Hooked (TKO #2) Read online

  “I need to tell you something else, Hil. You know me. You may not remember me, but I remember you. We went to high school together.”

  Her eyes widen. “Oh my God, it is you.” Her cheeks redden as she covers her mouth. “This is really embarrassing. I thought you looked familiar, but—”

  “It shouldn’t be embarrassing, so please don’t think that. I made a move on you, not even realizing who you were. You should know it wasn’t my intention to use you.”

  “I don’t know what kind of a guy you are. I know you were the kind of guy who was willing to stand up for me once, and I thank you for that. You made things a little more bearable.”

  I’m in a whole other world—the world I’ve been dying to be a part of—when a voice suddenly breaks through. “Hey, Hil, is this guy bothering you?”

  I look up to meet the eyes of Travis Pierce. He’s a local fighter like Garrett and I. Matter of fact, Garrett and I have both beaten him in the ring before so he’s not as badass as he thinks he is.

  “No, babe, he’s not. He was just saying hi,” she tells him with a beautiful grin. My beautiful grin.

  Wait, did she just call him babe?

  He grabs her by the waist and pulls her in for a long, sickening kiss. He reaches down and gropes her ass, and I want to punch the shit out of him. When the kiss breaks, he just stares at me.

  “You can go now,” he tells me.

  Oh, fuck no. My eyes begin to see red and I can’t stop the reaction that’s coming. “I’ll go when Hilary tells me to go.”

  “No, you leave because I just fucking told you to. I don’t want you touching my woman. I don’t want you anywhere near her. She’s mine, asshole, got it? I’m the one taking her home, not you.”

  Taking her home? I look toward Hilary, and she glances down as if embarrassed.

  “Don’t tell me you let him fuck you, Hilary,” I say. “You deserve so much better than this ass-hat. Does he even know how to be a fucking gentleman?”

  “You better watch your mouth, Lance,” Travis barks.

  “I’m not talking to you, so fuck off,” I reply.

  Then he pushes me with brutal force, but not enough to knock me down. Within seconds, Raegan is by my side, shoving a few bystanders away and pushing at Travis. The bartender, distracted from his tasks, yells at us and threatens to call the police, but his words are ignored.

  “What the fuck, asshole! Don’t put your damn hands on him,” Raegan says.

  Travis barks out a laugh as he balls his fists against his sides. “Well, Lance, I see you have a fucking bitch fighting your battles for you.”

  Raegan’s face turns blood red at his words and before I can reply, she raises her voice to him. “I will fucking knock you on your goddamn ass, Travis, so don’t play with me.”

  “Why don’t you go bake some shit, and let the big boys talk?” He sneers at her.

  “How about you quit talking to my girlfriend that way,” Garrett says, before he leans into me and whispers, “I went to the bathroom for five fucking seconds, and you two have this place ready to throw down already.”

  I give him a shrug, not quite sure what the hell to tell him right now.

  “Get your fucking girlfriend out of my business,” Travis tells him.

  “Fuck you!” Raegan yells. Garrett grabs her by the waist and tries to calm her down. She’s on fire, and I’m surprised she hasn’t thrown a punch yet.

  Travis points his finger before thrusting it into my chest. “Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From. My girl.”

  The crowd that began to form moments earlier starts egging us on with their comments. I can hear some of them beginning to chant fight, fight. I ignore them, wishing they would get out of my business.

  Travis just crossed another line, and I can’t hold back any longer. I ball my fist up and throw the first punch. My fist connects with his jaw and his eyes widen as he takes in what just happened. Hilary clasps her hands over her mouth as her eyes expand with fear. She looks like she wants to ask him if he’s okay, but she doesn’t say a word. Travis shakes his head, then storms at me. I fly backward, crashing into a table and some chairs. Damn, this shit hurts. I get up, and push him back just as hard. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Raegan grab Hilary by the arm and get her out of the way.

  Garrett yanks me away for a minute. “Stop it, man, his pathetic ass isn’t worth it.”

  Travis tries to punch me again but misses and hits Garrett. Yeah, big fucking mistake. Garrett turns around, his face angry and red. He balls up his fist and hits Travis in the eye, then again in the nose. Blood begins to pour, and I’m almost positive Travis has a broken nose now. The bartender comes running up and yanks me away from the situation. He’s a big man, and he manages to tug me away from the brawl. “You two macho pigs just don’t listen. Christ, I can’t be in two places at once! Get out of here, Lance, before I call Howard and the goddamn cops.”

  “That was for talking to my girlfriend like shit.” Garrett nods at Raegan and walks off. Travis can’t even get to his feet right now, and Hilary looks scared to death.

  I should get out of there, I should do what I’m told. But I can’t fight the magnet that’s pulling me toward her. Her eyes are full of fear as I approach her, and I can’t blame her. “Hil, I’m so sorry you had to see that.”

  “I think you need to go, Lance. Please…before he gets up. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  “I’m pretty sure I can hold my own, as you just saw.” I step closer, so no one else can hear. “Hil, please tell me you aren’t sleeping with him. Did he…did he take your virginity from you?”

  She doesn’t have to answer me. Her body language tells me everything. The way she lowers her head and won’t even look at me says it all. Eventually, she whispers, “Lance, I don’t know what you want from me.”

  “I wanted you to give me a chance, Hil. You haven’t left my mind since I remembered who you were, but I wouldn’t have even bothered you tonight if I’d have known you were with him.”

  “We’re not even officially dating, Lance,” she tells me.

  She doesn’t need to say anything else. They’re fuck buddies, great. That’s just the visual I didn’t want.

  “I should get going.” I notice the bartender eyeballing me. I really need to leave and just do what he asked. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

  As I walk past Travis, the urge to plant my foot into his rib crosses my mind. Instead, I pass him and walk straight out the front doors, not once looking back to see if someone helped him up.

  Raegan and Garrett are standing outside waiting for me. “What took you so long? I thought I was going to have to come back inside,” Garrett tells me.

  “I had to tell her I was sorry for that. Travis is still on the ground.”

  Raegan lets out a laugh. “Serves him right.”

  “Raegan, please,” Garrett scolds. “You shouldn’t have stepped into that. If he’d have touched you, I would have killed him.”

  Raegan sticks out her tongue and just glares at Garrett. “I guess we’re going to head home now. This was a short-lived night. You heading home too, Lance?”

  “Yeah, I guess. Unless Travis leaves, I’m not going back in there.”

  I reach into my pocket to grab my truck keys when a soft hand touches my shoulder. I turn to find Hilary standing behind me. My body goes on full alert looking for signs of Travis. I can’t let my guard down. I refuse to. I scan the entire parking lot to the front door, and when I don’t see him, my body relaxes a little.

  “What are you doing out here, Hil?”

  Raegan grabs Garrett by the arm and pulls him away. They don’t stop until they are sitting inside Garrett’s truck.

  “I wanted to see you again before you left.”

  “I don’t want Travis getting mad at you. You should get back inside.”

  “I don’t care about him, Lance. He treats me as a convenience, so why can’t I do the same to him?” Hearing her say that makes me want to stomp back insid
e Joe’s and beat the shit out of him again. Hilary deserves so much better than that. The Hilary I remember from high school doesn’t deserve anything Travis has to offer.

  “Then why do you stay with him? Why are you putting yourself in the same bullying situations I helped you get away from?” I ask.

  “Hil, where are you?” Travis yells from the door. We’re standing just around the corner of the building. This is my cue to get the hell out of here.

  “I’ll see you around.”

  I don’t give Hilary a chance to say anything before I stalk to my truck and drive off quickly. In the rearview mirror, I see what I didn’t want to see. His arms around her. No woman I know would stick around someone like Travis, so what’s Hilary’s real excuse? She’s beautiful, and after the hell she went through in high school, I would have thought she’d have learned to stay away from people like him. I suddenly realize how fast I’m going. Shit, I need to slow down. I haven’t had a lot to drink but I still don’t need to get stuck with a DUI or a speeding ticket for that matter.

  The next morning, I am lying wide awake in bed with a major headache. I was hardly able to sleep at all. I couldn’t do anything but think of Hilary and how fucked up everything was. My final attempt to close my eyes is interrupted when my phone begins vibrating rather loudly on the nightstand. I reach out and grab it, anything to make it stop. I can’t take that annoying sound over and over again. Howard’s name on the screen jolts me from the bed. It’s almost ten in the morning and I was supposed to be at Lou’s an hour ago.

  “Hello?” My head is still pounding.

  “I was making sure you were alive. You’re never late.” Howard chuckles. I was anticipating him being angry, but he’s laughing instead.

  “Yeah, I’m alive. I’m coming. Sorry, man, I don’t know what the hell happened with the time.”

  “Just get here.” Before I can answer, he disconnects.

  Dad’s already gone to work. Usually, he pops in to make sure I’m up, but I don’t know what happened this time. I throw on a pair of shorts and almost stumble trying to get my legs into them. The shirt is easier to get on. I hurry into the bathroom where I brush my teeth. I reach into the cabinet and grab a couple of ibuprofen. They slide down my throat with ease, and all I can do is pray they kick in before I make it to Lou’s.

  Outside, I hop in my truck and drive to the gym with the volume down on the stereo. The aching in my head has eased, but it’s still hurting bad enough that I can’t seem to loosen my grip on the steering wheel.

  As I pull into Lou’s, I leave every thought of the previous night in the truck. I don’t want that following me inside and hindering my training. I bust my ass too hard for everything I’ve worked for, and I’ll be damned if I’ll let anything fuck that up.

  Chapter 5

  I put my keys inside an empty locker in the back room before making my way out to the mat. Garrett struts over from the weight bench and shakes his head at me.

  “What?” I ask. My head is starting to feel a little better, but my eyes are heavy. The lack of sleep is starting to really hit me.

  “I was wondering if maybe you went back and tried to antagonize Travis after everyone left last night.”

  “No, I didn’t go back. What would I do that for? She made it clear who she’s with and what she wants. It’s not me.”

  “I saw the way she looks at you though, man. Don’t give up on her.”

  “What are you, the damn love doctor?” I scoff. “You saw the way she looks at me, huh? Good for her.”

  “You’re full of it, Lance. If she walked up to you today and said she was done with Travis, you would jump all over that.”

  He knows me too well. He throws my gloves at me, and they hit me in the chest but I manage to catch them.

  “What were you doing with my favorite pair of gloves?”

  “I knew you would show up eventually. Raegan isn’t here, so that means you and me are sparring today.”

  I glance around before I realize he’s serious. Raegan usually is here, so I’m a little surprised. “Where is she?”

  “She went over to see her dad and stepmom. She’ll be up here eventually.”

  I sit down and stretch. I close my eyes, and somehow I’m able to find peace of mind. When I open my eyes, I see Garrett staring at me. I rise and get in position. Even as we begin to spar, we can’t quit joking. When Garrett knocks me on my ass, I jump back up and take a swing at him, only to miss. He’s fucking good, even when he’s just playing around. I bounce on my feet, waiting to get the perfect hit on him when the door opens and I hear Raegan’s voice. Her arrival takes me completely off guard, giving Garrett a chance to knock me on my ass. Why am I so easily distracted?

  “Hey, Lance, need a hand?” she teases.

  “Yeah, since you’re offering. And by that, I mean, no thanks.”

  “Oh, you are so funny.” She turns to face Garrett. For once, she seems a little nervous. She fidgets, shifting her weight from one side to the other. “Hey, Garrett, can I talk to you for a second?”

  As the two of them step away, I drag myself from the mat and find Howard watching me. The laughter from earlier is gone. He raises his hand and motions me toward him with the crook of his finger. I get moving, because nobody messes with Howard. He is never kept waiting.

  “Hey, Howard, sorry I was late.”

  “In the office. Now.” His voice is edged with anger.

  Once we’re inside and he shuts the door, he just crosses his arms over his burly chest and stares at me. I’m trying to relax, but his sudden tenseness is beginning to make me nervous.

  “Where the hell is your head, Lance? You told me you were ready to get back into the swing of things, and then this morning I hear you were in a fight down at Joe’s last night. What the hell is going on? Please tell me if it’s worth losing everything you’ve worked for, because the two of you should have been arrested. If I’d been there, I’d have called the cops. You know I don’t tolerate fighting like that.”

  “How do you know what happened last night?” I ask, trying to hide my anxiety.

  “Don’t worry about that. I have friends who go to that bar, Lance. I have friends who know who you are.”

  I scramble to find the right words to fix this. “I fucked up, okay? I’m sorry. It was over a girl, and I wasn’t thinking straight. Travis was pushing my fucking buttons. Ask Raegan, she came up and tried to stop the fight.”

  Howard’s eyes narrow, his face reddening. “You let Raegan try to stop your fight with Travis? Where the hell was Garrett? Christ, I’m not even running a gym, am I? I’m running a damn circus.”

  “He got her out of the way. If it makes a difference, Travis didn’t even get a chance to hit me.”

  Wrong answer.

  “You do not fight outside of these walls, do you understand? You and Garrett are the best in here, and if you screw that up and get hurt, you’re done. Then what? You have to think, Lance. Your actions have consequences. Is this girl worth it?”

  “I thought she was, but I guess not.”

  “Then get your head out of your ass and straighten up, or get the hell out of my gym.”

  My eyes widen at his words. “Are you serious?”

  “I’m very serious, Lance. I will not tolerate this horseplay shit. You have a reputation to uphold, and what you pulled last night will destroy it.”

  I can’t lose the one thing I love doing the most. I’ve worked too hard to get where I am, and it’s the only thing that keeps me out of trouble. I won’t let this happen.

  “I’ll straighten up, Howard. I can’t lose this gym. It means too much to me.” My gaze drops to the floor along with my heart.

  “I believe you, Lance, and I also believe in you. Don’t let me down. Think with your head, not your heart. Be the fighter I know you are. Make your mom proud.”

  A lump forms in my throat. Make my mom proud? Damn right I will make her proud. She never got the chance to see me doing what I love, but I know
she was damn proud of me.

  “I will, Howard.”

  “Good, now get out there and practice. You’ve got a match coming up.”

  I almost hug him, I’m so happy to hear about the match. He opens the door, and I walk out feeling a little better about everything. He sure put me in my place, which is something he does well. It’s game time, and nothing can keep me from that.

  I spot Garrett standing on the mat in the same place I left him. He looks like he’s overwhelmed but astonished at the same time. Raegan is nowhere to be seen.

  “Hey, man, you okay?” I ask him.

  “Yeah, I mean…I guess so. I think this is the happiest day of my life.”

  A smirk spreads across my face. “Is Raegan taking you to Disneyworld? Can I come?”

  “Dude, shut the fuck up.” He laughs. “She’s pregnant.”

  “Well, fuck me silly, are you serious? But she was at Joe’s last night with us drinking.”

  “She didn’t know. She took the test today. Do I look like I’m joking?”

  “Not really.”

  “I had no clue about any of this.”

  “Holy shit, dude, congratulations! Damn, I never would’ve thought this would happen to you.”

  “Same here, but she’s perfect for me.”

  No one deserves this more than they do. I grab my gloves and put them back on, then take a moment to focus.

  I’m ready for anything to come my way, and even when Garrett swings first, I block it. We continue to go round and round until I catch him off guard and kick his feet from under him. He chuckles as he hits the ground. He usually puts up more of a fight when we spar, but he’s so freaking happy right now, I don’t blame him. He’s going to be a father.

  ***

  My muscles ache. I haven’t sparred that hard in what seems like forever. Garrett is too giddy to keep himself focused, so I spar with Howard instead. It’s his job to make sure I stay on my toes, always alert for what my opponent may bring. By the end of the day, all I want to do is go home, take a shower, and lay down in my bed. Tomorrow it will happen all over again, but that’s just life. It’s the life I chose, the life I love.