Xavier Cold (Hard Knocks #2) (18 page)

There’s still no message from Xavier. Why is he avoiding me? Was our fight that bad that he’s resolved to give up on our relationship?

The last thought hurts, and a weight settles over my heart while I entertain the possibility that we might not be together anymore. When I threatened he would lose me if he didn’t change, I didn’t think he would opt to be done with me instead of controlling his temper.

You don’t so easily dismiss someone you love, do you?

I glance up from my phone, and my eyes land on Al, the stagehand, as he marches toward me at a brisk pace.

“Anna, you’re up next.” He pokes his head inside the catering room. “Deena, you’re up.”

The sound of her chair scraping against the tile floor echoes into the hallway. “Excuse me, ladies. A star is about to be born.”

Hearing Deena make a smug statement causes me to roll my eyes hard. You’ve got to be kidding me.

Deena struts out of the room in one of her typical too tight body-hugging dresses and smirks when she spots me. Her eyebrow lifts as she takes in my outfit. “You look like a toddler.”

I glance down at my sparkly shirt and shrug. “At least I don’t look like an uptight bitch.” The words leave my mouth before I realize I’ve said them out loud. Normally, I would never speak up like this, but being around Quinn, who constantly pushes me to stand up for myself, coupled with how Deena gets on my last damn nerve have caused me to deviate from my overly sweet good-girl personality.

Deena’s eyes widen, but I don’t give her time to say anything in response.

Trying to find the quickest way out of the situation, I immediately turn to Al. “Lead the way.”

When Al takes us to the black entrance curtain, I spot Rex. He’s not wearing his typical wrestling getup tonight. This time, he’s dressed in a suit with a white dress shirt that’s unbuttoned halfway down, so his chest is exposed.

The only things that ruin the somewhat sophisticated look are the still yellow marks under his eyes from where his nose was broken.

Deena immediately cozies up against his side and then kisses his cheek. I, on the other hand, stand back and fold my arms.

Rex chuckles. “Well, at least one of you has your part down pat. Anna, if you want to make it in Tension, you’d do well to take some notes from Deena. She understands how the game is played.”

“No, thanks. Being trampy isn’t my thing.”

Deena narrows her eyes at me. “I’m sick and tired of your shit, Anna. Call me a slut one more time—”

I resist the urge to do as she asks, but Rex interjects.

“Ladies, ladies, save it for the ring. The tension between the two of you will make an entertaining show, so don’t unleash it on each other until we get out there, and make sure the fans perceive it as the two of you fighting over me.”

“That’s never going to happen,” I snap.

Rex levels his stare on me. “It has to. It’s scripted. We are all actors, remember? You’d better follow the script if you don’t want your pretty little ass canned.”

His words bring forward a bit of a reality check for me.

He’s right. Damn it, I hate that he’s right.

I have to figure out a way to stand my ground yet coexist with these two assholes if I want to be with Xavier when he goes back on the road—that is, if he still wants me around.

It’s hard to know what’s going on between Xavier and I, seeing as how he has yet to respond to any of my attempts to contact him. If he doesn’t answer me by the time I’m finished with my portion of the show, I’m going to be pissed.

Rex’s entrance music blasts through the arena, and he extends his elbow to me. “Shall we?”

I lift my chin and then hook my arm through his. “Let’s get this over with.”

Rex leads Deena and I through the black curtain and out onto the steel grating stage. When we’re facing the audience, the crowd ignites in a roar of applause and cheers.

Rex’s expression is smug as he walks us down the ramp and then up the steps leading into the ring. He sits on the ropes, holding them open for me and Deena to squeeze through.

Stepping into the square ring without Xavier is a surreal experience. I don’t want to be the center of attention. It was much better when I was out here with Xavier because all eyes were on him.

A stagehand runs up to the ring, hands Rex a microphone, and then dashes out of sight.

Rex takes a moment to stare out at the crowd while Deena struts around the ring, showing off her legs, eliciting catcalls from some of the men in the crowd. I do my best to be invisible.

“Well, well, well. I bet you all didn’t expect me to be back so soon. Thought Phenomenal X messed me up real good, didn’t you? Well, as you can see, I’m doing quite well.” Rex waves his hand up and down in front of himself, as if to say, Check out my body. “In fact, I’m doing so well that I’ll be back in the ring when we film Tension live on Tuesday night.”

This statement causes the crowd to go nuts.

“So, this Tuesday, live, right here on Tension, you all will get the pleasure of watching me go one-on-one with Brian ‘Razor’ Rollins with the championship on the line!”

The decibels shoot up tenfold at this announcement.

My eyes widen. I didn’t expect for him to say that at all, considering I was told he had some broken ribs.

Rex smiles as he gives the crowd a few seconds to calm down, but instead, they all begin chanting the word, “Tonight,” over and over again.

He brings the mic back up to his lips. “I would love nothing more than to take on Razor tonight, but where’s the fun in that? I want Phenomenal X to witness me taking something that he wants so much. Speaking of...” His voice trails off just before he reaches over and hooks his arm around my waist, drawing me to his side. “You all remember Phenomenal X’s lady, Anna Sweets, don’t you?”

Whistles erupt around the crowd—approving the way I look, I suppose. Never have I felt so much like a piece of meat on display.

“Mark your calendars, people. You won’t want to miss the fireworks that are coming because I’m about to crush Phenomenal X’s dreams live, right before your very eyes, by taking everything in this world that’s important to him.” Rex laughs darkly into the mic before dropping it on the blue mat.

“Come on, ladies.” He extends one elbow to Deena and the other to me. He escorts us out of the ring and to the backstage area, much in the same manner as when we came in.

The moment we’re away from the eyes of the crowd, I jerk my hand away from Rex, causing Deena to snap her head in my direction.

She narrows her eyes at me. “You’d better learn how to be a team player. You did absolutely nothing out there to sell the idea that you are Team Rex now.”

“That’s because I’m not on it. I’ll walk out there with him because I have to in order to keep this job. Doesn’t mean I’ll be lovey-dovey with him—pretend or not.”

I turn to walk away, but the second I pivot, something catches my feet, sending me flying forward. Pain shoots through my hand as I land awkwardly on my left side.

I glance up, only to see an evil snarl showing up on Deena’s face, and it’s clear that she caused me to fall.

What is it with all these bitches tripping me?

“Anna?” Brian bends down next to me. “You all right?”

I stare at the pinkie finger on my left hand, and it’s beginning to bruise already.

Brian grimaces. “Let’s get you to a trainer. Someone needs to take a look at that.” He helps me to my feet. “I’ll show you where it is. I’ve got a little time until my main event.”

“Don’t worry,” Rex chimes in. “You won’t be the main attraction for much longer. Come Tuesday, I’ll be taking that belt.”

Brian’s lip curls back, and it’s easy to tell that he’d like to rip into Rex.

But Brian exhibits perfect self-control and simply says, “The only reason you’ll be getting it is because I’ll be giving it to you willingly. If this were a real fight, you and I both know you wouldn’t have a shot in hell against me.”

Rex’s nostrils flare, but he doesn’t argue with Brian.

“Come on, Anna. Let’s get you looked at.”

Brian’s quiet as he walks me to the trainer, and as soon as we get there, he alerts the doctor to our presence. “Looks like a busted little finger, Doc.”

The tall redheaded doctor stands up and walks over to me before gingerly inspecting my hand. “How the hell did this happen?”

“I fell backstage,” I answer, leaving out the details about Deena tripping me.

Doc sighs. “All right. Let me get you some paperwork to fill out. We’ll need to take a urine sample to test for drugs and pregnancy—you know, the standard workplace accident protocol—and then we’ll get you X-rayed.”

“Good luck,” Brian says before he ducks out of the room.

After I complete all the paperwork and pee in a cup, Doc checks out my hand. “Well, you want the good news or the bad news first?”

“Bad news,” I answer firmly, wanting to get the worst part of whatever he’s going to tell me out of the way.

He sighs. “Your little finger is sprained.” He opens a kit and lays out a few supplies. “We’ll need to splint your finger, so you won’t be able to wrestle for a couple of weeks.”

I laugh. “I highly doubt Tension ever planned on me doing that, considering I’ve never been trained.”

“Okay then, I guess that news wasn’t too horrible for you.”

“Nope,” I tell him. “So, what’s the good news?”

Doc gets busy wrapping my finger in some gauze. “You’re pregnant.”

My eyes grow wide, and I slightly shake my head. “Excuse me? I don’t think I heard you correctly. Pregnant?”

He nods as he keeps working. “I’m not an OB/GYN, but that’s what the test says. I highly recommend you make an appointment to confirm it.”

My mouth falls open, and all I can think of is telling Xavier.

How is he going to react?

One thing’s for sure, this isn’t the kind of thing you leave a message about. Suddenly, I’m anxious to call him because I need help digesting the information myself.

Doc secures the gauze tape around my finger. “Okay, that should do it. Ice on for fifteen minutes and then off for swelling. Take some Tylenol for pain and swelling, and you should feel better in the next few days.”

“Thank you,” is all I can manage to get out because I’m still reeling from the shock of the news of being pregnant.

I walk out of the training room, and the world around me floats by in a fog as I make my way through the maze of hallways to find the women’s locker room. I quickly change into my street clothes and carry my ring outfit outside with me.

“Need a car, Anna?” Freddie asks.

“Please,” I reply. Then, I lean against the wall next to Freddie.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Fine,” I lie. “Just tired.”

He nods. “A good night’s sleep will do wonders after a stressful day.”

A black SUV pulls up, and Freddie opens the back passenger door, allowing me to climb inside.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say.

“Yeah, okay. Bye.” He shuts the door, and the car begins to move.

I fish my cell phone out of my back pocket and frown when I notice there’s no new message from Xavier. I’m unable to stop myself from calling him.

His phone rings twice and then goes straight to voice mail.

“Xavier, if you don’t call me back tonight, I’ll know we’re finished.”

There’s so much more I could say, but I decide what I’ve said is clear and concise. If he doesn’t call back after that, I’ll have my answer.

T
he distinct aroma of gingerbread cookies fills the entire house, and it makes me smile. Today is going to be a good day. Whenever Mama makes her special cookies, no matter the time of year, she’s always in a good mood.

I step into the kitchen, and my gaze lands on a freshly showered woman wearing a yellow sundress with a grin on her face and a twinkle in her eyes.

Mama notices me watching her and waves me to come farther into the room. “Want to help me? I’m making gingerbread cookies, your favorite.”

I nod as she reaches down and pats my cheek. “Okay then, go get your hands washed. Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

I rush over to the sink and stand on my tiptoes to reach the faucet and soap. Mama says I’m tall for a seven-year-old and that I get my height from my father. I like when she tells me things about him because I don’t have many facts about him.

I hold my hands up for her inspection. “All clean.”

She nods and then gives me the cookie cutter in the shape of a little man. “You can cut out the next batch.”

She kisses my cheek and then nuzzles her nose in the spot her lips touched, causing me to giggle. It’s times like these when I’m truly happy.

More and more often, Mama’s been taking medicine to make her sadness go away, but today she’s happy without using it.

We are on our third batch of cookies when the front door of our apartment flies open, and my grandmother comes flouncing in, wearing her favorite flower dress, which means she came from church.

Grandmother steps into our tiny kitchen and removes the oversize hat from her head. “Gingerbread cookies in the middle of the summer, Gina? You do realize those are intended to be Christmas treats.”

Mama waves her off. “Who says? They’re Xavier’s favorite, so we can make them anytime we want. We don’t follow rules around here.”

Grandmother lifts her chin. “Rules maintain order. Without them, there would be chaos. Speaking of which, have you thought any more about what I said to you? I think you would do much better staying clean if you moved back home where I could keep an eye on you.”

“You mean, smother me, don’t you?” Mother retorts. “I’ve told you, Mother, I’m done living under your rules.”

“Gina, don’t be ridiculous. I don’t—”

“Yes, you do. You’ve always managed to chase off every man who’s ever been important to me, and then you try to control every aspect of my life.”

“I just want what’s best for you. Living life by the good book and finding a man who’s suitable to marry aren’t such bad things for me to want for my only daughter, is it?”

Mother sighs as she rolls out the last batch of dough before her. “No, I guess not, but all the men you pick for me are boring, and I don’t find them the least bit attractive.”