Meant for Me (A Second Chance standalone) (13 page)

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” I told her.

As soon as she was gone, I followed Jake to the bar. “Fix
whatever drink you want, Mason. It’s on the house,” he offered, motioning to
the bottles behind the counter.

“Don’t mind if I do,” I accepted.

The liquor looked mighty appealing, so I grabbed the bottle
of whiskey and poured myself a double shot of it. I sucked it back in one huge
gulp and poured another. “Rough night?” Jake asked.

I stared into the amber liquid in my glass and chuckled
halfheartedly. It was Saturday night and I had no clue if someone was going to
die in a fight somewhere. So, yeah, I guess I could consider that a rough
night.

Tossing back the whiskey, I took a deep breath before
answering, “There’s just a lot going on in my life right now.”

“Well, cheer up, son. I have some good news.” He grabbed the
bottle of whiskey and poured me another shot. “You will not believe who agreed
to fight you next Friday.”

With wide eyes, I turned to him quickly and asked, “Who? Who
is it?”

“Does the name Matt Reynolds ring a bell?”

The moment he said the name the whole world froze on its
axis.
Did I hear him right?
Surely, he didn’t say the name I thought he
did. Matt Reynolds was one of the best UFC fighters in the Heavyweight
division. He came along and made a name for himself shortly after I left the
sport. I knew who he was and he wasn’t going to be easy to take down, but I sure
as hell wasn’t going to pass up the chance to fight him.

“You do still want to fight, don’t you?” Jake asked, looking
concerned with his brows furrowed.

“Of course,” I exclaimed, “I’m not an idiot. How in the hell
did you get him to agree to this?”

Jake grabbed a glass and poured himself a shot of whiskey.
He offered another one to me, but I shook my head and waved him off. The last
thing I needed to be was drunk in a club with Claire. “That’s the funny thing,”
Jake began, “Matt Reynolds comes in here a lot and he’ll watch the fights and
network along with others while he’s here, but he’s never offered to fight. I
guess he saw a challenge in you. This could be a good thing, Mason. This could
be your opening to get back in the sport and do things right this time.”

Sighing, I turned away and decided one last shot of whiskey
wouldn’t hurt me. After I poured it, I glanced at Jake over my shoulder and
said, “I don’t think so. I lost that chance a long time ago.”

The thought was tempting, and I’d love nothing more than to
do things right, especially with Claire by my side, but it just didn’t seem
possible.

Or was it?

The club was packed, and if I had to estimate the number of
people I would have to say at least five hundred or more were in the room. It
was a good thing I had my place in the front row with Jake and Tyler beside me.
Tilting my head to Tyler, I asked quietly, “So does Claire like to do this for
free or does Jake pay her?”

Tyler chuckled under his breath. “Oh, she would do it for
free, but Jake always paid her eighty percent of the ticket sales. She used to
bitch about it all the time, but Jake didn’t care. He put it in her check each
week anyway.”

Wow
.

Eighty percent was a large chunk of change. She probably
made thousands each week. A few nights ago when she first told me she worked at
the club she said she was ashamed to tell her family what she had done. She
dabbled with drugs and made some stupid choices, which thankfully she didn’t go
into detail about. However, I knew firsthand what those choices were because I
made plenty of them with women I didn’t even know. I would rather forget those
times, too.

Jake leaned forward, addressing me and Tyler, “All right you
two, it’s time for me to begin the announcement. Be prepared to be amazed,
Mason. I have never seen a dancer with as much heart as Claire.”

He got up and left, shaking hands with several of the people
in their seats before making his way behind the curtain. The overheard lights
began to dim, and were replaced with shimmering blue lights that glowed from
the stage.

The curtain pulled back and Jake appeared, smiling at the
crowd with a microphone in his hand. “Good evening, everyone. As some of you
know we haven’t had a show like this in a really long time. It just so happens
that someone special has come in for a visit and has offered to bring in our
summer season with a little bit of magic.”

He paused for a moment, and then began moving toward the
edge of the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Claire O’Briene, our
summer goddess of The Labyrinth.”

Jake quickly took his seat, and as soon as he did the lights
shut off completely … everything silent. The sound of music slowly began to
echo through the room while the blue lights grew steadily brighter. The misty
fog in the room swirled around Claire when she took the stage, and it was so
thick I could barely see her. However, when the smoke cleared nothing could
prepare me for what I saw on that stage.

Claire beamed down at me with the most serene smile I’d ever
seen on her face. She looked exactly like a summer goddess in what appeared to
be a short, pale yellow toga with crystals that glowed a brilliant shade of red
in the light. She looked liked the sun, but moved gracefully like the wind. I
could care less about any kind of dancing, but watching Claire do what she
loved made it special. It was a part of who she was, just like fighting was a
part of me.

I was entranced by her movements, except all too quickly it
was over and I was broken out of the trance when the music stopped, the booming
voices of the crowd cheering in my ear. Getting to my feet, both Tyler and I
whistled and clapped as loud as we could for her. Laughing, she shook her head
as she made her way to the microphone.

“Good evening, everyone. I just wanted to say thank you for
taking the time to watch me tonight. Some of you may already know that I used
to dance here a few years ago when I worked here. I’m honored that I was given
the chance to do so again, and I’m glad that you all made it a special night
for me. Thank you.”

She waved at everyone and then ran down the side steps
straight for me, Jake, and Tyler. “That was so amazing,” she breathed, wrapping
her arms around my neck. I lifted her in my arms and kissed her quickly on the
lips.

“You were beautiful up there,” I murmured in her ear. “I
can’t believe I’ve never seen you dance before.”

“I’ll try to do it more,” she promised as I set her down on
her feet. She turned to acknowledge Jake and he hugged her, whispering
something in her ear, before walking off to mingle with his guests.

Tyler gave her a sideways hug and squeezed. “You looked
awesome, kitten, like always. However, now I have to work the door. Jake let me
off so I could watch you.” He kissed her on the head and reached out to shake
my hand. “You two have fun tonight. I’ll catch you both later.”

As soon as he left, there were several women who started
coming up to Claire, hugging her and wanting to talk to her. I understood there
would be people who wanted to mingle with her so when she looked over at me I
mouthed the words ‘going to the bar’ to her so she would know where I was
going. I ordered a beer and stood there for a moment watching the people come
and go. For about fifteen minutes I stayed at the bar hoping to give Claire
some time with her people before going back to her.

However, when I got a clear view at her from across the room
I wasn’t expecting her to be in the arms of another man. I could tell Claire
was excited to see him by the joy in her wide-eyed gaze.

Who the hell is he?
I wondered.
Better yet, why
was he all over her?

The closer I got, the more the guy came into view. He was
about my age and same build with short, black hair. He happened to catch my eye
and glared at me for a second before smiling back down at Claire who had the
biggest grin on her face and was talking nonstop. Before I could march the rest
of the way down to the stage, I felt the vibration of my phone buzzing in my
pocket. The moment I saw the name pop up on the screen I knew something was
going to be wrong. Ryan wouldn’t bother me this late at night if it wasn’t
important.

As soon as I walked out of the room to answer the phone my
gaze caught something I wasn’t expecting to see … the telltale signs of a
dragon tattoo snaking its way down a guy’s neck. He was most likely in his early
forties, judging by the lines in his face and the light graying mixed in with
his shortly cropped brown hair. The tattoo didn’t exactly fit in with the whole
businesslike and arrogant persona he exuded, and if I wasn’t consciously
looking for it on people’s necks I probably wouldn’t have seen it behind the
collar of his crisp, white button down shirt. His pace slowed as he approached,
his gaze narrowing as if he recognized me. A mischievous smirk splayed across
his face as he walked past, heading into the stage room.

Holy shit!
I can’t believe I finally found the
bastard.

The only thing that made the situation completely screwed up
was that not only did he go into the room I just left, but I watched him go
straight down to where Claire and the other guy were standing by the stage. My
phone stopped buzzing in my pocket and then immediately started back up again.

“Dammit,” I hissed under my breath. Keeping my gaze on
Claire and the guys around her, I clicked on my phone and answered it by
saying, “Yeah, what’s going on?”

Ryan cleared his throat. “I need to tell you something,” he
replied.

“I need to tell you something, too,” I cut in. “It looks
like I found the man we’ve been looking for. He’s at The Labyrinth right now.”

“Good, keep your eye on him. The sooner we figure out who he
is and what connection he has to the deaths the sooner we can end this mess.
However, the reason why I called is …” He paused, hesitating for a second,
which only made me more irritable.
Just tell me!
I wanted to scream.

“What is it?” I demanded impatiently.

The last thing I expected to hear come through the phone was
the words that came out of his mouth. “We found Austin’s missing wife,” Ryan
said. “We found her in an alley off the main strip.”

The moment he said those words I had images of a blonde
haired beauty beaten and broken on the side of the road. Taking a seat, I kept
the phone to my ear and closed my eyes. I didn’t want to ask where he found her
at. I had seen death numerous times over the years and I didn’t want to see it
with someone I knew.

Hanging my head, I sighed and kept my voice low when I
asked, “She’s dead isn’t she? You called to tell me she’s dead.”

“No, Mason, she’s not dead. I called to tell you that she’s
alive … Summer Moore is alive.”

Mason looked pissed about me being with Wade, and I was sure
he’d be even more angry when he found out who he was, considering our history.
I glanced past Wade to Mason who was on the phone with a distraught expression
on his face.
I wonder what’s going on.

“So are you coming back to us or just passing through?” Wade
asked, grabbing my attention. He noticed me sneaking glances toward Mason, but
he didn’t mention anything about it. Instead, he gazed at me with his
mysterious hazel eyes and gave me his famous devilish smile that I was sure won
him many hearts since I left. His once shoulder length dark brown hair was now
cut shorter and gelled in messy spikes, and I had to admit it suited him
better.

“You looked sexy as hell up there on that stage. I’m sure
Jake would love to have you back.”

I laughed. “I’m sure he would love to have me back, but it’s
not going to happen. Hey, Ty told me you went to the Bahamas. Did you have
fun?”

“I did,” he agreed, but then quickly changed the subject,
moving closer. With a confident grin on his face, he put his arm around my
shoulders and slowly brought his lips down to my ear so he could speak quietly.
“So how long are you in town for? I thought maybe we could spend some time
together. I can show you what you’ve been missing all these years.”

Rolling my eyes, I pulled away and smacked him playfully on
the arm, making him chuckle. “You never give up do you?”

A man came up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder,
and stated, “No, he doesn’t, which is why I like him. However, he’s going to have
to show you what you’ve been missing at another time. We have somewhere else to
be right now.” The man whispered something in his ear and then walked off,
waiting for him by the door.

“Before I go,” Wade began, “I’m having a party tomorrow
night at my house. I want you to be there. Will you come?”

“Yeah, that would be great. I have a question though … who’s
the guy who was just here?” I asked. There was one thing I knew for certain, I
didn’t like him. He seemed like he would be a complete dirt bag … arrogant.
Arrogant men were a complete turn off for me. Mason was confident, smart, and
strong, but never full of himself. If he ever did get like that I would kick
his ass myself.

“He’s my agent,” Wade said with a grin on his face. “I take
it you didn’t care too much for him.”

“Not really,” I admitted honestly. “Since when do you need
an agent?”

Wade sighed, his eyes going wide once he looked down and
noticed the time on his watch. “Shit, Claire, I really need to go. I’ll talk to
you more about it tomorrow, okay? I’ll text you the address to my house
sometime in the afternoon.”

He kissed me on the cheek and hurried off to his agent who
had a scowl on his face, looking perturbed and impatient. By the time they were
out the side door Mason stalked toward me, his eyes blazing … searching. I
could actually feel the heat of his anger, and it wasn’t good.

“Where did they go?” he demanded, examining the room.

“Are you talking about the two men that were with me?” I
asked nervously. By the wild look in his eyes I was afraid to tell him
anything.

“Yes,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Which way did they
go?”

I hesitated for a moment before pointing to the side door
that led out to the right side of the club where the arena was. “They went out
that way. Why? What are you going to do?”

Taking me by the arm—it didn’t hurt, but I could tell he was
ready to get out of the club—he pulled me to the door. “Mason, don’t do
anything,” I pleaded. “Wade is just my friend now. You don’t have to go kick
his ass because he got a little too close to me.”

Huffing, he let go of my arm and reached down to take my
hand, keeping his gaze on the people around us. “So that was Wade, huh?” he
growled.

“Yes.”

Mason pulled me to the side and glared down at me. “Claire,
that’s not what I’m angry about. I mean, yeah, at first I wanted to break his
fucking face for being all over you, but it’s not exactly him I’m interested in
at the moment. Who was the other man who talked to you?”

I scoffed. “Oh, you mean the one who acted like an arrogant
prick? I didn’t exactly like him.”

“So you don’t know him?” Mason asked, narrowing his gaze.

Shaking my head, I said, “No, I don’t. Tonight was the first
time I met him. Wade said he was his agent.”

“What kind of agent? What’s his name?”

“I don’t know,” I answered, shrugging my shoulders. “They
were in a hurry to get out of here and he didn’t have time to tell me.”

“Fuck,” Mason hissed under his breath. “Do you think Tyler
would know who he is?”

“Probably since Wade is one of his good friends. He should
be at the front entrance so we can ask him.” His grip on my hand was tight, but
it was probably because there were so many people in the club that if he wasn’t
holding onto me he would easily lose me in the crowd if we got separated.
Why
does he want to know who the other guy is?

Once we got to the door where Tyler stood flirting with a
group of girls, I stopped Mason and mumbled quietly, “Let me handle this, okay?
I’ll ask Tyler the questions.”

Mason nodded and blew out a frustrated sigh. “That’s fine.
Just ask him who the guy is and who he agents for. That way I can run a search
on him and figure out how to find him.”

“Why do you want to know who this guy is so badly?” I asked.

Leaning closer, Mason pierced me with his emerald green gaze
and answered in a low, menacing voice, “Because he’s the guy I’ve been looking
for. He’s the one who has been seen with each of the deceased fighters around
the days before their deaths. I have to find out who he is.”

No wonder he was acting the way he was. I had no idea about
it or I would’ve made sure to talk to the guy myself. However, it wasn’t just
the guy that had Mason torn up. I saw his face when he took the phone call and
I knew a look of worry when I saw one. It was the same look he had on his face
when Melissa had been taken by my brother on his attempt to flee the country.
As soon as we got to the car I was going to ask him.

Up ahead, Tyler was by the front door flirting with a couple
of women, but when he saw us approaching he left them to come to us. “Don’t
tell me you two are leaving already? It’s only,” he drawled, glancing down at
his phone, “one o’clock in the morning. It’s early.”

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head and chuckled, “Maybe for
you, Ty, but for me I’m used to getting my sleep. Anyway, did you happen to see
Wade leave by any chance?”

“Oh, yeah,” he responded, “I saw him leave with his agent. I
think he had some kind of promotional party he had to go to or something. I
never know anymore these days. Wade’s kind of gone off doing his own thing now.
Once he landed his agent he’s been spending more time away and working out at
one of the high end gyms. It’s all good, though. Someone in our circle needs to
make a name for themselves.”

“Like what? What do you mean doing his own thing and making
a name for himself?” I asked. Mason stood by my side, listening intently, but I
could already tell he knew what Tyler was going to say. I didn’t like the
feeling I had gnawing away at my stomach at all.

Tyler gazed at me incredulously. “Didn’t Wade tell you when
you spoke to him? Surely, he wasn’t trying to be modest.”

“No, he didn’t have time since he had to leave shortly after
the show. Tell me,” I demanded.

“All right, let’s see,” Tyler began, “It all started when
Jake brought up the idea of having in house fights. We all wanted to train so
we could be in them. Wade was one of the best ones in the cage and eventually
he got noticed.” He glanced over at Mason. “I’m sure you’ll know who the
sponsor is since you were a part of it before. They’re one of the top UFC
sponsorships any fighter would die to be a part of. You were one of the lucky
ones.”

I held in my gasp and glanced nervously over at Mason who
stood frozen, his eyes growing wide in shock. I couldn’t begin to fathom what
he must’ve felt, learning that something he used to be a part of could actually
be a part of what was happening now. Mason swallowed hard before speaking. “So
you’re saying—”

Mason couldn’t even finish the sentence before Tyler cut in,
“Yep, your old sponsor, MMA Pride, picked up Wade ‘The Destroyer’ Mitchell, or
at least it’s in the works. I don’t think it’s officially finalized. What a
lucky bastard, huh? I wasn’t good enough for them.”

Tyler’s smile faded when he noticed Mason clenching his
hands into tight fists. “Dude, are you okay?” He glanced over at me, lifting a
hesitant brow.

I waved him off and smiled, putting a reassuring arm around
Mason’s waist. “Oh, he’s fine,” I explained. “He’s just mad that Wade kissed me
on the cheek, but I told him that was just how Wade was. He liked to flirt with
anyone and everything, right?”

“You got that right,” he agreed a little hesitantly. “Well,
anyway, I’m going to get back to work. You two have a good rest of the night.”
He went back to his spot at the door while Mason and I headed for the truck. I
could tell he was worried about me by the strange reaction he got from Mason.
Glancing back at him, I nodded so he’d know I was okay and that everything was
fine. Actually, everything was far from fine. I was even still in my costume.

When we got in the truck, he started it up and finally
spoke, “I can’t believe this shit. MMA Pride is one of the best and sought out
sponsors. Surely, they wouldn’t be involved in something like this.”

“Do you still have your old agent’s contact information?
Maybe you could call him and just catch up.”

I didn’t know if that was a long shot, but if he left on
good terms I didn’t see where there would be an issue for that. Mason closed
his eyes and lowered his head. “I can’t do that, Claire. My agent died two
years ago from a heart attack. His wife called to tell me. You know, when that
guy stared at me in the theater, he looked at me like he knew me. Now I know
why. I just hope I run into him again.”

I wonder if he’ll be at Wade’s party
. The only way to
find out was to go. I just feared of what Mason would do to Wade when we got
there. He looked really pissed at us when he was on the phone. Taking a deep
breath, I turned to face him, biting my lip. “I know of a way you might be able
to see him again … tomorrow,” I told him.

Mason’s eyes narrowed. “And how is that might I ask?”

“Well … before Wade had to leave he told me about a party
he’s having tomorrow night at his house. I don’t know if that guy is going to
be there, but it’s worth a shot. We could always go and find out.” I paused to
weigh in his reaction, but all he did was turn and stare out into the parking
lot.

Mason’s hands were gripped so tight on the steering wheel
that I was afraid he’d rip it off. Reaching over, I placed my hand on top of
his and squeezed. “Mason, talk to me. I need to know what you’re thinking,” I
pleaded.

Closing his eyes, he sighed and leaned his forehead down on
my hand. “Claire, there’s something I need to say and you’re not going to like
it.” He lifted his head and gazed at me with his sorrowful green eyes.

“What is it?” I asked.
Why is he looking at me like that?

Taking my hand, he rubbed his thumb soothingly across my
skin before explaining, “Okay, first off, I’m not saying this is the case, but
if Wade is hanging out with a man we suspect to have involvement in these
recent deaths then there might be a good chance Wade knows about it or is
involved himself.”

I had no clue what he was going to say to me, but I
definitely wasn’t expecting that. There was no way in hell Wade would ever be
involved in that mess. “No,” I argued, shaking my head briskly. “There’s no way
Wade would have anything to do with this. I know him, Mason. I may not have
seen him in a while, but I’ve kept in touch with him over the years. Well,
maybe not so much this past year since I’ve been busy, but that’s not the
point. People aren’t always like the company they keep. That would be like
saying I’m going to turn into a greedy psychopath like my brother and start
kidnapping people.”