Chapter Ten
Kit
“Where are you going this late at night anyway?” she asked him from the passenger seat.
“Work.”
She raised an eyebrow and scrunched up her nose. “Work where?”
He didn’t answer. He had a couple of fights tonight that he needed to get to. He usually gave himself more of a break between matches, but Tony had called him and said that a lot of people were taking an interest in him. There was a lot of money on the table. If he could get enough, he could help Megan get back on her feet. Maybe send some to his piece-of-shit dad so that he could buy candy or whatever shit they buy in prison.
“Okay…”
“I can’t tell you,” he said. It wasn’t only the fact that the fighting ring was illegal, but also, he didn’t trust Cam yet. Especially not with that kind of information. She had a stick up her ass, and he got the feeling she’d turn her nose up at the thought of someone using their fists for money. Which didn’t make sense considering her hands were just as dirty since she was involved with a drug lord.
“Okay, whatever, it was just a question.”
They drove the rest of the way in silence until they got to her bar, where her blue truck sat out front.
“Thanks for the ride,” she said.
He waited until she got in the truck and drove away before turning around and going to the fighting ring.
Gravel crunched under his tires as he pulled up to the driveway. Tony’s family owed acres of land where the fights took place. Kit had been going to the same spot for years. The cops knew about it, but they chose to turn their heads. Whenever the ambulance was called because someone took too hard of a hit, there was never any follow up. If he had to guess, Tony gave the cops a nice cut of each fight so he could keep the thing going.
Kit got out of the truck and walked on to the grassy area. People stood around, holding beers and watching the fight. Inside a spray-painted, red circle were two shirtless men throwing punches. A set of bleachers and some lawn chairs surrounded the property. He spotted Tony sitting on the bleachers, a red baseball hat on his head.
“You got some fights for me?” he asked, taking a seat beside Tony. Tony bounced his leg, and his hands were tucked into his pants pocket as if he was cold, even though it was eighty degrees outside .
“Yeah, yeah. You’re up against Carl and Jax,” Tony said.
“Fuck.” He’d take down Carl with no problem, but Jax was a big motherfucker. Kit reached into his pocket and handed a roll of dollar bills to Tony. He always betted on himself, no matter what.
Gasps sounded from the crowd, and he turned to see that one of the guys had fallen to the ground. Tony stood up and waved his hands.
“Jeremy wins!”
The man named Jeremy flexed his muscles and let out a roar even as blood dripped from a cut on his forehead.
Tony slapped Kit on the back. “You’re next.”
*****
“Kit?” Megan’s voice echoed through the garage and into the waiting area where he was flipping through paperwork that didn’t make any sense to him.
“In here,” he shouted.
Megan rounded the corner with a massive smile on her face, but it slipped as she caught sight of him.
“Oh my god, what happened?” she asked, coming around the desk to get a closer look at his face. He’d won the first fight, but he hadn’t been as lucky with the second one. He should have let his body recover more before agreeing to two fights in one night. By the second fight, his muscles were exhausted, and he hadn’t moved fast enough to dodge the guy’s fists.
“I’m fine.”
“Fine?” She put her hands on her hips. “Who the fuck did you get in a fight with?”
He didn’t answer. Understanding dawned on her.
“Are you fighting still?” she whispered.
“Just when I need some extra money,” he said, not feeling like getting into it with her.
“And what the hell do you need extra money for? You don’t even stay at the apartment you rent.”
“That seems to be working out in your favor now,” he said.
Her face twisted with hurt.
“Megan, that’s not what--"
“You know what? You won’t have to worry about me for long. I got a job today. So have fun getting a concussion. God forbid someone tries to care about you.”
She walked away, and he rubbed a hand over his face. He’d apologize when she calmed down. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel like she was an inconvenience. She came back to Goldbeach for a support system, and he needed to be that for her. That might be harder than he thought.
The phone on the desk rang. “Kit,” he answered.
“Hey, are you on your way?” Zeke asked.
He raked his brain, trying to figure out what he was talking about.
“To Cam’s bar. I have to go to Iris’ dance recital, remember?” Zeke said.
“Oh shit, I completely forgot. I’m on my way.” He hung up and grabbed the keys to his motorcycle. As he drove down the dirt road, he realized he needed to get his head straight. Maybe he had been hit too hard last night if he forgot that he had to be at Cam’s. This babysitting thing was a pain in the ass. He needed to be at the shop, working on some of the cars. Between Megan, his fights, and Cam, he was falling behind. Customers were starting to notice.
He parked his bike out front and walked into the empty bar. The same two people as always sat in the stools. Zeke was at a table in the middle of the room. Kit slapped hands with him.
“My bad, brother, I completely forgot.”
Zeke waved him off. “It’s cool. The recital hasn’t started yet, but I wanted to get there early. She was nervous about it yesterday.”
“Anyone else going?” Kit asked.
“Gunner and Lily.”
Kit nodded and watched as Zeke left. When he turned around, he was disappointed to see Jen behind the bar instead of Cam. Cam, at least, made this babysitting thing a little bit enjoyable. When he wasn’t talking to her, he could at least stare at her ass. He had to admit it had been a long time since he was so fascinated with one girl. He hadn’t even slept with anyone else since meeting Cam. Usually, no one was able to hold his attention, but he found himself wanting to talk to her. She was the opposite of all the girls who hung around the clubhouse. She wanted nothing to do with the Savage Spades. It was refreshing. He walked to the bar and took a seat on the stool.
“Oh, hey, Kit,” Jen greeted. She was definitely more friendly than Cam.
“Hey, where’s the boss lady?” he asked.
“She’s at home working on some homework. I think she’ll be in later.”
“She’s in school?” he asked. It seemed like she lived at the bar; it was crazy to think she was taking classes too.
“Yeah, she goes part-time up at the college. You want something to drink? Maybe help with all that bruising on your face?”
He smiled. “No, I’m okay, thank you.”
She nodded and went back to cleaning up. Kit scrolled through his phone for the next hour as he waited. He sent a quick text to Megan: I’m sorry about earlier. I’m happy you’re back in town.
The door opened, and Cam walked in, dressed in a tight shirt that dipped low enough that if she bent over the bar, he’d probably get a good look at her rack. Her face was red as if she’d been running around. She didn’t even notice him sitting there.
“Hey, sorry, I would have been here sooner, but I had to swing by the school to talk to one of my professors. ”
“It’s cool; it’s not like we’re busy.”
Cam looked around and caught his eyes briefly before turning back to her friend.
“Let me put my stuff down, and you can go.”
He watched her ass as she walked to the back. A man with dreadlocks came out of the kitchen and grabbed a drink.
“You think I’ll get sent home?” the man asked Jen.
“Yeah, probably. We’ve been slow all day,” Jen replied.
There was no way Cam could have paid off Venom if her business was slow like this. The front door opened, and a tall man walked inside. His eyes were bloodshot-red. Kit sat up straight and watched the man.
“What can I get you?” Jen asked as the man plopped down in a stool.
“A shot of vodka,” he slurred.
Jen hesitated, as if deciding whether or not to serve him before grabbing a shot glass and pouring.
Cam came back from around the corner with a smile on her face. “Okay, you can go. I got it from here.”
After setting the shot glass in front of the man, Kit watched as Jen grabbed her purse from behind the counter and said goodbye to Cam. The cook went back in the kitchen, and Cam walked over to him.
“Your turn to babysit? I like the other guy better,” she teased, leaning over the bar enough that he could see down her shirt.
He grinned. “You like him better, but you don’t even know his name?”
“His name is Zeke,” she said proudly.
“You’re learning.”
He liked this teasing side to her.
“You get beat up again?” she asked.
“Something like that.”
She reached her arm out, and her fingers lightly grazed his face. Her hand was soft and gentle. Despite how much his bruises hurt, her touch was light. He stared into her soft, green eyes. She realized her mistake and quickly pulled her hand away.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, a lot of women have problems keeping their hands off me.”
She rolled her eyes and pushed off the bar.
“Another one,” the tall man at the end of the bar demanded. He slumped over, resting his head on the bar.
“I think you’ve had enough," Cam said, walking over to the man and putting her hands on her hips.
“Stupid bitch,” he mumbled.
Kit stood to his feet, waiting for what the man would do next.
Cam shook her head. “Get the fuck out of my bar.” She reached to grab his empty shot glass, but he grabbed her arm as she tried to pull it away .
Kit’s jaw clenched. He took two steps and was immediately in front of the man.
“Let her go,” he said.
The man dropped her arm and stood up from the stool. The man was taller than Kit but nowhere near his size. He smelled like a brewery and had probably gotten cut off at another bar before coming here.
“You think…you’re tough guy?” the man slurred. He pulled his fist back, but Kit acted first.
He pushed against the man’s chest, causing his unbalanced body to slam against the bar. Kit grabbed him by the collar of the shirt. The man twisted back and forth, trying to get loose as Kit dragged him toward the exit. He opened the door and pushed the man outside so he fell on the warm sidewalk.
“You come back here, it’s going to be a lot worse.”
Kit slammed the door on the man, and when he turned around, Cam was looking at him with wide eyes.
The older man at the end of the bar placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled. “That’s what I’m talking about!”
“Thanks for that,” Cam said as he got closer.
“That’s why I’m here.”
She smiled. “You want some food?”
“Yeah, what you got?”