No Regrets (No Regrets #1) (10 page)

I lean
back into the chair, releasing her chin. “As far as what you should do, I’m the last person you should ask. I suck at relationships.”

She shakes her head in her hands and moans
. “Ohhhh, I have a headache from all of this. He showed up on Juno’s doorstep looking for me this morning. That’s why she came over. I refused to see him all day but now I’m not so sure. Six years is a long time. Maybe I owe it to him to hear what he has to say. Maybe I owe it to myself.”

I sit
quietly listening to her struggle with this decision. The longest relationship I’ve ever had was six months. It was wasted time as far as I’m concerned. Her name was Celina and she latched onto me as my fighting career took off. The wild part is that she had broken up with me the day before the big fight five years ago. My last fight in the amateur circuit. I should have been upset at the time but it was more of a relief than anything else. I’ve thought about it often over the last five years, though. If she had been at Brutus’ that night, I probably wouldn’t have made it into that alley, but that girl, the redhead that I still picture often, would probably have been raped or worse.

“Christina, all I can tell you is that I support you in whatever you decide.”

She looks up, seeming refreshed slightly. “Really?”

I grab her hand and squeeze
. “Of course, but no more friends with benefits.”

She
punches my shoulder as hard as she can. “You shit. You heard my conversation with Juno.”

I rub my
arm in mock injury. “Ow, have you been working out? That right hook is something else.”

She bursts out in lau
ghter and shakes her head at me. I’m bummed about the sex that I won’t be having with her now, but my friendship with Christina is more important than anything else at this point.

Chapter 12

The next morning I wake in a sweat just as the sun is rising. My body thrashes to the edge of the bed as images of my fist connecting with Theodore James’ face flash before my eyes. It’s always the same. That moment plays over and over in my head, the second that I took the most valuable thing away from someone, his life. I roll over, coming down from the nightmare. My back is sore from the worn, lumpy mattress. If I wasn’t convinced before, the lack of sleep I’ve had just sealed the deal. I shower and head out in search of a one bedroom apartment. A new place won’t take the nightmares away; I deserve that for as long as I live. But it might help with the quality of the sleep I do get.

Juno’s is ten minutes fro
m the rental and Jackson’s is ten in the opposite direction. I decide to stay within the vicinity and turn up Dover Street, which will take me to a tad bit nicer area. At least there won’t be as many solicitors on the corners.

I turn
into a drive fronted with stone pillars displaying ‘Lara’s Landing’. A banner running the length of the sign advertises apartments for rent. I drive further and spot a cluster of brick three story buildings. It looks a whole lot better than the shit hole I’m currently in.

An hour later
, I have signed the paperwork for a year-long lease. Grasping a set of keys, I make my way to the north side of the complex and find my new home, a first floor one bedroom that is only a few years old. It actually still smells new when I walk through the door. It’s probably the fresh coat of paint. As I explore the empty rooms, a sense of contentment settles over me. I’m getting it all back together. I can only hope things continue to improve.

The phone rings in my back pocket. I pull
it out to see Jackson’s name displayed across the screen. I push the button. “Hey, Jax.”

“Pace
, you comin’ in today?” I can hear conflict in Jackson’s voice.

“Yeah, I had a few
things to do first. What’s up?”

“I got you another fight.”

“Really, where and when?”

“In a week
or so. We have a lot to get done. I’ll tell you about it when you come by today.”

That doesn’t sound too promising
, but instead of harassing Jackson, I say goodbye and hang up. I glance around the empty rooms with the weight of what to fill them with clouding my mind. I palm the phone again to dial Christina. A woman is definitely what I need right now. I’d call Trinity, but an invisible wall divides us right now, by the name of Parker Harris. Probably more for me than for her, but my uneasiness grows the more I hear about him in the news. Last week he won a bout with his one loss, Jesus Reyes, a rematch. It’s been in the back of my thoughts since I read about the win. The fact that Reyes is still fighting makes me want to find out exactly what happened between him and Jimmy.

“Hell
o.” Christina’s voice brings me out of my thoughts.

“Hey you. How are you?”

Her voice is short and frustrated. “Fine, I guess.”

“Do you want to get a coffee before I go to Jackson’s?”

“Um, yeah, that sounds good. When?”

“An hour?”

“I’ll meet you across from Juno’s.”

“See you then.”

I hang up knowing that she’s in no mood to go pick out furniture. I can tell she just needs someone to listen right now. The last thing I want to do is give my two cents on her situation. This dude, Jonathan, obviously has some shit going on if he can’t keep a hold of a woman like Christina. She’s low maintenance and always tells it like it is. But I had resolved last night to support her in whatever she decides. I can tell it’s not over for her. The best I can do as her friend is be there to listen and that’s what I intend on doing.

I grab my
keys and head back to the truck, which is another reminder of Parker. The next thing on my list, get a vehicle that has nothing to do with the douche bag that my sister is so attached to.

I stop
at a rent-to-own place and order furniture for the whole apartment. Hopefully I can talk Christina into being there for the delivery. By the time I enter the small coffee shop on the corner I can tell Christina has been there a while. She glances at me, tired looking with purple stains under her eyes. She takes a sip of her coffee and attempts a smile as my body lowers into the chair across from her. I frown. “Are you all right?”

She places her head in her hand with her elbow resting on the table.

“Just tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night. Jonathan and I talked for most of the night.”

My
mouth spreads in a tight line as she continues.

“We hashed out
everything that has happened about a hundred times. I’m just tired of it all.”

I hesitate
before asking, “Did you come to any consensus?”

A small smile spreads over her lips
. “He was heartbroken when he found out about you. But after that, he was relentless in getting me back.”

“Hmm
, you didn’t need to tell him about me if you didn’t want to. We’re just friends, Christina.”

“I know
, but I figured he needed to know. I don’t want to start anything with any secrets or lies.”

I nod in acknowledgement. I’ve
found in the short time we’ve known each other that she’s one of the most truthful people I have ever met.

“Anyway, I told him we would take it very slow this time. The last thing I want is to be heartbroken all over again.”

“I’m glad for you, Christina. I was going to ask what you’re up to in a few hours but it seems you need to get some sleep.”

She looks at me
with an amused grin. “Why? What is it you need?”

“Well, I rented an apartment today. I have a
shitload of furniture being delivered later this afternoon.”

She waves it off
. “Sleep is overrated. I’ll wait for the delivery. I might even break in your bed once it gets there.”

“Have at it. You’ll be the
only one for a while at least.” A smile spreads over my lips.

“Greylan Pace, you know the ladies’ll be knocking down your door in no time.”

I smirk but don’t respond. Instead I hand her the key and plug the address into the GPS on her phone.

“I need to get to Jackson’s
- are you sure about this?”

“Yep, no problem. Just wake me up in time for work, okay?”

I stand and kiss her on the forehead. “See you later. Sweet dreams.”

Chapter 13

I walk
briskly into Jackson’s. Immediately I spot the solid man in his usual spot, hanging on the ropes of the ring with a toothpick in the corner of his mouth. My eyes automatically scan the room for anyone else of interest, i.e., Parker Harris. Parker wouldn’t come here to train but this routine has come to be ingrained into my habits each day. If I were to really admit the reason, it’s how unpredictable he is. I lived with the guy for a couple of days and still know very little about him.

As I approach, Jackson glances down at an imaginary watch on his arm. “It’s about fucking time. One might think you don’t give a shit about fighting anymore.” I don’t give him any words, just shake my head as I pass the ring to head for the locker room. Jackson calls out to my retreating figure, “Make sure you leave all that pussy shit in there. You’re gonna work your ass off today.”

I stash my bag and street clothes in the locker. The harder I work
, the better I feel about everything else in my life. It usually takes my mind off of the terrible accident that haunts me, at least for a little while.

Jackson directs me
into the ring and calls over a burly man about a foot taller than me. His large frame and shaved head are intimidating, matching the permanent scowl across his face.

Jackson calls out, “Pace
, you wanted to climb the ladder, huh? This here is Maleko, straight from Oahu. Don’t go easy on him because he won’t give you a break.”

The usu
al routine of fitting my hands into gloves and placing head gear on keeps my mind busy so I won’t dwell on the guy I’m about to fight. I smirk and ask, “So Jackson, where…”

He cuts me off
. “He is just above the middle, so you need to show me something I like if you want to fight next week.”

I bite the mouth guard and climb
into the ring. Maleko is waiting. He doesn’t give me a second to get my bearings before he forges forward with a rounded punch to my side. It throws my body off balance, forcing my footing to stagger backward. I glance at Jackson, who’s yelling at me, “Get your head in the game, Pace. Harris isn’t even going to flinch when you fight him. He’ll play dirty every chance he gets.”

This brings me into the moment. My feet surge forward as I force an
arm into Maleko’s chest. The guy doesn’t flinch. His hands move under my arms just as his foot sweeps my legs out from under me. I fall to my back but I roll away just as he falls forward to land on top of me. Instead, a loud thud echoes through the mat where all of his weight settled. I scurry to my feet, leaping onto his back and taking him in a choke hold. The big man taps the mat, realizing he won’t get out of the hold. As I stand smiling at my win, Jackson’s voice claims, “That was shit. You call that a win, Pace? You’re gonna have to get it together if you have any hopes of making it into the pro fights. There are some way bigger and faster dudes than Maleko here.”

Maleko stands and shakes my
hand. Before releasing, he pulls me forward and slams his other fist into my side. It knocks the wind out of me, causing my body to crumple onto the mat and I land on my knees.
What the fuck?
I look up and he’s still coming at me.

Jackson yells, “Get the fuck up
, Pace. Have you not heard a word I’ve said? Maleko, kill him if you need to. He needs a lesson.”

As if just animated
, I pop to my feet and move out of the way as Maleko swings a kick at my face. I grab his foot and pull, causing him to lose his footing. He staggers backwards as I surge forward in an assault of jabs to his stomach and chest. He falls to the mat onto his knees, giving me the opportunity to push with my whole body, forcing him further into the mat. I begin pounding on him. Maleko raises his arms to block the assault but I’m relentless. My blows rain in a flurry. He taps out but I don’t stop. I continue punching even as he has given up. Jackson skirts through the ropes, grabbing me in a choke from behind. My arms halt as a deep, broken breath escapes my lips.

Jackson nods to
Maleko as he pulls me away, not loosening his grip. Maleko hesitates a minute and utters, “Sorry, dude,” and continues on to the locker room. Jackson speaks in a low tone near my ear, “Grey, I’m gonna let you go.”

I nod
, just barely letting him know I’m coherent and aware of what’s happening. I sink to the mat, moving my hands up my head to push the gear away. My hand runs through my hair in frustration. One minute I’m fighting, getting somewhere, and the next I’m thinking about how I screwed up.

Jac
kson sits on the mat next to me. “Anything you want to talk about?”

I tighten my lips and shake my head. I want
nothing to do with the thoughts that force their way into my head. The repetitious sound, over and over, of Theodore’s head hitting the brick wall. The sound of my sister’s sobs when I left her for five years, unable to keep my promise to my mom. And now the thoughts that she’s happy without me, with my enemy in the cage. Finally, the thought of Meyer, who abandoned me when I needed him the most.

Jackson states in the most compassiona
te tone I’ve ever heard from the man, “I don’t know what’s going on with you; I can only imagine what you’ve been through. But you need to get your head on straight. If you have any hope of ever beating Harris, which I’m guessing is your goal, then you need to figure it out. You know more than anyone, it is as much your mind as your body. Do what you have to do or you’ll never make it back.”

He
starts to walk away, but turns as an afterthought. “I thought you’d like to know, the fight next week - it’s your last. After that you can go pro if you win.”

I take
a deep breath that catches in my ribs. I won’t have a chance if I can’t get my head straight. A few minutes later I move to a bag, concentrating on clearing my head. I focus on just the bag and nothing else.

***

When I enter the new apartment later, my body sore from training all day, the rooms are silent but full of the furniture I picked out earlier. I lower my bag and make my way to the bedroom.

Christina is wra
pped up in a blanket on the raised king size bed. Her face is free of the worry from earlier. I smile and lower myself to the edge of the bed. My hand moves to brush her hair back from her forehead. “Hey, Christina. Time to get up. We have to go in soon.”

She shifts her body
, rolling onto her back. Her fingers come up to her eyes, shielding the light. “Hey, who turned the sun on?”

I chuckle
. “It’s been on all day. I guess you’ve been asleep for a while.”

She nods
. “What time is it?”

“Five-thir
ty.”

“I guess I have been asleep for most of the day. Your furniture came at noon. I just thought I’d take a little cat nap.”

She rolls onto her side and opens her eyes, focusing on my face. “It’s a nice bed, Rookie. You wanna break it in?”

I smile
, shaking my head. “I’ll take your word for it.”

A breath escapes her lips
. “Yeah, I don’t think Jonathan would like that too much.”

“Did you come to a decision?” I curse my
self for asking, but that’s what friends do, right? I should show interest or at least act interested in what she’s decided.

She shifts again
, sitting up, wrapping the blanket around her. “Do you really want to know?”

I
look away in answer.

“That’s okay
, Grey. I understand. This lovey dovey shit isn’t your thing. You’re still my friend, though. And just in case you become interested later, I’ve decided to start with actual ‘dates’. I told him I wanted him to ask me out on a date and pick me up, the whole shebang.”

I smile
, meeting her stare. “How long do you think that will last?”

“Shut up. If you had a pillow around, I’d throw it at you right now.”

I stand and head for the bathroom. “Guess I still need to do some shopping.”

When
I’m out of the shower and back in the bedroom, I find a note on the bed.

Grey,

I left my blanket, I knew you’d need it. You’re such a guy.

See you tonight.

Christina

If I’m truthful
, a part of me is bummed that she decided to go back to Jonathan. There isn’t much I don’t like about her, and as much as she’ll deny it, she’s such a girl. She’s thoughtful, and after what they all are - a fairy tale ending. I’m glad for her that Jonathan came in to save the day, if that’s what she wants. Of course if the guy fails, I’ll have to beat his ass.