Body Lock: MMA Sports Romance (17 page)

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yeah," he says.

"Do you know what my father does?"

His jaw chatters and the gun waivers even more as his muscles tremble. He trembles like he's about to collapse. Slowly he nods and swallows hard, the gun dips down.

"Yeah," he says.

"So what do you think a man like my dad would do to a kid like you if he was to find out what you’re doing here?"

"Fuck!"

The gun dips further and his eyes dart to LeAnne. I make my move, stepping left so that if he does shoot I'm between the gun and LeAnne. He reacts, raising the gun, and I swing at his bicep. A deceptively dangerous attack. The kind of attack only a fighter like me knows. Idiots think the only place to hit are the sensitive bits like the jaw, the throat, or the nuts. They underestimate the damage that attacking major muscles can do. As I make contact with his arm his finger spasms and pulls the trigger of the gun. Fire explodes in my right shoulder and I'm spun sideways. I see stars as the pain receptors in my brain are overwhelmed. Danny screams and I growl swinging with my right. It hurts so bad I almost scream, too, but I don't let it stop me. I hit him in the throat and then swing with my left and take him in the jaw. He drops to the ground.

Blood runs down across my arm and chest. It looks like the bullet went clean through but it hurts like a son of a bitch. I don't have time for this. I make sure Danny's out then turn back to LeAnne. As I pull her pants up I realize the sounds of the party have stopped and sirens are approaching. This isn't good.

"Jans?"

"Yeah baby, I'm here," I say.

"I don't feel good," she says.

"I know sweetness. I'm here," I say.

The sirens are right outside the house and the room is lit up in flashing red and blue lights. The red accents the blood on my chest in weird ways. It becomes more crimson, a deeper red, almost cartoonish. I lift LeAnne up and hold her with my good arm. My right is going numb and I'm having a hard time controlling it. There are cops outside. They’re loud and obnoxious as they storm through the party breaking up the event, shouting questions, looking for answers.

"Jans, is something wrong?"

"No, baby, every thing's fine. I got this. There's going to be some people here and they're going to help you."

"I want to stay with you," she says, her voice barely a murmur as her eyes flutter, struggling to stay awake. I don't know what they gave her but it was strong. She needs to see a doctor.

"I'm right here," I say. "It's all gonna be fine. When they come in here don't be afraid, okay?"

"I'm never afraid with you," she says as a smile plays around her lips.

I bend over and kiss her slack lips, then I hear them right outside the door. I lower her to the bed and stand up. Before they can enter I drop to my knees and interlace my fingers behind my head. I don't want to risk some gung-ho pig being trigger-happy. I know what the scene looks like and I know my reputation. Thanks to my work for Vinnie, I have a rap sheet and they're not gonna be nice about it. The first of them appears in the open door with his gun drawn waving from side to side until he zeroes in on me.

"Get down, hands behind your head," he yells like I haven't already done that very thing.

He trains his gun and me as three more of them rush into the room.

"Holy fuck," one of them exclaims.

They're wearing full riot gear, they came prepared. I don't know what they thought they might be walking in to but I doubt it was this. Two of them rush forward and I'm shoved roughly to the ground. I grunt as my arms are force behind me without concern for my wound. The cold metal snaps into place around my wrist before they pull me back to my knees.

"We need backup and an EMS on scene now," one of the men yells into his radio.

Dispatch crackles back that EMS and backup have been dispatched. One of them is with LeAnne and I hear him talking to her. She groans and rolls side to side causing the bed to squeak.

"Stupid fucking kids," the cop with LeAnne mutters.

One of them drags me to my feet and pushes me up against the wall holding me there with one hand while his other hand is on his gun. The third cop is checking the bodies that I dropped. When he gets to the second kid I downed he checks for a pulse and then looks up at the cop by LeAnne shaking his head.

"Goddammit. What happened here?" the cop with LeAnne asks.

The officer in front of me pushes hard against my chest, his hand not far from my wound. My shoulder burns like somebody is sticking hot pokers into it and when he presses on it the pain explodes.

"You heard him, fuckwad, what happened here?" he asks leaning harder.

"Fuck you, I want a lawyer," I say.

I don't trust these guys. Maybe it's my upbringing with Vinnie, maybe it's just a smart move. I know they're not gonna believe me over the douche bag, well-to-do, asshole rich kids who tried to rape LeAnne. Maybe I should've gotten her out of here and let Vinnie handle it his way. I couldn't do that though. LeAnne is mine and I won't let Vinnie have any part of her. No matter what it cost me.

I hear more sirens outside and at last paramedics arrive and check over LeAnne. One of them gives a cursory overview to my wound before slapping some gauze and tape over it. I'm hauled away and the last thing I see is LeAnne on a stretcher being loaded into the back of an ambulance. I sit in the back of a police car watching the doors close on her and even though this sucks, I'm thankful I was there in time to save her.

The monkey suit they dress me up in itches and I'm positive it's never been washed. It's also a one size fits and fits like shit. The sleeves don’t reach my wrists and every time I move it feels like the shoulders are going to tear out. I lounge in my chair at the defense table as they bring forth a parade of assholes to testify against me. The number of idiots that are willing to lie under oath is impressive. I find it strange that there’s more honor and respect in the criminal underworld I'm used to than among these rich pricks trying to cover their ass from being charged with attempted rape. My trial goes on for several days. My lawyer’s good, I gotta give that to Vinnie. But after the long parade of people willing to testify that I entered like a madman and searched for LeAnne, which I did, the nail is pretty much in my coffin.

At long last the final day arrives. Vinnie forbid LeAnne from attending the trial but yesterday she was called to testify and he couldn't stop that. Today when I enter the court she’s sitting in the front row behind my table. My heart beats faster seeing her. She smiles a tentative smile at me and I give her a big grin. I got this, a little bit of time served is going to be nothing. I’ll have her in my thoughts and in my heart to get me through it.

"The defendant will rise to hear the verdict," the judge intones.

"We find the defendant, Jans Manarchy, guilty as charged," the head juror says to the judge.

Half of the courtroom erupts into applause and the other half boos. You can guess which half is supporting me. I hear LeAnne crying over all of it. I turn around to her and shake my head.

"Don't worry, LeAnne," I say. "I got this."

"Defendant will pay attention to the proceedings," the judge says banging her gavel.

The judge thanks the jury for their service and more proceedings happen until at last we’re down to the sentencing. I'm convicted of involuntary manslaughter, a reduction in charges since the prosecution wanted to nail me for premeditated murder. They had a hard time proving their case since I didn't premeditate it but whatever.

"The defendant is remanded to a medium security federal penitentiary for a period not to exceed five years and not to be less than two years. This trial is closed," the judge says and slams her gavel with all the tonality of a door being closed on my life.

The bailiff comes over and takes me, fastening handcuffs to my wrists and ankles. The cuffs are not big but they have weight. When I look over to see LeAnne, Vinnie is standing next to her nodding at me. He smiles, a rare thing for Vinnie, and I swear he looks proud of me. I glance at LeAnne then I'm dragged out of court.

TWO YEARS LATER (PRESENT)

There's a soft knock at my door, so I sit up and wipe away my tears.

"Who is it?"

"Me," Jans says through my door.

"Come in."

Jans walks in and brings his air of confidence with him. The tension in my shoulders drains away as he crosses the room and takes me in his arms. I'm engulfed in his love and I feel safe.

"What are we gonna do?" I mumble into his chest.

"Don't worry, I've got a plan."

"You don't understand," I say.

"Shhh," he shushes me. "Don't worry, I've got this."

“I’m scared,” I say.

He hooks his fingers under my chin and pulls up until I’m looking into his eyes. His lips find mine and we kiss. His tongue moves across the barrier of my teeth tracing the lines of my lips. I melt into his arms. How is it he can always make me feel like everything will be all right no matter how bleak it looks?

He rests one hand on my neck and the other on my ass. He pulls me tight and I feel his desire, there's no stopping him, the world could end and it wouldn't change his love or need for me. Almost of their own volition, my fingers twine into his hair as our kiss goes on.

"Jans," I say breaking our kiss. "I need to tell you something."

"It doesn't matter," he says.

He kisses me again and it takes my breath away. His heart beats against my chest, slow and steady, like him. Jans is my rock. The one thing that has kept me sane living in this house and seeing the things that I've seen. None of it sticks to him. He moves through it but it doesn't affect him. My heart swells in my chest until it feels like it will burst. I squeeze my arms around his back pulling myself tighter to him as he breaks our kiss and rests his head on top of mine. One arm is around the middle of my back and the other is around my neck, his hand resting on top of my head holding me close and tight. We stand together and my nostrils are filled with the scent of him. A manly musk with just a hint of sweat.

"All comers, Vinnie said. You don’t know what they’ll bring against you."

"It's nothing," he says. "I'm the best."

"But he wants you to throw the fight," I say. "If you don't, he'll kill you."

"Don't worry about it, I've got a plan."

"What is it? Why won't you tell me," I say, frustration overwhelming me.

"Because if it goes wrong and he finds out you had anything to do with it, even knew about it, I don't know what he would do to you. I can't have that, LeAnne. Let me deal with it, please."

It's not in his voice, there’s no tremble, no waver, nothing that would indicate anything but his utmost confidence. It's only because I know him so well that I would call this begging. He's pleading with me so he can protect me. Jans never cares about his own safety, only mine. I shake my head and bite my lower lip uncertain how to proceed. At last I nod into his chest.

"Okay," I say giving in.

"I love you, baby," he says.

My chest feels like a hand is constricting it. It's hard to breathe so I bury myself deeper into him hoping to lose myself. Push away all the stress and doubt. His strong arms wrap around making me feel safe. The warmth of his chest, the pressure of his arms, and his chin on my head all form a cage of safety. An island in his arms.