Jagged Harts, page 30
“If he has been so miserable without me then why hasn’t he tried to talk to me since that morning? If he really isn’t guilty then why hasn’t he tried to explain to me-”
“Explain what?” Chase cuts off as he stands up. “Dax thinks that he got black out drunk and cheated on you. What is there to explain? In his eyes he fucked up and he has convinced himself that he doesn’t deserve you or your forgiveness. But there is nothing to forgive! It wasn’t his fault, it was mine.”
So fucking true. I punch him on the other side of the face this time and he falls down again. I can’t believe this piece of shit is the reason all of this happened. Dax didn’t cheat on me. He was drugged and taken advantage of at the hands of his best friend and a desperate bitch.
“So, you haven’t told him what you did? Does he even know that he wasn’t in control that night?” I bite out.
Chase just shakes his head, looking ashamed.
“Well, what the fuck do you want me to do about it? I have no way of getting a hold of him. You know he turns off his phone this close to a big fight and if he is in as bad of shape as you say, I doubt a fucking phone call will fix anything anyways.”
He shrugs. “Can you go to Vegas? You might make the fight if you leave right now. You could see him before.”
I shake my head and toss my hands out at my sides.
“Even if I could jump on a plane and fly across the country, I have no way of paying for such flight or making sure that there is a flight that could get me there on time or that it would have any open seats.”
“Maybe not commercial,” Kayla pipes in. “But a private jet would do the trick.”
I roll my eyes at her.
“Good plan, Kayla. Do you have a private jet we can borrow?” I ask sarcastically, but she just stares at me with a serious expression. “Wait, you do?” She shrugs like it isn’t a big deal as she stretches. “How fucking loaded are you?” I ask incredulously.
“Very,” she says before crawling out of bed. “I will call the pilot. We can probably land by 5PM.”
“The fight starts at 8PM. I will call Cameron and make sure that they have floor tickets for you. You have to get there before the fight starts,” Chase says.
I nod my head and let everything that just happened in the last 5 minutes soak in.
“Wait is this really happening?” I ask the room.
I have imagined every possible scenario for why Dax did what he did. None of them included him actually being innocent. None of them included him being fucking drugged by someone that was supposed to be closest to him. I will be so fucking pissed if I wake up and this was all a dream.
“This is happening, and we don’t have time to pack bags. We need to get to Glenfield Airport, like now,” Kayla says.
“I’ll drive you guys, it’s the least I can do,” Chase says.
“I’ll fucking say,” I snark before grabbing my purse and heading out the door to board a private jet to the UFC heavy weight championship where my ex-boyfriend/hopefully soon to be boyfriend again will be fighting. How fucking weird is my life?
CHAPTER
FORTY
AUBREY
We get to the airport in 35 minutes. Unfortunately, there is some delay with getting our flight approved and it takes almost two hours before we are cleared to fly and those were two hours that we didn’t have. Our estimated land time is now 7:30PM and I am sweating it. We still have to try to make it to the arena and I have to convince them to let me back into the locker room before the fight starts. I am bouncing my knee nervously when Kayla puts her hand on it.
“Calm down, it is going to be okay.”
“It’s not. I can’t believe that I automatically assumed the worst of him. I should have talked to him. We should have worked it out before I just jumped and cut him out of my life.”
“Well, to be fair, honey, you walked in on him making out with another girl while she dry humped him in the middle of a bar. In normal circumstances, there is no other conclusion to draw.”
“But nothing about us is normal. I should have known.”
“What are you going to say to him?”
“I have no fucking idea. I just need to see him. I feel like I can’t breathe another second without him.”
She nods her head and pats my knee before sitting back into her plush seat and scrolling on her phone. Of course, the streets are gridlocked once we land. We finally hail a cab and arrive at the fight at 8PM on the dot. Shit. Let’s hope that Dax can pull himself together for the biggest fight of his life.
Cameron said that he left the tickets at will call so we race up to the booth and get our tickets before we haul ass to our seats. When we get to them, I look up to see the first punch being thrown and it isn’t Dax who is throwing it. Bernstein lands a hard hook to Dax’s jaw, causing him to stumble backwards.
I can see what Chase was talking about, Dax looks like shit. I am at least two hundred feet away from him and I can still see the dark circles deep under his eyes and the gruff stubble of his unshaven face. Instead of looking energized and ready, he looks exhausted and weak. He has enough common sense to get his hands up to block any more incoming blows, but defense is not his game. He ends fights with his deathly blows, and he won’t last too many rounds in this condition.
Bernstein lands blow after blow on Dax and I can see that it is starting to wear him down. I am screaming my head off, shouting Dax’s name, desperately trying to get his attention but the arena is roaring loud so of course, he can’t hear me. Bernstein wraps his arms around Dax before lifting him into the air and slamming him onto his back. The whole stadium ohhh’s as the floor vibrates from the impact. Bernstein jumps on top of him to continue his attack when the first-round ends. The ref has to pull Bernstein off before Cameron rushes over to Dax. He helps Dax to his feet briefly before Dax collapses to the ground. Cameron scoops him up and practically drags him to their corner while I frantically try to think of how I can get their attention.
I put my fingers in my mouth and let out the loudest whistle I can manage, which I will admit is pretty fucking loud. Dax’s head lulls slightly in our direction and Kayla and I start jumping up and down, waving our arms like lunatics. It seems to do the trick because those hypnotic green eyes lock onto mine and widen in recognition. I know screaming will do no good, I can hardly hear myself think right now. Obviously, it isn’t like he can leave the cage to talk so I decide to just mouth to him, “I love you.”
A look of surprise crosses his face as he mouths, “Forever.” He turns back to Cameron and says something as he nods his head. He looks like he just got a shot of adrenaline as he slowly starts to jump in place, fire returning to his eyes.
When the second round starts, Dax comes in like a bat out of hell. Before Bernstein even realizes that Dax is coming for him, he has already landed a 1-2 combo followed by a nasty kick to the ribs. Dax is moving a little more sluggish than he normally would, but he is like a whole new fighter compared to the first round. The element of surprise is soon lost though as Bernstein begins to throw a few good hits that knock Dax back just as the second-round ends.
Dax goes back to his corner where Cameron quickly patches up a cut that he caught across his eyebrow. Cameron is talking to him animatedly, but Dax’s eyes never leave mine. I mouth to him, “You got this,” and he nods before he kisses his fist and points it towards me causing my heart to stall for a moment.
The third round begins similar to the second, with Dax coming in like a mad man. This time Bernstein is ready and blocks one of Dax’s jabs before countering with a hook. Dax winces but that is the only indication that it actually hurt him.
As quick as lightning, Dax cracks Bernstein across the face, causing him to stumble back. Bernstein is able to throw out a hook that makes Dax pause in his assault. They begin trading close contact jabs, each giving as good as they are getting until Dax lifts his knee up and smashes it into Bernstein’s side. Bernstein stumbles a few steps again as Dax advances on him, delivering a strong head kick that knocks him to the ground.
Dax jumps on top of him and quickly wraps him up in an arm bar. Bernstein fights like hell to get out of it but it is no use. I can see the veins in Dax’s neck throbbing as he holds onto the guy with everything he has. Bernstein’s arm is bent back at an unnatural angle and looks ready to snap in half. The ten second warning sounds as Bernstein struggles to keep it together until the next round. Dax’s body strains even harder as he bends Bernstein’s arm back even more and it is just enough to push him over the edge as Bernstein frantically taps out.
Dax releases him quickly and jumps to his feet. The ref comes over and holds Dax’s hand up in the air and the crowd goes fucking insane. The overhead introduces him as the new Heavy Weight Champion of the world and tears of pride spring to my eyes.
After Dax gives a brief interview with the news casts that rushed into the cage, he makes eye contact with me again. He scales the cage and jumps it instead of going out the door like a normal person before he comes face to face with me. His smile is wide, but his eyes are hesitant. I take the lead and throw my arms around his neck and kiss him with everything I have. In this one moment, everything is perfect.
“Meet me by the locker rooms in a few minutes,” he says into my ear before he slips me a V.I.P pass that Cameron probably gave him.
I nod as he grabs my face and crushes his lips against mine once more before walking back to the locker room. I beam at Kayla and give her a hug before I tell her that I am heading back to wait for him.
I am walking down the hallway, weaving around people crowding the walkway when someone bumps into me. I turn to glance at them but before I see them, I am shoved sideways through a door that leads to some sort of room. I whirl around to come face to face with the devil himself. Darryl Jones gives me a sinister grin and licks his lips.
“Well, well, well. Little Aubrey Davis. You sure have grown into a very delicious woman.”
His eyes are hard as he smiles and I can’t help but feel like that weak little girl again under his gaze, but only for a moment. Instinct kicks in and I go to punch him, but he catches my fist midair. I kick my leg out to strike him, but he anticipates that too and side steps it while pinning my body to the wall with his.
Darryl grabs me around my throat and slams my head into the wall. The force of it causes me to see stars. I struggle to get my bearings when he pulls my head towards him until our noses brush before he slams be against the concrete wall once again. This one knocks the wind out of me and sends a sharp pain ripping through my head. I feel a light trickle run down the nape of my neck and I don’t have to check to know that it is blood.
“I was hoping you would be here. When I saw you were the up-and-coming heavy weight stars’ personal whore in LA, I banked on it. I even got us a more private room to take care of some unfinished business.”
His slimy voice makes my skin crawl. I look up into those eyes that have haunted my nightmares for near a decade. Apparently he doesn’t like my lack of response because he draws me away from the wall again before slamming me back against it. I swear to fuck, I am about to puke or pass out. I am not sure which will happen first.
“You cost me a lot of good years by running your little mouth. I’ve been counting down the days until I’d see you again,” he grins as his eyes slowly slide down my body.
“Go to hell,” I spit with what little voice I have, while his hand tightens around my throat.
His grin slips slightly at my defiance, and he pulls me forward until I am nose to nose with him before he throws me back so hard the instant my head touches the concrete everything goes black.
CHAPTER
FORTY-ONE
DAX
I cut all of my interviews short or completely blow them off before I get dressed quickly into a plain t-shirt and jeans. Aubrey is here, and she said that she loved me. She kissed me. I don’t know what happened to make her come and I don’t fucking care. I know that I don’t deserve her, but I do know that I need her, and I will spend the rest of our lives making this up to her.
I stand outside the locker room and look around. I don’t see her anywhere and she should definitely be here by now. Maybe she just came to support me and got swept up in the moment. Maybe she doesn’t want anything else from me. The thought makes my heart sink, but I keep swiveling my head back and forth, trying not to let all of my hope die too quickly.
I see Cameron walking up to me with a confused look on his face.
“Hey, kid. Congrats again. Is Aubrey alright?”
I cock my head. “What do you mean?”
“I just saw her being carried out of here towards the hotel. She looked passed out. Did she get drunk or something?”
My spine straightens at his words, and I am instantly on alert.
“Who was carrying her? What did they look like?”
“Bigger dude, bald head. He had a snake tattoo on his neck.”
My blood runs cold, and I take off running towards the entrance of the hotel. He came for her, just like she feared. I wasn’t there to protect her like I swore I would. Shit, shit, shit.
My feet pound the marble floor as I make my way through the hotel lobby. I am spinning in circles looking frantically for any sign of either of them, but I see nothing. I rush up to the closest receptionist, a young guy about my age. He seems to recognize me as his eyes widen and a smile breaks out across his face.
Before he can say anything, I rush out, “Is a Darryl Jones staying here?”
“Oh, uh. Sorry, Mr. Hart but I can’t disclose that information,” he says slightly stuttering,
Maybe I look as pissed off and terrified as I feel.
“What room is he in!” I bark.
“I really am sorry. I-”
I cut him off and grab him around the throat, not hard but enough to show him that I could crush his windpipe in a second if I wanted to.
“He is dangerous and just took my unconscious girlfriend to one of these rooms. I need the room number and the key right the fuck now, and if you get in my way you will regret it.”
The guy’s eyes are wide and frantic as he nods his head up and down quickly. I release my hold on him and he gasps, struggling to breathe. Maybe I would feel bad if Aubrey’s safety wasn’t dangling by a thread, just out of reach. He scrambles around and seems to find the information he needs before he gives me a key.
“Room 621, sir.”
I take it and nod before I take off running to the elevator. I look over my shoulder to him and shout as I step into the elevator.
“Call the police! If they don’t get here soon there will be a dead body.”
Probably not the smartest thing to shout because now it will be pre-mediated murder with plenty of witnesses, but I could give fuck all about any of that. I just have to get there.
The elevator takes what feels like a fucking lifetime until I finally reach the 6th floor. I sprint out, following the room numbers until I find 621. I put the key in, but the door only opens two inches before the chain stops it. Those two inches allow noise from the room to filter out into the hallway and I hear Aubrey screaming and struggling. My girl. Fuck no. No one will hurt her ever again.
I step back and kick the door as hard as I can, causing the chain to explode into a million little pieces across the floor. The first thing that I see is Aubrey laying on the bed, desperately trying to fight off Darryl. He has ripped her pants practically in half and has his own unzipped. There is a fuck ton of blood on the bed coming from what looks like Bree’s head while Darryl’s hand is wrapped around her throat, causing her face to turn blue as he applies more pressure. She doesn’t stop fucking fighting, though.
“What the fuck?” Darryl growls as he looks towards me.
I charge him and cross the room in three steps before I tackle him to the ground. He goes down hard as I land on top of him. I pin him down by his throat just like he was doing to Aubrey and start landing hit after hit across his face. He struggles underneath me, trying to wiggle and buck me off of him but my iron grip doesn’t give him much room.
My rage is white hot and blinding. All I see is this sick fucker that needs to fucking die. I briefly look up to check on Aubrey for a second, realizing that she may not be. But my little fighter has color already returning to her face and is watching us with a hard expression like she wishes she could get in on this. Of course, I spend too long staring at Bree and Darryl uses the moment to his advantage before he grabs the landline phone and hits me over the head with it. It catches me off guard as I fall backwards.
Darryl doesn’t waste a second before he jumps on top of me and lands a few hard punches before reaching into the back of his waist band. His hand whips around with a gun pressed against my chest. I grab his wrist to try to turn it away from me or get it out of his hands, fucking anything. I hear a screech come from Aubrey and feel the impact of another body landing on top of us. We tumble onto our sides as she is now also reaching for the gun. In our awkward three person struggle I suddenly hear a loud bang before we all fall still.
I look down and see red quickly coloring my white shirt just over my stomach, but I don’t feel anything. I feel numb. Everything seems to slow down, and my gaze collides with those beautiful turquoise eyes that I am most definitely fucking obsessed with. She must see the blood beginning to seep out of me because she instantly turns back to Darryl, does some twist maneuver with her wrist and turns the gun on him. In the same second I hear three consecutive pops and watch as Darryl’s body slumps next to me, warm blood spreading between us. Aubrey drops the gun and scrambles over to me.
