Dray (15 page)

Chapter 28

Dray

I floated in and out of consciousness but I was still able to make out my surroundings. I was back in Rico’s shithole of a jail. Chills and aches wracked my body. I turned on my side to try and get warm. They’d dragged me away from the fight, and my shirt and shoes had been left behind. Even in my half-dazed stupor, I knew Rico’d had me taken away fast before his secret had gotten out. I’d been worried about lax rules or a dirty-fight, but never had I expected my opponent to be wearing armor on his knuckles. His first jab had cracked my jaw. After that, I was too stunned to put up a good defense. It had only taken a few good blows before blood started to stream from every possible place. The rest of the fight had been confusion and chaos, and, through the fog clouding my head, I’d actually imagined that Cassie was standing outside of the fight calling to me.

A trickle of sunlight came down through the window. Either I’d grown used to the horrid smell of the cell or my nose and mouth were too swollen and caked with blood to smell anything.

It had been a long time since I’d had a fever, but I was feeling one now and it was a bad. I brought my knees up to my chest for warmth. The chills made my chin shake uncontrollably, which, with a cracked jaw, was nothing short of torture.

I heard some voices in the office, but I didn’t have the strength or will to listen. The bargain I’d made with Rico had been my freedom for a win. I’d lost the fight. Of course the asshole had made sure that that would happen. I had no idea what would happen now, and I felt so fucking rotten I almost didn’t care.

The voices in the office grew louder. I shut my eyes against the pain in my body, but it did little to relieve the agony. Just as I was about to drift back into a blissful state of unconsciousness, the office door flew open. I lifted my head. It throbbed as if someone had bounced it off of a cement wall, and I lowered it again.

A giant figure pressed up against the bars. “Dray, it’s me.” Clutch’s booming voice echoed off the brick walls of my cell.

I lifted my hand to assure him I was still alive.

“Hang in there, Buddy, we’re going to get you out of there.”

Two men spoke angrily to each other in fluent Spanish. I recognized Rico’s deep, hoarse voice but not the second one. With all my strength, I pushed to sitting. The room swayed and I clutched the edge of the bed to keep from falling face first onto the floor.

The tremors in my body came faster and harder. I crossed my arms over my bare chest to keep myself together. I tried to focus on the scene outside my cell. After being in the dark, dank cell all morning, the light coming from the office was harsh, and squinting made my head hurt more.

“Christ, Dray,” Clutch muttered. “I just
might
rip these fucking bars apart.”

Two more figures rushed into the corridor.

“It’s all taken care of.” I recognized Nix the second he spoke. I had no idea what he’d taken care of, but I wished like hell that I was on the other side of the damn bars. Nix and Clutch were ten feet away, but they could have been a country away for all it mattered.

A very small figure came out of the shadows of the corridor. I grabbed the edge of the bed to steady myself. My heart had already been racing and now it felt as if it would explode from my chest. I blinked at her, and she stared back at me with tear-glossed eyes. She looked pale and tiny and sad and like a goddamned angel.

“Cassie?”

Chapter 29

Cassie

In the few years that I’d known him, the man had caused me a tsunami of grief and pain, but it had been nothing compared to the emotion I felt when I saw him sitting in that dingy, squalid cell. His face was flushed with fever, and his jaw and lip were swollen. His neck, shoulders and bare chest were smeared with dry blood. His agonized gaze landed on my face and, instantly, tears streamed down my cheeks.

“Oh, Dray.” His name stuck in my throat along with the sobs I’d swallowed back. Now wasn’t the time to lose myself. We needed to get Dray out and fast. I handed Clutch the picture. He pressed it in the man’s face, the man who’d kept Dray captive and who’d nearly killed him out of greed.

Fernando and Rico exchanged some angry words that ended with Rico tearing up the picture and throwing it at us like confetti.

“Does he know there are more?” Clutch asked.

Fernando nodded. “Si— uh yes, I told him.”

The man’s lips pulled tight in his leathery face as he walked to the cell door and unlocked it. He yanked it open and then left without another word. Dray stared wide-eyed at the open door as if he was trying to decide whether it was real or just a mirage.

His body trembled almost uncontrollably as he pushed off the bed and stood. He wavered as if the ground was made of gelatin. Clutch and Nix pushed into the cell and caught him before he collapsed.

“We’ve got you,” Nix said. “Now, let’s get the hell out of Dodge.”

They half-carried Dray through the small office. Rico made no move to stop us, but he yelled something sharply at Fernando as we exited out into the warm air.

Dray fell headlong into the backseat. Then with considerable effort, he squeezed his body into a corner of the seat and hugged himself against the chills.

I looked back at the guys. “He’s freezing.”

Clutch pulled off his shirt and handed it to me. I climbed inside and gave it to Dray. He never lifted his gaze as he took hold of the shirt. He looked so sad and distant, and his agony was palpable. He struggled into the shirt and then rested his head against the ledge of the window. We’d found him, but he’d been really lost this time.

His handsome face was twisted in pain. I reached up and touched his forehead. He didn’t pull away from my hand. His skin was burning with fever. Fernando climbed into the driver’s seat. Clutch sat shotgun. Nix climbed into the backseat with Dray and me.

Nix looked as worried as I felt. He took my hand and squeezed it.

Fernando glanced back over the seat at Dray. “I know a good medical clinic in Mazatlan. We’ll take him there.”

Nix leaned forward. “Hey, thanks for all your help, Fernando. Let’s hurry.”

Dray opened his eyes as if his lids weighed a hundred pounds each. His long lashes drifted down again. “Who’s Fernando?” he asked weakly.

Fernando turned around again. “I’m Fernando.”

“Cassie’s friend put us in contact with him once we got down here. He’s a lawyer and a damn fine one too,” Nix said.

“So, he got me out?” Dray asked trying hard to keep his eyes open.

Fernando glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “No, I think you can thank Cassie for that. She took a picture of Rico wrapping your opponent’s hands.” He looked back over the seat at Dray. “I guess you already figured out that the guy was wearing brass knuckles.”

Dray smiled weakly. “On the first jab.”

“We just blackmailed Rico into letting you out. Cassie had a hundred pictures printed. We told Rico that a friend of mine was going to hand them out if we didn’t return to town with you in an hour. That would be the end of his control out here,” Fernando continued.

“Are we going to let your friend know that we got Dray out?” Clutch asked.

Fernando shrugged. “I thought we’d just let him hand out the pictures. Rico needs to finish his reign of greed and brutality.”

Clutch laughed.

Dray looked over at me for the first time since we’d climbed into the car. It seemed to take every ounce of his energy, and it took every ounce of my self-control not to throw my arms around him. Then his eyes drifted shut again. He scooted toward the window and then, without another word, he lowered his head onto my lap. I pressed my hand against the warm skin of his face and then I let the tears flow.

Chapter 30

Cassie

Dash leaned closer. “I swear to God if that bone thin woman in the over-starched, floral print dress photo bombs one more of my pictures, I’m going to throw a blue whale sized fit.”

I smiled up at him. “Blue whale sized?”

He shrugged. “It’s the only really big thing I could think of in my moment of rage. Seriously, these high society women either take over-posed pictures that are more rigid than the sticks they have up their perky, surgically lifted asses, or they are diving into every photo no matter what the circumstance or subject.”

I sighed in agreement. “Truthfully Dash, on my return flight I spent a lot of time wondering if this gig was for me at all. If I have to spend another day taking pictures of boring, self-important people I may just toss my camera into the Hudson.” The day after we’d freed Dray from jail, I’d received a sharply worded message from Mr. Evans that I was to return immediately or risk losing my position. Dray had been admitted to the hospital in Mazatlan, and the doctor had assured us that with fluids and antibiotics he’d recover quickly. There had been a great deal of internal bruising and a cracked jaw but he was out of danger. And so, with a heavy heart, I boarded a plane back to New York.

Dray had been too drugged to pay attention to visitors, so I’d had to drag myself away without saying good bye. But all that mattered was that Dray was free. Nix had texted me on Sunday night that they were at the airport and ready to head home. Just the thought of all of them flying back to California without me left me feeling beyond homesick, I felt depressed and alone, and New York felt colder and more desolate than ever.

“Well, I think we’re done here for the day,” Dash said. “The van is out front.” He raised his arm for me to take. “Let’s head back, my sweet.”

“Dash,” I said as we crossed the finely manicured lawn of the estate, “thank you for always being so cool about everything. Thanks for being a friend right from the start.”

He leaned over and kissed the top of my head. “You’re welcome, Cassie. And I’m sorry that you’re not happy here. I can’t imagine what it would be like to leave all your friends behind. And now, over lunch, you must tell me all about your trip down to Mexico. It sounds like just the gritty, adventurous story that would go perfectly with a pastrami sandwich . . . my treat.”

***

I nibbled on the dill pickle. Dash had been kind enough to pay for lunch, but the pastrami lacked appeal. “It was so sweet of you to pay for lunch, Dash, but I’m afraid this sandwich is too much. Do you want the other half? Or should we take it to Jolene?”

Dash laughed. “That half of a sandwich would last her for three months. As you probably noticed, Jolene doesn’t actually eat. She just nibbles.” He leaned forward as if Jolene was within hearing distance somewhere in the crowded deli. “She obsesses about her weight.”

“That’s too bad.”

He waved his hand. “Enough about that. What happened down in Mexico?”

I picked at the top of the roll. “It’s kind of hard to talk about. My friend, Dray, had gotten arrested and thrown into a really shady jail.”

“Dray? He’s your ex, right?”

I looked down at my plate. “Yeah, he is.”

“Uh oh, I hit a major sore spot.” Dash reached over and grabbed a potato chip from my plate.

I sat back with a sigh. “He was in bad shape from a fight when I left him. It hurt horribly to see him like that. I realized how much I still wanted to be with him, to take care of him. He grew up in this awful house, with an abusive dad, and he’s always been kind of a mess because of it. But when we were together—” My throat tightened around the words. “—we needed each other. But we let it slip out of our hands. He’s shut me out now. I blew it and now I’ve lost him for good.” My phone rang and I dug into my purse for it.

“Hey, Nix, everything all right?”

“Yeah, just wanted to let you know we are all back home.”

“That’s good. How is he doing?”

Nix hesitated for a second. “He’s better, but I don’t know Cass. I’m really worried about him. He’s had a lot of crap to deal with these past few months. I’ve never seen him this down.” He paused again. “He was really bummed when he found out you’d already gone back to New York.”

“Was he really, Nix? He didn’t seem that thrilled to see me.”

“I think he was in shock when he saw you. Besides, he was completely out of it when we got to the jail. You were the first person he asked for when we went in to visit him. He didn’t say a word to any of us the whole flight home.”

My chest tightened as he spoke. “It’s hard, Nix. It’s hard being all the way over here with him so far, with all of you so far,” my words broke.

“Hey, Cassie,”

“Yeah?”

Dash handed me his napkin, and I wiped my nose.

“We’re here whenever New York gets too lonely.”

“Yeah, I know,” I sobbed into the phone. “I’ve got to go, Nix. Thanks for calling.”

Dash leaned back and stared like a photographer sizing up his subject.

I wiped my nose again and wadded up the napkin. “What are you looking at?”

“I’m looking at a gorgeous girl who jumped on a plane to start a cool new photography career in an exciting new town. But there was a big problem with her fairytale story. She left something very important back home.”

“What’s that? Her courage?”

He shook his head. “No. Her heart.” He tossed a tip on the table and stood. “I’ve never come close to my happy ending yet, Cassie, but if I knew it was waiting for me back in California, I would be on the next plane heading west faster than a blue whale chases krill.”

I lifted a brow at him. “Another blue whale analogy?”

He threw his scarf around his neck. “Don’t ask me why.”

I led the way through the maze of deli customers.

“I think I might have fallen asleep watching one of those nature channels.”

I glanced back at him with another raised brow.

“What? I like nature.”

We stepped out onto the sidewalk. The garlic and onion aroma of the deli seemed to follow us out. “Just didn’t picture you watching stuff about whales. Maybe whales with scarves.”

We headed back to the magazine offices, and in the few, short blocks that separated the deli from our building, I’d made a huge decision. I needed to go back home.

Chapter 31

Dray

Barrett tied his long hair back and went over to the weights. “You coming to Nix’s house tonight? I’m going up north next Monday for that job and I won’t be back for awhile. So you need to come. It’s my last party down here.”

I sat on the bench and opened a bottle of water. “I don’t think so.” I threw my head back and the water cascaded down my dry throat.

Barrett set down the barbell and looked at me. “Look, you’ve got to stop this shit. You’re like a goddamn hermit these days.” He walked over and picked up his towel off the bench. “That crap in Mexico is behind us. I’m sorry about the whole thing. I should never have talked you into it.” He sat down next to me. “But you need to get out of this hole you’ve crawled into.”

I leaned my forearms on my thighs and tossed the empty water bottle around in my hands. “Can’t seem to pull myself out of it this time, Rett. I’m just tired of things always going wrong.”

“We all take wrong turns.” He laughed. “Hell, no one does it better than me. But the shit won’t quit rolling over you unless you do something to stop it. Sometimes I think you avoid good things just because, for some stupid reason, you’ve convinced yourself you don’t deserve them.” He hesitated before speaking again. “Cassie will be at Nix’s. She’s been back for a couple of weeks, and you still haven’t seen her. Don’t you think it’s time?”

I didn’t answer. When Nix had told me that Cassie had quit the job in New York and returned to work at Freefall, I’d had to work hard not to react. The dream job hadn’t turned out the way she’d planned. She’d rented the back house of Nix’s neighbors, so she’d be as close as ever now. I knew she’d missed her friends, but I wasn’t convinced that I’d played any part in her return. She hadn’t called me since she’d returned. She might have been three thousand miles closer, but we were still far apart.

Barrett pressed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m going to head in and shower. Do something, Dray. It sucks seeing you like this.” He stood. “And, frankly, you’re a fucking bore these days.” He walked away.

I headed over to the bags and pounded on one for as long as my hands could take it. Anger had followed me home from Mexico, and I hadn’t been able to cope with it yet. The dirty fight, my friends having to come in and save me and Cassie seeing me in jail, the whole thing had left a bitter taste in my mouth. I’d been stunned by Cassie’s presence in Mexico. I hated that she’d seen me so fucked up, yet in the car, when I’d curled up in the corner of the backseat feeling about as crappy as I’d ever felt in my entire life, I could not stop myself from seeking the comfort of her nearness. I’d laid my head on her lap, and she’d press her palm against my face. At that moment, I hadn’t cared that I looked weak. I wanted her to touch me. I wanted her to take care of me as much as I wanted to take care of her. But then she’d left Mexico without a word.

“What the hell did that punching bag ever do to you, Warner?” Tank came up on the side of the bag and handed me a towel.

I dragged the towel down my face and through my hair. “I needed to punch something, and it was just hanging there asking for it.”

“I know what you mean. Sometimes it just feels good to punch the shit out of something.” Tank smiled. “I guess that’s why we took up fighting as a sport.”

“What’s up with your golf hobby?”

Tank took a deep breath and surveyed the gym, the business he’d built from nothing. “Thinking about having a driving range put in. What do you think?”

“Hell no,” I said. “Those golf balls are dangerous.”

“Well, my retirement lasted for about all of a month. I knew that idiot stepson couldn’t handle running the place. He took off for some job in Arizona and good riddance.”

“I second that.” I walked over and picked up a jump rope.

Tank was looking at me with an unusual twinkle in his eye. “Hey, Warner, I just had an idea.”

I flicked the jump rope overhead. “Yeah? What’s that?”

“Why don’t you manage the place for me?”

The rope caught on my foot and I stopped. “Are you serious?”

He nodded. “Why not? You know this place better than anyone. The guys respect you. And last I heard you were looking for work.” He walked closer. “I think you’d be good at it.”

I shook my head and laughed. “Yeah, I don’t know about that, Tank. I’m a lot better at fucking up than I am at doing things right.”

Tank looked at me. I’d always had great respect for the guy. “Listen, Dray, the old man is gone now. You can stop hiding under that cloak of failure. You’re the best damn fighter that’s every passed through that door. You can run this place. I’m sure of it. What do you say? I’m supposed to go to Hawaii next week to golf, and I’m going to have to cancel if I don’t find someone to mind the gym.”

I rubbed my hand through my hair and smiled at him. “So this is less about me being capable of running the place and more about you wearing your sweet, little golfing shorts in Hawaii.”

“Damn right my shorts are sweet, and stop using my words against me, Warner. What do you say? You could run the place while I’m gone and then we’ll see how it goes. You interested?”

Barrett walked out from the locker room. “See you at Nix’s,” he called as he headed to the exit. His earlier words played back in my head. Maybe it was time to stop the flow of shit. Maybe it was time to go after something good.

“Hell yeah, I want the job. And thanks.”