”

  “Good. Now look at him.” Travis pointed Levi toward Benny, who was being similarly patched up. “And imagine the handshake at the end. Telling him, ‘Good fight.’ And watching him walk the fuck out of the octagon because he couldn’t fucking win.”

  Levi clenched and unclenched his jaw. Time shrank and went rigid under the glare of the lights. He drifted back into the octagon, tranced out as the third round began. The bell echoed through him. Everything hung on this round.

  It was time to show up or show himself out.

  Benny didn’t launch at the start of the third round, and neither did he. They circled each other tentatively. The audience started stomping, the tempo of their thuds growing quicker.

  Benny swung. He got in a punch, but Levi retaliated. They started a tit-for-tat dance. Each punch garnered a punch in response. Nobody could edge out ahead. Even when Levi got Benny down to the ground, they rolled and grappled without any real progress.

  They’d both come up against the brick wall of the other.

  Levi became aware that the round had to be damn near over. He needed to throw it all out there. Win this fucking thing, even if it was by a hair.

  He got gutsy and pulled Benny into a hold, keeping him trapped and half-strangled. But Benny escaped and returned the favor, pinning Levi to the mat as he unleashed a terrifying stream of punches all over his body.

  Levi’s heart settled in his throat. He couldn’t see, couldn’t think, couldn’t fucking breathe. Somehow, he ended up on Benny’s back. There was a stumble, and they both crashed to the ground so hard it made the whole octagon shake.

  The bell rang. End of the third round.

  Levi just lay there, staring up at the bright lights of the arena. Benny hauled himself up, and Levi became distantly aware of Travis shouting. He groaned to his feet. Travis was arguing with the judges, jabbing his finger in Levi’s direction. Benny’s coach joined a moment later, and then Travis pushed him. Levi hurried over, inserting himself between Travis and Benny’s coach.

  He tore his mouthguard out. “What the fuck is going on?”

  The judge who had come to deliver the verdict didn’t look enthused.

  “They ruled a unanimous draw,” Travis spat, dragging a hand through his hair. He jerked at Levi’s arm, guiding him out of the cage. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

  Chapter 30

  Travis didn’t make it back to the dressing room. Instead, he sent Levi back and stayed to argue with the judges more. Levi couldn’t force himself to care. He deserved the tie, if not a loss.

  He’d been lost in the clouds.

  Levi kicked the door open with his foot, breaking the doorknob off. Not like it had been sturdy to begin with. Lex didn’t comment as he followed him inside, running into Levi’s back as he halted.

  Levi blinked, unsure he was seeing this correctly.

  Titi was in his dressing room, draped over his chair. Practically purring.

  “Hi, Levi,” she said, tilting her head, crossing those long, tan legs, which were showcased by a miniskirt.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, his heart rate skyrocketing. He’d done the fucking worst thing of his life by going out with her last week for the photo op, but only because Marcus had basically threatened him with a lawsuit if he didn’t give them something.

  “Dude,” Lex began.

  “Titi, you can’t be here.” Levi had no manners and even less patience. “You gotta leave. Now.”

  “But I wanted to congratulate you.”

  Levi scoffed. “On what? I didn’t fucking win.”

  Her face fell only slightly, and then her gaze swung to the doorway. Levi’s entire back lit on fire, and he twisted to find Riley in the doorway.

  Her jaw was set, gaze soldered on Titi. The expression that shivered over her face told Levi that this was going to be a problem.

  Ma
ybe more than a problem, because Riley turned on her heel and stormed away.

  “Titi, leave! Now!” Levi barked and then chased after Riley.

  She was halfway to the backdoors of the arena. “Ri! Wait!” Levi caught up with her quickly, grabbing her by the arm.

  “Don’t you fucking touch me!” she hissed, her voice so serious that Levi immediately released her.

  “Riley, don’t leave.”

  “I don’t need to see anymore of this, okay? You didn’t even have the decency to tell me you started seeing her. And I’ve seen the proof, okay? I waited until your match was over to tell you to fuck off. So fuck off.”

  “Levi!” Travis barked his name from down the hall.

  “Hang on!” he shouted, but when he turned back to Riley, the door was closing behind her.

  Levi tore open the door, storming after her barefoot through the parking lot. Cars clogged the side streets hugging the arena, and dusk was fading to a purplish darkness around the city.

  “Just go inside, Levi,” she said, her voice shaky. “You’re bleeding. You’re barefoot. This is absurd.”

  “I don’t fucking care.” He blocked her path, but she darted around him.

  “Levi, get your ass in here! The doctor’s here to fix your face!” Travis shouted from the doorway. Levi ignored him.

  “Will you stop and talk to me?” he demanded.

  “No. Because there’s nothing to talk about,” she said, pain creasing her face. She wiped at an eye—the only sign of her distress. “You knew what I went through with my ex, and you still thought it was okay to do this. Now my name’s back in the headlines, and it’s only a matter of time before the new wave of hate mail starts. You don’t deserve anything from me. I’ll finish out my contract and that’s it. Goodbye.”

  Riley ripped away from him, and Levi stared after her. Travis had jogged out into the parking lot.

  “Levi!”

  Levi balled his fists, heading for Travis. Hurt and indignation and regret lashed through him. He did need his face stitched up—badly. He could feel the caked blood crunching on his face when he swiped his hand across his cheek.

  But once he was sent home, he was going to fix this. Because he wasn’t losing Riley.

  Not tonight. Not ever.

  Back in the dressing room, Lex waited for him with crossed arms. The doctor already had his bag open.

  “There he is,” Lex said as Levi dropped into the chair. The doctor got to work, swiping at his injuries with cotton balls and gauze. Levi stared at his reflection, not remotely moved by the horrific scene of his face.

  “What was that drama about?” Lex asked.

  Levi gripped his knees as he heaved a sigh. The doctor swiped at the open wound on his forehead. “Nothing. Bad timing.”

  “Don’t fuck around on Riley,” Travis warned. “I’ll bust your ass myself if you hurt her.”

  “I’m not fucking around,” Levi barked, his sharp response making the room fall silent. “I would never do that.”

  “Then what’s the deal with this girl? She wouldn’t be coming around if you weren’t giving her something,” Lex said.

  “Guys, I swear on my dead parents—” Both Travis and Lex sent him a shocked look, but fuck it. These guys were family now. It was time to start putting everything on the table. “I have nothing going on with Titi. What I have with Riley is…” Words failed him for a second as the doctor started the stitches on his forehead. “I used to fuck around a lot. Not gonna lie. Different girl every week.”

  Lex snickered. “I used to know that life.”

  “But Riley was a game changer. When I’m with her, I don’t want anyone else. I don’t want to get fucked up and fuck around. She’s my rock. You guys both see it, so don’t doubt me now. And I’m handling Titi.”

  “You need a restraining order or something?” Lex asked.

  A soft knock on the door interrupted them. Travis tugged open the dressing room door, revealing Gage flanked by Amara, Lila, and Gen.

  “Heeey, it’s my brother!” Levi straightened in his seat, which warranted a sharp reprimand from the doctor. He plastered a smile on his face even though it was the least true emotion inside him right now. He introduced Gage to Lex and Travis. “Dude, your first LA fight, and I couldn’t even fucking win for you.”

  Gage maneuvered inside, his gaze jumping from Travis to Lex to the doctor.

  “That was an incredible fight,” Lila said, which garnered similar comments from Gen and Amara.

  “No, it wasn’t.” Levi tried not to deflate. “But I appreciate you all coming.”

  “We all had a blast,” Amara confirmed, wrapping her arm around Travis’s waist. Levi caught him pressing a kiss to the top of her head. It made Levi’s stomach wrench so violently, he had to look away.

  “No problems getting around out there?” Levi asked, reaching out to swat Gage’s knee while the doctor held his face captive.

  “It was fine,” Gage said, shrugging it off like it didn’t matter, playing the normal-kid part. Gen grinned down at him, squeezing his shoulder.

  “The only problem we had was when we couldn’t hear each other talk because the crowd was too busy chanting your name,” Gen said, tossing her auburn ponytail behind her back.

  “Yeah. Oh my god. I don’t think they chanted that loud at your championship fight,” Amara said, looking up at Travis.

  “Hey. That’s enough,” Travis said, a grin threatening his lips.

  “All done,” the doctor said, standing up suddenly. Levi blinked at his reflection in the mirror. A blood-caked disaster. But the gaping wound on his forehead was at least closed up, which meant he could put clothes on and get the fuck out of here.

  “Where’s Riley?” Lila asked. Lex had taken his spot behind her, arms wrapped around her waist. Yet another fated couple that made Levi’s chest hurt. He never used to care about happy couples and how he didn’t have anybody. Not until he met Riley, had had her, and lost her.

  “Uh, she had to leave,” Levi mumbled.

  “There was a little run-in with Titi,” Lex added.

  “Uh-oh,” Lila said.

  Levi frowned, coming to his feet. “All right. I need to change. Gage, you coming with me?”

  Gage nodded, and everyone started their goodbyes. Before Travis and Amara left, Travis squeezed Levi’s shoulder.

  “They’re gonna reschedule the final for next month,” he said in a low voice. “And you’re not gonna tie in that one. You’re going to dominate. We’ll start training on Monday.”

  Levi swallowed hard and nodded. Travis and Amara said bye to Gage, and then it was the two of them.

  Levi tossed on sweat pants and his HOLT jacket, trying not to let a foul mood take over. Not while Gage was with him.

  But all he could think about was how the plan had been for Riley to join them on the way back to the apartment. After he won the title. And now he had neither of those. No Riley. No title.

  “What’d you think of the girls?” Levi asked as he led the way to the back doors. His car was parked out back—Amara had used it to bring Gage and the girls to the match.

  “Really incredibly hot,” Gage said, his eyes wide, “and so, so nice.”

  “Yep. And you met Travis. That guy’s practically my older brother by now.” He paused. “So like our older brother.”

  “I like everyone,” Gage said quietly, looking up at Levi once they got out into the parking lot. “Maybe I can start coming around to the gym to see them.”

  There was a lot buried in his words. They tugged at Levi’s emotions, which were already all over the fucking place. But he had to keep his shit together. Long enough to get Gage home.

  Then he could get started on setting the record straight with Riley.

  No matter how much she didn’t want to hear it.

  Chapter 31

  Levi pulled up to Riley’s house close to ten p.m. Her car wasn’t in the driveway, which had him worried she was gone. She hadn’t answered any one of hi
s thirty calls over the past hour and a half, but he wouldn’t let that get him down.

  Except it wasn’t just him showing up to her house. As he parked, he noticed the car behind him had a tail as well. They parked down the street, and then the drivers became apparent.

  Photogs.

  “Levi! Tell us about your fight tonight!” one called out. Shutters clicked. He pinched his eyes shut and buried his hands in his pockets. This was fucking awful. And he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t show up at Riley’s door with these guys out here. That would be rubbing salt in the wound. First she thought he’d cheated on her like her ex, and then he shows up with the paps?

  Boyfriend of the year award. Maybe this is why you never try for anything serious. Maybe you should have taken the hint and kept it no-strings-attached.

  But that had never been possible with Riley. And fuck, he needed her now. Not having her in his life wasn’t an option. The depth of his feelings for her left him blindsided. He couldn’t have planned for that, much less controlled it. And now here he was. Desperate and heartbroken and willing to do literally anything to get her to hear him out.

  Because once he’d dropped Gage off, he did a little tabloid search for his name. And surprise, surprise—his and Titi’s budding romance was the trending news item of the week. Too many outlets to count had picked up Riley’s entry into the love triangle, which blew his fucking mind. How had they sniffed her out?

  The social metrics showed him and Titi as being more talked about than the surprise Ariana Grande single that had dropped yesterday, which meant everyone and their fucking stepdad knew.

  “This is private property,” Levi called out to the paps. “You need to leave.”

  “We’re on public land,” one of them shot back, dragging his toe through the gravel in front of him like an asshole. “Starts right here.” More shutters clicking. “Sorry, buddy.”

  Levi balled his fists in his pockets. He’d had the worst fight of his life hours earlier and was about as exhausted as humanly possible, but he could take these photogs out. No problem. The only thing holding him back was the fact that he might actually get sent to jail.