Takedown Read online

  “Lawson, here’s my cellphone number.” Wade scribbled down his number on a stray piece of paper from the desk. “You let me know if things get out of control. And hit me up, maybe we can grab a beer?”

  “I can do that.”

  * * * *

  Wade headed up to take inventory of the therapy room before going to seek out Kiki. He wanted to rearrange the office to his liking before he took it over. It was an exciting time to be back at the gym, and soon he would be putting his degree to work. He was home, in his family’s gym, working with his sister who he had missed more than he would admit, and soon he’d be working with his new girlfriend. An eerie feeling of déjà vu hit him as a voice from the past called his name.

  “I was wondering when I was going to see you.”

  What the fuck? Wade felt the blood rush from his face as a ghost from his past stood in the doorway. “Jessica? What are you doing here? Did someone tell you I was back in town?” The disdain was so thick in his voice that it echoed in his head.

  “Hmm…I think Vivette might have mentioned it?”

  “When did you talk to Vi? What do you even want?” Wade asked, trying to regain his composure, but the beautiful blonde sucked the air out of the room. He had to remind himself of how badly she’d hurt him, to keep from admiring her now. Her short, blonde hair was tied back, but her long legs were on full display in the tight, athletic shorts as she paced the room. Wait, what?

  “Why are you dressed like that?” Wade narrowed his eyes.

  Jessica’s face lit up with a condescending smile. “I guess no one’s told you. I’m training here now. Uncle signed me.”

  “Don’t call him that!”

  “Why not? He was practically family to me too.”

  Wade ignored the comment; it wasn’t the biggest concern right now. He most certainly had more than a few words for both his sister and Rex as soon as he was done here, but there was no way he was going to give Jessica the satisfaction of getting to him. And he didn’t believe for one minute that her being back had nothing to do with him.

  When he found out that she’d cheated on him he’d been devastated. It had been a very dark time for him, one he wasn’t keen on reliving or revisiting. His only survival was the sanctuary of an out-of-state college. But right now, in this moment, he knew she’d always been his weakness. The worst part, the part that hurt the most, was that if this had been a year ago, and she had reached out to him, he might have fallen for it. For as much as she’d hurt him she’d been his first love. He gave himself a mental slap. Not today. Not now. Not fucking ever. His life was finally going the way he wanted, and he had a very pretty girl who looked at him like he was the only man in the whole world, and that meant something.

  “I hope you didn’t come back for me, because that ship has fucking sailed,” Wade said.

  “You say that, but your eyes say something else. I don’t know, Wade…maybe that ship wants to come home?” Jessica shrugged as she took another step forward, getting dangerously close to him.

  “Get out.” Wade rolled his eyes before turning back to what he was doing, hoping if he ignored her she would leave.

  “Don’t do this to yourself. I’ll let you take me out to dinner, and we can see where it goes from there.”

  “I’m not taking you anywhere.”

  “Hey. Where’s that gentleman I once knew?” she bantered back.

  “I’m seeing someone. Get over yourself, and get the fuck out of here.”

  “Who?” Jessica’s voice went up an octave with surprise.

  Wade took the small victory to catching her off guard for once. “It’s none of your business, but if you care so much you’ll be able to figure it out.” Wade shook his head, regretting revealing too much information. “Just…get out.” She was exhausting.

  “Don’t you even want to know why I’m here?”

  “I’m pretty sure I asked you that already. And a clear answer wasn’t something you were willing to give.”

  “I mean in your office,” Jessica said with sass. “I’m here because I need to schedule an appointment with the on-site masseuse. I heard that you were taking over those duties.”

  Fuck. Nope. No fucking way. Wade ground his teeth together. She was testing every nerve he had. “You heard wrong. Vi is still doing that. I’ll just have the clinic.”

  The original plan had been for him to take over that position as well as be the chiropractor, but there was no way in hell he was going to work on Jess. Vi would have to suck it up and keep doing it or find someone else. And if she dared to give him hell for it, she was going to be in for it. The fact that Jessica was back and she couldn’t mention it was low.

  Wade cleared his throat. “I don’t know how she handles her sign up. Maybe text her or leave a message with Lawson at the desk.”

  “Ya know, you could at least pretend to be excited to see me. We’re going to have to figure out a way to be friends seeing how I’m training here now.”

  “What!” Wade whipped around. “You don’t get to walk into my gym and tell me what I have to do. You don’t get to come in here and tell me how I feel.” He looked at the ground, anger boiling inside him. “Fuck it!” Without another look, Wade brushed by Jessica, making sure their bodies didn’t touch as he exited the room. He wasn’t going to play the victim.

  Wade pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and sent a text; someone was about to pay for this.

  Wade: How fucking dare you!

  When his phone rang immediately and his sister’s picture popped up on the screen he was all too happy to take the call.

  “So now you have something to say?” Wade couldn’t hold back his irritation. He felt lied to.

  “Rex didn’t tell you?”

  “Umm no. Jessica cornered me in the clinic and made a pass at me, so thanks for the fucking warning.” Wade paused, the anger continuing to boil inside him. “And why the hell is it Rex’s job to tell me? You should have called me right away!”

  “I’m sorry she did that. She said she wasn’t back because of you. I didn’t want her here either, but Rex just couldn’t pass up having ‘Jackpot’ here. I told him he had to clear it with you.”

  “Since when did you let Rex start making all the decisions?”

  “That’s not fair, Wade. You don’t know how anything works anymore. You ran away, remember?”

  Wade felt his face go white and his mouth fall open at the hard jab. “Fuck you! Not everyone can be invincible like the perfect Vivette Kerney.”

  Wade bit down hard, clenching his jaw. This conversation wasn’t going anywhere, and he knew if he wasn’t careful they would both say something that couldn’t be taken back.

  “Listen, Vi, I have a couple of things to tell you. First, I’m not taking over the massage clinic, find someone else, or make the fighters go out of house for it. Second, you damn well know it should have been you to tell me about Jessica. And third, Kiki and I are officially dating. And if you have a problem with anything I said, then just keep it to yourself.”

  “Wade.” Vi’s tone was softer, almost pleading.

  “I just thought that you should hear it from me. I didn’t want you to be caught off guard with horrible rumors about your baby brother corrupting the sweet, new manager.”

  “That’s not fair.”

  “Like hell it isn’t! I know what you think about me. Is that why you couldn’t tell me about Jessica? You thought once I found out she was back I’d drop Kiki and go chase after her?”

  “Of course not! I didn’t fucking want her here either!” Vi shouted. “I told Rex if he wanted her here so bad he was going to have to clear it with you. I’ll talk to Uncle and find out what his problem is.”

  “No, Vi, don’t do that. It’s over, she’s here. And really the only person who had the responsibility of being a decent person and telling me what was going on was you. I guess you fucked that one up.”

  “Stop being an asshole! I messed up. I can’t take it back now, but I am so
rry I didn’t handle it better. I’ll get a new masseuse. And…” Vi paused. “I’m happy that you and Kiki are dating.”

  “I’ll talk to you later,” Wade said curtly before hanging up the phone.

  He didn’t want to hear any more excuses or apologies from his sister. He wasn’t necessarily mad at her, but at the situation and the feeling of being lied to. Lies, omissions of the truth, they all hurt more than the truth ever would. At least in the long run.

  Wade ran his hand over the back of his neck, trying to squeeze the tension out of it. He gave his head a shake before continuing his way through the gym to seek Kiki out, hoping her smile would lighten his dark mood. A mood that was quickly souring at the realization that he was going to have to tell Kiki about this—about Jessica, about the past—and figure out how this was going to work. And he hoped to hell that the past didn’t repeat itself. Working with two ex-girlfriends just might be enough to send him back to Oregon.

  Chapter 10

  The sore muscles and the sweat dripping down Kiki’s face was oddly satisfying. Her heart was pounding, full of adrenaline. She felt powerful and in control, even with Joshua’s heavy body on top of her. He’d only started training her in MMA and self-defense a few weeks ago, but she was already starting to feel more confident than she had in a long time. Getting the job at the gym had been the best thing that had ever happened to her, and this was just another good thing to come from it.

  After the initial warm-up today Joshua wanted to work on techniques on how to get out of a full mount position, essentially someone sitting on top of her. She laid flat on the mat, with Joshua on top of her, each leg on one side of her torso.

  “Now, this is the most dominate ground position in MMA.”

  Joshua threw fake punches toward her face, and she tried not to flinch. It was clear to see why this was so dominate, and intimidating. If a man was on top of her like this, an attacker, she’d have no idea what to do. It was a helpless feeling.

  “The worst thing you can do is lay flat on your back. You leave your face open to blows. First, pull your knees up. Next, curl your face toward my chest, like you’re doing a sit-up.”

  Kiki followed the directions, paying close attention, only nodding. There was real world value to this, more so than being able to throw a punch.

  “Okay, now you’re going to throw a knee into my body, and simultaneously wrap your arms around my midsection, holding me close. Got it?”

  Kiki nodded.

  “All right.” Joshua smiled down at her. “Let’s try this part in real time.”

  Kiki bucked her hips as she threw her knee into his backside, but he didn’t budge.

  “Come on, Kiki, you can do better than that. I promise you won’t hurt me.”

  Kiki cringed a bit at the thought of hurting him, or anyone. But she had to think like a fighter, like her life depended on this.

  “Don’t overthink it. This needs to become second nature. Besides, if you do hurt me, you should take it as a win.” He winked.

  Joshua had become a good friend. He was the first guy at the gym to reach out to her, to talk to her like a person. Most greeted her with simple hellos, or grunts, as they walked by. Not that anyone had ever been rude, just indifferent. Their conversation had mostly stayed light and easy. When she had mentioned how little she knew about the sport Joshua had offer to not only teach her, but show her.

  “Ready?”

  “Yep. Let’s do this.”

  “Right on!”

  Kiki cocked her leg back and threw everything she had into the knee. Reaching up quickly, she squeezed her arms around his waist. With an oomph Joshua was heavy, flat on top of her, her head safely under his arm, between the pit and the ribs.

  “That was fucking awesome!” Joshua called from above her head.

  “Is this where my head is supposed to end up?”

  “Yep. See, your head is protected from my fist,” Joshua said as he pulled back up into full mount.

  “I bet a lesser man would be concerned seeing his girlfriend tangled up with some man, laying on her back, nonetheless.” The flat words came from cage side.

  Instantly recognizing Wade’s voice, Kiki turned to smile at him. When Joshua did the same, she took the opportunity to throw the knee into his back, practicing the move he’d taught her.

  “What the fuck,” he called as she held him flat, perfectly executing the move.

  She giggled as she pushed him off. “I’d be a fool not to take advantage of your distraction.”

  She hopped up, excited to see Wade. After the night they’d spent together he was all she could think about. Waking up next to him this morning was amazing, but seeing him again, two times in one day, made her heart flutter. She didn’t even feel silly as she skipped over to the cage door where he waited for her, now with a bright smile.

  She came down the stairs, leaping into his arms, pressing a kiss to his lips. Wade’s hesitation made her doubt the action. She pulled back quickly.

  “Oh, umm...” Kiki looked away. “Sorry. I got a little carried away. All this adrenaline, I guess. And I’m so sweaty, that’s gross.”

  Wade’s arm wrapped around her, pulling her against him. “And here I thought you were so overcome with excitement that you couldn’t control yourself.”

  Kiki leaned up on her tiptoes, placing a kiss on his lips. “This is a pleasant surprise, but what are you doing here?”

  Wade brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. “I had to come check out the room I’ll be using. And since I’m here I wanted to see if you wanted to grab lunch? I don’t have class ’til three-thirty.”

  “We have plans already. Sorry, Wade,” Joshua said, walking out of the cage.

  Kiki wasn’t oblivious to the tension in the air, but she hadn’t picture Wade as the jealous type. Besides, she and Joshua were friends. From the very beginning she’d never seen him as more. There had never been even a hint of a spark from day one, and although it had initially been disappointing, he was a good guy.

  “We’re still on for lunch, but you wouldn’t mind if Wade comes with us, right?”

  “I guess not,” Joshua said with a huff that Kiki ignored.

  She turned back to Wade. “So, will you come to lunch with us?” she asked, hoping he’d say yes.

  The expression on Wade’s face was hard to decipher. Was he irritated, or was that a smug look as he continued to stare down Joshua?

  Kiki reached up, grabbing a hold of his chin, playfully pulling it down, forcing him to look at her. “Pretty please?”

  His expression softened, and he smiled. “Okay.”

  “Great. I’m gonna go take a quick shower, and then we can go.”

  “Hey...but we aren’t finished with our lesson, Kiki,” Joshua said.

  “It’s okay, I don’t mind cutting it short today. We can make it up later this week.”

  “That’s not a very good work ethic,” he muttered.

  The comment hurt her feelings a bit. She’d been trying and doing the best she could, but this was all for fun. She should be able to skip out a little early one day. Deciding to ignore the comment, she moved out of Wade’s hold and headed to the locker room.

  * * * *

  “Joshua, you can just meet us there,” Wade called over his shoulder as he led Kiki from the gym, his arm wrapped around her side.

  “Oh.” Kiki stopped Wade. “He doesn’t drive. He’s gonna ride with me.”

  “Yeah,” Joshua said, taking two large steps, closing the distance. “So, you can meet us there.”

  “No sweat, Joshua.” Wade smiled. “I have room for everyone.”

  Wade’s arm pulled around Kiki’s side, almost uncomfortably. What was that expression? Pissing contest? Wrapped up in Wade’s arms, surely he knew he had her.

  “Come on, babe, you get shotgun.” Wade pulled her toward his car and she waved for Joshua to follow with a hopeful smile.

  Kiki was conflicted. She didn’t know if she hated what was happening, or
loved it. She sighed inwardly, getting in the car as Wade held the door open. It was a week ago Joshua had been irritated that she hadn’t told him that she was dating Wade. But now she hoped all three of them could get along and be friends, and this might be the perfect way to do so. And prove to Joshua that they would always be friends.

  * * * *

  Kiki couldn’t miss the way Wade’s eyes narrowed as he watched Joshua leave the table. The whole situation was getting out of control, and she had no idea how to rein things in.

  “He likes you,” Wade said, leaning into Kiki with his arm around the back of her chair.

  “We’re just friends.” Kiki rolled her eyes at him.

  “He more than likes you. And I don’t like it. Maybe you could find someone else to train with at the gym?” Wade said, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

  The request hit Kiki oddly. She’d never had to deal with a jealous man before. This is jealousy, right? Was it flattering, or reassuring, or a warning? Was that the real reason behind the Jessica break-up? Kiki had made no mention of the fact that Wade’s old girlfriend was now training at the gym. She refused to bring it up first, not wanting to look jealous herself.

  “We really are just friends.” Kiki leaned in, placing her hand on his knee. “Besides, are you really one to talk?”

  Wade raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  Darn it. She should have left it alone. There was no reason to bring it up until he did. She didn’t want to push him.

  “I just mean…you know, with Jessica training at the gym now?” Kiki shrugged.

  Wade’s jaw dropped, and she instantly regretted saying anything.

  Shaking it off, she straightened up in her chair. “It’s okay. Forget I said anything.”

  “Oh no. There is a lot to talk about. But don’t think for one second that that woman and I are friends, or will ever be. Ever.” Wade’s voice was loud and harsh, and Kiki was angry with herself for even bringing it up, especially now. This wasn’t the place.

  “Kiki, everything okay?” Joshua interrupted, his chair screeching across the floor as he pulled it out. “What are we talking about?” he asked, sitting down.