Takedown Read online

  “Hi, Jessica. How can I help you?” Kiki asked, standing up, staying professional.

  “You can’t help me, sweetie.” Jessica laughed. “I want to help you.”

  “I’m afraid there isn’t anything I need your help with,” Kiki said, surprised by her own boldness.

  “Sure there is…his name is Wade,” Jessica said flatly.

  Kiki shook her head. She should have seen this coming. It was only a matter of time before Jessica found out about them. It wasn’t something Kiki went out of her way to make known to everyone. It just was.

  “Jessica, I think this is a little inappropriate. Please just stay out of it.” Kiki asked, trying to keep the irritation in her voice hidden. She wasn’t going to let Jessica get the best of her.

  “Listen here, Keeks… I get what you’re trying to do.” Jessica cocked her head, her eyes narrowed.

  The act might have been intimidating to the old Kiki, but this one wasn’t afraid anymore, and adding tired and crabby to the list wasn’t going to help Jessica. Especially knowing that she had something that the famous “Jackpot” would never have, and Jessica was clearly upset about that fact.

  “Listen here, Jess,” Kiki replied flatly. “I’m not trying to do anything. You lost, again.” Kiki was proud of the burn she’d hit the tall blonde with.

  Jess scoffed, taking a moment to recover. “He’ll leave you too. Don’t start thinking you’re special. Because as pretty as you might be, you’re not the only one out there. And believe me, while he’s been gone, he’s had more. And now I’m back.” Jessica shrugged. “I was his first everything. He loved me first. He had to leave town because he loved me so much.”

  “From what I heard, he had to leave town because of your slutty ways.” Kiki tried to keep the blush from hitting her cheeks at the harsh word, but knowing Leena and even Vi would be proud, she was able to keep her stance. “You loved him so much you just couldn’t keep your hands off other guys? Classy. Wade’s with me for a lot of reasons, and my faithfulness is one of them.”

  Kiki wasn’t oblivious to the crowd gathering, but she expected it when Jessica confronted her in the middle of the entryway. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Vi storming toward her only to be held back by Rex. It made Kiki realize that Jessica had this coming for a long time; it was time for people to stop kissing her butt.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about, bitch,” Jessica said, narrowing her eyes at Kiki.

  Shots fired. Kiki’s heart sunk at the term, and she started to realize that this woman wasn’t above hitting another woman. In fact, it was her job. Kiki had never been in a fight and she wasn’t ready to take a punch, ever.

  “I know a lot more than you think,” Kiki replied.

  “Oh yeah? Because Wade’s a big talker? Did he open up to you? Because unless you’re a divine entity, I’m sure he hasn’t talked to you about anything real, anything deep. How’s that work for a relationship when someone won’t open up to you? It hurts...bad.” Jessica shook her head, biting her bottom lip.

  The hurt in her eyes wasn’t lost on Kiki. It was obvious that Jessica loved Wade once, and maybe even still, but Kiki had to remind herself that the woman had lost her chance. Right? Kiki sighed inwardly. The worst part of Jessica’s words was the truth they held. Maybe it was too soon for Wade to spill all his feelings, or discuss the passing of his parents—something he avoided at all cost when brought up—but he was giving her other things, and right now that was enough.

  “See,” Jessica said, and Kiki knew she took too long to respond. “You’re not strong enough to handle what he has to give, and what he holds back. He’ll get bored. I know your type. Desperate to get your Mrs., have a couple of babies, waiting at home every night with dinner ready and a martini? Super goals. He had a mom, he doesn’t need another.”

  Kiki felt that punch of words to the stomach. She bit down hard, blinking back the tears pooling in her eyes. With a cocky smile, Jessica knew she’d gotten to Kiki. But this wasn’t over, not yet. Kiki was going to fight. Leena, Vi, and Joshua had taught her how, and she wasn’t going to let herself down now.

  “Ya know what, for once I don’t care what anyone thinks. Especially a cheating has-been. You lost your last fight, and you won’t win this one. Whatever happens, and I mean this, if he breaks my heart, if he leaves like you promise he will, at least I know that I didn’t betray him. That I wasn’t the first girl he loved and the first girl to break his heart. No one forgets that. Ever.”

  Kiki almost didn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. And they were all true. The part she hadn’t told anyone was she wanted the life Jessica described with Wade. She knew he had his faults, but that was love. Loving someone means accepting the whole person. She had become so irritated at what the world had perceived as weakness in women, to need a man. While Kiki didn’t need just any man, she did need Wade. Why was it wrong to want that? It wasn’t a weakness, it was a sign of knowing one’s self. And she knew what she wanted. She wanted to devote herself to Wade and give him everything a real man deserved.

  “I’m not intimidated by Wade’s past, everyone has a past, and how we deal with it is none of your effin business.”

  Kiki lived by the saying ‘there isn’t room for more than two people in a relationship’, and Jessica of all people wasn’t going to be an exception.

  Maybe Kiki was falling for a man who might slip right through her fingers, but that wasn’t an excuse to not try. She wasn’t going out by breaking the rules and letting some dumb girl from the past get in the way.

  Kiki shook her head, looking down at her feet before looking back up, meeting Jessica’s eyes. “Jessica… It can’t be easy losing a guy like Wade. I’m sorry you’re hurting. But it’s my time now. I’m going to ask you politely to butt out.”

  “Oh, the ever so polite Kiki. How sweet.”

  “I think you’ve gotten the wrong idea about me and my strength. Quiet and polite doesn’t mean I don’t have anything to say. It means you aren’t worth my words. And if I find out that you pulled any more stunts like you did in the office with him, I am coming for you. And that is the last thing I have to say to you.”

  Kiki was impressed that she was finally able to say exactly what she wanted to say, when she wanted to say it. She couldn’t wait to tell Leena. Leena encouraged her to find her voice. To be the woman she was inside. She would never be as hard as Leena was, but when it came down to it, she wasn’t afraid to be bold.

  Ever since Wade had told her about what Jessica had done in his office she’d felt two very powerful emotions. The first being trust. She knew the rumors about Wade’s player past and was even warned by his sister. The fact that he didn’t take Jessica up on her offer was one thing, but if he hadn’t told Kiki she never would have known it happened. He really had no reason to tell her except to earn her trust, just like he promised he would. The second was deep, soul-wrenching anger.

  Kiki didn’t know the whole story with Wade and Jessica. And as much as she hated it, Jess was right—Wade refused to talk about it. It hurt that he hadn’t confided anything to her, that they hadn’t had those profound, late-night conversations. Or when they did it was one-sided. Either way, she was done with Jessica. Kiki had half a mind to ask Vivette to let Jess go from the gym, and from the scowl on Vi’s face right now that could be a strong possibility. But Kiki wasn’t about to show any sign of insecurity. Plus, it would be selfish. Jessica was the women’s division number two ranked fighter. The publicity that she brought into the gym only increased their credibility and eliteness.

  “That’s enough!” Vi pushed past Rex, only to loop her arm around Kiki’s. The support from Vi was more than reassuring. “Jessica, get the hell out of here. I never should have allowed you here. I ought to let you go. And you listen, bitch, if I do that, you’re never coming back, or making that comeback that you need.”

  Jessica opened her mouth, then closed it, a sour look on her face. Turning on her heels, Jessica took
off.

  “You girls.” Rex shook his head, passing by Kiki and Vi before chasing after Jess.

  “Fuck you, Uncle!” Vi swore at her father figure. Something Kiki was sure had happened on more than one occasion.

  Vi leaned into Kiki. “Keep your head up and a smile on,” Vi whispered. “Let’s go into the office.”

  Kiki sighed inwardly, appreciating the advice, as she realized that the whole gym now stood waiting to see if Kiki was going to fall apart. When she looked around she saw Joshua in the front lines of the group, and the expression on his face was all hurt, but she couldn’t give that more than a passing thought. She could only handle one mess at a time, and it was becoming clear that Wade’s comments about Joshua liking her more than friends might hold some truth.

  “Hey!” Vi yelled. “Is everyone taking a break? Get back to training, now!” she fired out, and the group dispersed.

  Vi led Kiki toward the office. “I’m so proud of you, I think,” she teased. “I texted Leena. We need a drink, and her dirty mouth!”

  Kiki smiled. Her best friends had her back, always.

  Chapter 15

  Wade was walking to his car when his cellphone rang. The ringtone, Drowning Pool’s Bodies lyrics started ‘let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor’ in a death rock tone. It was his newest choice in ringtone for his sister. As of recent she was always busting his balls about something, anything really. But he knew it all boiled down to the fact that she wasn’t happy about him dating Kiki.

  “Hey, sister-mister. I’m just leaving class. What’s up?”

  “You little fucker, I knew this would happen! I can’t fucking believe you!”

  His sister’s fierce temper wouldn’t have bothered him in the slightest had it not been directed at him. She had the same hot Irish blood in her veins as their mother had. A quality he typically admired in her. The last time he talked to her had gotten pretty heated. He intended to call her and smooth things over after they both had some time to cool off, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.

  “What now, Vi? You’ve been on my case all week. Did I leave the toilet seat up, or is it something you’ve just made up on the fly to bitch at me about?”

  “It’s about Kiki. I asked you, I fucking asked you to not hurt her.” Vi’s voice got low, and there was a steady sound of background noise.

  Hurt her? What was she talking about? Things were going perfect.

  “I obviously have no fucking clue, so let’s cut to the chase. What did I do?” Wade asked as he unlocked his car, throwing his bag inside. He leaned against the car, waiting to hear what ridiculous scenario his sister had come up with this time.

  “Well, a little over an hour ago she got into it with Jessica, in the middle of the fucking gym, everyone just standing around watching your dirty laundry being flung about!”

  “Fuck.” The swear word came out as a heavy sigh.

  Why he thought it was ever a good idea to tell Kiki about Jessica’s advance he didn’t know now. Maybe because he was trying to learn how to be a new Wade. The old Wade wouldn’t have said anything and it would have come back to bite him in the ass. Well, doing what he thought was right was coming back to bite him in the ass.

  He had turned Jessica down for Kiki. But not just for Kiki; he really had no interest in jumping back on that crazy train. It was clear after their talk that Kiki wasn’t exactly happy about the situation, but she didn’t seem angry with him. Maybe they had a little tiff, but there was no reason Kiki needed to know details about Jessica. And most importantly, he didn’t want to relive that part of his past again. It was dark and tangled.

  “So, what happened exactly?”

  He listened while his slightly hysterical, or maybe drunk, sister explained that Jessica approached Kiki since she’d managed to find out that they were dating. Then Kiki went off on Jessica because Jessica had tried to seduce him. And Kiki warned Jessica to stay away from him or she was going to be in trouble.

  “I’ve never heard Kiki say so many words at once. I’ve never even seen her angry or upset. I don’t know what you’re doing to her, but I don’t like it. Don’t break her. She’s young, and life is hard enough without losing your heart only to have it broken.”

  “Is that what you think of me, Vi? You think I’m breaking her?” Her words cut deep, twisting like a knife into his heart. What did she think of her baby brother? She didn’t even know Wade the man. He had been away at college since the passing of their parents. Besides, Kiki seemed to love the person she was, and evolving into.

  “No. No. I love you, and you’re an amazing, smart, charismatic guy. But you’re so free with your love, and your interest isn’t held long. Kiki isn’t like other girls. She can’t handle the ‘love and leave’ kind.” Vi’s words were softer.

  “Are we talking about the same girl? Because the girl I know is a lot stronger than you give her credit for. Oh, for the record, she already has a mother so stop trying to fill that role.”

  Wade couldn’t remember a time in his life that he had been this angry with his sister. She was always his best friend. But he wasn’t going to take this shit from anyone, especially someone who was supposed to love you unconditionally.

  “I am done, Vi. Call me if something real comes up. Other than that, stay the hell out of my life.” With his last angry words, he hung up the phone.

  Violently kicking the tire of his car, he screamed loudly into the world. This was why he didn’t do relationships—they were full of complications. They took time and work. He wasn’t afraid of work. He could study his ass off and work at school, he worked at the gym, hell, he’d do manual labor if he had to. But working at relationships was always an uphill battle. It seemed like once you got the rules figured out they changed. Nobody ever comes out and says the truth; they beat around the bush, hoping the other one picks up on the subtle hints, until someone gets fed up.

  He needed to talk to Kiki. He knew she was stronger than Vi gave her credit for, but Jessica was intimidating as hell. And for reasons he didn’t understand, he felt at fault for the whole situation.

  Wade pulled out his cellphone and dialed her number, relieved when she picked up by the third ring.

  “Hey you.”

  He could hear the smile in her words, but that was worrisome. Was she in a good mood, or was this the calm before the storm?

  “Hey, babe. How are you?” Wade asked, trying to play it cool.

  “Fine?” she said almost as a question.

  It was in that moment of phone silence that he noticed background noise.

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m out with Vi and Leena at this spot over by the gym. We decided to ditch out on work early and get some drinks.”

  “Oh, fun.” Wade tried to sound casual. It was clear now that his sister had slipped away to call and bitch to him about what had happened. Especially now that they were all getting a couple of drinks in.

  “How was your day?” Kiki asked with a giggle.

  “Not bad.” Wade paused. “So you wanna come over later, or can I swing by your place?” he asked.

  There was a pause and some rustling around. “Is everything okay?”

  The irony of the question was enough to make him irritated. “Yes.”

  “What’s going on, Wade? Why do you want to ‘swing’ by? You’re either coming over or you’re not. And if something else is going on, tell me now. Because if it’s going to make me need a drink, I might as well stay where I am.”

  “Hey now, you’re quite the little firecracker tonight. Those girls got you drinking that Fireball or something?”

  Kiki giggled into the phone.

  “That’s more like it,” Wade said, more upbeat. He wasn’t about to do anything stupid over the phone, he needed to see her in person. “How about I ‘swing by’ for a sleepover tonight? You just text me when you’re done.”

  “Sounds good. See you later.”

  “Bye, babe.”


  Wade hung up the phone. He felt like he’d entered the twilight zone. He genuinely wanted to see Kiki tonight, but he wasn’t quite sure what he was in for. His sister’s words also gave him a lot to think about. Was he going to break Kiki? They were a couple; he hadn’t lied to her and had been faithful, so what exactly was he going to do to hurt her? And what more could he do to prove that to her, to his sister, to Jessica. Fucking Vi had to turn his head to mush when he had a perfectly good thing going.

  * * * *

  Kiki hit the end button and placed her cellphone on the table. “It was Wade.” She nodded.

  “No kidding?” Leena teased. “Who else might you be inviting over, ’cause I def wanna hear about that!”

  “Leena!” Vi screeched. “Kiki just defended my little brother’s honor and their impending love. There better not be anyone else!”

  “Impending love? What do you say about that, Kiki?” Leena asked, looking between the two women.

  Kiki shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t know what to say to that. If she hadn’t had a few drinks the blush would have been noticeable on her cheeks. The love wasn’t impending to her, she was free-falling faster and faster each day.

  “How about another drink?” Kiki asked with a giggle, changing the subject.

  “All right, but only because I’m sure Vi doesn’t want to hear the same juicy details I want!” Leena smiled, then waved at a waiter to come help them.

  “I’m happy for you, but no, there are some things I can’t unhear.” Vi laughed.

  Kiki sat back and let Leena order another round of drinks for the table, allowing her to add shots to the list. Since going out with Wade and his buddies she hadn’t minded them so much. But when the liquor came it wasn’t clear like it had been before.

  “This isn’t vodka?” Kiki was curious.

  “Hell no it isn’t! This is fireball whiskey!” Leena said with excitement.

  Vi scooted a shot to each woman before picking hers up. “To Kiki, the Warrior Princess,” Vi exclaimed.