Hurt: A Bad Boy MMA Romantic Suspense Novel (12 page)

“Ricky’s place. There was a situation.”

Benito laughed. “She’s pulling you right in.”

“I’m trying to be there for her.”

“Emotions and baggage aside, we know what needs to be done. For you, Noah, I’ll hold back just a little. Goddamn me for doing it.” Benito put a hand to my shoulder. “So here’s your choice… either I get Craig or I get your woman and your kid. I’m breaking my own protocol now, Noah. Get it?”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“I’m not fucking around. You have a kid? Congrats. Good for you. But you’re supposed to be the reliable one, Noah. The one who wraps it up when he fucks a woman. The one who has no care in the world other than himself and his dick. Now you’re a family man? Going to beat up every guy that looks at your woman? Going to fight people at the hospital because your kid is sick?”

“You heard about that?” I asked.

“I got a few phone calls about it,” Benito said. “Apparently one of my guys came into the hospital with a sick baby and threw my family’s name around.”

“I’m sorry about that. But he was sick. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Now I’m telling you what to do,” Benito said. “Find Craig. I’m getting him or your family. You decide.”

Benito then circled around his desk and sat down. A second later Dante went to him and leaned down, whispering something into his ear. Benito looked away from me as Dante whispered to him.

This was what it had become.

Me on the outside even more.

“Secrets, huh?” I asked.

“Noah,” Benito said. “Your return to fighting is coming. The details are being worked out. You have an opponent. My advice would be to find Craig and start training. There’s a lot of money being tossed around for this fight. Strange as it is, it’s almost split. A lot of people don’t think you can do it anymore. You’ve lost your touch.”

I curled my lip. “Stand up then, Benito. Come back here. Let me show you.”

Benito grinned. “That’s the fighter I’ve been looking for. Now go get ‘em.”

I kept a straight face but inside I was burning up.

Ashlynn and Jude were in danger.

And I had nobody to rely on but myself.

27.

(Ashlynn)

I was getting used to being the parent for a three month old baby. I was not prepared to be a parent for a sixteen year old.

Leah showed up in tears.

Jude was in my arms, bundled up, his little body working so hard to take care of the ear infection. I’d given him something to eat, gave him some medicine, and now I was just waiting for him to fall asleep. As long as he stayed hydrated and got lots of sleep, he’d be fine. His pediatrician had called me, which shocked me. Apparently the doctor from the hospital took it upon himself to personally contact the pediatrician to make sure everyone was in the loop. All of that happened because of Noah and his wild attitude.

When I put Jude down, he fell right asleep.

I returned to the living room and Leah was holding a cigarette.

“Don’t do that,” I said. “What’s wrong?”

“Just… life,” she said. “My mother broke up with her boyfriend. So he came back last night to get some stuff. I was the stuff, Ashlynn. He said things. He offered…”

My mind went to Noah. If I told Noah, he’d go after the guy. But what would that teach Leah?

“I’m so sorry,” I said.

“Then Jeremy is acting like an asshole. I think he likes someone else.”

“That sucks,” I said. I moved some of clothes off the coffee table and sat down. “That really sucks. But you’re a good kid, Leah. And remember that. You’re a kid. You don’t need to fall in love today or tomorrow. If someone is bothering you, like that guy, you can talk to someone. The police can help you. I can be there with you and for you. I’m…”

There was a knock at the door.

“Damn, give me a second,” I said. “Don’t move. No cigarettes, Leah. No bullshit. Okay? This is my apartment. You’re safe here. You can stay here and collect yourself. Nothing bad can happen while you’re here.”

I went to the door and opened it.

Three men with guns rushed inside…

28.

(Noah)

“Just get it over with.”

I swung and hit Dante in the mouth. He flew back and hit the wall. He grabbed his jaw and stumbled to the left, cursing. My right fist was still tight, ready to deliver more.

“You asshole,” I said.

Dante turned, wiping blood from his mouth. “It’s my job, Noah. You were supposed to find Craig. I’m sorry you have a situation now, but this is important.”

“I wouldn’t lie,” I said. “That apartment is clear of him. He’s using Ashlynn’s address. I’ll find out why. I’ll find out where he is. But now I have to walk around looking over my shoulder.”

“We grew up the same, bro,” Dante said. “I moved up. You need to move on.”

“Go fuck yourself, Dante. You can be Benito’s bitch, that’s fine. Me? I’m going to fucking fight. I’m going to earn the way I’ve always known. And, yeah, I have a situation now. I have a kid. I’m not going to do to him what our fathers did to us. You sold me out, man. I didn’t want to tell you a thing but I had no choice. You used that against me. I understand why, I really do. But friendship?”

I spit at the ground and turned my back to him.

I’d find Craig. And as long as Ashlynn was telling the truth, then nothing would change.

Then again… what if she was lying?

29.

(Ashlynn)

One man stood with a gun pointed at Leah. The other two walked me down the hallway. One had a hand to my throat. I could see his eyes through the holes of a custom made mask, using a long winter hat.

Dark and evil eyes.

“Where is it?” the man growled.

“What?”

“You know what we want. Fucking cunt.”

The other man made a move toward Jude’s room.

“No,” I said. “That’s my son’s room. Please. Don’t hurt him.”

“Where did she sleep?” the first man asked me.

“To my right.”

They dragged me into my mother’s room.

“Ah, damn, it smells like piss,” the man said.

“She’s dying of cancer, asshole,” I said.

“Tough break then.”

The guy held me to the wall. The other guy took over every drawer and dumped them out. All my mother’s clothing was then on the floor, messy enough to look like a teenager’s bedroom. All the clothing used to fit her before she withered away because of the cancer and treatments.

My eyes filled with tears.

I then did something stupid. I lifted my knee and hit the guy in the balls. He let me go and stepped back.

“Bitch!” he screamed.

He swung and I ducked. His fist hit the wall and he crumbled to the right.

“Don’t hit her!” the other guy yelled. “Don’t fucking hurt her!”

I looked at the guy as he tore through the closet. He was holding a picture. He looked at me and then looked away.

“I’m taking this,” he said. He folded it up and stuck it in his back pocket. “Where’s the money?”

“What money?” I asked.

“We’ll be back.”

The guy I kicked in the balls said, “And I won’t be so nice.”

As fast as the ordeal began, it was over.

I rushed to Jude’s room and grabbed him. He was still asleep. He had no idea what had just happened. When I exited the room, Leah slowly walked down the hall toward me. She may have been sixteen and forced to be far more mature than her age required, but right then, her eyes were full of innocent fear. I grabbed her with my right arm.

I held Jude and Leah.

I needed Noah… right now.

30.

(Noah)

I burst through the apartment door and feared the worst. It looked completely normal, until I looked down the hallway. There was Ashlynn, sitting against her bedroom door, holding Jude in one arm and Leah resting in her other arm. The poor young girl was curled up and looked like she was sleeping.

“What happened?” I asked Ashlynn.

Leah stirred and woke up. She looked at me and her eyes went wide. “Are we safe?”

I crouched down. “We’re safe, yeah. Nothing to worry about when I’m here.”

I looked at Ashlynn and nodded.

“Three men came in,” Ashlynn said. “One kept Leah on the couch. The other two took me into my mother’s room. They demanded something. Then they took a picture and said something about coming back for money. My mother doesn’t have any money, Noah. She’s sick. She’s broke.”

Money? This was about money?

“Did they touch you?” I asked.

“One of them grabbed my neck.”

“Fuck,” I growled. “And Jude?”

He slept the entire time.

My son looked at me, eyes big and innocent. I reached out and touched his soft head.

“What about you?” I asked Leah.

“Nobody touched me,” she said.

“Three men?” I asked.

“Yes,” Ashlynn said. “They were in and out in a few minutes. Like they knew what they wanted. Like they went right into that room…”

My head spun. And it took me back to one scenario. Standing there with Benito. Dante whispering something into Benito’s ear. Could all this shit be connected? Did Benito send people to the apartment to check on things? Looking for money was an easy ploy. And if whoever broke in really wanted money they would have went through the rest of the apartment. The living room. Ashlynn’s purse. Leah’s bag. Whatever Ashlynn may have had in her bedroom.

I looked at Leah, then at Ashlynn, then at Jude.

“Goddammit,” I whispered. “Leah, you need to go home, girl. Get out of here and out of this danger.”

Leah started to cry.

“What’s her problem?” I asked Ashlynn.

“You really want to know?” she asked.

I really didn’t… but I found out anyway.

~ ~ ~

I opened the door and saw the two of them standing there. It was like a fucking cliche. A woman who looked tired, beat up, with greasy hair. The lines on her face gave way to what once had been a beautiful woman. The second I saw her, I saw Leah. They were almost goddamn twins.

Standing behind her was a man. Chubby, facial hair, dark eyes, his lip already curled. Probably carrying a small dick so he used his big fists to control the situation he was in.

“Leah’s mother?” I asked.

“Leslie. This is Jerry.”

I grabbed Leslie by the arm and pulled her into the apartment. I slammed the door on Jerry. He quickly pounded on the door.

“Let me the fuck in!” he bellowed.

Leah cowered, trying to cover her ears.

“She’s afraid of that man,” I said to Leslie. “And you let him back in?”

“I’m afraid of him,” Leslie said. She looked at her daughter. “Jesus Christ, Leah. What the fuck is going on?”

The thudding continued.

“Tell him to calm down or I’m going to break his wrist,” I warned.

“He won’t listen to me,” Leslie said.

“This ends now,” I said.

Jerry hit the door again and I thought it was going to explode. I opened the door and grabbed him by the shirt.

“You motherfu-”

I punched him in the mouth. He tried to take a swing at me, but I dodged him. He was big, but he had no fighting skill. He wasn’t used to the person fighting back.
He wasn’t used to fighting a man.

Leslie yelled his name as I hit him in the stomach. He dropped to one knee and I drove my knee into his face. I would have fucking killed him if it wasn’t for Ashlynn and my son in the same room. I put Jerry on the floor and put his hand in the doorway.

“You want to slam the fucking door?” I asked. “Here.”

I rammed the door three times before his wrist finally gave way and broke.

He screamed and I dropped my knee to his throat.

“You ever look at Leah again, I’ll cut your eyes out. You ever touch her again, I’ll cut your hands off. You ever think of her again and I’ll blow your head off. Got it?”

Jerry nodded, tears escaping his eyes.

I lifted myself and pulled him to his feet. He instantly cradled his wrist.

“Go to the hospital,” I said. “It’s your turn to tell a doctor you accidentally fell down a set of steps.”

“Bitch,” Jerry said, looking at Leslie.

I made a fist and he started to run.

I then dug in my pocket and took out a couple hundred dollars. I offered it to Leslie. “Take this.”

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Saving you. One time though. Got it? Take your daughter out to dinner. Talk to her. Listen to her. Love her. That guy ever bothers you again, you tell me. I’ll have him taken care of for good.”

Leah went to her mother. Leslie held her daughter and looked at Ashlynn.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Ashlynn said. “Leah is a great girl.”

“I know,” Leslie whispered. “I know.” She looked at me. “Thank you.”

“I’m not lying either,” I said. “This is done. You keep this life up and your daughter is going to get hurt.”

I sent them on their way, another fucking mess cleaned up in the goddamn apartment. I shut the door and I locked it.

“Noah, what’s happening?” Ashlynn asked.

I turned and faced her. “I need to know everything. About you. Your mother. Your father. Your family.”

“Is it bad?”

I touched Ashlynn’s cheek with one hand and touched Jude’s small head with the other hand.

I nodded.

“Yeah, sweetheart, it’s really bad.”

31.

(Ashlynn)

I couldn’t remember the last time I was able to kick back and try to relax. The baby was asleep and I had pumped enough milk for a few days, leaving me able to have a couple drinks with Noah. We ordered takeout and Noah added on a six-pack of beer. I had a bottle of wine someone gave to me before I got pregnant. It was strangely fitting to open wine that had been brought into my life before all of this madness.

We were in the bedroom, sitting on the floor.

It was almost innocent. Like we had done it a million times before. Yeah, I had to try and ignore all the bad stuff, not to mention the gun on the floor.

Noah killed off his third drink. “Ready to talk?”

“No,” I admitted. “I don’t think I have a choice.”