“Liam, you’re doing that thing you do when you’re about to lose your shit,” she says, concern evident in her tone. I glance over at her and try to take deep breaths to calm down. She’s the only person on this planet who can bring me back to reality and settle my nerves.
I arch a brow. “What thing?”
“Your shoulders tense, your eyes narrow, and your lips twitch. You look as if the Hulk is going to break out and start smashing people.” I give her a look. “Please tell me you’ve watched The Avengers.”
This causes me to chuckle. “I’ve seen bits and pieces of it but never sat through all of them.”
Her mouth falls open. “What? Okay, add all the Avengers to our movie list.”
For a moment, it’s easy to ignore the fact that JJ stained our amazing weekend together. We shared so much in that little cabin overlooking the lake, and I’ll keep those memories in my heart for the rest of my life.
Once we finally make it home and I unload our bags, the two of us decide to conserve water and take a shower together. We’re both quiet the entire time as we touch and kiss, and I feel as if there are so many unspoken words drifting between us. After we’re dressed and downstairs cozied up on the couch, I decide to call Tyler.
“’Bout time you made it home,” he tells me before I go into the kitchen and grab a beer.
“Where’s mine?” Maddie asks with a smirk, though beer really isn’t her thing. I hand her mine after taking a sip, but she laughs, rejecting the offer.
Maddie gets up to make some tea, and I lower my voice. “We need to talk.”
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“JJ was outside of our cabin this morning.”
Tyler groans, and I can imagine him clenching his teeth. “Why was he there?”
“He said I still owed him. He was responsible for the G-Wagon, and he…” I pause for a second, trying to gain my composure because I feel as if I’m losing control. “He burned my father’s house down last night.”
“What the fuck?” I can hear the change in his voice, but I continue.
I run my fingers through my hair. “He told me we’d be even if I participated in an underground fight. What do you know about that?”
“You can’t. It’s too dangerous.”
“I have to end this once and for all. I don’t want to constantly be looking over my shoulder, waiting for the O’Learys to strike. I don’t want to worry about Maddie when I’m not home. I don’t need you acting as our bodyguard for the rest of your life either. Seriously, I don’t want to live like this anymore. It’s the only way. I fight, and I win. There are no other options. Either you’ll help me or not.”
The line is silent for a while. “You’re a hardheaded motherfucker. You know that, don’t you?”
“Isn’t that a given?”
“When’s the fight?” he asks as if he’s actually contemplating it.
“New Year’s Eve.”
He lets out a controlled breath. “That’s three and a half weeks to train. You understand how this works, Liam? When you walk into that ring with your opponent, there’s a chance one of you won’t walk out. They fight to kill or be killed, and they don’t play by any set rules. It’s underground street fighting. If you want my help, I’ll help you, but you’ll need to spend every day on this. I’ll get in touch with a friend who trains here in Vegas closer to time. We’ll start the day after tomorrow, so it gives me enough time to book a flight and rent a truck.”
“Thank you. I owe you,” I say. “I’ll see you in two days.”
The call ends, and I sit there numb.
Maddie returns with a cup of tea and a plate of cookies. I snag one, and she playfully slaps my hand. Noticing a change in the mood, she looks at me. “What you two talk about? Having a lovers’ quarrel?”
I laugh, finishing my beer, but Maddie waits for me to explain.
“Tyler’s going to train me. He’s a pro,” I explain but am gutted when I see her expression drop.
“Liam, please,” she begs. “I can’t lose you.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her as close to me as I can, until our faces are mere inches apart. “I have to do this so then we can have a future together. They will never let me go otherwise. I know that.”
A single tear drips down her cheek, and I swipe it away with my thumb. After a minute of holding her, she pulls away and looks into my eyes. “I was so hoping once the divorce was finalized, it would all be over.”
“I know, baby. I had hoped that too. Trust me, I hate this. I hate what it’s done to you and us. But I swear, if there were any other options, I’d take them, but I’m not running this time.”
“Are you absolutely sure about this? You could get really hurt, even if you win. The guy could break your face or bones or something.” I hear the worry in her voice, and it kills me. Our weekend was so special, and now we have another obstacle trying to tear us apart.
“Freedom is what I want, what we need. So yes, I’m sure that I have to do this. I know what’s at stake, and there are no options other than winning. Tyler’s well experienced on the ins and outs of fighting, even in illegal shit like this. I start training as soon as he gets here.”
Maddie sniffs, but nods. “I hate that you have to do this, but I also hope Tyler knows what he’s doing to get you properly ready.”
“Don’t worry, he is. He’s been training at gyms for years and knows all about what goes into underground fighting. If I don’t do this, JJ will come after you and hurt you. It was obvious what he was implying, and I don’t want him anywhere near you again. It’s not just my freedom I’m fighting for; it’s yours too.”
“I know,” she croaks, and I hate that I’ve put her in this situation. She grabs the remote and turns on the TV, but I can’t seem to pay attention to anything on the screen. My mind is in a different place but with reason. So much depends on me winning—my entire life and Maddie’s too.
After our conversation, we watch TV until our eyes are heavy, then we go to bed. I hold Maddie in my arms as we fall asleep, listening to her soft breathing, and allowing her to calm my racing mind until I drift off.
It’s been less than forty-eight hours since JJ reappeared in my life and shook it up like a snow globe. It’s day one of training, and when my alarm goes off at four-thirty in the morning, I force myself to roll out of bed. I place a soft kiss on Maddie’s forehead before getting dressed and grabbing a protein bar. Tyler arrived late yesterday afternoon and got settled into my room. It was almost like old times with him being here again, but I hate that it’s under these circumstances. I check outside and see his rental truck is already gone because he’s punctual as fuck, so I head to the gym to meet him. Once I’m parked and inside, I see Tyler in the kickboxing area eagerly awaiting me.
“We could’ve ridden together,” I say as soon as I’m near him.
“Good morning to you too,” he tells me. I notice he’s dripping with sweat and can’t imagine how long he’s been here. He would’ve had to got here at least an hour ago to get a workout in before I arrived. “Are you ready?”