Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
AMbrOS
I move around the ring, keeping myself light on my feet.
Jason’s good, I’ll give him that, but he still telegraphs his moves.
He puts his weight on his left foot and starts to pull back his right arm.
Before he can connect, I spin out of his range and move behind him, taking him to the ground.
I have him in an anaconda choke hold before he can get his bearings, and he has no hope of getting out.
Wise man that he is, he taps out before he passes out.
I get to my feet and hold my hand out for him.
“I swear to fuck you’re not human. You flow like water, and I’m over here bumbling around like Yogi Bear.”
I grin as he grabs my hand. “Yogi bear? You’re showing your age, man.”
“Fuck you. My wife says I’ve aged like wine.”
“Or you whine about your age.”
He flips me off with a laugh, accepting the water bottle I hold out for him. He twists off the cap and takes a large swig as I do the same.
“It’s good to get in the octagon with you again, though. Worth the aches and bruises I’ll no doubt feel tomorrow.”
“I’ll admit, it’s been a while for me too.”
“Man, don’t tell me that when you just kicked my ass.”
I grin, grabbing my towel and using it to wipe the sweat from my face before climbing out so the next couple of fighters can spar. Jason joins me and we watch the youngsters. One of them, Tyrone, has a lot of potential, but he has the attention span of a goldfish.
“That one in the blue shorts, he’s good.”
“He is. I need to have a sit-down with him, feel him out.”
“He’s hyper. You think he’s on something?”
“No, the opposite, actually. I think he might have ADHD. It could be that he’s taken up fighting instead of going down the meds route.”
“I get it. You know what it’s like—even in this day and age, there’s a stigma around admitting there’s something wrong, especially if you need help with it.
That’s why women will always be the greater sex.
They know their weaknesses and fight to overcome them.
We deny ours and fight to hide them. We are not the same. ”
I nod. That doesn’t apply to all men and women, but I’ll admit, I’ve met my fair share who fall into those two groups exactly the way he explained it.
“So, what made you set up here? Hell, I didn’t know this place even had an octagon.”
“It’s a new addition. I would have asked the club to put one in sooner, but a lot has happened in the last year. I’ll admit, my head hasn’t been in the game.”
“I heard about your sister, Ambros. I’m sorry. Ella was a sweet kid.”
“Yeah, she was the best. Thing is, she’d have kicked my ass if she’d seen me moping around, crying for her.”
He laughs loudly, distracting Tyrone, who takes a fist to the jaw. Tyrone stumbles back. He recovers quickly, though, throwing out a quick jab of his own.
“She sure was a spitfire.”
I nod, feeling that familiar pang of grief, but I don’t let it overwhelm me.
“So, I gotta ask if the rumors are true?”
I sigh. “You mean the ones about me having a twelve-inch cock? I mean, you knew I was gifted, but with great cock comes great responsibility—”
He punches me in the arm, making me laugh.
“You are such a motherfucker.”
“And you know better than to listen to rumors.”
“You tell that to my wife. That woman spills the tea like it’s a national pastime. I can’t help if I become invested.”
“Don’t blame Mary. I know how bad of a gossip you are.”
He grins but doesn’t deny it. “So you’re not dating a pretty little thing you could bench press with one arm tied behind your back?”
I feel my lips twitch, but manage to stop myself from grinning like a lunatic. “Now is that any way to talk about my future wife?”
His mouth drops open. “Wait, what? You’re serious?”
“As a fucking heart attack.”
“Well damn. Mary is gonna be pissed she missed this convo. Tell me about her.”
I look at him sideways. “You didn’t read anything about her?”
“Enough to know the woman must be something special. You don’t survive something like that unless you have a core of steel.
I think back to when Jackie was ten and try to imagine—” He swallows hard, his face paling.
“She was just a baby. I can’t think about what she endured without wanting to rip this whole place apart. ”
“Yeah, it’s every bit as hard as you imagine not to lose my ever-loving mind knowing what she suffered. But Jason, Citi is so fucking amazing. People think what you and I do in the ring is a show of strength, but they have no goddamn idea what strength really is.”
“You love her.” It’s a statement, not a question. He can read it in my eyes because I don’t hide it ever, and I never will. Loving Citi is an honor, and I feel so fucking privileged she loves me back.
“More than anything. Her and Star.”
“Star?”
“Her daughter.”
“Fuck, I forgot she had a kid.” He blows out a shaky breath, turning his attention once more to the men fighting, and I let him. It’s a hard thing to deal with, especially for men like Jason—natural born protectors and a girl-dad to boot. What happened to Citi is every father’s worst nightmare.
“She couldn’t have found a better man, you know? If my kiddo had decided she liked dick, I’d have wanted her to bring home a guy just like you.”
I take that hit, and it’s the good kind, knowing he means it.
“We’d have driven each other nuts.”
“Oh, I have no doubt, which is why I’m glad as fuck she married Samantha, who is the sweetest.”
Oh yeah, he’s a girl-dad through and through. I can only hope I do half as good a job with Star.
“You’ll have to come for lunch one day. Mary would love to have you. Bring your girls.”
Again, that feeling of absolute rightness at him calling Citi and Star my girls hits me, and I find myself absently rubbing my chest.
“We’ll get something set up for sure.”
I hear footsteps heading our way. I turn and catch sight of Demi, one of the two new employees here.
“Sorry to interrupt, Ambros, but there is an issue with the payment system, and Mr. McDougall is causing issues at the juice bar again.”
“Alright, I’m on my way.”
She hurries out as I grab my T-shirt from the ground and slip it on.
“Problem?” Jason frowns.
“Nothing I can’t handle. McDougall is just a handful.”
“I can kick him out while you sort out your other issue if you want.”
“I appreciate it, but it’s not like that.
McDougall is eighty-seven and was diagnosed with dementia four months ago.
He lives in the nearby memory-care facility, but the man must have been a fucking ninja in his former life.
He escapes at least twice a week and comes here.
He doesn’t remember his wife, kids, or grandchildren, but he remembers this place because fifty years ago he owned it.
Now he comes back and bosses people around. ”
“Ah shit. I can’t think of a worse way to go. Having all these people that love you and not remembering a single one.”
“It’s not easy on any of them, that’s for sure. I just don’t know if it’s worse to be the one who forgets, or the one who’s been forgotten.”
* * *
As I haul in the last box, Dice throws himself on the sofa with a groan. “I need a nap.”
“You carried two boxes.”
He flips me off. “I was covering for Powers last night at the track, and that fuck with that rookie driver of theirs was just begging me to remove his teeth.”
“Ah, yeah, I’ve heard he’s an acquired taste.”
“Acquired taste? I’d rather drink piss than deal with him again. Serious, don’t know how Midas hasn’t skinned the motherfucker and rolled him in salt.”
“That escalated quickly.” I chuckle, handing him a Coke.
“Wait until you meet him and you’ll see. So…” He glances around the room. “Nice place, just one question. Does Citi know you officially moved her in?”
I grin, taking a sip of my Dr. Pepper. “Not exactly, but I know she’d never be comfortable going back. Would you, after some prick broke into your house while you slept and stole your kid?”
“Not a chance. And I’m not arguing about moving her in. I think Citi and Star have thrived having you at their back. But if she’s half as stubborn as her sister, I can’t wait to see her reaction when she finally figures it out.”
“Oh, that’s half the fun.”
He laughs, shaking his head. When his cell phone chimes, he pulls it out before laughing.
“What?”
“Hoops is at the track.” He flips his phone around so I can read the text he just sent.
This motherfucker is going to be eating through a straw before the day is over.
“Jesus. This guy must have a death wish. He should be thankful Hannibal isn’t here anymore. He’d have disemboweled him and strung his intestines up like a string of Christmas lights.”
“That was wildly descriptive, thanks for that.” He grimaces.
“You know what I think? I think we should get Amity down there. Guys like this always think they’re God’s gift.
They can never take a hint that a woman might be better than them, and I’ll always put my money on Amity.
Did you see the shit she did in her last movie?
How G doesn’t have a head of white hair is beyond me. ”
“It’s probably why he’s started shaving it,” he agrees with a laugh. “I’ll mention it to Legs. If anyone can convince Midas, it will be her.”
We clink our cans together in a toast to the woman.
“You should have had the club name ‘Devious.’ Can’t believe you got to keep ‘Ambros.’”
I snort. “Too many people know my name. They tried a half dozen in the beginning, and none of them stuck. Everyone just called me Ambros, so in the end, they gave up. Why mess with perfection?”
“Should have named you ‘Humble,’” he mutters. “So how are things at the gym now?”
“Better. I’ve taken on two new people, and another starts at the end of the month. Citi still helps out, but I give her flex-hours, what with everything she has going on with Star, therapy, and studying for her GED.”
“I gotta admit, I didn’t expect her to work at the gym, of all places. Not with how she is with men.”
“I’m there,” I tell him, and I’m not being cocky about it. “I never schedule her on if I’m not on too. Plus, I’ve threatened everyone to within an inch of their lives.”
He huffs out a laugh. “Of course you did.”
“It’s good for her confidence. To us it’s just grunt work, but to Citi it’s a level of independence she’s never had before, and with me there as a safety net just in case.”
“Good for her. I got tagged in for the last class with Havoc. She’s doing much better, but I was a nervous fucking wreck. I don’t know how you do it.”
I shrug. “I don’t treat her like she’s broken, and I trust her enough to tell me if something is too much.
If she does get triggered, I wait it out and don’t make her feel like crap about it.
There’s no magic cure for this shit. What she went through will always be there in the back of her head.
There will always be something that sneaks up on her and knocks her down—like the incident with the raincoat. ”
“That was fucked-up,” he grumbles.
“My point is, she might be fragile, but so are bombs. I know what she survived. The worst thing anyone can do is underestimate her. But treating her like she’s going to break at any minute won’t help her heal.”
Before he can say anything else, his phone chimes again. I grin, assuming it’s Hoops, but when mine chimes, a sense of foreboding has me looking at Dice. His expression must mirror my own.
I pull out my phone and read Havoc’s text. Emergency church ASAP.
“The results are in.” Dice murmurs, having likely received the exact text as me.
I nod grimly in agreement. “Shit.”