UNBROKEN: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (Midwest Alphas) (Book 2) (5 page)

The three of us turn around as a man in a black tank top stops short of the car. Tobias steps between us with his hands rolled into fists.

“Whoa—” The man holds up his hands and offers a smile. “I just wanted to chat.”

I look him up and down. He’s a few inches taller than myself, making him shorter than the average male, but he makes up for it with a thick, powerful torso. His brown hair is tattered with sweat and his fists are covered with thin, black gloves. I recognize him as one of the fighters inside the boxing gym.

“What do you want?” Amy asks, clearly done with this town and everyone in it.

“I’m sorry, but…” He leans in closer and stares at Tobias. “Are you
the Untouchable
?”

Tobias crosses his arms over his chest. “Not anymore,” he says.

“Wow…” The man smiles and does a quick, cautionary glance around the parking lot. “I’m a big fan.”

“You’re a
fan
?” I ask.

“I saw you take Alpha last July,” he says with wide eyes. “That fight was…
legendary
. Some of us thought you were dead for sure.”

“It was just a scratch,” Tobias says. I roll my eyes at him.

“I thought the Kings weren’t allowed to attend Alpha fights,” Amy says with narrow eyes.

“We’re not,”
the man whispers. He peels the black glove off his right hand and extends it out to Tobias. “I’m Ryan Weiss.”

My eyes fall to the back of his hand. A small tattoo rests on the flesh between his index finger and his thumb; a golden crown, no larger than a quarter, with two bold X’s on the rim.

Tobias gives him a quick handshake. “Tobias Eastwood.”

“It was nice to meet you,” he says. “And you ladies, of course. I admire the work you Dames do.”

Amy smirks his way. “You could get your ass kicked for this, couldn’t you?”

“What’s the point of living if you don’t do it dangerously?” he replies.

She steps forward and pulls the black card out of her bra again. “Well, give me a call if you want another adrenaline rush.”

Ryan takes the card and his eyes scan it. “Amy Jones…” he says.

“That’s me.”

His eyes flick in my direction. “And you are?”

“Claire Holloway,” I answer, much to Tobias’ silent objections.

He palms the card and his lips curl. “He’s right, you know. This town really doesn’t like the Alphas.”

“We’re leaving now,” Tobias says.

“What?” Amy asks. “Are they jealous?”

Ryan grins. “Maybe,” he says. “But if you ask me, they just take issue with having
women
in charge.”

“Do you take issue with having women in charge?” she asks.

“I prefer it, actually...”

“Good.”

Tobias and I exchange glances and he clears his throat. “We should get going, Amy…”

“Stick to the main roads,” Ryan suggests. “You don’t want to get lost around here.”

“We will,” Tobias says. He opens the car door and gestures Amy to get inside.

She keeps her eyes on Ryan for a moment longer. “Thank you, Ryan,” she says, licking her lips. “See you around.”

Ryan nods and walks away from the car while the rest of us pile in.

“Absolutely not.”

Amy turns around in her seat. “Excuse you?” she asks Tobias. She turns the key and the engine roars with life.

“He’s a
King
, Amy,” he argues.

“So what?”

“You know what.”

“First of all, you are not my father, or my boyfriend, so you have no right of opinion in anything I do. Secondly, I’m your Dame. I outrank you. So… you know… piss off.”

I chuckle and glance back at Tobias. “I didn’t know there were other tournaments.”

“None worth squawking about,” Amy says. She hits the gas and the tires squeal as we speed out of the parking lot.

“But the Kings have a history of roughing up Dames,” Tobias points out.

I look at Amy. “Is that true?”

She shrugs. “A little.”

“Why haven’t I heard of them before?” I ask.

“Because they’re a bunch of backwater, misogynistic trash heaps,” she spits. “Legend has it, they were formed by one of Lillian’s jilted ex-lovers, but she’s neither confirmed nor denied the story. There was no point in mentioning them.”

“Which makes Ryan even more suspicious, Amy,” Tobias points out. “He could be trying to get to you.”

“You’re so paranoid, Toby,” she teases.

“But he might not be wrong,” I say. “Do they all have that tattoo?”

“The crown?” Amy asks.

“Yeah, the crown.”

“Only the ones that have won a fight.”

I stare out my window.

“What is it, Claire?” Tobias asks, sensing my pause. He leans forward in his seat and I feel his hand on my shoulder.

“I’ve seen that tattoo before,” I answer.

“Where?” he asks quickly.

“Yesterday,” I say, looking at Amy. “There was a man in a black hoodie at the grocery store. He had that same tattoo on his neck.”

“Are you sure?” Amy asks slowly, the muscles of her arms going stiff against the wheel.

“I’m positive,” I say. Tobias sits back in his seat as the two of them go silent for a moment. “What does this mean?”

“It means…” he answers, “that we need to talk to Lillian.”

“Toby…” Amy sighs. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

“The Kings move into Alpha territory and one of them shows up a Dame’s place of work?” he argues. “That’s not a coincidence.”

“He probably just needed some milk or something,” she sighs again.

“And suddenly, we meet the one King that just so happens to reject the very beliefs that formed their tournament in the first place?” he asks. “Sorry, Amy. He wasn’t flirting with you because he likes you.”

“Even if he does have a secret agenda, it might not be a bad idea to get under his skin, too,” she says. “A little spy versus spy never hurt anyone.”

“I beg to differ,” Tobias says.

She stares at him through her rear view mirror. “Then it’s a good idea I have my trusty bodyguard around, isn’t it?”

“I’m not your bodyguard,” he replies. “I’m Claire’s bodyguard.”

“And since she’s shadowing
me
, it won’t be that exhausting of an effort. If I’m safe, she’s safe.”

“All the more reason to
stay away from the Kings
, Amy.”

I turn around in my seat. “Do you two need a few minutes alone or something?” I quip.

Tobias sighs. “Fine. Do whatever you want, Amy. Just leave Claire out of it.”

“If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll call Lillian tonight and let her know,” she says, glancing back at him through the rear view mirror. “Okay?”

“Thank you,” he mutters.

“In the meantime…” she says with a growing smile. “We have two days to find some fighters.” She pushes her pink sunglasses up her nose and flicks the turn signal to show we’re exiting the highway.

I look back at Tobias once again and we silently share eyes. I don’t know anything at all about these Double Ex Kings, but one thing is certain. They’ve definitely got him rattled. It’s strange to see him like this. He’s always been so calm and collected, especially before a fight.

He gives a quick smile and my heart beats a little faster.

***

Luckily, the Kings’ influence hasn’t seeped into other towns near home. Amy and I are easily able to pick out nearly two dozen potential fighters from our area. This is far too many to bring to the first fight out in St. Louis on Friday night, so Amy mentions a tryouts of sorts to narrow the list down. We sit in her car, resting in the driveway while she taps out various texts on her phone.

I glance back at Tobias again. The setting sun rests behind his head, casting an orange light through his black hair. He looks me up and down and a shudder trails up my back. After a long day of following Amy around and meeting fighters, I want nothing more than to relax with Tobias on our date.

“Okay,” Amy announces. She slides her phone back into her purse. “The short list has been notified. Tryouts are tonight at ten in the basement of the school.”

“Tonight?” I ask, my eyes falling on Tobias.

“Tonight,” Amy repeats.

“Well, we have…”

“Too bad,” she says. “Clear your schedule. Alpha business is more important. Meet me at the school by
nine
.”

“You just said ten,” I argue.

“You’re staff now, kid,” she says. “You have to show up early.
Nine
. Don’t be late.”

I sigh as the relaxing night with Tobias drifts farther outside my reach. “What happens at these tryouts?” I ask her.

“It’s basically a little mini-tournament. They fight. We watch. We pick out the ones with the most promise.” She looks at Tobias and smiles. “Remember
your
tryout, Toby? I was so proud of you…”

Tobias says nothing.

“What’d he do?” I ask with curiosity.

He sighs, but that doesn’t stop Amy from answering. “He knocked out a guy in a single punch.”

My temperature spikes. “You did?” I ask him.

“Granted, the guy was a total wuss,” she adds. “But it was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen — with the obvious exception of watching him pull a freakin’ knife out of his side and then proceed to completely beat the hell out of Pike.
That
was extraordinary.”

I bite my lip. “Yeah, it was.” He meets my eyes again. “Was that the night you two…?”

“Oh, my god…”
Amy looks at Tobias with amused surprise. “You
told her
about that?”

“We should probably get going now,” he says quickly. He pushes the backseat open and steps out onto the gravel driveway, slamming the door closed behind him as he goes. I watch him wander up to the house and walk inside.

Amy chuckles and her body quivers with excitement. “Oh, I
love
tryouts!” She points a stiff finger at me. “Remember! Nine!”

I nod and open the door to follow Tobias outside. She drives off quickly, a white cloud of gravel dust trailing behind her as she zooms down the road faster than necessary. I walk across the driveway and step into the house to find Charlie sitting at the kitchen table.

“Hey, Charlie,” I greet.

He glances up from his paper. “Hello,” he says. “And where have you two been today?”

I shrug and wander over to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. “Just hanging out with Amy. We’re going to see a movie later on tonight, I think,” I say, laying the groundwork for a lie. It stings, to be honest. He doesn’t deserve to be lied to, but I know there’s no way I can ever tell him about the Alpha Dames.

“Sounds fun,” he says. “Staying out of trouble?”

I twist off the cap and bring the bottle to my lips. “Of course,” I say.

“Good.”

I turn around and step out of the kitchen, trying very hard to ignore the stabbing guilt in my chest. Luckily, I hear Tobias walking around upstairs and it’s enough of a distraction for me to latch onto. I climb up the stairs and turn the corner to see his bedroom door standing slightly ajar. His shape moves about his room and I watch him through the small crack before pushing it open with my foot and leaning against the door frame.

“Sorry,” I whisper. I keep my voice low enough, only for Tobias’ ears, knowing full well how easily sound carries throughout this house.

“For what?” he asks out of the corner of his mouth. He stops in front of me.

“For Amy and her awful timing.”

He smiles. “Don’t worry about it.” He leans in closer and kisses my forehead. “We’ll get a second shot at a first date.”

“There you go again…” I joke. “Saying the perfect thing.”

“Is Dad still downstairs?” he whispers. I nod. Before I can say a word, he pulls me closer and attacks my lips with a few silent, but eager, kisses. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day…”

“Why?” I ask.

“Watching you… do what you do,” he says, his eyes locked on mine. “I love it.”

I roll my eyes. “I haven’t really done anything…”

“Yes, you have,” he claims. “Trust me.” He kisses me again, sucking lightly on my bottom lip, nestling it between his teeth. It takes every ounce of my self-control to keep me from pushing him into his bedroom and mounting him on his bed.

“Careful…” I remind him, curbing my own renegade pulse. He nods and pulls away, but I can tell he doesn’t want to. “Save it for later,” I tease.

A smile climbs to his lips and he points a playful finger in my direction. “You torture me, Claire Holloway,” he mutters, placing his hand on the the door knob.