Phenomenal X (32 page)

They circle each other for a moment before wrapping each other up in holds. They fall to the mat grappling, and Rex says something into Xavier’s ear, but only loud enough for Xavier to hear. Xavier’s eyes grow wild, and he slips out of Rex’s hold with ease and rolls him onto his back. Xavier straddles Rex and lands a hard right punch to the side of Rex’s face.

I cover my mouth. Shit just got very real. I’ve seen enough matches to know that they never really hit each other like that in the ring. Xavier is losing it—and on national television.

I have to stop him.

Before he destroys everything he’s worked so hard for.

On the mat, putting on a show for the crowd, is really fucking hard. All I want to do is pound the ever-loving shit out of Rex. He’s run his mouth for far too long but fucking with Anna is the last fucking straw. I want nothing more than to end him. Holding back for the sake of my job is testing my sanity.

Rex wraps his arms around my neck and jerks my head toward his face and growls in my ear, “I can’t wait to find out what Anna’s sweet little pussy tastes like.”

A cloak of red covers my vision, and that’s all I can see.

I grab his shoulders and flip him onto his back, and the only thing I want to do is inflict pain. I draw my fist back and slam it into the side of Rex’s face, and he grunts in pain.

I pull back my left and hit him just as hard and follow it up with another right hook.

Rex bucks his hips, and I fall off him. Crimson flows from Rex’s nose and I stare down at my hands covered in the same slick liquid. I’ve hurt him, but it’s not enough.

I roll off the ring and force a man sitting ringside off the metal chair he’s sitting on. I grab the cold steel and toss it into the ring.

Rex pulls himself up the ropes so he can stand as I slip back into the ring. I grab the chair and as Rex turns to face me I smack him across the face with it as hard as I can. An audible crack echoes around the arena.

Rex falls down to the mat. He rolls side-to-side, groaning and clutching his face.

If he’s still moving, he hasn’t had enough.

I throw the chair down and grab him by the hair of his head and yank, forcing him back to his feet. Rex wobbles in front of me, and I’m tempted to ask him where the fuck his cocky-ass smirk is now, but I resist. I’d rather just focus on showing him who the king of this fucking ring is.

I draw back and land a hard right square into his nose. The bone breaks easily against my knuckles, and the delight is such that I actually smile.

It feels good to release all the anger I’ve been keeping bottled up inside. The animal inside me has been caged for far too long. Being under contract gave me something to lose if I lost my head and fought against the world. That’s probably one of the reasons why the nightmares have been coming so frequently.

My mind flashes with visions of Rex’s constant taunts…Grandmother beating me…Mom, dying in my arms.

The last one stings the most. I couldn’t save her, but I can surely save Anna. I’ll never allow anything bad to happen to her. No one will ever hurt her, including me.

Never again will anyone mess with
my
Anna, least of all this fuckin’ cockroach. I’ll see to that by breaking his fucking jaw.

I slam my fist into his jaw and Rex’s mouth snaps open awkwardly as he falls to his knees before me. He stares up at me with hazed eyes, and I draw back one more time.

A large arm hooks around my elbow, and I find myself being yanked back. A roar that rivals an angry lion’s rips from my throat. I’m still hungry to finish what I’ve started and it pisses me off someone that is preventing that.

I yank and pull and scream, “Get the fuck off me!”

“Chill, man. You’ve got to chill. They’ll arrest your ass if you don’t.”

Freddy’s voice cuts through the haze in my brain.

My vision swirls and when my eyes finally focus, I’m brought back to the harsh reality of what I’ve done. I stare down at Rex’s uncharacteristically still body on the mat, surrounded by a medical team.

Oh God. I fucking did that.

Shit.

My legs give out below me, and Freddy, along with two other members of the security team, allow me sink to my knees. I grab my hair in my fists and squeeze.

This isn’t happening. All I’ve ever wanted is to leave all my violence in the past, but no matter how fucking hard I try, I can’t always contain my rage.

I press my hands against the mat and drop my head.

I fucked up. I’m going to lose everything.

I close my eyes and just focus on breathing. The fans in the arena mumble as the doctors work on Rex. Everyone’s waiting to see if he’s going to be okay.

“Brian, let me go!”

Anna’s voice cuts though the noise, and I glance up just in time to watch her push away from Brian and dash across the ring, sinking down to her knees beside me. She wraps her arms around my shoulders and kisses my cheek.

“Are you okay?”

I peer into her concerned eyes. Tears flow down her cheeks, and I know that I don’t want to live without her. I need her by my side always.

She needs to know how I feel about her.

I cradle her face in my hands and wish so badly we were alone in a room somewhere—anywhere—rather than being watched by millions of people while I’m still covered in another man’s blood, but this might be my only chance.

“I love you, Anna, no matter what happens next,” I whisper. “And I always will.”

Tears continue to flow from her beautiful green eyes, but she gives a slight smile. “I’ll love you forever.”

I press my lips to hers in a soft kiss. Anna means the world to me and I’ll do anything to protect her.

Police officers begin to circle me, and I know I’ve royally fucked up. I close my eyes and tighten my arms around Anna, trying to memorize the way this moment feels.

“On your feet. Xavier Cold, you’re under arrest,” an authoritative voice says.

I glance up at the officer in front of me as he pulls handcuffs from his waistband. My eyes drift back to Anna’s face, and she shakes her head.

“No! You are not taking him!” she yells at the officer.

“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to step away from him,” the cop orders.

Anna clings even tighter to me, and as much as it pains me, she needs to do as he asks.

I kiss her forehead. “You’re going to have to let me go, baby. I don’t want them putting their hands on you. I’ll lose my shit.”

She swallows hard and sniffs. “I don’t want to be without you.”

I cup her face in my hands, and I fight back all the emotion from my face. I can’t let her see how this is breaking me.

“You have to be strong.” I don’t know if this is more for her benefit or my own.

Tears flow down her cheeks, and she reluctantly nods. “Okay.”

“Good,” I whisper, and before I get a chance to kiss her again, a cuff is locked around one of my wrists.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you…” Two officers yank me to my feet as they continue to read me my rights and pull both of my arms behind my back so they can finish linking both of my wrists together.

They begin leading me away, and I turn back to look at Anna. She’s still kneeling on the mat clutching her chest while she sobs. More than anything I want to break out of these shackles and hold her. That frown on her face is killing me, and I hate knowing I’m the one who put it there. I close my eyes and pray I haven’t just done something that will destroy us forever now that I’ve finally found my heart.

Turn the page to read the first four chapters of Rock the Heart (Black Falcon Series, Book One).

Rock the Heart
(Black Falcon Series, Book One)
By Michelle A. Valentine
Chapter 1

This is the most uncomfortable seat in the entire world. The stiff leather chair nearly swallows me whole with its high back, and the bare skin on my legs stick to the seat. It’s also stifling in here. If I didn’t know better, I would say someone left the heat on in the middle of July. A bead of sweat trickles down my spine and I reach across the table to pour a glass of water.

I can’t believe I’m this nervous. It’s only a board meeting for crying out loud.

The glass meets my lips and I gulp down a drink.

My best friend of four years, Aubrey, reaches over and pats my wrist. “Sweetie, it’s fine. This is no biggie.”

I muster up a smile and nod. Of course it’s no big deal to her. She’s been through countless marketing meetings. This is my very first one. Sure, I’m only an intern, but proving myself will earn me a spot at Center Stage Marketing. Something I’ve wanted since my freshman year in college.

Aubrey and I both earned degrees from the University of Texas and she somehow landed an assistant position to one of the top executives in the company. They actually pay her to be here, while I’m just the annoying tag along in training.

Diana Swagger, one of the most respected female marketing executives and the president of the firm, strides in and takes her seat at the head of the long table, which fills most of the room. She’s put together from head to toe—not one red hair out of place on her well groomed head. Her black suit screams money and respect, and from what I’ve heard about her in the staff lounge, she’s a no nonsense type.

Aubrey clicks her pen next to me, ready to jot notes for her boss. Even though I’m only here to observe, I mimic her actions and do my best to pretend like I belong.

“Can anyone read the goals we discussed two weeks ago?” Diana asks while she unbuttons her jacket.

A middle-aged man, to Diana’s right, rattles off a list of topics that might as well be said in a foreign language. None of the projects Center Stage currently has going are products or companies I’m familiar with, but I keep my eyes trained on him like he’s the most interesting person in the world.

“…And we received the go ahead from Black Falcon’s people to proceed with the children’s campaign,” he says.

This automatically catches my attention. Black Falcon hits a little too close to home. Most people know them for their music, but I know them because of their front man, Noel Falcon. The star-studded rocker is a huge part of my past. There isn’t one childhood memory that he’s not in.

Diana makes a note on her yellow, legal paper. “Good. Now we need a volunteer to go down and wine and dine Noel Falcon for a few days. We need him to know we are serious about his charity.”

Everyone at the table quickly busies themselves with their paperwork in front of them. All of them avoiding Diana’s stare.

Diana peers around the table. “No one is interested in this? Harold?”

The man to Diana’s right looks up at her and adjusts his glasses. “Sorry, Diana. Rock stars aren’t well known for working well with us boring ad types. Last time I personally tried working with one, he blew me off, then became irate that his marketing wasn’t what he had envisioned. No offense, but this isn’t the type of account I’m willing to take on again. It’s a time suck.”

Diana leans back in her chair, steeples her fingers together, and presses them to her lips. “Is no one interested?” Her eyes scan her employees one more time—all of them avoiding her stare—before they land on me. “How about you? You seem to be the only other one interested in this account.”

Shit. Eye contact is a pain in the ass.

I swallow hard and my hand clutches my throat. “M—me?”

She leans forward in her seat. “I’m sure Mr. Falcon would surely give a young, pretty thing like you the time of day. All you would have to do is get him to spend some time with you and then find out exactly what his vision is for the children’s charity Black Falcon is heading up.”

My throat suddenly goes dry. How can I face Noel again? I want to scream at the top of my lungs I can’t, but I know if I want a job at Center Stage I need to be a yes woman until I get my foot planted firmly inside this door.

I can do this—talk with an old friend on a very professional level. This might be a piece of cake.

I take another huge gulp of water, trying to calm my nerves, while Diana stares expectantly at me. If I let my history with Noel slip out she might yank this opportunity away, and I can’t let that happen. Not after I’m so close to landing my dream job.