Chapter 4
“Get your hands up, Jax!” Trevor’s voice shook with irritation, the intensity of his annoyance etched into the deep lines in his forehead.
The scent of sweat and determination filled the gym as he snapped, “What the hell is wrong with you today?” He motioned up and down my form with a swift flail of his hand, emphasizing my lack of focus.
“The fight with Jay is in three months, and you’re nowhere near ready. Not like this.”
The frustration coursing through my veins fueled the fire burning in my muscles. I clenched my fists, the tendons straining against the pressure, aching with every movement. Sweat dripped down my forehead, stinging my eyes as I tried to swipe away the saltiness with the back of my glove.
As I circled the ring, my breathing turned ragged.
My heart pounded in my chest, matching the rhythm of my footsteps.
I swung at Nico, the thud of my fist connecting with the side of his jaw echoing through the room.
I felt a pang of guilt. He was just doing his job by helping me train, and here I was, taking out my anger on him.
I needed to regain control and find my focus, but it seemed to elude me like a fleeting shadow.
Too wrapped up in my own head, I wasn’t paying attention when my sparring partner’s foot left the ground and collided with my hip. Pain surged through me, intensifying the frustration that had been building.
“Come on, man.” My trainer’s pacing mirrored my own internal restlessness. His subsequent words were barely audible over the sounds of grunts and shuffling feet. Whatever he muttered, I’d wager none of it was encouraging.
I’d been at it for three hours, and my concentration wasn’t any better than when I started.
Unable to pinpoint the source of my distraction, I twisted my neck from side to side, the tension in my muscles palpable.
Every bounce on my feet sent a ripple of discomfort through my shoulder, an old injury coming back to bite me in the ass, adding to my irritation.
“You wanna stop for a bit?” Elton, my loyal manager, broke through the chaos with his calm voice. He had been with me since the beginning, understanding me better than I understood myself. He saw through my facade right now, his eyes filled with a blend of understanding and worry.
Continuing in this state of mind would lead to one of two outcomes.
I could unleash my irritation on Nico even more, prompting him to back down from sparring with me.
Or I could push through and worsen my shoulder injury, which would mean no training for two days.
Neither scenario would be ideal. Especially when I was in a time crunch to be at my absolute best for my bout with someone whose name I barely ever uttered.
My answer to Elton’s question was to duck between the ropes, the heavy thud of my feet hitting the ground absorbing a fraction of my stress.
Before I headed toward the showers, my attention briefly veered toward Lance, who’d been glued to his phone for the past twenty minutes.
Was he talking to her? I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about the redhead from the other day.
What a colossal fuckup I made. But I had faith that Lance had smoothed everything over with her so she didn’t end up going to the cops.
The last thing I needed right now was more bad press.
The altercation I had outside a nightclub in Vegas last month would’ve been enough to get me banned from the league because of the strict no-fighting rule.
Luckily, my team had made the incident disappear.
“Wait up,” Lance said, tucking his phone into his back pocket. Within several strides, he was next to me, his steps falling into sync with mine as we entered the locker room. The familiar smell of sweat and stale air assaulted me.
“You gonna ride me for quitting early?” I asked as I glared at him, my muscles coiling with anger in preparation for an argument.
“I should, but no. I just wanted to tell you that Sophie is coming by later to check out the empty apartment upstairs.”
I halted midstride. “Who?”
“The woman you almost accosted.”
“Why is she checking out the apartment?”
“Because we need her on call, so I offered it to her. It’ll work out for the best. You’ll see.”
“You hired her?” Adrenaline surged through me. My body felt electrified, as if every nerve ending was on edge.
“Of course I did. You need someone to help you warm up and cool down. Stretch you and loosen you up. It’s vital for you to be your best in the ring.”
I thrust my hands toward him, indicating I wanted him to remove the bandages, all the while glowering at him because he never gave me a heads-up that he was bringing in another sports therapist. Or maybe he did, and I tuned him out.
None of the people he’d hired were a good fit, which was why they’d all left.
Was it mostly because of my attitude toward them? I wouldn’t say no.
“Call her and tell her you changed your mind.”
“I’m not going to do that. We need her. You need her.”
“I don’t need her, and I don’t approve.”
“Jac—”
“If you don’t fire her, I will, and I won’t be nice about it.”
The sound of my own breathing filled my ears, loud and ragged. The weight of my words hung between us, the threat of consequences adding to the charged atmosphere.
“Are you ever?”
“I don’t get a good vibe from her.”
“You never get a good vibe from any of the therapists I’ve brought in. You always find something wrong with them.”
Instead of debating, I simply said, “She’s not going to be working on me, Lance. It’s a no.” Once he unraveled the last piece of bandage, the material floated to the ground at my feet. I removed my shorts and flipped on the shower, adjusting the temperature before stepping in.
“Why do you always have to be so damn difficult?” he asked.
“It’s who I am,” I answered. “You know I’m not going to change.”
“Every once in a while, it’d be nice if you’d compromise on some things.”
“Never gonna happen.” I dipped my head under the spray of the shower, stealing a few precious seconds of muffled silence. I willed my mind to go blank, but images of a certain woman popped in. Was it because we were arguing about her, or had she infiltrated for another reason?
I never chased women, having no need for them other than sex.
And fortunately for me, there were plenty who willingly lined up for a one-and-done deal with me.
But for some reason, the way Sophie had looked at me the other day both intrigued and unsettled me, and it had nothing to do with our little misunderstanding.
When I reemerged, Lance was in full tirade about my stubbornness. Same old song and dance. He wanted me to do something, and I refused… and he gave me shit about it.
“You’re only hurting yourself in the end,” he spouted, glaring at me when I looked in his direction.
“You’re being dramatic.” I spat out a mouthful of water. “Trevor will continue to stretch me and work out the knots in my muscles.”
“He’s not qualified to keep doing this. You need a professional.”
“Then he’ll get certified. I’ll pay for it.” Perhaps the snarky smile I threw his way wasn’t the best move. When he told me, “Go fuck yourself,” and stormed out of the locker room, I couldn’t stop the satisfied grin from spreading across my face.