Fighting Back (Mercy's Angels) (10 page)

I have never stepped foot in a gym, so my expectations were probably carved from hearsay and movies. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve dabbled in exercise. I ran, well, jogged slowly. Some may call it a brisk walk, but I preferred the term leisurely jog. I attended yoga in the park during summer; it was…interesting. I even attempted a pole dancing class once, which was a catastrophe. Lee’s Gym wasn’t anything like I expected. I expected to walk into a state-of-the-art gym, full of fancy machines, walls lined with mirrors, and pretentious men and women too obsessed with staring at their reflections to notice the world around them. Instead, Lee’s Gym was very understated. There was a small part of the gym sectioned off for weights, the equipment was obviously quite old, yet it was clean and tidy. A few treadmills and exercise bikes lined one wall and on the opposite side of the gym were punching bags and mats. All of the exercise equipment surrounded what was obviously the iconic representation of an authentic gym—the boxing ring. It smelled a little funky, not in a gross way, but used—sweaty with an underlying scent of bleach. There were a few guys pounding on the bags and a few others were lifting weights. The ring was empty. As I followed Charlie, a silver haired man that stood almost as tall as the giant Jaxon Carter, strode towards us scowling. He had to be pushing sixty, but he had the physique of a man that took care of himself. He looked every bit like Beast from
Beauty and the Beast
that my grandma read to me as a little girl. His irate glare made me instantly nervous.

“Cole,” the towering giant growled.

Charlie glanced back over his shoulder and sent me a cheeky grin accompanied with a wink. “You’ve got that look, General,” Charlie said, a hint of humor in his voice.

The gruff looking Beast scowled even further, if that were at all possible. “And what look would that be?”

“The look you get when your wife makes you sleep on the couch because you’ve been an ass.” Charlie chuckled. I stood nervously at Charlie’s back. I wasn’t sure if this was playful banter or something that was going to end in a brawl. 

Beast’s scowl broke and a surprisingly gentle smile replaced it. He peered over Charlie’s shoulder, his eyes softening as they settled on me. Beast was really nothing more than a slightly rough looking kitten.

“Two nights of couch time and counting. Apparently when your wife asks if she’s gained weight, answering honestly is not recommended. Mind you, I did tell her I thought her curves were sexy!” Beast gave me another curious glance. “What is a beautiful young lady like this doing with an arrogant ass like you, Cole?”

Charlie laughed and it made me feel at ease, and a little more comfortable. “General, this is Rebecca Donovan, Rebecca, General Lee, owner of this smelly excuse for a respectable establishment.”

The General clipped Charlie on the back of the head as he stretched out his large meaty hand that consumed my tiny one. “The flower lady! My wife talks about your shop all the time.” The General beamed.

“Perhaps she’s giving you a subtle hint,” I replied. “Women like flowers. They might even help get you off the couch.” The General laughed and the sound was loud and welcoming. I felt safe surrounded by these two men, protected even. I found myself feeling lighter and more relaxed than I’ve been in weeks.

“Oh, there is nothing subtle about my wife, darlin’. A wise man once told me that the moment you gave in to a woman’s demands, she’d have you by the short and curlies.”

Regardless of how barbaric and ridiculous the notion was, I couldn’t help but smile. “Then you obviously haven’t heard the saying, ‘a happy wife is a happy life.’” Damn, I was beginning to sound like Lola. The General’s loud burst of laughter made me jump, and Charlie discreetly took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“You got me there,” he said, running a hand through his buzz cut, silver hair. “Cole, Brent is gearing up, go get yourself ready.” Charlie dropped my hand and gave me a reassuring smile as he backed away to, what I assumed, was the locker room. “Come on, Rebecca. I’m soon to be your number one customer. Come hang out with me while our boy gets changed and tell me what will make my wife the happiest woman in Claymont.”  The General was in the process of explaining how his wife, Liz, was due in shortly and would love to meet me, when Charlie reappeared from the locker room.

The General’s voice became lost in a fog of lust and desire. Charlie was wearing knee length gym shorts with some sort of padding over his shins. His chest was deliciously bare and smooth, tattoos adorned his perfectly sculpted biceps and his hands were wrapped in tape. I have seen Charlie in all his naked glory before, but the way he looked right now—partially naked, raw and
ready to fight—had me all hot and bothered, in a good way. Charlie gave me a knowing grin as he strode with confidence towards the ring in the center of the gym, my eyes following him the entire way. His muscles seemed to flex and move with fluid grace, his back coiled with strength as he pulled himself up through the ropes. As Charlie continued to move around the ring, stretching and bouncing on his feet, a gentle clearing of someone’s throat at my side caught my attention. The General was watching me with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“Sorry, I missed that,” I choked out.

He laughed and shook his head standing. “Not important, little lady.  Come on, let’s get up close so I can keep an eye on my boys.” I followed the General to the side of the ring and Charlie leaned over talk to me.

“You okay?” he asked, genuinely concerned.

“I’m fine, Charlie, stop worrying.” I scowled, noticing the General’s curious sideways glance.

At that moment, a tall man, dressed almost identical to Charlie, strolled into the gym from the locker room. I assumed this was Brent.  He was as tall as Charlie and just as well built. A warm grin—on a face far too handsome for a fighter—graced his features. He was gorgeous--his eyes were a rich chocolate brown that sparkled with the promise of fun and adventure; his dark brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun, which should have looked feminine and ridiculous, but with this man’s confidence and sex appeal, he totally pulled it off; his skin was bronze, as if the sun god himself had kissed him with a permanent glowing tan; his body was taut and strong, and not a single tattoo or imperfection marred his lean athletic muscle. I followed the corded trail of abs that disappeared where his distinctive magic V kicked off.  My mouth was begging to drop open in a display of shock. Claymont had apparently become heavenly-man central.  With Charlie, Jax, Dillon, Braiden, and now this fine specimen before me, I only needed seven more divinely crafted men and we could put together one hell of a calendar for next year! Brent winked my way, or maybe it was meant for the General, either way I was absolutely taking it with a gracious smile.

“Brent,” Charlie growled, “keep your fucking winks to yourself.”

Brent laughed and began to bounce around the ring just as Charlie had done earlier. “Think you can keep your concentration with your pretty girl watching?” Brent quipped.

“Think you can keep your eyes off my pretty girl before I introduce your cocky face to the floor?” Charlie quickly replied. His girl? My heart fluttered along with my girly parts.

“Both of you stop fucking around and get your heads in the right place,” grumbled the General from beside me.

Suddenly, I felt my presence may be too much of a distraction. Maybe I shouldn’t have come. “I’m glad you’re here, the boys need a challenge,” the General added.  I was grateful he set my uncertain thoughts aside. 

Charlie and Brent turned towards each other and tapped their gloves. There was no hesitation as they began to dance around each other, throwing light punches that barely connected. My eyes followed the gentle boxing match, completely mesmerized by the beauty of it.  The two men had perfect bodies that moved effortlessly around the ring. Obvious strength and surprising flexibility were combined for a fight that was varied with punches and kicks.  Charlie moved effortlessly around Brent’s punches, and swept his foot high for a kick that narrowly missed Brent’s head.

“Watch yourself, Cole,” Brent hissed.

Charlie grinned. “What’s the matter, princess, I scare you?”

As the sparring went on, Brent’s assault became a little more determined, but before I could allow worry and anxiety to enter my thoughts, someone murmured from over my shoulder.

“We need to talk.”

Four simple words from a familiar voice. And I knew we had an Oh-Shit moment on our hands. I turned around and came face to face with Luke Hollywell. He didn’t look angry, concerned if anything, but Charlie Cole was seriously going to flip the fuck out. His eyes didn’t scare me like the eyes of my attacker did, they were different. Too pale and not at all crazy enough.

“You son of a bitch!” came the roar from behind me. And here was our oh-shit moment starting now.

“Do you have a death wish, son?” asked the General from beside me.

In an impressive display of agility, Charlie jumped clear over the ropes of the boxing ring and landed gracefully on the floor. His eyes were full of fury, which absolutely freaked me out, but not in the same way
those
angry eyes did the night I was attacked. In a moment of complete insanity, I stepped into the path between Charlie and Luke, hoping to God that I didn’t end up squashed in a brutal male collision. Charlie’s eyes looked confused and he became as still as a statue, watching me with his fists clenched at his sides. Behind him, Brent had jumped from the ring and seemed ready to hold Charlie back, as the General took a step closer to Luke, ready to do whatever necessary to prevent bloodshed in his gym.

“Charlie, it wasn’t him,” I quickly began to explain.

“How the fuck do you know that? His face was covered!” Charlie demanded.

“His eyes, Ella is always carrying on about eyes. And since I’ve been friends with her, I’ve taken more notice of them. Luke’s eyes aren’t dark enough, they’re like a pale, baby poo brown, not dark brown.”

Charlie shook his head. “It was dark, you can’t be sure.”

“He was pretty up close and personal in my face, Charlie, I’m one hundred per cent sure about this,” I said a little angrily.

Charlie seemed to be battling an internal war. His body was ready to fight, but his mind was conflicted. I took a deep breath followed by a few hesitant steps towards him, and when I was close enough to touch him, I reached out a hand and gently swept away a stray lock of hair that had tumbled across his eyes. “You believe me don’t you?” His eyes stayed on mine for the longest time before he cast a quick look over my shoulder in Luke’s direction. He gave me a stiff nod. “Please don’t be angry,” I breathed. At that, Charlie’s entire body seemed to melt, his eyes softened and he took my hand that lingered on his arm, and pressed it against his chest right over his heart. His other hand reached for the back of my neck and pulled me in close. He was dripping with sweat, but I didn’t care as I wrapped my arms around him.

“I’m sorry, Betty Boop,” he murmured in my ear. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I instantly relaxed and even managed to chuckle. “That part where you jumped down from the ring and that bad ass scary look? It was kinda hot.” The rumble of laughter from Charlie’s chest seemed to thaw the mood in the gym.

“I need a new fucking job,” grumbled the General.

Charlie

I still couldn’t believe Luke had waltzed into the gym and had the balls to walk right up to Rebecca. When I saw him standing before her, blood red rage clouded my eyes and I was ready to kill. The only thing that brought my temper to a grinding halt was seeing said little blonde hair, blue eyed girl looking at me with fear in her eyes. Not fear of Luke, but fear of me. A few whispered words from her beautiful lips and I calmed instantly. The only other person who came close to handling my temper so effortlessly was Mercy. Under Rebecca’s hand that rested on my chest, my heart went from a gallop to a leisurely canter. I relished the feel of her soft feminine body in my arms and in that moment I was filled with an emotion I could reliably say I had never felt before: Pride? Admiration? Love? Hell, call it what you will, but in that moment Rebecca Donovan was once again mine, and I was not letting her go this time. Feeling her warm body against mine helped keep me focused; it helped keep the fury at bay. I glanced over her shoulder, my eyes settling on Luke Hollywell. The arrogant prick didn’t back down, he was standing tall, eyes staring me down. I wasn’t convinced that it hadn’t been Luke who had hurt Rebecca, but I wasn’t going to beat him to a bloody pulp in front of Rebecca, or in the General’s space for that matter.

“What the fuck do you want,” I growled at him.

“I want to speak to Rebecca.” His eyes moved over the small crowd that had moved in closer to watch. “Without an audience preferably.”

Before I could say a word, the General moved to my side. “You want to talk to him, darlin’?” he asked Rebecca.

She turned to face Luke, but didn’t move away from me. I was grateful, her presence between me and Luke was the only thing keeping me sane right now. Rebecca nodded. “You can use my office.” I went to protest but the General was quick to shut me down. “But Charlie and I go with you.” He pointed at Luke to make sure he got the message. The fucker nodded.

We followed the General to his small, cluttered office at the back of the gym. The door was shut behind us and we stood around rather awkwardly. My body was still tense, I felt twitchy, but somehow I kept my ire reined in.

“What do you want, Luke?” Rebecca sighed.

“I didn’t attack you that night. I don’t need to force myself on women. If I want to fuck, I have no problem finding someone willing to fuck me.” He gave Rebecca a smug smile. 

My fists clenched and thoughts of slamming one of them in his face began to cloud my mind again. The General leaned back against his desk, watching Luke thoughtfully. Rebecca, thankfully, was still standing in front of me, keeping my hands from finding the conceited prick’s neck.

“I told Frank I didn’t think you were involved, but obviously he had to check you out, Luke. You were the last person who saw me before the attack.”

Luke shook his head with frustration. “I have an alibi and I’m still being followed. Every time I turn around there is a fucking cop in my face,” he spat.

Rebecca shrugged. “I have no control over the police, Luke. You have a problem with them, take it up with them yourself.”

Luke took a step forward and immediately the General was on his feet as I stepped around Rebecca, placing her slightly behind me. Luke stopped and finally showed the good sense to look a little nervous. He moved to the doorway and pulled it open with a little too much force.

“I didn’t hurt you,” he snarled at Rebecca. “You’re not even my type. Though I gotta say, the new clothes are an improvement.”

“Son of a—” I lunged for the asshole, but was met by a wall of resistance in the form of the General. “Let me fucking go!” I demanded.

“You’ll get your chance in two weeks, Cole. In the ring.” After what seemed an eternity, I settled down enough that the General cautiously let me go.

“What do you mean, ‘in the ring’?” came Rebecca’s wavering voice from behind us.

Shit, I had lost my freakin’ temper again. I ran a hand down my tired face and leaned against the now closed door in frustration.

“It’s what my boys do when they have a problem with someone. Rather than let them battle it out on the streets, they resolve it in the ring, with officials to watch over it and a ref. It’s safer that way,” the General explained.

“You’re going to fight him in the ring?” I turned to face Rebecca. I was surprised to see the anger in her eyes. I nodded. “What kind of barbaric caveman mentality is that?” Her voice grew louder as she glared at both the General and me. “We are not in grade school anymore, we are all adults here. Has anyone ever thought about sitting down and talking out their problems instead of fighting them out?”

Being the asshole that I am, I couldn’t stop the laughter that spilled from my lips. The idea of me and Luke sitting in the same room was beyond hilarious. The General did a much better job at keeping his face unreadable.

“You’re laughing at me?” Rebecca demanded, her pretty cheeks tinged with red.

She was pissed off and it reminded me so much of the old Rebecca that I smiled again.
Dumbass move, Cole!

“Rebecca,” the General said gruffly, “this is a place for fighters who are not typically known for articulating their problems. They use their fists as an outlet, it’s their way to get their aggression
out. Talking does not always work for the people who train here. I’ve had a lot of experience in handling men like this, both in the military and in this gym. Trust me on this, dealing with it in the ring is safer.”

Rebecca opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She looked like a fish out of water, her lips moving but no sound coming out. At her exasperated failure of speech, she threw her arms up and stormed right past me, out of the General’s office and into the gym. I followed her, concerned that Luke might still be lingering somewhere out there. Rebecca had her cell phone in her hand, scrolling through her contacts as I approached.

“Who are you calling?” I asked.

“I’m calling Ella to see if she can come pick me up, which says how desperate I am to get away from you right now because she drives like a freakin’ mad woman.”

Instinctively I grabbed the phone right out of her hand. She was not escaping me again.

“What the hell, Charlie?” she screamed.

I winced and I was pretty sure some of the guys around me did, too. “We are going back to your place, just like we planned. You are not chickening out on me now.”

The fury in her eyes was palpable. “I was not chickening out. Ella can take me!”

“You are not running away from me, Betty Boop.” She seemed to take a few long deep breaths before calming herself. It was a nice turn around to see someone else losing their shit for a change.

“I’m not running away, we are having a time out!” She reached for her phone again, and some childish part of me saw fit to stuff it down the front of my shorts, right into the uncomfortable briefs I only wore when training. Rebecca shook her head, her face horrified. “Oh, that’s just plain nasty! You’re all sweaty and gross.” She rubbed her eyes and finally sighed in defeat. “Fine, whatever. But I need to get out of here now, Charlie. All this macho man-sweat and aggression is giving me a headache. I need a drink,” she grumbled.

“Fine, give me ten and we’ll be on our way.”

Back in the warm cabin of my truck, I pulled Rebecca’s cell phone from the pocket of my hoodie. Rebecca just glared at me.

“I wiped it off.” I chuckled.

“You owe me a new phone.” When she refused to take it from me I threw it onto the dash and backed the truck out of Lee’s parking lot.

“Come on, Betty Boop, after everything we did a year ago, you have a problem with your cell phone touching my junk?”  I grinned at the blush that flooded her cheeks.

“That was different,” she murmured.

“How so? I was pretty damn sweaty that night and you couldn’t keep your hands off me as I recall.”

She laughed and the sound was like a break in the storm, it was peaceful and calm for just a moment. “You were unable to keep your hands off me that night. You had my damn panties off before we even got out of your truck!”

The surge of lust that filled my body at the memory went straight to my dick and I shifted uncomfortably.

“Having trouble there, Charlie Cole?” she quipped in a cute sing-song voice.

I gave her a smug grin. “This stroll down memory lane is waking someone up,” I murmured.

Rebecca’s smile fell a little, and her eyes became distant. “I’m sure there are plenty of women prepared to take care of that for you.”

She looked away from me, but not before I saw the sadness in her eyes. In that moment, I wanted to explain to her that I didn’t want anyone else, only her. I didn’t want to screw up this opportunity though so I kept my mouth shut and went over the words I needed to say. It was only a ten minute drive to her house, but it was the longest ten minutes of my life. The drive was quiet and strained. As soon as I pulled the truck into her driveway and put it into park, I reached across and grabbed her chin, forcing her eyes to mine.

“Baby,” I whispered. Her sadness and fragility was back now, old Rebecca, strong Rebecca had fizzled in the space of fifteen minutes. “I don’t want any other woman taking care of me,” I quietly confessed. “I didn’t want anyone other than you back then, I haven’t wanted anyone other than you since then, and I sure as hell don’t want anyone other than you now.”

Rebecca’s brow furrowed with confusion. “You have had plenty of someone else’s since me.”

I cringed at her far too accurate observation. I shook my head and stared out the windshield of my truck. If I told her the truth, if I told her how I fucked to take away the aggression, the restlessness, the loneliness, what the hell would she think of me then? I didn’t want to lie to her though, and there was really no other explanation I could give.

“You’re going to think I’m a complete asshole.” I glanced her way and she was watching me expectantly. I shrugged. “Dave calls my escapades a search for the affection and love I lost as a child in the arms of anyone willing to accept me. Apparently it is destructive behavior, and to be honest, I’ve only recently come to the realization that he’s right.” Rebecca didn’t say anything and I shifted nervously in my seat, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly I thought it might snap. “It also helps me blow off steam.”

“Okay, so why does there have to be lots of different women, rather than just one?”

I looked her straight in the eye. “I found one. There was a misunderstanding and the stubborn girl refused to take my calls. As it turns out, I’m apparently just as stubborn because instead of banging down her door and demanding she listen to me, I refused to chase her.” Rebecca’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “That was one of the biggest mistakes of my life,” I told her without looking away. “I won’t make it again.”  A tear slipped down her cheek and I opened my door and quickly made my way around to her side of the truck. I unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled her around to face me, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “If you run, Rebecca, I will follow you. If you refuse to take my calls, I will end up on your doorstep and I will demand you hear me out. I won’t make the mistake of letting you go again.”

Tears fell down her face but she smiled and somehow managed to laugh. “Your timing sucks, Charlie,” she whispered. “All you’ll be taking on right now is one basket-case of a woman who wakes up screaming every night, who’s scared of the dark and jumps at every little sound. And she’s not even sure if she can handle being touched intimately anymore.”

I cupped her cheek and rested my forehead against hers. “Betty Boop, just being beside you, near you, just like this is enough for me. I’d be happy for the rest of my life if this was the closest we got. But, baby, you are going to have so much more. That fear is not always going to be there. I promised you I would help you defeat it, and I won’t let you down.” Her small nod was good enough for me. “You want to do this today? We can come back tomorrow if you want.” She pulled away and looked over her shoulder toward the house.

“No, let’s just get it over and done with. Anyway, my vodka and wine is in there and I really, really need a drink.” She wiped away her tears and I helped her down from the truck.