UNDYING: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (Midwest Alphas) (Book 3) Page 3

  Veronica paces in front of the fireplace, drawing her long, white coat tighter around her. “And we’re sure it was the Kings?”

  “The cops are keeping the details quiet,” Pike says, “but I’ve got friends in low places.”

  “How did she die?”

  I cringe.

  He clears his throat. “She was stabbed — in the back.” A tear falls from Veronica’s cheek, but she quickly wipes it away. “But that’s not the worst thing…”

  “What else could there possibly be?” Amy asks.

  “Well… during their search of the club, they easily stumbled upon a rather odd-looking venue…”

  “They found the arena,” I say.

  “Along with every record Lillian kept on every single fight in Midwest Alpha history.”

  “So, that means they know who we are.” Amy says, her voice shaking.

  Pike shakes his head. “No,” he answers. “Lillian had the foresight not to include names, just code words that only she knew the meaning of, but we can safely assume all arenas have been outed — so stay away from them. The cops on her payroll won’t help us none. They’d just deny they knew anything and we have no way of proving otherwise.”

  “Did she have family?” The tiny voice squeaks out from under the blanket and Lisa clears her dry throat. “I mean… is someone handling her funeral?”

  I turn to Pike, probably the only person in this room that knew her well enough to answer that question.

  “No,” he says. “She didn’t have any family.”

  “I’ll do it,” Charlie says.

  Pike looks at him, but quickly turns away. “All right,” he says.

  Silence falls on the room. There’s a single deduction to be made here, but none of us want to say it out loud. It pains me to think of it, as I credit the existence of the Midwest Alphas and the Dames as giving my life a fresh purpose. Nothing last forever, I suppose.

  “So, that’s it then…” Veronica drops her hands to her sides. “The Alphas are done.”

  Pike holds up a finger. “I wouldn’t go that far just yet…”

  “Seems pretty cut and dry to me,” she argues.

  “Then you obviously never gave a shit about the Alphas in the first place,” he says, his narrow eyes locked on her face.

  “Lillian’s dead. The arenas are gone. No fighter will ever agree to fight for us again and any ally leagues we have won’t dare risk exposing themselves as well, especially after news of a police raid gets around.” She looks at each of us. “It’s time to fold our hands.”

  Amy takes a step forward. “What’s your idea, Pike? You’ve obviously got a trick up your sleeve.”

  “No trick,” he says. “Just muscle.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning…” Tobias pushes off the wall and steps forward, his voice drawing every eye and ear in the room. “We appoint a new leader and we keep fighting.” I sense the exhaustion in his tone, mixed with hesitation, but I say nothing of it.

  Veronica breathes a heavy laugh. “You’re joking…”

  “I suppose that means you won’t be volunteering,” Pike quips.

  “Of course not!” She rolls her eyes. “There’s no damn point.”

  “I beg to differ.” He stands up from his chair. “Lillian would have done the same.”

  “And Lillian’s dead — just like you’ll all be if you keep resisting the Kings.”

  “Sounds to me like you’ve already given up, Veronica.”

  “I booked a plane ticket the second I found out about Lillian,” she admits. “I just came out here tonight to urge the rest of you to do the same.”

  He shakes his head. “Is this how you repay her?”

  “Repay her?”

  “Yeah, repay her. You and I both know what she did for you, so don’t sit there and tell me you don’t owe her anything.” Veronica falls silent. “Lillian was no saint, but she deserves to have her legacy protected.”

  “But at what cost?” she asks, her voice small and broken. “Our lives? No, I refuse to die for this.”

  “She’s right.” The words fall off my lips, passing directly through any filter I have. “No one deserves to die over this. It’s why I came back here. I can stop it…” Tobias takes a quick step forward, but pauses just as fast.

  “What do you mean, Claire?” Amy asks.

  “I…” My tongue ties in knots. I look to Tobias, regretting that I didn’t tell him about this before, but he didn’t give me much choice. “I spoke with Rick—”

  “You what?” he spits.

  “He told me he killed Lillian,” I continue on, ignoring his interruption. “He killed her as a warning… said that he was going to hunt down the Dames one-by-one, unless…”

  Veronica heaves a sigh of impatience. “Unless what?”

  “Unless I go back to him,” I finally say. “It’s why I came home… I won’t let any of you get hurt because of me.”

  “Claire…” Tobias speaks my name slowly, anger boiling in his voice.

  “Well, there you have it then,” Veronica shrugs. “Claire takes one for the team and life returns to normal. Sounds perfect.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” Tobias says to her.

  “So you’d risk all of our lives to keep your little girlfriend?” she asks. “Fuck that.”

  Kimi stands up slowly, letting the blanket fall off her shoulders. “I mean… if Claire is willing to go, then why not?”

  “I don’t want to die for this,” Lisa adds. “No offense, Claire…”

  “Hand her over to the Kings,” Veronica says. “It’s the best thing for all of us.”

  My skin burns from their stares. They eye me like a pack of hyenas, ravenous for a delicious gazelle.

  Tobias takes a step forward and shifts around to stand before me; my fierce protector. “If any of you try to give her up, I will kill you myself,” he growls.

  “Whoa, now—” Ryan throws up his hands. “Tobias, think about this. It’s her or everyone—”

  Amy spins towards him. “Excuse me?!” she shouts.

  “Amy, I’m just saying we should all get to vote on this. I’m thinking about you here,” he argues.

  “And that train of thought leads you towards betraying my best friend?! I don’t think so.”

  “Amy—”

  “No, Ryan.” She takes a step back. “That’s not how we do things here.” She turns to me and grabs my hands. “I won’t let you go through with this, Claire. It’s insane. Rick is crazy and the last thing I’ll let you do is give up a life you’ve worked so hard to build. I’m siding with Tobias on this one. You’re not going anywhere.”

  It warms my heart plenty, but I know it won’t matter in the end.

  Veronica sighs. “Then I’ll be in Tahiti. Or Paris. Or fucking Hong Kong, because I will not have a knife shoved in my back over her.” She charges for the front door without another word.

  A short silence falls on the room. Kimi and Lisa shift awkwardly, eying each other, until Lisa finally steps forward. “Sorry…” she mutters before turning around and following Veronica outside. Kimi does the same with tears in her eyes, but she can’t bring herself to say anything.

  Tobias shifts on his feet and stares across the room at Pike. “And you?” he asks. “Where do you stand?”

  Pike raises an eyebrow, amused by Tobias’ show of dominance. He looks at me. “Claire and I had a deal. As far as I’m concerned, that hasn’t changed. She kept up her end and I’ll keep mine.”

  Tobias turns around to face me and his green eyes turn black. “You’re not going back to him.”

  “It’s not up for debate or vote,” I say. “I’ve already made this decision, Tobias.”

  “I don’t accept that.”

  “That’s strange, considering how bummed out you’ve been since the moment you saw me tonight. It’s like you don’t even want me around!”

  “Of course I want you around, Claire — but more than anything, I want you alive.”r />
  “I wasn’t alive, Tobias! Being out there, unable to see you or know what was going on or even help, it was killing me!”

  “We both agreed that sending you away was the right thing to do,” he argues. “It was torture for me, too, but you agreed to stay away until all of this was finished!”

  “Yes, and I found a way to finish it, so I came back to say goodbye to you—” My voice breaks. I drop my eyes to the floor, my cheeks burning with thick emotion.

  He pauses, unable to respond. Finally, he turns and steps away from me. I look up, feeling the staring eyes of everyone else in the room.

  “Claire…” Charlie ends the silence. “May I have a word with you?”

  Shit.

  I’ve heard this tone before. It’s his I’m disappointed in you tone and it burns more than Tobias’ stunned silence. “Yeah,” I mutter.

  Charlie guides me into the kitchen and lowers his voice to conceal his words from the others. “So, earlier when you told me it didn’t matter what Rick said to you, what you really meant was—”

  “I didn’t want you to worry about me, Charlie.”

  “You’re damn right I’m worried about you, Claire,” he whispers. “You are my family.” He points into the living room. “They are your family and you should listen to what they have to say before you do something that I think you’re going to regret.”

  “I don’t want them to get hurt,” I argue. “Especially not because of me.”

  “What we are willing to do for you shouldn’t be your concern right now.”

  “Then what should I be concerned about?”

  “A team is its best when everyone has something at stake,” he answers. “Something to fight for. Every person in that room has something to lose from all of this and you giving up will forfeit everything they’ve worked so hard to protect.”

  “But they’ll be alive, Charlie.”

  “Well…” he sighs. “Some fates are worse than death and if you ask me, you’re walking into one of them.”

  “I understand what you’re saying, but…” My words fail me. Deep down, I know he’s right. I know he’s wiser than I’ll ever be and he’s been through his fair share of torment already in his life. Losing me would add to that, I can see it in his eyes. He’s lost one daughter already. He won’t lose another one.

  I walk back into the living room. Each of them sit silently with their heads down, their eyes barely exchanging glances. I look at Pike, our fearless leader, although just thinking about that makes me cringe a little. “So, what do we do?” I ask him.

  He shrugs. “Not sure yet. Obviously, we recruit some muscle to look after the others. Rick won’t care if they’ve chosen to separate themselves from this; they’re fair game. Then, we go from there.”

  “We don’t do anything,” Tobias interjects, his eyes on me. “You are leaving. Tonight.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Claire—”

  “No, Tobias. I’m staying whether you like it or not.”

  “You can’t be here, Claire. Please.”

  “Fine,” I say. “You don’t want me around? Then I’ll go.” I walk over to Amy. “Do you mind?”

  “Sure,” she says, reading my face. “Ryan lives with me. He’ll watch over us.” She looks at him with a raised brow. “Right?”

  “No problem,” he answers.

  “We should go now,” I say. “Not much else to be said tonight…” I glance over my shoulder at Charlie as I walk to the front door and grab my coat off the rack. “If you need me, I’ll be at Amy’s.”

  “Claire!” Tobias shouts after me, but I don’t stop my stride. Anger pushes me forward, tears teasing my eyes with each step I take away from him.

  Something has changed, something I can’t bare to say out loud or else it becomes true.

  The Alpha has lost his Dame.

  Chapter 4

  Goodbye To You

  I glance around Amy’s apartment; a stunning loft located near the central square, just a block or two away from the grocery store where she works. I’ve always been in love with it. It reminds me of the inside of a genie’s bottle, with vibrant, red curtains and matching decorations, each one perfectly placed on the walls and shelves. It’s all very Amy — if that’s the best way to describe it. Now, there’s a bit of Ryan scattered about with his collection of action movies stacked near the television and his familiar, black hoodie hanging on the back of the door. His essence stands out, but offers the perfect complement to Amy’s brand of quirkiness.

  A Christmas tree stands in the corner. There’s already a stack of large, wrapped gifts underneath it. With everything that’s been going on, I haven’t even realized that it’s the middle of the holiday season.

  “I don’t have an extra room or anything,” Amy says as she sips up the last drops of wine in her glass. “But this couch…” She rubs her fingers in a circular motion on the cushion next to her. “This couch is comfy as fuck.”

  I chuckle from my seat at the other end. “It can’t be any worse then what I’ve been used to lately.”

  “Yeah—” she pokes. “And where was that…?”

  “Amy…” Ryan passes by the back of the couch as he makes his way over to the windows. He’s done this every half-hour or so to give the streets below a quick glance over for any suspicious activity, especially since he found out Amy is on Rick’s hit list. “You know she can’t tell you that.”

  “Oh, come on!” she whines. “Can I at least have a hint?”

  I shake my head, feeling defeated by her puppy dog eyes. “Fine. I was still in Missouri.” I point at her. “That’s all you get!”

  She holds up her hands. “I can live with that.” I can see the wheels in her head spinning as she silently attempts to figure out the most likely location.

  I laugh and take a drink from my wine glass. Sure, I’m still technically under the legal drinking age, but after tonight, I deserve one glass of liquid comfort.

  “And…” Ryan pauses behind me with fidgeting hands. “Claire, I’m really sorry about earlier...”

  “Say no more—” I interrupt. “You were just trying to protect Amy. I can’t fault you for that.”

  “Thanks.”

  Amy points a stern finger at him. “Don’t do it again!”

  “I’ve learned my lesson,” he grins, traveling back to the window. “Chivalry is dead.”

  “That’s right!” she slurs back. “I will chival myself from now on.”

  I laugh at their banter, feeling the slight pain of nostalgia. I feel that pull, the one that signals I’m where I was meant to be all along.

  “Uh, Claire…” Ryan turns to me from his spot by the window. “I believe you have a visitor.”

  I push off the couch and join him by the window. “Who?” He leans away, but holds the curtain open for me while I look down at the street below. “Ahh, jeez…” Tobias sits on his motorbike across the street. His eyes peer back and forth along the road, watching and waiting for whatever may come.

  “Who is it?” Amy comes up behind me and peeks over my shoulder. “Is that Toby?”

  “Yeah…”

  “What’s he doing?”

  “He’s been there awhile,” Ryan admits. “I thought he would have left by now…”

  “How long?” I ask.

  “A couple of hours.” Ryan backs away from the window. “Want me to go talk to him?”

  Tobias’ warm breath turns to a white puff as he exhales into the cold air around him. Part of me is touched that he’d think to guard the street outside for several hours in the cold, but another, far stronger, part is still annoyed with him from earlier. “No,” I say. “I’ll do it.”

  “You sure?”

  “I can handle it.” I reach for my jacket, tossed over the back of the couch. “Thanks though.” I pull open the front door and walk down the three flights of stairs to the street exit.

  Tobias notices me as soon as I step outside, but he doesn’t move. He just watches
as I step towards him. His cheeks have turned pink in the cold, along with his exposed, bruised fingertips.

  I pull my jacket tighter as a chill wind blows passed my face. The smell of winter tingles my nose, hinting at an incoming snow. I pause just short of his bike. “Tobias, what are you doing out here?”

  He licks his lips. “I’m watching over you.”

  “Yeah, I can see that. You should go home. It’s cold out here. Ryan is more than capable of—”

  “I don’t trust him,” he says quickly.

  I chuckle. “Fair enough. But you should get some sleep. It’s late.”

  “I can’t sleep if I don’t know you’re safe.”

  “I am safe here, Tobias.”

  He says nothing as his eyes once again scan the vacant street around us. It pains me to see him this way. Being away was utter torture for me, but it wasn’t like that for him. Knowing that I was outside of Rick’s reach gave him a sense of calm. It let him keep his focus. Now that I’m back, steady and focused Tobias is gone.

  I believe he and I are stronger together than we are apart. I have to make him see that, too.

  “Fine.” I reach out, gesturing for his helmet sitting behind him on the bike. He grabs it and hands it to me. “Take me somewhere you think I’ll be safe.”

  “What?”

  I pull the heavy helmet down onto my head. “Take me somewhere safe, Tobias.”

  He stares at me for a brief moment before nodding. “All right.”

  I slide onto the bike behind him and the engine revs beneath us.

  ***

  We ride for twenty minutes before Tobias pulls into the parking lot of a small, secluded motel just off the highway. He pays in cash and gives the woman working the desk a fake name to register under. It’s drastic, but necessary. I can’t imagine the Double Ex Kings have eyes and ears in this area — quite literally the middle of nowhere — but Tobias won’t leave any loose thread dangling.