X: The Hard Knocks Complete Story (27 page)

I nod. “I’ve seen him more the past couple of weeks than I have my entire career. I’ve been making a lot of waves, so I’m sure he felt compelled to check out the situations for himself.”

The crowd screaming and booing as Mr. Silverman pulls the microphone to his lips draws my attention back to the screen.

“I’m sure many of you are wondering why I’m here tonight,” he says.

I sure as hell am.

“I’m here to dispel some of the rumors I saw floating around social media after Tuesday’s show. I felt they needed to be addressed in order to end all the secondhand gossip. What you saw occur in this very ring earlier this week was in fact real. Phenomenal X did lose his head and beat Assassin mercilessly in front of a live television audience of millions of people. X was carted out of here in handcuffs, but Assassin refused to press charges.”

The crowd murmurs with confusion as he allows them to digest what he just said.

It doesn’t surprise me one bit that they are taking the truth of the situation and spinning it in a way that works with a storyline. It’s how things are done in Tension. They often use things that happen in our real lives to create stories for our characters in the ring, which is why it’s in each athlete’s best interests to keep their personal life on lockdown. Allowing a devious writer like Vicky to know any of your secrets is definitely a bad move.

Take my relationship with Anna, for instance. Vicky and Rex used it against me, and from what I’ve gathered, they are far from finished.

“Now, I know a lot of you are asking yourselves,
What does that mean for Phenomenal X?
” his voice cuts back through the diner. “I’ve suspended him for three months.”

The boos for my suspension are loud and clear.

“That means, until his suspension is lifted, X will not be eligible to compete in any fashion for the world heavyweight title. For the next three months, he’s not even allowed to be in the same city as Tension. I gave him strict orders to stay away while Assassin heals.” He looks around the arena and then faces the camera head-on. “To make up for the tragic accident that nearly ended Assassin’s career, when he’s ready, Assassin will be guaranteed a shot at the title.”

My nostrils flare, and I know that this wouldn’t even be up for discussion right now if I didn’t hand Rex this opportunity on a silver platter.

“When X returns, as long as he remains in good standing with the company and learns to control himself, he will be granted a title rematch shot with whoever currently holds the title—whether that be with Brian Razor Rollins or Assassin.”

The crowd erupts with cheers, and it’s clear to anyone watching that they’re still backing me. I was fully prepared for the fans to turn on me after what I had done. It would’ve served me right, but that isn’t what’s happening.

“Assassin is expected to be back in the ring soon. He’s suffered a broken nose and a few cracked ribs, but it could’ve been much, much worse had it not been for the quick reaction of Tension’s security team, other wrestlers, and, of course, the esteemed Atlanta Police force who were on hand.” He pauses for a moment. “Now, without further ado, I give you Thursday night Tension!”

Hard rock music plays, and I know that’s all the information I’m going to get.

With both Rex and me out of the picture, it puzzles me why Vicky wanted Anna to be there tonight. The only storyline with her character would involve either Rex or me, and seeing as how he’ll be out for a while, there was no need for Anna to show up.

They just wanted her there to fuck with me. I know it.

“Damn that Rex,” I mumble as the show begins to play.

I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to handle her on the road without me. She hasn’t even left yet, and I’m already driving myself crazy about it.

Anna sighs across from me, dragging my attention back to her.

“Something wrong, beautiful?”

The way she’s chewing on the corner of her lower lip is a telltale sign that she’s nervous. Whatever is on her mind, she’s scared to talk to me about it, which has my brain running wild with possibilities.

“Um . . .” She swallows hard, and her lips pull into a tight line. “There was one more thing Vicky told me when she called.”

“What was that?”

Anna twists her lips. “They want to start that love-triangle story between me and Rex to get things geared up for your return.”

My fingers ball into fists, and I thump one fist on the table, causing Anna to jump. “No. I told you before, that’s not fucking happening. You call Vicky back and tell her that you quit.”

“You know I can’t do that,” she whispers. “I need this job. We need the money, and above all else, I don’t want to lose the privilege of going on the road with you when your suspension is over.”

“I don’t give a shit about the money, Anna. Those motherfuckers are not going to use you against me. I won’t let that shit happen.”

“Xavier—”

“No, Anna,” I snap, rage filling every inch of me. “You’re not going.”

“Yes, I am,” she argues. “I told you earlier to trust me. If you would take a moment and calm down—”

“You’re mine! You. Are. Mine.”

Her eyes widen. “I’m not a possession to be controlled. I came to Detroit to get away from one man who wanted to control my life. Don’t make me leave you, too, Xavier.”

The monster inside me rears its ugly head, and before I say something to Anna that I don’t mean, I shove myself out of the booth.

“Where are you going?” Anna asks.

I can’t answer her as I storm out of the diner. I can’t even look at her right now because I don’t understand how she doesn’t see my side on this. I can’t have Rex trying to touch her without me there to stop him. I won’t allow him to take her away from me—ever.

“
X
avier
!” Nettie yells his name as he shoves the front door open and disappears through it. She turns back to me, a frown etched into her face, as she carries food to my table. She sets a plate of pancakes in front of me. “I swear, that boy has a temper and a half on him. What’s he so pissed for?”

I sigh as I stare at the plate she puts in front of Xavier’s now empty seat. “Tension wants me to pretend to be Rex’s girlfriend to up the angst for Xavier’s return to the show. They think a love triangle will get the crowd behind their rivalry.”

Nettie leans her hip against the side of the booth. “I see where my boy would take issue with that. He’s used to things he loves being taken away from him.”

It breaks my heart that he would believe that for one second. “He should realize that I’m not going anywhere.”

She tilts her head as she stares down at me. “It’s hard to trust something good is going to stay in your life when you’ve been through what he has. He’s never had something worth losing, like what he has with you. Be patient with him. I know it’s hard, but if you love him, be there for him. He’s waiting for the bottom to fall out of your relationship, for you to leave him like his mama did.”

“It’s awful—what happened with his mother. The story he told me was the most heart-wrenching thing I’ve heard in my life. I can’t imagine waking up in your dead mother’s arms. What that must’ve done to him as a little boy—”

Nettie’s gray eyebrows shoot up. “He told you about that?”

I nod. “I don’t think he really wanted to. He had a nightmare, and it all just sort of came out.”

“Well, honey, if he’s opened up to you that much, you’re really bringing him out of the darkness where he has kept himself secluded. It took years before he let me in. He needs you. Don’t give up on him, especially now that he’s back in that house. Being there is going to test your relationship.” Nettie stares down at Xavier’s plate. “I’ll get this boxed up and have Carl give you a ride. He has a key to the house.”

After Nettie boxes everything up, Carl struts over to me and twirls his car keys around his index finger. “Ready, girl?”

I follow Carl through the diner and eventually out the back door to the parking lot where an old dark blue Cutlass is sitting under the streetlight. He walks over to it, and then he manually unlocks the passenger door and opens it. I haven’t been in a car that didn’t have automatic locks before.

I slip into the seat, and I am instantly surprised by how well kept the vehicle is. While it’s dated, it still appears to be brand-new.

I run my hand along the dashboard as Carl gets behind the wheel. “This car is in great shape. What year is it?”

“Nineteen eighty-eight. It’s a classic, like me.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

I laugh as he pulls out of the parking lot and onto the main road. The song playing on the radio reminds me of those old R&B songs that Father used to play before he turned his life over to Jesus. I haven’t heard this kind of music since then. When Father decided to give his life over to the Lord, he banished all music in our house, except for non-secular songs, so my exposure to anything other than that is limited.

I tap my finger along to the beat as Carl hums the tune.

Eventually, he clears his throat and asks, “Where are you from exactly, Anna?”

“Portland,” I answer easily. “Born and raised.”

He nods with a thoughtful expression on his face. “How’d you end up here in Detroit with X?”

“Oh, um . . . I have family who live here, and I met Xavier on the plane ride from home to here when I moved.”

“So, you don’t know much about the neighborhood you’re staying in?”

I pick at the chipping nail polish on my fingernails. “Not really—only that my cousin says it’s not the best area.”

“She’s right. At one time, it was a decent street to live on, but it’s overrun with thugs now, so be careful when you are there alone. People will come right up to your front door and beg you for money, so they can get high. Drugs are bad over there, thanks to Bishop and his crew down on the Block.”

The name catches my attention. “Nettie mentioned that name before and told Xavier he’d better stay away from him.”

“X would do good to heed her warning. Bishop was a small-time dealer who had kids working for him, but now, he runs things. Nothing goes on in that neighborhood that Bishop doesn’t know about, so it won’t be long before he comes sniffing around X, trying to get him mixed up in some crazy deal.”

Since Xavier doesn’t give me much information about himself, the only way I’ve learned about him is through Nettie and Carl, and Carl doesn’t seem to mind spilling all kinds of details about Xavier’s past. This might be a good time to poke around a little more.

“I know Xavier lived on the streets for a while, and Nettie said he ran with a gang for a bit. Was it Bishop’s?”

Carl nods. “Yeah, it was, but X was only involved with him for a couple of years. When he tried to go straight, Bishop kicked him back on the streets with no money. That’s when he robbed us.” He chuckles, like remembering the time he took Xavier down greatly amuses him. “Nettie took him in and gave him a bed in the stockroom, and the boy actually turned himself around. Studied and got his GED. Then, he started working out at Tough’s Gym with his buddy, Cole. It’s a wrestling gym, and Xavier took a shine to it. As you know, the boy went legit and entered the wrestling circuit, and the rest is history.”

I sit in silence and ingest all the information Carl just laid on me. That’s the most knowledge about Xavier’s past I’ve ever been given in one sitting. “Wow. I didn’t know all that.”

Carl adjusts his body in the seat. “I’m not surprised. X never was one to flap his gums too much. That kid has always kept to himself. It took Nettie years to really get to know him.”

“They seem close.”

“They are,” he confirms as he turns the corner. He drives down the street to Xavier’s house.

The lights are on, and when Carl parks in front of the house, I spot Xavier sitting on the front porch steps, like he’s waiting on me.

I cradle the boxes of food in my hands. “Thanks for the ride.”

Xavier’s outside my door, opening it, before I even have a chance to make a move for the door handle.

“Anytime,” Carl replies as I step out of the car.

Xavier leans down, so he can see inside. “Thanks for bringing her back.”

Carl pokes his head out, so he can see Xavier’s face. “No problem, brother. You need anything else, you be sure to let us know.”

“Will do,” he says before shutting the door. He shoves his hands deep into his front pockets while the Cutlass drives off.

We stand alone on the dark sidewalk, neither of us saying a word.

“Look, Anna. I, um . . . shit. I’ve been sitting here on this porch, thinking of ways to tell you how sorry I am, but none of the apologies I came up with in my head sounded good enough for how I left you. What I did . . . it was beyond fucked up. I left you stranded because I couldn’t control my temper. There are times, like tonight, when I almost convince myself that I should let you go because I’ll never be a good enough man for you. You deserve so much better than me.”

I hate it when he does this—bashes himself. It’s like he doesn’t understand how I see him through my eyes.

I reach up and place the palm of my hand on his cheek. “Don’t ever doubt that you’re a good man. Since I’ve known you, all you’ve wanted to do is protect me, even in the messed up ways when you take things overboard with all the fighting. How could I ever fault you for that?”

He closes his eyes, like my touch causes him physical pain. “I’m trying so hard, Anna. I really am, but I don’t think I’ll ever get things right.”

I chew the inside of my lower lip. “Do you love me?”

“With every inch of my soul,” he answers without hesitation.

I smile up at him. “Then, you’re doing it right. Everything else is fixable. You just have to stop lashing out all the time.”

His face is a mixture of relief and sadness. “That’s the hardest part. I don’t know if I can control this rage inside me. There has to be a man who’s more deserving of you, and I’m afraid that, someday, he’s going to swoop in and steal you away from me.”

I train my gaze firmly on his. “That’s never going to happen, which is why you need to trust me. Have faith in me that I’m going to do right by you.”

Xavier presses his forehead against mine. “I’ll try.”

I shake my head. “There’s no trying on this one, Xavier. Without trust, a relationship has nothing. I don’t want us to fall apart because we keep having the same damn fight all the time.”

“You’re right. I will work on that. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you in my life.”

He leans in to kiss me, but the sound of a motor closing in behind me rips his attention away. He narrows his eyes, and I turn around in time to spot a black Escalade whipping into the driveway.

Xavier tugs me behind him. “If something happens, run inside, lock the door, and call the cops.”

“Who—”

The passenger door pops open, cutting me off, as a short black guy wearing all black clothes and a bandanna wrapped around his head hops out of the Escalade.

The guy looks close to Xavier’s age, but the top of his head is bald, like he shaves it down to the skin. The menacing snarl on his face reminds me of the one Xavier does when he makes men shake in fear of him. That expression must be one that’s learned easily around this area. Even though he’s barely taller than me, I sure as hell wouldn’t want to meet this guy in a dark alley.

Two other men flank the short man’s sides—both of them taller than the man who is clearly the leader of the group and as intimidating as Xavier.

Xavier rolls his shoulders. “What are you doing here, Kai?”

Kai lifts his chin, and if he’s scared of Xavier, he’s not showing it. “You think you can just roll back into the Block, and I wouldn’t hear about it? Shit don’t work like that here, X. There ain’t nothing secret round here. You know that.”

Xavier lifts his chin. “Yeah, so? What are you going to do about it?”

My mouth gapes open, and my heart bangs against my rib cage, as I fear for Xavier’s and my safety. Since we’ve set foot in this neighborhood, I’ve been warned about how dangerous it is down here. Now, I’m thinking maybe I should’ve heeded Quinn’s warning and left this place with her.

Xavier stares down at Kai, and just as I’m preparing myself for the battle of the century, a huge smile breaks over Kai’s face, and he steps toward Xavier with his hand up in a greeting.

“Damn. Same ole, X. Haven’t lost your edge.”

Xavier reaches up and locks hands with Kai as he leans in for one of those chest-bump hugs. “How you been, man?”

Kai pulls back and lifts one shoulder in a noncommittal shrug. “Ah, you know, same ole. Hustlin’, making shit happen.”

Xavier nods. “I heard. Bishop’s running things now? What happened to Tiny?”

A devious grin crosses Kai’s face, and one of the guys beside him chuckles darkly.

“Tiny went on a . . .
permanent
vacation,” Kai says.

Xavier doesn’t even flinch at this man’s admission, but all my blood drains down into my toes.

Holy shit.

These are legitimate thugs—the kind authors write stories about, the kind who are ruthless and will kill on a dime and then laugh about it. And Xavier seems at ease with them.

It makes me really wonder about his past. He told me once, he should be in jail for some of the things he’s done, and now, after meeting Kai, it’s scary to know he was serious.

Now, I see why Nettie was freaking out about Xavier meeting back up with this Bishop person.

“Fuck, enough about all that. What about you, man? We’ve all seen you on TV, getting famous and shit. We know you have to be fucking rollin’ now.”

The muscles in Xavier’s back tense beneath my touch, and I can tell he doesn’t like where this is heading.

“Nah, man. I don’t make as much as you all think,” Xavier says.

Kai tilts his head. “Now, see, that’s not what Bishop found out. According to last year’s tax return he had pulled on you, you’ve got some money.”

I peek up at Xavier’s face, and see his jaw muscle flex. “That’s all gone. You think I’d be staying here if I had money?”

Kai suspiciously eyes Xavier and then flicks his gaze to the house before looking back to Xavier. “You could be telling the truth . . . but maybe you’re just trying to fuck with me. Either way, Bishop wants to see you. He wants to talk business.”

Xavier shakes his head. “Not interested.”

Kai jerks his head back, and his eyes widen. “Not interested? You do realize that you’re refusing Bishop.”

“I don’t give a fuck who it is. I’m not fucking getting mixed up in the shit that goes down around here.”

“Don’t be fucking stupid, X. I’m telling you, as a friend, get in this fucking car right now. Don’t make me put you in there.”

“We both know that will never happen. Don’t try me, Kai.”

Instead of backing down, Kai takes a step, closing the space between himself and Xavier. “You’ve been out of the hood for too long. Maybe you need to be reminded about how things work.”

Xavier’s fingers flex at his sides, like he’s readying himself for a fight. “Fucking try it.”

Kai stares up at him and smiles, causing my breath to catch.

“Go in the house, Anna,” Xavier orders.

Kai’s eyes snap to me and then flit between me and Xavier. It’s like he’s just noticing me for the first time. “That your girl, X? She’s fine. Maybe Bishop needs to meet her, too. What do you say?”

“Lay one fucking finger on her—”

“And you’ll, what? Kill me?” Kai smirks. “We both know you don’t have the stomach for that. Words are only a threat when someone will actually carry things out.”

A primal growl rips up from Xavier’s throat as he draws back his fist to crush every bone in Kai’s face, but before he can make contact, all three of the men rush toward him at the same time. Xavier struggles against them and lands a solid right hook into a guy’s face, causing him to stumble back in a daze.

The other two struggle against Xavier, and they are having a hard time restraining him.