Chapter 43
Shooter
Idon’t know how many times I checked my phone for messages. I knew the day was going to be long at least with anticipation of what was to come.
Otis had done me a favor and helped finalize the house, and many signatures and a little vacation after the fight, we would be walking into a new life, and under one roof.
Otis did a lot of favors for me. He had Amelia’s divorce papers ready to go so her asshole ex would finally sign them after the fight. He hadn’t shown up to her house, but the “family” had reassured me that he would be attending the fight.
Something still didn’t feel right, but as a condition, I had one additional request and all that was told was that it would be handled. I knew what it meant, they had him either on a leash or knew his whereabouts.
Part of me didn’t want to fucking know, because in the end, I was going to win.
The gym was quiet, I mean it helped that the sign on the door said closed, but the quiet served me to collect myself and get in the headspace that I needed to be.
I walked around the gym, visualizing every mistake I made through sparring, anticipating how my opponent would fight.
While I’m better at my own offensive work, it was defense where most would anticipate I struggle at.
“You keep pacing and you’ll owe the gym a new floor.” a booming voice said toward the front. I peeked through the gym equipment and found Hound Dog leaning against the wall.
“Add it to my bill,” I jokingly said. “What are you doing here, Prez?”
“Well, since Stray nor Otis couldn’t find you, I figured I’d find you here.”
One thing about Hound Dog, he knew us inside and out, and watched for everything.
Part of his control issues, but he was getting better at it, or at least Melody, his ol’ lady, was helping him.
That and I thought I overheard B.B. chew him out one day.
But not my circus, not my monkeys, as Amelia likes to say.
“You found me. Do you get a prize now?” I teased, knowing sometimes my cockiness could overstep at any minute.
“I got all that I need, but I came to check on my brother.”
“Oh, Memphis in town or something?” Yep, that line that I wasn’t supposed to go past was getting closer.
He rolled his eyes, pushing off the wall, striding closer to me. “I’m going to blame your lack of humor due to nerves.”
I exhaled slowly. “And if it was the club and Melody on the line, you’d feel the same way.”
He nodded. “Yeah. But I’ve been there and got rid it and have the heat rash to prove it.”
“Tell me something.”
“You want me to tell you that you’re pretty? ‘Cause I don’t roll that way, and I’m very much taken.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
I huffed out a laugh. “The man gets himself a woman and he starts cracking jokes now.” I rested on the edge of the ring.
“You’re one to talk.” He sat next to me.
“I got pretty lucky,” I said earnestly.
“You didn’t have to do this. We could have gotten someone else.” His expression changed from ease to worrisome.
I shook my head. “You and I both know that wasn’t going to happen. They involved her, and I felt like it’s my responsibility. No, this had to happen.”
He clasped his hand on my shoulder. “You’re not alone.”
“Everyone in place?”
Hound nodded, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Prepared for anything. I just need my enforcer to focus on the job at hand.”
“Trying to.”
“You talk to your woman yet?”
I shook my head, turning my attention to him. “What’re you talking about? Am I missing something?”
“Nah. But knowing you, a man in love, sometimes hearing your woman’s voice has a certain effect.”
I shrugged, “I don’t need her to worry about me.”
“And yet, I bet she’s more nervous than you.”
“She’s ready to be done with the bullshit.”
Hound Dog sighed with a hint of anger. “So are we. I know the club is ready to have things somewhat back to normal. And Jesus, the fucking mafia. We never saw this coming, at least not in Memphis.”
“And let’s hope we don’t need it.”
He clasped his hand on my shoulder again, giving it a tight squeeze. “Listen, I only came in to check on you. We got you. Just go out there and fight like hell.”
I gave him a nod. Before he left out the door, he glanced back over his shoulder. “And Shooter, in the end, I give you fucking permission to unleash the beast, and kill. If you have to.”
I had hoped it would never get to that. One last fight. One last night before everything could change. I fought hard my entire life, proving that I was worth something, that I wasn’t broken. I showed that I wasn’t weak. The club needed me to be who I always was, the stone cold fighter and killer.
One phone call, that’s all I was going to do. There was a plan in place, and everything would be going smoothly. I grabbed my phone and checked the cameras at her house. No one was home, no car in the driveway.
I glanced at the clock, maybe she had to work a little later. I would understand. And as if the fates allowed it, my phone rang in my head.
“You must have been hearing my thoughts.” I smiled.
Her soft voice rattled through me. “Hey, sugar.”
Something in her voice was different, part of me didn’t sit right. “What’s wrong?”
“Why would something be wrong?” She tried to brush it off.
“Because I know my woman well enough to know when she’s hiding or masking something. So what’s wrong?”
She sighed. “Could it be that for once, there’s nothing wrong and maybe I just feel tired and my nerves are on fire because my brute of a man is going to fight what feels like to the death.”
“Well, fight to the death is a tad dramatic.” I chuckled.
“Not funny Shooter,” she almost growled out.
“I told you, I’d be fine. Where are you?” I looked down, swishing my foot on the ground.
“I’m leaving work. What? Didn’t you check my tracking?” she teased.
“Don’t tempt me.” I was going to, but since the camera discovery, I’d been careful of how far my possessive attitude went.
“Everything is as planned. I’m going home, showering the smell of work off, and then I’ll be at the location you sent me before you step into the ring,” she rattled off.
“Do I get to know what you’ll be wearing?”
“And give you a distraction beforehand? Nope. It will be a surprise.” She giggled, then released a sigh. “Things are going to change tonight.”
That was the plan. Everything would be the end of our troubles and then we could move on. Her and I could move on.
“When tonight is over, I may have a couple of surprises in store.” I had my own plan for everything.
“We’ll just be full of surprises, won’t we.”
“Amelia,” I started to say, but there weren’t enough words to accurately convey what I felt inside.
“Careful, Shooter, someone might think you’re being nice to me.”
I smiled. “Maybe I am.”
“And now, maybe I’ll let you,” she proposed. “I love you, you know that, right?”
“Never hurts to hear you say it. Just remember that when my cock is buried deep in that pretty cunt of yours.”
She hummed, “And here I thought it was going to be deep down my throat. Ah, too bad.”
“You little tease.”
“Stop distracting me, I need to get home, it’s already later than I anticipated.”
“I love you, Amelia,” I said, hanging my head, rolling it from side to side. “I’ll see you soon?”
“Yeah, sugar. I promise.” She clicked off before I told her I loved her. Now she could feel it and not really need the words. She was my forever, and I was ready to burn the world to make sure that would happen.
A crash at the front door shook my attention. A panting, heaving mess of Stray made me a little nervous. “You might want to see this.”