Training the SECRET (Corrigan & Co #6) (10 page)

“None of them are
right, huh?”

“No. I can’t put my
finger on it, but they’re just not…perfect. I feel like whoever
we get has to be perfect, or Hunt won’t go for it.”

“Yep. That’s what I
think, too.”

Before we can discuss
another course of action, my phone starts ringing. I look down, and
am surprised to see that it’s Scott Griffin.

“Hey, Scott. What’s
up?”

“I heard you’re
looking for a gym manager. I have a friend who might be a good fit.”

“Yeah? Let me put you
on speaker. Aiden’s here with me.”

“Cool. Hey, Aid.”

“Hey man. What’s
up?”

“Reina told me you
guys are trying to find a manager for the gym Jade’s dad owns. My
college roommate is the one who made me workout every day, and I know
he’s in between jobs right now.”

“He’s a good guy?”
I ask.

“Oh yeah. The best.”

“What’s his name?”

“Brent Sutter.”

“Seriously? He’s
pretty big time. The gyms he opened in Chicago are legendary.”

“Yeah. He told me
recently that he’s been wanting to go back to his roots, you know,
work in a smaller gym.”

“This is perfect. Can
you get us in touch with him?”

“I’ll send a text
introducing you, and you can take it from there.”

“Thanks.”

“Anything for the
girls. And you guys, too, of course.”

“Of course.”

As soon as we hang up,
his text comes through. As I’m typing a response, one comes through
from Brent saying that he’s in town, and can meet today. I don’t
want to invite him here, because as much as I trust Scott, I don’t
know this guy at all. We agree to meet at his hotel in a half hour.

“He seems on the up
and up, at least on the surface,” Aiden says as I grab the keys to
my rental car.

“You ran him
already?”

He smirks at me. “Just
a preliminary—bank records, criminal past, emails. You know, the
easy stuff.”

Easy for people like
him, Ainsley, and Scott. I’m smart, but I learned it all on the
streets and in the military. I didn’t even finish high school, much
less get a college education. If it hadn’t been for my guardian
angel, I wouldn’t have gotten into the military without that high
school diploma. I’d be dead—and probably from my own hand.

“Don’t, Nate. Don’t
go there, because no one gives a fuck if you have a college degree or
know how to hack into a computer system. It’s just a skill, and you
have plenty of those. There’s no one I’d rather have at my back
in a dangerous situation.”

“The body again.”

“And the instincts,
loyalty, and just pure badass vibe. You and Matt are the best friends
a guy could have. I don’t know how I’d have some survived some of
the shit we went through in the sand if it wasn’t for you guys.”

“You’d have been
okay. You’re a weasely little bastard, despite your upbringing.”

“I think that was a
compliment.”

“You know it was.”

“Now’s not the time
to speak about Matt, but you know we’re gonna have to. He gave up
Reina all those years ago because of what happened. Which was a
bullshit excuse, and we can’t let him fuck up this second chance he
has with her.”

“It wasn’t
bullshit. He’s not cut like you—or even me. What happened messed
him up. We should be making sure Reina knows he won’t stay with
her, not pretending he will. Because I for one, am pretty sure he’s
going to bolt when that one year hits.”

“She’ll be
destroyed. It doesn’t matter how strong she comes across to the
world, losing Matt again will cut her to the quick. And then,
everyone will suffer—including Ellie and Jade.”

“He’s told her it’s
going to end.”

“No. He’s said the
words, but you and I both know he’s holding out hope that she can
change his mind. And that comes across to everyone, including his
wife.”

“Just like it came
across to our women that we wanted them, even when we were being
assholes.”

“We’ll always be
assholes. It’s in our nature. We just have to remember to not be
assholes to
them
now
that we’ve stopped fighting our feelings.”

“It’s nice, huh?
Knowing you can stop pretending you’re not in love with the awesome
chick who wants you back.”

“Yeah. It really is.
I can’t do it day to day, though. I’d have to tell her
everything—my past, my present, all the shit.”

“You’re going to
have to eventually.”

“Just like you have
to tell Jade.”

“I know.”

I also know that my
revelations are going to end my relationship with Jade. Ellie will
more than likely accept everything Aiden tells her, and try to help
him with his demons. Jade will probably try and kill me when she
learns what I’ve done. It won’t matter that I was just a scared
kid, and honestly, it shouldn’t. There’s always a choice—even
when you can’t see it past the hunger in your belly, or the fear in
your heart. I made the wrong choice when I was a teenager, and I’m
going to have to face up to it soon, knowing full well that I’m
going to lose the only person who has ever made me feel true
happiness. Which is why I’m going to be a selfish bastard, and take
every happy moment I can get with her before destroying us both.

Jade

“I’m glad the two
of you made up, but are you sure that’s a good thing?” Ellie asks
me as we drive to the gym.

“Hello. It’s Nate.
The guy I’ve been in love since the day he took over our fight
training from Selene. Of course it’s a good thing.”

“I know you love him.
But he’s so tortured—which can be hot—and he’s uptight, too.”

“Aiden’s not
tortured?”

“We’re not talking
about Aiden and me.”

“Then we’re not
talking about Nate and me, either.”

We finish the rest of
the drive in silence, and I know she’s thinking of at least some of
what I am. That we can put this aside for now, but both of us do need
to talk about the relationships we’re currently in. With each
other,
and
with the
guys. Neither one of us wants to rock the boat because we’ve been
hoping and dreaming for them. But it has to be done because we both
know what secrets can do to a relationship. Secrets have nearly
destroyed some of our best friends, and we’ve talked about how we
don’t want to go through that. We’ll let our guys keep to
themselves for a little while, but not for long.

When we walk through
the doors of the gym, Heath laughs. “Back to hiding what you’ve
got again, huh?”

“I didn’t think I
should come in to paint in a dress.”

He’s right, though. I
am hiding myself. I could’ve worn leggings and a tee instead of
baggy sweats and one of Nate’s tees. He appreciated me in it, but I
did it more for the cover than for the romance. Even after all these
years, I can still remember how I felt when I was kidnapped and what
I was afraid they would do to me. Joining the Society has made me
more confident when I’m out and around the world, but being back
here brings it all back. I want to hide.

It’s not rational,
and I’ll need to talk to the therapist Helen found for me once I’m
home, but for now, I just have to deal with it my own way. Which
means baggy clothes and no makeup, unless I’m out with Nate. God
help me, but for all the toughness I portray to the world, it’s a
man who makes me feel safe. Not just any man—
my
man.

“Leave my little girl
alone, Heath. She doesn’t need to be showing off what she’s got
to these gym rats.”

“Hi, Daddy. Do you
have some time to talk right now?”

“I should say no,
because I don’t like fighting with you after I’ve got you back,
but I can’t deny you either. So let’s go upstairs and get this
over with.”

“Now I know where you
get all the drama from, J,” Ellie says with a smile.

“Yeah, that’s us.
The Garrett Drama Club.”

My dad sighs as he
walks behind us up the stairs. “I’m not trying to be difficult.
This is my life we’re talking about.”

“Yes, it is.”

“I didn’t mean it
that way, and you know it.”

“You meant that they
gym is your life, but how is that going to work when you’re dead
because you refused to get the medical care you need?”

“I am not leaving you
here alone to run this place without me. Even with Nate Anderson
sticking to you like white on rice, you’re still not safe. At least
when I’m here with you in the gym, no one will touch you.”

“You are
not
going to sacrifice yourself for me.”

“I’m your parent.
There’s nothing I should be doing but sacrificing myself for you. I
haven’t done that enough.”

Tears well up in my
eyes at the thought of him hurting because of me. “You were the
best dad a girl could ever want. I wouldn’t have traded my life
with you for anything.”

He pulls me to him and
holds me tight. “That’s all a man ever wants to hear from his
little girl. But I know that’s not all you came here to say, so go
ahead and tell me what you have planned.”

“I want you to go to
Vegas and check into the medical wing of the Corrigan & Co.
Foundation. Not only is it the most secure facility in the country,
but it also houses some of the best doctors, too. My boss, Reina
Corrigan, said that she’d get the best heart doctor in the world to
fly in and set up a treatment plan for you. So you’ll be both safe,
and well cared for.”

“While you’re here,
keeping yourself in danger.”

“Only for a little
while. Nate and Aiden are looking for a manager for the gym.” He
starts to argue, but I hold up a hand. “They know you’ll only
accept the best. I’ll stay long enough to get him trained, and then
I’ll go home to be with you.”

“You said ‘him.’
You’re not looking into a female manager?”

“No. We both know
that wouldn’t go over well around here. I could stand the heat if I
was staying, but I won’t subject anyone else to the nastiness.”

“I want to meet
whoever Nate chooses.”

“Of course. And he’s
not choosing, you are. He’s just getting us some choices.”

“He’s a good man,
Jade.”

“Yes. Yes, he is.”

“Now that I’ve
given in to you—like you knew I would—why don’t you show Ellie
around? I’m sure she’d like to see what the gym looks like when
we’re working instead of throwing a party.”

“The party was your
idea.”

“I needed to show off
my wonderful daughter.”

“And now you want to
put me and my friend to work.”

“Well, yeah. I mean,
why else are you here if you’re not planning on helping?”

“We were going to
paint.”

“That can wait. I
have a few guys who need sparring partners. From what you told me
about your training, the two of you should be more than capable of
holding your own.”

“Oh yeah. We can
definitely do this. It should be fun,” Ellie says, standing up and
stretching.

“This may cause a
riot,” I say, knowing that we’re going to hurt some young egos.

“Not here. My boys
know that respect for women is not something I take lightly. I’ll
give them permission to let loose with you in the ring, but outside
of it, no one will touch you.”

“There you go. Let’s
go kick some little boy ass, J.”

We fist bump, and
practically run down the stairs. After changing into workout clothes,
we walk out to the ring to stretch. Which definitely causing a
reaction.

“That’s enough, you
little assholes. Are you really going to let a couple of women in
tight clothes distract you? Because if you are, expect to be knocked
out in the ring or cage when you see a ring girl. They’ll be
wearing much less than these two. Although I can’t see how they
could be any more beautiful.”

“Aww, thanks Hunt,”
Ellie says, kissing his cheek. “Now, who’s up first?”

“I’ll fight you,
Barbie,” says a buff guy with dirty blonde hair. “And if you’re
nice
, I’ll even
hold back a little.”

“This is going to be
so fucking fun,” she tells me, causing me to laugh because I know
she’s right.

It takes her less than
a minute to have that cocky little bastard tapping out. I look to my
dad, and raise an eyebrow. He shakes his head, and calls over my
opponent. Despite what everyone just saw Ellie do, he’s just as
cocky as the last guy. Ellie and I smirk at each other as I walk onto
the mat.

My guy’s a little
more skilled than hers—or maybe he’s just being more careful
after he saw what my bestie did to his friend. Either way, he gets a
good jab to my ribs. And then he makes the mistake of gloating about
it.

“Didn’t see that
one coming, did you sweetie?”

Instead of answering
him, I make my move. He doesn’t even seen the haymaker from my left
arm coming as he’s too busy watching my right—and my tits. I
follow him to the ground and pull him into a chokehold. He’s
tapping the mat within seconds.

“That’s my girl,”
my dad tells me with a big grin. I smile back, and wait for my next
victim. Umm, opponent. I totally meant opponent.

* * *

Nate

Brent’s picked the
swankiest hotel in town to stay at, from the looks of it. That puts
me a little on edge. Everything I’ve heard about him says that he’s
a down to earth guy who’s worked hard for all the success he’s
achieved. It just doesn’t sit well with me that he’s showing off
how successful he is. Even Matt, who’s one of the richest men in
the world, doesn’t live like a king. In fact, before Reina moved
in, his apartment was more function than luxury. They managed to
combine their tastes into something kick-ass, but still not
ostentatious.

Scott says Brent’s a
good guy, and the Griffins are the last people to flash their wealth,
so I’m hoping the hotel is just a matter of wanting a nice bed, and
not a way to try and flaunt what he’s got. Because I won’t be
impressed, and Aiden would just laugh himself out the door.