Ethan's Sky (King's Of Fury MC Book 1)

14. Ethan

14

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It’s been four days since George’s funeral. Four days since I last saw Skyler. Four days since I fucked Scarlet in the back room at the Pearl. Four days since we learned George was the cause of his own trouble. Four days since Skyler spoke those words that have me even more confused than I was before. What did she mean when she said “The only way you’ll be rid of me is if you leave town. I already did that once for you, I’m not doing it again.”

For the last four fucking days I’ve been exhausting myself in the gym. From the moment I wake up I’m working out. If I’m not working out in the cage, I’m running cardio or lifting weights. Anything I can to keep Skyler fucking Sinclair out of my head.

I’ve been running the phone conversations over and over in my head, trying to make sense of it all. So many unanswered questions.

Like who’s the boy George was talking about.

What does Ghost need to set right?

What shit did Skyler get caught up in that wasn’t her fault?

And why won’t anyone answer any of these fucking questions?

It’s like no one else heard them but me. Which I know is utter bullshit. We were all in the same room, listening to the same conversations taking place. Well, except when Skyler knocked me on my ass. No one else heard her parting words, but me, and even those don’t make any goddamn sense!

Uggghhhhh!

Scrubbing my hands through my hair, I decide once and for all, I need to forget about all things Skyler and get my head into training and running my damn business. The only problem is, no matter how hard I work, how long I run, or how many punches I throw…she’s still there.

It got even worse when she walked into my gym this morning looking like any man’s wet dream in her little cropped shirt and tight as fuck spandex shorts. She set up sparring sessions with Anna and Kieran to work with her on self-defense. Then she spoke to Violet and paid her membership in cash for the year along with a six-month contract and advanced payment for Kieran to become her personal trainer.

My fucking trainer.

Walking downstairs into Knock Out’s, I look around and see the small group of people who’ve already claimed their machines and started working. It smells stale. Like sweat, determination, and a little bit of bleach.

Home.

Knock Out’s is my home. My gym. I own it. Well, me and Kieran O’Rourke own it. He’s a cranky Irishman, with a deep love of whiskey, women, and fighting. He’s also one of the best trainers in his field. On top of his general responsibilities here, he’s also my personal trainer. He gets me in top condition before every fight and shouts at me to get my head on straight from my corner whenever I lose focus.

You’ll have to share his time now that he’s Sky’s personal trainer too.

Fuck.

My first fight with Kieran in my corner was the week of the four-year anniversary of Emily’s death. I was walking a fine line when it came to self-control. I was depressed, frustrated, and angry at anything and everything that crossed my path. When the night of the fight came up, I was fit to be tied. Kieran took me aside, told me to take all my rage, all my pain, the injustice I felt for my sister and unleash it all in three rounds. So, that’s what I did. I leveled my opponent after two rounds. It felt great and I was hooked!

The following week, I took my share of the winnings and invested it into the gym, becoming partners with Kieran and I haven’t looked back.

There’s an apartment above the gym. That’s where I stay most nights. I like having my own space. I rarely crash at the clubhouse anymore. Staying here makes more sense when I’m training anyway. I have everything I need here. Most days I get my cardio and a shower in before the gym even opens. I like having this place all to myself.

“Hey Ethan.” Violet, one of the girls we have running the front desk greets. Her name fits her, with her long, purplish-red hair. We tease her about it all time.

“How are you doing today, Vi. You look tired. Everything okay?”

“It will be. Carter’s still battling a cough and keeping us both up at night. Mrs. Kendricks is watching him in the apartment for me so I could come back and work. I’m sorry to leave you shorthanded the last few days.” She twists the bottom hem of her shirt in her hand. She appears nervous like she expects me to yell and be pissed. I’ve never yelled at her and certainly wouldn’t be pissed at her for taking care of her kid. I had a single mom. I get it.

“Kids get sick, Vi. It’s fine. I’m, sure he needed his mama more than we did. We managed.” Her face pales and her eyes have a glassy appearance. I’ve got no clue what the hell I said to upset her.

Shit. I’m scrambling to say something to make her feel better.

“But I am glad to see you’re back. I have a mountain of paperwork to get to and a sparring session with Kieran and the guys.” Her lips quirk up slightly. She lets her shoulders relax and lets loose of her shirt.

“Thank you for being so understanding, Ethan.” She says smiling, though it still doesn’t reach her eyes it’s better than those tears I saw forming in them before.

She lets out a long breath and says, “It’s going to be a busy one. The yoga class upstairs is full. Kieran has his first appointment downstairs now, and you have the Martin twins at nine.” I nod.

The Martin twins are twenty-one and show real promise as fighters. I’ve been working with them for the last few months. They’re debuting at the amateur fight night in November. Kieran and I decided to split our time training them so I could keep my own training schedule on point since I’ll be fighting the same night as one of the main cards at the event. I’m mentally preparing for the workout I’ll be putting them through when something she said suddenly registers.

“Who’s Kieran’s first appointment today?”

I’m cut off and Violet seems to completely forget I’ve said anything when Declan strides through the front door calling my name. He stops just short of Violet and smiles wide. “Hey Violet. You’re looking pretty this morning, sweetheart.”

Violet’s cheeks stain with a soft blush. She bites her lip, looking back and forth between me and Declan.

“Um, hey yourself. I’ve, uh, got to get back to work. A lot to catch up on. So, um…I’ll see you guys later.” She scurries down the hallway to the linen closet where we keep all the cleaning supplies.

Declan chuckles at her retreating back.

Men have always seemed to intimidate Violet a bit. Declan still does, although I think it’s for a different reason than the rest of us. She used to get scared whenever any of my brothers would come into the gym until she realized they’re not all that scary. Well, not to anyone who doesn’t deserve to piss themselves in fear.

Violet’s a little shy, but she’s coming around the longer she’s here. When she first came in to interview for the position, she was nothing but skin and bones. She was thin and pale, had dark circles under her eyes, and a few bruises she tried to keep hidden from view. Since starting work here, she’s gotten with Anna, our women’s self-defense expert and started working out, eating better. Her confidence is growing little by little. She’s put on some weight and has a little sass to her now. It’s fun to watch her get riled up around some of the guys.

I don’t know the whole story, but I knew something was off when she came in looking for work and to be paid cash.

It’s not easy for single moms, I would know. My mother worked herself to the bone to take care of Emily and me when our dad left us.

But Violet is doing a great job and her little boy, Carter is quite the kid. He’s almost nine years old, or so he keeps reminding us. He wants a superhero party and a leather jacket like the Kings all wear when it’s winter.

He’s always coming in here talking about wanting the guys to teach him how to kick butt so he can protect his mom. He’s got everyone around here’s respect for taking his position as man of the house seriously and wanting to take care of Violet.

But what worried us was when his interest in protecting his mom from bad guys suddenly shifted to an obsession. He started asking some very specific questions about what to do if someone grabbed his mama or threw her down. Wanting lessons on how to break a choke hold and flip people off his back. All kids love that shit, but it was the way his face changed when he talked about it. Almost like he was reliving something he’d experienced before.

I’ll never forget the way his face lit up when Declan pulled him into a ‘private club meeting’ in the locker room last month.

It was Dec, me, Hawk, Gabe, Jake, and Mack. We all stood in a circle around the boy. Dec got down on one knee, down to Carter’s eye level and explained, “This is a very secret meeting. Now club business is not to be discussed with anyone who is not a member of the Kings of Fury MC. Do you understand? Can you keep a secret?”

“But I’m not a member of your club. I’m just a kid.” He looked so serious I almost had to laugh.

“Well, that’s what this meeting is about. We’d like to make you an honorary member until you’re old enough to be a real prospect. Do you know what that means?”

“No sir, Mister Declan. I don’t.”

“It means you and your mom have the protection and loyalty of the Kings. If you’re ever in trouble or scared, or if you need any kind of help, the Kings will be there for you.”

“What do I have to do?” Carter was mesmerized. His eyes so wide and full of hope. It nearly broke my heart. You’d have thought Superman himself had told the kid he could be a superhero when he grows up.

“You have to work hard in school. Keep your nose clean and out of trouble. And always, always, take care of your mama. She’s a special lady and she needs looking after. You’re the man of the house, so that job falls to you. But like I said, if you ever need any help…if a problem is too big for you, you call, and we’ll handle it for you. You got me?”

“Mister Declan, sir? How do I call you?” Dec chuckled then handed him a cell phone.

“All our numbers are already programmed in this phone. You know how to use it?”

“Yes, sir. I play games on Mama’s phone all the time. She showed me how to use it to call my grandpa and 9-1-1.”

“Good. You think you can handle being a little King?”

“Oh, absolutely! Can I have a leather vest like yours?” The room filled with laughter.

“Not yet. You’ve got to earn your cut, but I do have this for you,” Gabe says, handing him a black zip front hoodie with the club logo on the back, and his name on the front. “If you want it.”

“Oh, please! Oh, please! I want it! I really, really do!” he spun around so Gabe could put it on him.

“If a bad person comes to try to take me away or tries to hurt my Mama,” he pauses, looking down at the floor, fidgeting with his fingers. “I can call you, and you’ll make the bad person go away and never come back?”

Gabe grabbed both his little hands in his big ones, looking him square in the eye and promised him, “Yes. We will. You’ll never have to worry about bad people anymore. You’re a little King now. That makes us family. The Kings of Fury take care of their own.”

I’ve never seen a little kid smile so big before in my life.

We never did get the full story about what he was talking about or who the bad people might be. But since she works for me, and the club essentially, I’m sure Declan’s done a background check and been digging into her past. Whatever he’s found he hasn’t told. me.

It took a little while, but after hearing how we made Carter a “little King”, I think Violet’s warmed up to most of us. Especially Hawk and Declan. I can’t say for sure, but I think Dec is sweet on her, but I like my teeth too much to give him any kind of shit about it.

“You think you can hold down the fort while I head down for a sparring session, Vi?”

“Sure thing, Ethan. Go on, I’ve got the front covered.”

I take off for the stairs leading to the indoor cage. I’m itching to break something, and if all I have available is the young guys who think they can take me in my own cage…so be it.

Pushing past the hanging bags along the wall, I head to my locker to grab my wraps. There are a couple of guys taking turns on the bags, while Anna is running a self-defense group on the other side. She used to hold the classes upstairs in one of the classrooms up there, but she moved them down here so they could watch us grapple and use our moves as examples while teaching the women how to break another person’s hold on them. Kieran thought the women would be a distraction, but the guys surprised him when they began helping Anna teach. Some of them take turns being the attacker, holding them, pinning them, and allowing the women to work through their escape in a more realistic scenario. Training to take down a man who has you by forty to fifty pounds is one thing. Doing it, is another. And after the guys stepped in to help, the women in Anna’s classes have improved dramatically.

I’ve almost got my hands wrapped when I finally notice there’s a fight happening in the cage. It’s not until I hear her voice that I realize who is fighting in my cage.

Skyler.

Fuck.

“Will you quit fucking around already, Cash? You’re holding back. I know you are. If you’re not going to fight me for real, then get out and let someone else take your place.” She sounds pissed.

Cash’s hands come up in a placating manner. “I’m only holding back because you’re angry and we both know I’ll hurt you if you aren’t in the right head space. Stop thinking about that guy and what he said to you the other night, and fucking focus, and I promise I won’t hold back.”

Guy? What guy is he talking about? I thought she was with him, or Walker, or all of them. I don’t even fucking know, but how could there be another guy? What fucking guy?

My temper is rising even though I know this conversation has nothing to do with me. I shouldn’t even fucking care.

I don’t care.

You’re also full of shit.

I watch as Skyler slams her hands down on her hips. Her tattoos are on full display. All but the part that disappears under the waistband of her shorts. Those black, cut to the edge of her ass cheeks, spandex shorts.

Goddamn.

I’m trailing her ink with my eyes and am taken back when I spot the small diamond belly ring she’s wearing. I’m about to yell at her to ask why she has a fucking piercing in the first place, when I remember Scarlet has one like it and it’s something young girls do.

I wonder if Scarlet will let me take a closer look at her belly ring.

That thought is the only reminder I need hat Skyler’s belly ring is none of my fucking concern!

“I am not thinking about him or any other man for that matter. What I am thinking is I’d like for you to put your hands on me like you mean it so I can practice.”

Cash smirks. He looks over Skyler’s shoulder, his eyes connecting with mine says, “You want my hands on you babe? You got it. But I can think of a lot of other ways I’d like to have them on you then grappling. What do you say after we finish here, we get a shower and I’ll show you what I’m talking about.”

That’s it.

I’m jumping in the cage and on his ass in a flash. I can hear Skyler shouting at me from the side, but I’m too pissed to care what she has to say. She’s probably going to tell me to get off her little fuck buddy here, but I have no plans on stopping this.

Cash is laughing until the first shot connects with his jaw. His eyes narrow as he moves his mouth around loosening it up again. He smirks and the next thing I know he’s got ahold of my knees and we’re both going to the ground. He’s rolling me to the side trying to make some space to get both arms locked around me, but I’m not giving up that easily. I’ve been waiting weeks to throw punches at this motherfucker, I’m going to take my time with him now that he’s in my house.

We roll several times, flipping each other, pinning each other against the gate and back to the ground. We are trading punches and elbows, constantly moving around as we take turns trapping one another and escaping the other’s hold. This is the best sparring session I’ve had in weeks! If I didn’t hate the bastard so much, he would be a great grappling partner to spar with regularly. But I do hate him that much.

I’d. end up killing him.

Cash gets loose, spins out and away from me and comes to a stand. I’m on my feet and stalking him around the cage. We both move in trading blows. Mine to his chin, his contacting my ribs. We go back and forth like this, trading one for another for what feels like hours. I’m about ready to call it quits when Kieran shouts, “If you aren’t going to beat the brakes off the man, then why the hell did you get in the cage in the first place. Finish your fucking job, Ethan!”

That’s all I need to hear.

I’m on Cash, throwing blow after blow after blow. Rotating from the head to the body and back again. He’s still wearing his head gear, so I know I’m not going to do any real damage to his head, but I won’t feel bad if I crack a rib or two. After all the shit talking, he’s been doing and the way he and my other brothers keep taking up for Sky rather than me…he can take the punishment …for all of them.

“Ethan! STOP!” I hear Skyler shout. I turn to find where her voice is coming from because I know she’s no longer in the cage with us.

Rookie mistake.

When I turn my head back to Cash, I’m met with a right cross followed by an uppercut that sends me stumbling to the floor.

There’s the slamming of a door behind me and the next thing I know Kieran is standing over me, forcing Cash back with his hand.

“Christ boy. If you lose focus like that with Vargas, he’s going to fucking kill you. Get your head out of that girl’s ass and back in the game where it belongs!” Kieran helps me to my feet. Cash is standing behind him, his sparring gear tossed on the ground. He’s got his hands resting on his head trying to catch his breath.

“About fucking time, you got that shit off your chest.” Cash says, smirking at me from across the cage now. “Feel better?”

“What are talking about?” Then suddenly it clicks. “You said that shit on purpose. You wanted me to fight you.”

Cash shrugs. “It’s like Kieran said. You needed to put a beat down on somebody, and the only place it’s legal to hit a brother is in the cage without colors on. So…” He throws arms out. “Besides, I won’t say I haven’t wanted to beat your ass a few rimes since being here. Win-win.”

Well shit. I don’t know what to say to that except, “Thanks.”

“Anytime. I do the same thing for Sky when she needs to get her anger and frustration out. She could probably help you out with your ground game before you go into the fight with Vargas. It’s crazy how well in tune she is with her opponents. And she’s been studying your fights for years. She could probably show you where your blind spots are, and what Vargas’s weaknesses are too, if you ever get the balls to talk to her that is.”

I’m still trying to process his words when Kieran answers for me. “I’m sure she could. The lass does know a thing or two about fighting, but you can leave Ethan’s training to the professionals.” Kieran winks. “From the looks of things, if she were to spar with Ethan, all he’d be working out is how to get in her pants. That’s not exactly the strategy he needs to work on for Vargas.” Kieran laughs.

Cash smiles, “True.”

I’m drinking down some water still stuck on the fact Cash told me Skyler’s been following my career as a fighter. Why would she if she hates me? I mean we have nothing between us anymore except anger and frustration. We’re not friends. We don’t talk. She fucking left me! So why would she do something like follow me if she didn’t care for me? And if she does care, why didn’t she reach out? She could’ve come home at any time. Gone to one of my fights with the Kings. They’d have gotten her front row seats.

But she didn’t do any of those things.

She just stayed the fuck away…from everyone. Well, maybe not everyone given how close she is with Cash and the others. She wasn’t staying away from them.

She was only hiding from me.

“My money would be on the lass. In a fight against Ethan.” Kieran taunts.

“Mine too.” Cash laughs. “Sky fights dirty, but she also fights smart. We made sure of it. She’s calculated. She’ll bide her time to take your ass out if she has to.”

“Maybe I should sign her up to fight for my team.” Kieran states. “Sounds like she could keep her head in the game.”

“Sky won’t fight for sport.” He tells Kieran. “She does it because she needs to feel like she can protect herself and those she cares about. Mostly, she uses it to fight her demons.”

“What demons?” I don’t know why, but I suddenly have the need to know.

Cash shrugs. “We don’t ask about them. We all have our shit. But we also know they’re who she’s fighting every time she gets in the cage.”

I spend the rest of the day formulating a plan to talk to her, only no one will tell me where to find her. Even Cash has gone radio silent.

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