Love On The Ropes (Ringside Romance) (19 page)

“Please sit down, sir.” Agent
Burton motioned.

“You don’t understand. I’m...” Now
what? With the group forming a few feet away, he couldn’t identify himself as a
federal agent.

“Sit down, sir, or we’ll have to
restrain you.”

“Come on, guys, give me a break.”

They slowly approached, and he
knew he’d better do as ordered or he’d be in cuffs.

“Fine, whatever.” He collapsed on
the bench. Agent Dunn reached for his duffel.

“Let me see the warrant,” J said.

Burton handed it to him. Damn, it
was legit. Who the hell was behind this? Had Spike Hatskill planted something on
Jason to get back at him? Or could this be Meek’s way of bringing J in to
report on the case? How humiliating, he thought, glancing at the wrestlers
crowding the doorway.

But he’d done nothing wrong.

“Found it.” Agent Dyer pulled a
bottle of cold cream out of Jason’s bag. Where the hell did that come from?
Dyer opened the top and pulled out a plastic tube.

“Jason McBain, please stand up,”
Agent Burton said.

J’s gut clenched. “I’ve never seen
that before.”

“We need you to come with us and
answer some question,” the agent said.

He stood in slow motion, unable to
believe what was happening to him. Standing on either side of him, the Feds
marched J out of the locker room toward the exit. Agent Dunn carried his
backpack, and Burton kept a firm grip of J’s upper arm.

His naked upper arm. He was going
to be paraded through a police station half naked?

“Can’t I put on a T-shirt or
something?” he asked.

“No, sir,” Burton said, not making
eye contact.

They passed the first aid room.
Thank God that door was closed. He couldn’t handle it if Sandy saw him being
led away by the Feds. He didn’t care about the half dozen guys who walked
alongside him, or bimbo Missy who skipped beside the group.

“What did you do, man?” Rey Risque
asked.

“Nothing,” Jason answered.

“You had to do something. You kill
someone or something?”

“No.”

“I’ll bet he’s a drug dealer,”
Missy said.

J glanced at Agent Burton, who looked
nervous about the crowd of bulky men following him.

“What the hell’s going on here?”

Damn, it was Sandy’s voice. She
raced in front of them and blocked their way.

“Ma’am, please step aside,” Agent
Burton said.

“Not until you explain what’s
going on. Who are you and where are you taking Jason?”

She rarely called him by his first
name.

“We’re FBI,” Burton said, eyeing
her, then glancing at the four guys lined up behind Dunn. “We’re taking this
man in for questioning.”

“Why?”

Burton took a step forward.

She blocked him again. “Answer
me.”

“With all due respect, ma’am, we
don’t have to engage in this conversation.” Burton nodded at his partner, who
took her arm and tried moving her out of the way.

“Don’t push me around.” Sandy
struggled to shake free. “Let me go!”

J couldn’t stand that sound in her
voice. “Back off.” He shouldered Dunn from behind.

WHACK!

Something slammed into the back of
his knees and he went down, chest first, on the cement floor. “Everyone
disperse or we’ll call for backup and drag all of you in,” Burton threatened.

Jason heard panic in the guy’s
voice. He was grossly out numbered only he didn’t realize none of these
wrestlers would put their neck on the line for a newcomer like Jason. Sandy, on
the other hand…

“Get off of him!” she cried. “This
is abuse. I’m calling CNN! Oprah! David Letterman!”

“Ma’am,” Burton said, pulling
Jason to his feet. “This is our job.” He nodded at Dunn, who released her and
shifted his hand to his waist where he kept his firearm.

“This man is being questioned
about the distribution of anabolic steroids,” Burton said.

She pressed her hand to her
stomach. “Jason, no,” she whispered.

Shame coursed through his body.

“I didn’t do it,” he said—cliché
words uttered by so many criminals.

She shook her head, her hands
framing her cheeks. Damn, she was able to sense when he lied, so why couldn’t
she sense he was telling the truth? Did she really think him capable of
breaking the law? She knew him better than that.

What the hell was he thinking? She
knows only what he wants her to know.

“Let’s get the hell out of here,”
J said to Burton. They marched toward the door, Agent Dunn trailing behind
them.

Suddenly, Sandy was there again in
Burton’s face. “He’s not answering any questions until his lawyer shows up.”

She had balls for a woman. Why was
she being so damned protective, especially since she believed the lie?

“Jason?” she said. But he couldn’t
look at her.

“Hey.” She touched his chin and he
turned to look at her. Her green eyes, shining with concern, tore at his heart.

“It’s going to be okay,” she said.
“I promise.”

And he knew in that moment it
would never be okay again.

* * *

“What are they doing in there?”
Sandy paced the lobby of the Federal office building, furious that they were
spending time alone with Jason when she’d specifically said he wouldn’t talk without
legal counsel present.

“It’s probably a
misunderstanding,” BAM’s attorney, Lou Sherman, said. He pressed reading
glasses to the bridge of his nose and studied a Hollywood gossip magazine.
“This is where the money’s at. Movie stars.”

Lou was a good guy and a very
talented attorney. One thing Cosmo did invest in was good legal advice.

“Holy smokes,” he went on, looking
down through his readers. “Jennifer Lopez was arrested for being a public
nuisance. Yes, ma’am, I’d let her nuisance me any old time.” He paused and
looked up at Sandy. “I wonder if Cosmo ever thought about recruiting her? One
match with J. Lo would sell enough tickets to pay my fees for half a month.”

“Stop reading magazines.” Sandy
snatched it from his hands.

He slipped his readers to his
forehead. “What’s the deal, kid? I’m starting to think this Stripper character
has got you wrapped up tighter than a present at Christmastime.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking
about.” She slapped the magazine back into his hands. “My job is to take care
of the boys.”

“As a medical tech, not as a
nursemaid.”

“I hate that expression.” She sat
down on a cracked, vinyl chair.

The wall clock ticked away,
fueling her anger. Lou flipped pages, occasionally whistling at a celebrity
gossip story.

Five minutes, seven ... Damn it to
hell. What was going on in there?

“You should find yourself another
line of work,” he said.

She glanced at Lou, who was
studying her with concern in his grey-blue eyes.

“You’d be a great nurse, a medical
tech at a hospital, that kind of thing. If I were your father, I’d insist on
it.”

“You’re not.” She crossed her arms
and stared straight ahead.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to upset you.
You’re such a sweet kid. Too sweet for this business.”

So sweet she’d been sucked in
again, this time by Jason a man she’d thought she could read. In reality, he
was an enigma.

Steroids. He was dealing them?
Jerk. As soon as she got him alone she was going to let him have it big time.
But first she needed to spring him from this place.

The door opened and one of the
agents stepped into the lobby. He eyed Lou. “You the attorney?”

“Yes, sir.” Lou stood and grabbed
his briefcase. He glanced at Sandy. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”

She smiled. “Thanks.”

The men disappeared and she jumped
to her feet, pacing the small waiting area. What got her so wound up, Jason
being dragged away by the Feds? The fact she didn’t want to believe he’d done
anything wrong? Her feelings for him?

BINGO!

She pounded her right fist into
her left palm. Cripes, she’d drifted off course again, being drawn to another
loser’s lies.

No, something wasn’t right. Jason
wasn’t a loser. Okay, so he lied a little, maybe a lot, but they both knew he
lied to cover up his pain. They’d never said as much, but there was an unspoken
understanding: Jason lied; Sandy cut through the lie; Jason came clean. He lied
to protect himself. It was as if he was afraid of anyone seeing the real Jason because
something terrible would happen.

Well, that obviously wasn’t the
case with Sandy. Chump that she was, she was still hanging around, wanting to
make sure he was okay.

No, she was waiting to get him
alone so she could give him a lecture on the dangers of steroids and the
stupidity of breaking the law. What was he thinking? And what was she thinking by
letting herself get so personally involved? Why was she in this business again?

She folded herself into a vinyl
chair, pulled out her cell phone and called Pops.

“Hello?” he answered. Was it her
imagination or did his voice sound weaker than the last time they’d spoken?

“Hey, Pops, it’s Sandy.”

“It’s about time you called. I’ve
been worried.”

She sat straight. “Really?”

“Sure, I heard the cops busted up
the place and I thought I’d have to wait until tomorrow for the scoop. What
gives?”

She deflated in the chair and
sighed. He was concerned about the show, not his daughter. Someday that would
change. Wouldn’t it?

“It was pretty crazy,” she said.
“The Feds brought one of the boys in for questioning.”

“I heard you got right in there,
trying to keep him from being hauled away. That’s my girl!”

“Thanks.” She closed her eyes,
wishing he’d praised her for being smart or clever, or simply for being
herself.

“Who’s the rat? Which one of the
guys turned him in?”

“We don’t know.”

“When they find the snake who
called the cops, Cosmo should suspend him indefinitely. He broke the code.”

Ah, yes, the code. Take care of
one another. But who was taking care of Sandy?

“How’s your boy doing?” Pops
asked.

“He’s not my boy.”

“Aw, come on. Your brother said
you were great out there with The Stripper—strutting around the ring, saving
your man.”

“I wasn’t very good.”

“You’ll get the hang of it. I
still can’t believe you went into the ring.”

Was that pride in his voice?

“Surprised myself, too,” she
admitted.

“Has Lou found a way to spring The
Stripper?”

“I don’t know. He’s in there now.”

“Help him any way you can,
Sandy-Bee. The Stripper sounds like a guy that’s good for the organization.”

Right, by supplying steroids.
She’d heard the inference. But then, Pops approved of anything that helped a
wrestler’s career.

“I’ve gotta go,” she said.

“Good girl. Keep ’em safe.”

“Will do, bye.” She ended the
call.

Keep ’em safe
.

Who was going to keep her safe
from The Stripper? She was already sliding into that danger zone, the place
where she turned her back on her good sense because love—or lust, or whatever
you call it— tugged at her heart.

Time to nip this thing in the bud.
She eyed her phone and scanned her contacts for Decker Smitts’ number. She’d
tell Jason his job as boyfriend for the barbeque was off and she’d ask Decker
to pinch-hit.

She had to. If Mama ever found out
Sandy was bringing not only a pro wrestler, but a drug-dealing pro wrestler to
the family barbeque… She shuddered at the thought. Talk about an ugly scene.
She’d save both The Stripper and herself some grief by using Decker as fill-in
boyfriend.

She ambled to the window
overlooking the street and punched in Decker’s number. Light rain tapped
against the glass, blurring her view of passing cars. She wasn’t technically
using Decker. After all, she hoped to develop their relationship.

One ring, two. Her heart raced
with nervous energy. Was he still angry with her? That scene with Madame Bovary
and Decker’s hairpiece wasn’t all that easy to forget. On the fourth ring his
answering machine picked up. “Hello, this is Decker. I’m not here. If you want
me to call back leave your name and number. ”

BEEP

Quick, think fast. Sound
seductive
.

“Hey, Decker,” she rasped. “It’s
Sandy, Curt’s sister. I have a favor to ask. There’s this party, a family thing.
I know they’re boring, but I could really use a date. So, call me, okay?” She
ended the call and sighed.

A man cleared his throat. She spun
around to find Jason standing towering over her.

“You’re out,” she said, surprised,
relieved, and nervous.

He stared at her like she’d just
lost him the championship belt. The anger in his eyes made her take a step
back.

“He’s free as a pigeon,” Lou said.
“Released in the custody of a BAM employee. I said Cosmo’s organization would
be responsible for The Stripper until his hearing.”

“So, what does that mean?” Sandy
asked, avoiding Jason’s gaze.

“It means he’s BAM’s
responsibility. Since Cosmo is on a plane to Vegas, and I’ve got commitments, I
figured you wouldn’t mind.”

“Mind what?” she asked.

Jason crossed his arms over his
chest. “You get to keep me.”

She stared at him like he’d
announced plans for a sex change. Jason almost laughed. Almost.

“Keep you?” She swallowed.

“Take me home, watch me, make sure
I hang around for more questions and don’t skip town.”

She took another step away from
him. Apparently she didn’t appreciate the humor of this situation. Once J had
cleared things up with the FBI agents and explained he was undercover DEA,
they’d dreamt up this scheme to protect his cover and stick close to his primary
suspect, Sandy. He still couldn’t believe someone planted those drugs and set
him up to be arrested.