UNDYING: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (Midwest Alphas) (Book 3) Page 5

  I bite my lip. “Skipping to the end… I think he asked me to move in with him.”

  Amy raises her brow. “Seriously? That’s great!”

  “Is it?”

  “Isn’t it? Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrug. “Look around? This isn’t really the best time to be planning our future.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Claire, this is the only time to start planning your future together. What else are you two fighting for?”

  “I know…” I mutter, leaning forward onto my elbows. “Just feels like bad timing…”

  “I get you,” she says, nodding her head. “But if not now, then when? Don’t let Rick ruin this for you, too.”

  “Maybe you’re right.”

  “I’m always right, Claire,” she teases. “You know this.”

  The front door opens and Tobias walks back in from the outside. Several thick snowflakes stain his black hair, but they quickly melt away in the warm heat of the apartment. He walks into the kitchen and holds the phone out to Amy. “Here…”

  “Thanks again.” She presses the power button. “It needs to be charged. Am I the only one completely looking forward to whatever crude messages Pike left on here?” She walks towards her bedroom with a smile on her face.

  I reach out to brush a few snowflakes off Tobias’ shoulder. “It started snowing?”

  “Yeah,” he says, his nose a fresh shade of red. “Probably going to be a rough winter if it’s starting this early…”

  My mind twinges as flashes of nightmares fill my head. Fresh fallen snow, painted red with blood.

  “You okay?” he asks me.

  “Yeah. Still a bit rattled, that’s all.”

  He wraps an arm around me and kisses my cheek. “I should call Pike back.” He reaches into his pocket for his phone. “See if he has any new information on Veronica.”

  “Do you think she’s…?” I pause, unable to say the word.

  He shakes his head. “I don’t know, but if she is, then there’s only one senior Dame left to take over.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “You mean…”

  Amy’s feet glide across the hardwood floor as she steps back into the kitchen with us. She comes to a sudden halt when she realizes the two of us are staring at her.

  “What?” she asks.

  ***

  I grip Tobias’ waist a bit tighter as we ride up the unstable, gravel driveway. Dust kicks up behind us, blending in with the harsh, winter skyline. Snow falls in a delicate flurry, too weak to stick to the ground, leaving white speckles on the fields around us. It’s peaceful and pure, but I can’t wipe that dream from my mind.

  My heart lurches when I spot a car in the driveway next to the farm house. It’s an old, four-door sedan. Familiar, and not in a good way.

  Tobias rolls to a stop in front of the barn and helps me off the motorbike. “I wonder who’s here,” he says as he pushes it into the barn.

  I pull the black helmet off my head. “I know who it is…”

  “Who?”

  The front door bursts open and Thomas Eastwood steps out onto the porch. “Claire!” He points a finger at me. “Where the hell is my wife?!”

  My stepfather. The man that drove me out here and dumped me at Charlie’s door. I haven’t seen him since that day. I hoped I’d never have to see his face ever again.

  He charges off the porch, hitting the ground wide, powerful strides, kicking rocks with his shoes as he goes. “I want to know right now. Where is my fucking wife?!”

  Tobias grabs my wrist and pulls me behind his back. “Back off—” He holds out a strong arm to block Thomas from me.

  “This doesn’t concern you, kid,” Thomas spits, lashing out to knock Tobias’ arm away. He looks at me with black eyes, full of fire and rage. “This is between me and my daughter.”

  “I am not your daughter!” I shout around Tobias’ wide shoulders. “And she is not your wife. Not anymore!”

  Thomas pushes forward again, prompting Tobias to shove him back.

  “I said, back off,” Tobias growls.

  “Thomas!” Charlie steps off the porch with his rifle in one hand. “It’s time for you to leave…”

  “I’m not going anywhere until she fesses up.” Thomas spins back around and points a stern finger at me again. “You tell me where she is, or I will burn you—”

  Tobias grabs Thomas by his coat and raises him several inches off the ground. “Don’t you dare threaten her,” he seethes through clenched teeth.

  “Tobias— let him go—!” Charlie warns.

  He refuses, keeping Thomas locked in his white-knuckle fists. “You’re going to get back in your car and you’re going to leave this place and never come back. Understand?”

  Thomas laughs. It sends a cold chill down my spine, somehow even worse than Rick’s venomous chuckle. “My son tells me you’re quite the fighter…”

  “Tobias—” Charlie lays a hand on his arm.

  “Good—” Thomas continues, lowering his voice to a whisper. “You’ll need to be.”

  “Tobias!” Charlie shouts.

  Tobias finally drops him and he stumbles down to his knees. “Get out of here,” he repeats. He plants himself in front of me and lays a protective hand against my arm.

  Charlie remains in his spot between us and Thomas with his rifle clutched in his hands. His finger rests near the trigger, calm but ready.

  Thomas pushes himself up and locks eyes with Charlie. “You’re my brother… but you side with this junkie slut?”

  I cringe at his words, but Charlie shows nothing in his eyes. “Get off my farm, Thomas.”

  “You’ll take this from me? Again?”

  “They chose to leave you,” Charlie argues. “I just showed them the door.”

  Thomas shakes his head. “Fine. You take away what I care about…” His stare falls on me. “An eye for an eye, brother.”

  Tobias barely holds himself back. I feel the adrenaline flowing through his veins, twitching his fight response into action. I grab his hand and entwine our fingers to keep him by my side. I think of everything Rick has done, everything he’s promised to do. I don’t even want to imagine what his father is capable of taking from me.

  “Leave,” Charlie says, his voice firm and steady as it always is. “Now.”

  Another chuckle flows from Thomas’ throat. He doesn’t say a word as he turns around and walks back to his car.

  “Claire, get in the house,” Charlie says, his eyes locked on his brother.

  I don’t argue with him. I drop Tobias’ hand and rush for the porch without looking back until the front door slams behind me.

  ***

  “Claire?” Tobias pushes open my bedroom door and pokes his head inside.

  I look up at him from my bed, pulling my eyes away from the window for a split second to give him a quick nod before looking back at the driveway again.

  It’s been several hours since Thomas left. The sun has set. The world is dark and cold. I keep expecting to see headlights charging back up to the house. Any second now, he’ll be back to claim me.

  “Claire.”

  I keep my eyes on the window. “What?”

  “Look at me.” He lowers himself to the bed next to me. “Claire—”

  “He’s coming back.”

  “Not tonight.”

  “How do you know?”

  Tobias lays a hand on my cheek and draws me to face him. “Because I do,” he answers. “And even if he does, Dad and I are ready for him.”

  Tears sting my eyes, but I force them down. “Hear anything about Veronica yet?” I ask.

  He lowers his hands. “No, but common sense tells me that only a few people knew you were back in town and Thomas had to hear it from somebody…”

  “I don’t blame her for wanting to save her own skin.” My eyes fall back to the window. “There’s no such thing as loyalty anymore, is there?”

  “I wouldn’t say that… You can always count on
me.”

  “And Pike, apparently…” I joke. “Never thought that’d be a thing.”

  “Me neither.” He chuckles and leans in closer. “Don’t give up just yet, Claire. There’s still plenty to fight for.”

  Fight.

  Of course. If there’s anything the Midwest Alphas and the Double Ex Kings have in common, it’s that they’re both made up of fighters. They train their bodies and build their muscles for one purpose: to climb into the ring and claim victory over their opponents. Conflicts and rivalries aren’t settled in the shadows. They’re settled in one place and one place only.

  “My son tells me you’re quite the fighter. Good. You’ll need to be.”

  I ignore the window and look at Tobias. “We need to call another meeting.”

  He stares back at me in confusion. “Why?”

  “Because I think I know how to end this.”

  Chapter 6

  All Or Nothing

  The room falls into a silence. I scan their faces, planted around Amy’s apartment, for some kind of reaction. Amy, Pike, Tobias, Ryan. They give me nothing.

  “Well?” I ask, my voice wobbling. It’s torment, watching and waiting for somebody to break the ice. Whomever does so first will surely set the tone for everyone else’s response. “Look,” I sigh. “I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t thought this through all the way—”

  “I think you’re insane,” Pike says, leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed.

  I pause. “Okay…”

  “But…” His eyebrows bounce. “I actually kind of like that in a woman, so I’m in.”

  “I think it’s a start,” Amy adds from across the couch. “But it won’t work unless the Kings agree to it, too.”

  “They will,” I say. “Out of everyone here, I trust you to be the most persuasive.”

  “Me?” she asks, her eyes wide. “But this is your idea—”

  “You’re head Dame, Amy,” I point out. “This should come from you.”

  “She’s right,” Pike says, looking at Amy with a strong smirk. “They won’t take you seriously as a leader unless you act like one. No one will.”

  “But…” Amy’s voice falls flat and her chest deflates. “Fine.”

  I look at Ryan lingering above her shoulder. “How about you?”

  “What about me?” he asks.

  “We’re going to need our best fighters in on this.”

  He looks at me for a long moment before he finally chuckles. “You want me to fight for the Alphas?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m a deserter, Claire…”

  “All the more reason to fight for us,” I argue. “You know better than anyone what they’re like.”

  “Yes,” he agrees. “But it also puts a giant target on my head. I go into the ring against one of them, I might not come back out again. The Kings have pretty strict guidelines and I basically lit them on fire when I walked away.”

  Amy reaches for his hand. “No one is going to force you to fight.” Her eyes flick at me. “Right?”

  I nod. “Either way, I’d like you involved with preparing our own to go up against them.”

  “I can do that,” he says.

  My eyes fall on Tobias. He stands by the window with his head down and ears up. This is the second time he’s heard my plan and I can already tell that it didn’t sound much better to him this time around. “Tobias?” I ask, getting his attention.

  He raises his eyes, cast in shadow beneath his black hair. His chest rises with a slow inhale and falls again just as softly. “It’s all we have,” he simply says.

  I stare at him, hoping that he’ll say something else, but nothing else falls from his lips. “That’s true. This is all we have, but it’s not nothing. We have good fighters.”

  “So do they,” Ryan says.

  “But ours are better. I really believe that.”

  “Well…” Amy winces. “I don’t exactly want to point this out, but Rick has already beaten Tobias once in the ring, remember?”

  I look to Tobias. “No, he didn’t.” He shifts on his feet. “Tobias lost the blood duel on purpose.”

  Her jaw drops. “You did what now—?”

  “I knew it…” Pike chuckles to himself.

  “Why?” Amy asks, her eyes narrow and cold.

  “That’s not important—” Tobias interjects. “It doesn’t matter what kind of fighter he used to be. It’s been six months. We don’t know what he’s been up to or what kind of training he’s done since then.”

  “And he’s just as in the dark about us,” I argue. “Pike, how much do you remember about Rick’s training? Did he have any weaknesses? Anything at all that stood out?”

  “Loads of ‘em,” he answers with rolling eyes. “Kid had the coordination skills of a drunk baby mule.”

  “Then let’s use that,” I say. “Vary our fighting patterns, take them by surprise, and win our state back.”

  Amy smiles. “I’m beginning to think you should be head Dame, Claire. You’ve certainly got the motivational speeches down.”

  I take a breath. “I’m sick of waiting around. I want to end this and I want to come home for good.” Tobias meets my gaze. He wants the same things I do, I can tell, but I know he wishes there were another way than this. Unfortunately, there isn’t. Not from where I’m sitting.

  “Let’s do it then,” Pike says. “No point in hesitating.”

  “Have you heard from Kimi or Lisa?” I ask him.

  He nods. “Spring break came early this year. They booked it down to Florida. I told ‘em to stay put until they got the all clear from me.”

  “Good,” I breathe.

  “And Veronica?” Amy asks.

  Pike shakes his head in silence.

  “Amy…” I say, looking at her with firm eyes. “Make the call.”

  Her face crinkles. “Do I have a choice?”

  “Set up a meeting,” Tobias says. “Somewhere public.”

  “Why not just negotiate over the phone?” she asks.

  “Because I want to look him in the eyes.”

  ***

  The St. Louis Galleria is crowded and loud, the noise increasing even more as we walk towards the food court. Tobias and Pike leads us through the steady stream of people, their eyes constantly wide open for any sign of threat among us, while Ryan follows behind. The crowd is mostly innocent, bundled up in winter coats with full shopping bags gripped in their fingers. I smile at them, but it quickly fades. I wish my biggest worry at the moment was what to get Tobias and Charlie for Christmas.

  I look at Amy, noting her pale, white cheeks and the thin layer of sweat covering his brow. “You all right?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Yikes…” I say, reacting to her fierce tone.

  She sighs. “Sorry, I’m just a little nervous…”

  “Yeah, I can tell. I’ve never seen you like this before. I thought a leadership role would come easy to you.”

  “So did I!” Her wide eyes fall on mine as we walk by our reflections in the store windows. “But ever since you guys pointed out that I was all the Dames had left—” she places a palm on her chest, “my heart has just been throbbing like crazy! Is this how Lillian felt all the time?!”

  I chuckle, feeling great sympathy for her. “You’re going to be perfect, Amy. It’s your birthright, remember? Just do what you always taught me: Dog paddle through it, but do it gracefully.”

  “Oh, who am I kidding?” she spits. “That advice was crap — I was full of shit.”

  “Well, that crap actually made a huge difference to me,” I point out. I raise an arm and drape it around her shoulders. “You’re going to do fine. Just be like Bowie.”

  “What the hell does that even mean?”

  I shake my head. “Never mind.”

  Her chest rises and falls with an epic breath. “Graceful dog paddle.”

  “Graceful dog paddle,” I repeat.

  She flicks in my directio
n, peeking over at me from the corner of her eye. “So, have you given anymore thought to Tobias’ proposal?”

  My arm drops from her shoulders as my own heart kick starts in my chest. I lower my voice to hide it from Tobias’ ears. “It wasn’t exactly a proposal…”

  “You know what I mean,” she says. “Do you want to take the next step with him?”

  “I don’t know,” I admit. “Moving in together is generally something you do after a few dates, which we still haven’t done, by the way…”

  Amy rolls her eyes. “Oh, please. Would you stop dwelling on what you two haven’t done and appreciate what you two have done? I mean — look at him, Claire. You two have been through absolute hell — more hell than most couples ever go through.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “No more buts,” she interrupts. “He adores you, he loves you, he would die for you — and almost has. If you ask me, you’re acting a little ungrateful.”

  I raise an eyebrow, stabbed in the gut by her violent tone. “Okay then…”

  “I’m sorry—” She winces. “Still working on that graceful part. I didn’t mean any of that.”

  “No, you’re right.” I sigh, looking ahead at Tobias again. “The only thing holding me back is Rick and this stupid situation. Once it’s done, Tobias and I will move forward.”

  “Assuming it ends well.”

  Nausea strikes my gut. “Obviously.”

  “Which I’m sure it will,” she adds quickly. “No worries.”

  I chuckle. “You don’t sound too confident about that…”

  “No?” she asks, her voice quivering again. “Yeah, well…” Her head turns back to look at Ryan. “I guess you’re not the only one with someone to lose from all of this.”

  I bite my lip, my eyes falling to the Double Ex King tattoo still vibrant on the back of Ryan’s right hand at his side. Ryan gave up everything for Amy. His friends, his family, his home; Everything gone because he fell for her. If they can manage to make their relationship work despite all that, then Tobias and I can, too.

  Pike and Tobias slow to a crawl. I glance around them into the food court, pushing against my fear as I lay eyes on Rick. He sits at a corner table across the court, leaning back in a chair with his feet propped up on the table. There’s three men with him, each one leaning against the wall behind him, their black eyes staring at us as we draw closer.