85. Cassandra Fairview
My tires screeched as I drifted to a stop in the nearly empty lot of the arena. I was leaping out of the driver’s side before the car had even come to a complete stop. My feet pounded on the pavement as I sprinted full tilt for the front doors.
I had a moment of blind panic when I thought the arena was locked, but after slamming a little harder on the crash bar, the doors swung inward, and I was off again.
Breathing through my nose, I pumped my arms at my sides as I gunned it through the main entrance way and down the side stairs that I knew led to Jerry’s office.
My thighs were burning, and I was slicked with sweat by the time I reached his door, but I only allowed myself a brief moment of reprieve to snatch my gun out of my bag before I burst through the door.
Holy fuck! I was right! She’s fucking here!
But… wait…
Four heads turned to face me as I made my explosive entrance. I panted as I tried to keep my gun pointed at the woman I assumed was the Russian, while taking in the rest of the scene.
“Cass?” Theo asked, sounding confused. She and Cal were sitting in the folding chairs Jerry normally had facing his desk. They’d set them up in a semicircle before the ratty old leather loveseat that the Russian was sprawled out on.
Jerry was leaning against his desk and had clearly been involved in whatever conversation they’d been having before I’d interrupted.
“What are you doing here?” Theo asked. “Why do you look like you’re about to shoot Svetlana in the head?”
Svetlana was eyeing me up and down, but she didn’t look worried about the fact that I was holding her at gunpoint. She just looked entertained.
“You have good woman,” she said, smirking at Theo, who shot her a sly grin back.
“You have no fucking idea.”
“What the fuck is going on here? Why weren’t any of you answering your damn phones?” I gasped, still out of breath from my mad dash from the car.
“No phones allowed during fight strategy. Jerry makes me put it on silent and locks it in his desk.”
Cal chuckled, nodding. “He even made me do it, and it’s not even my fight.”
“Why? Were you trying to reach me?”
“Yes!” I screeched, finally dropping my hands and pointing the nose of my Beretta to the floor, considering it didn’t look like I was going to need to actually shoot anybody.
“I’ve been trying to tell you… Sterling…
Samwell, whatever his fucking name is… He was going to bribe Svetlana to rig your fight.
He… He’s trying to have you killed. I thought…
Jesus Christ, I thought you were already dead! ”
My voice wavered, and I realized I was about to fucking cry.
Jesus Christ.
Now that I’d started, I couldn’t seem to stop…
“Aww, baby… shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. I should have told you I was putting my phone away for a bit.” Theo got up and stalked toward me. Before I knew it, she was tugging me into her arms.
“I was so… I was so fucking worried…” I gasped, and she shushed me, rubbing her hands up and down my back in an effort to calm me down.
“I can see that… Shit… I’m so sorry, baby.”
I melted into her for a moment, breathing her in and just letting myself appreciate the fact that she was here and she was alive.
Not dead, not dead, not dead…
Theo let me cling to her for a moment, but I quickly snapped back to reality as I remembered we had an audience.
An audience with Theo’s potential murderer in it.
“So wait… Why is she here? Did you hear what I said? About the hit?” I asked, pulling away from Theo to glare at the large Russian woman who was currently sitting rather demurely on Jerry’s shitty couch.
“Oh yeah, we know about the hit. Svetlana was just telling us about it before you went all Rambo and busted in here, guns blazing.” Cal smirked, shooting me a teasing grin.
I narrowed my eyes on him, but decided now was not the time to allow him to goad me into one of our endless spats.
“Yes. Tiny rat man comes to me and asks me to drug Theo before fight.” She scoffed, looking offended. “I do not need to drug Theo to win. It is insulting to say.”
Theo turned to face Svetlana, though she kept one arm draped lightly around my waist.
“Svetlana is pissed that Samwell has interfered in our match. She thinks we should call it off.” Theo’s lip tilted at the corner.
“She’s concerned that if word gets out she was approached with an offer to rig our fight, even if she doesn’t act on it, people will think she needed to cheat to beat me. ”
Svetlana nodded, and her brow furrowed slightly as she worked to translate what Theo said before she responded.
“Yes. This. But also, Theo is good fighter. Would be good opponent. I want to warn Theo that tiny rat man tries to kill her.” She looked angry for a moment before shaking her head in disbelief. “Men should not concern themselves with business of women.”
I exchanged a look with Theo, who just shrugged with a grin.
“Turns out Svetlana is a girl’s girl. Who knew?”
“Haven’t you killed like… four women in the ring?” Cal asked curiously. He was looking all too invested in the whole thing, as if this entire situation were an episode of his favorite reality show and he couldn’t get enough.
Svetlana gave Cal a sinister smile, and a chill rolled up my spine. When she smiled like that, it was easy to see why everyone in Theo’s world was so afraid of her.
“Yes. But in fair terms. We fight. I win. They lose.” She shrugged. “It is not personal.”
She turned her gaze back to my wife, and I found myself subtly angling myself in front of her, which seemed to amuse the Russian even more.
“I do not want Rat Man to kill good fighter for no reason. It is a waste. Also… I see him on news. He is bad man. He hurts small children. Only weak men hurt children. Disgusting. I will not help him.”
I eyed up this surprising new ally as I tried to decide what to make of her. She just sat there, staring back at me with the easy confidence of someone who knew they could kick the asses of most people in most rooms.
I liked that she’d come to warn Theo instead of taking whatever bribe the reverend had offered her. It was… badass, and honorable.
“So… What does this mean? The fight is off?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.
Svetlana gave me a curt nod before getting heavily to her feet.
“For now. Until rat man is gone.” She turned to Theo. “If enemies do not kill you, we can still have fight? As I say… you are good fighter. Good opponent.”
Theo chuckled softly, but her cheeks turned pink at the compliment.
“I, uh… This was actually going to be my last fight. I’m retiring.”
Svetlana frowned, eyeing Theo up and down as if the idea of Theo quitting was just as disturbing as letting the ‘rat man’ kill her.
“That is too bad. If change mind, call me.” She held out her hand to Theo, and I watched the two fighters shake amicably.
“Good luck with rat problem.” She winked at my wife before making her way out of the office and disappearing down the hall.
“Well. That… was unexpected,” Theo said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. “So I guess the fight’s off?”
Jerry nodded, shrugging gruffly.
“Guess so, kid. How you feelin’ about that?”
Cal twisted in his seat, and we all looked at Theo, waiting to see what she would say.
She took a moment to think, but after a beat, a huge smile spread across her face.
“Honestly? Pretty fucking good. I was seriously thinking about calling the whole thing off anyway… so this… works out, I guess.”
I did my best to hide my surprise, but I don’t think I was very successful. Theo chuckled at how stunned I must have looked.
“You’re… really done with this place?” I asked hesitantly, and Theo nodded. To my delight, she didn’t seem unsure or on the fence at all. If anything, she looked like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
“Yeah, princess. I’m done… I have other plans, actually. I have some ideas. I wanna run by you later if you’re down to help me figure some stuff out.”
“Of course, baby,” I whispered, feeling my throat close up with emotion at how hopeful she looked. “I always have time to help you.”
Theo beamed. She leaned in to kiss me, and I swooned a little at the warm press of her soft lips against mine.
“Yeah, so, this is super cute and romantic, and I’m glad you two finally got your shit all figured out…
but we still have a problem,” Cal said impatiently.
“Some dude clearly has it out for Theo! Once he realizes the Russian isn’t going to take the hit, he’ll find another way to get rid of her. We need to take him out!”
I grinned and planted one more kiss on my wife’s cheek before shooting my brother a devious look.
“Don’t worry, little brother. I have a feeling we won’t need to worry about him for much longer.”