Jackson stood outside the ring, watching as Erik threw a punch at Cole. He blocked it easily, retaliating with a hit of his own. Even though Erik was more experienced in the ring, Cole held his own well.
Jackson crossed his arms over his sweaty chest. This was his only break. It was also the only break he wanted. With his second match at Trinity Nightclub coming up tomorrow evening, he needed all the practice he could get.
His gaze shot to his phone again, which it had been doing ever since he’d received that message from Declan about his father going into the bookstore.
Brian clearly didn’t understand the lengths he would go to in order to keep River safe. Otherwise, he never would have dared to threaten her. And it was a threat.
It made him want to never leave River’s side and solidified an idea that had been skittering through Jackson’s head since Monday and his confession to her. An idea about staying. About creating a home in the place where he’d always sworn he’d never return.
When Cole and Erik finally stepped away from each other, they were both breathing heavily. Cole ducked below the rope and grabbed a towel. “God, being in the ring feels good.”
Erik nodded, also stepping out before disappearing into the kitchen. He came back a few seconds later with three bottles of cold water.
Yeah, Jackson had invested in a fridge.
Erik threw one to Cole and one to Jackson. “I know. Sometimes it’s the only place I find peace.”
Jackson frowned. “Peace?” He knew the guy was former military, but he hadn’t spoken much about his time serving or why he’d left.
“Don’t worry about it.” He took a drink of his water before setting it on the ground. He fiddled with the wrapping on his hand. “You feeling ready to fight Benny?”
Jackson lifted a shoulder. “Do you ever feel ready?”
Erik shook his head, smiling. “Never. Make sure you rest tomorrow.”
“Was planning on it. What can you tell me about Benny?”
“He’s a defensive fighter, so he’ll wait for you to hit first. He’s good at blocking, and he has one of the best counterpunches out there so he uses it often.”
Jackson nodded. He’d watched a little of the guy’s fight last week and had seen bits of that.
“You have a powerful hit, though,” Erik continued. “He would have seen that when you were in the cage with Thunder. It might make him question whether he can block those hits and force him to change tactics.”
In other words, be prepared for anything.
Jackson shot a quick look to Cole before turning back to Erik. “You heard of a guy named Elijah?”
Erik paused, the wrapping half undone. When he looked up, his eyes were harder. “Where’d you hear that name?”
Jackson unscrewed the cap of his own bottle, not wanting the guy to think he was too invested in the topic. “Overheard one of the guys using it the other night. He sounded important.”
Erik seemed to consider his words carefully. “He’s there every Friday night. I’ve heard rumors he’s into some pretty heavy shit, and anyone who crosses him dies. What exactly he does there, I don’t know. Like I told you at the start, I keep myself out of those things. If you go looking for trouble, you generally find it.”
Jackson nodded. Trouble was exactly what he was looking for. Because it would lead him to the guy who’d put a hit on Ryker—and why. “One more question, and I swear that’s it. Those deliveries they receive. You ever seen them bring the stuff down?”
His eyes narrowed. “No. As far as I’ve heard, the deliveries come on Friday nights, but always before the fight.”
Jackson gave a short nod. He would bet everything those “deliveries” were the kegs. What was in them, though, he had no idea.
When his phone beeped with a message, he grabbed it, his chest suddenly feeling a bit lighter.
River: Food has been styled and pictures taken. I am now thoroughly starving. Dec and I are coming by, and I’ll most definitely be demanding you feed me.
He chuckled.
Jackson: I’m going to do one more round in the ring then I’ll feed you the best food Lindeman has to offer.
River: Will this feeding occur before or after you have a shower? Because I’m hungry, but I also like a nice-smelling man by my side.
Jackson: We could always shower together.
When River responded with emojis, Jackson chuckled to himself again. He looked up to see Cole shaking his head. The man knew he was completely besotted with the woman.
Erik was frowning. “Your girl going to be there again tomorrow night?”
Jackson hadn’t mentioned River to him, but he wasn’t surprised the guy knew they were together, not with the way he’d hustled her out of there after the fight last week. “Nah, she can’t make it.”
He nodded. “Good. I’d keep her away, too. That place is always one step away from another brawl.”
“You think it will be as busy this week as it was the last?” Jackson asked.
“Yeah, the place is always packed.”
“Considering the amount of people and the five-hundred-dollar entrance fee, I was expecting my prize money to be bigger,” Jackson said, again aiming for casual. He didn’t care about the prize money. What he did care about was learning the ins and out of the club. If he didn’t receive his share of the entrance fee, where did it go?
Erik nodded. “Mickey takes a large chunk.” He straightened. “Look, I don’t know what you guys are up to, but I don’t want any part of it. I’m here to be in the ring.”
Jackson gave a small nod. “Let’s get in the ring then.”
River stepped into Larry’s old boxing gym and her gaze immediately found Jackson, all six and a half feet of him. His chest was bare and it glistened with sweat. He blocked a punch before quickly following it up with his own, which was blocked in return. Every muscle in his body shook and rippled.
Her mouth dried, and the little hairs on her arms stood on end.
Holy heck, the man was a damn gladiator. She hadn’t been able to properly appreciate what he looked like when he was in the ring in the club because, well, she’d been too damn worried about him dying. Now though, he looked big and sexy and powerful. He looked like a force.
When her gaze swung to the other man, she realized she’d seen him before. He was one of the fighters last week.
Jackson’s gaze met hers. Only for a second, but it was enough to give his opponent an opening. The punch caught Jackson in the chin and his head flew sideways.
River gasped and started to move forward, but Declan grabbed her arm.
The guy opposite Jackson paused. “You okay?”
He nodded, not looking fazed by the hit at all. “Yeah, let’s finish up though.”
The guy gave a short nod before turning. When his gaze met River’s, he gave her a chin lift. “Hey.”
She smiled. “Hi. You’re one of the fighters from the club.”
“Yep. And you’re Ryker’s sister.”
Her back straightened. “How did you—”
“You look just like him. And you’re with Jackson, who took Ryker’s place in the ring. I put two and two together.”
Made sense. “Did you know him very well?”
“Nah, but we had a couple of conversations. Unlike most of the people there, he was one of the good guys. He mostly kept to himself.”
She nodded again, not sure how to respond.
Jackson climbed out of the ring, stepping up beside her. Immediately, her attention went to the red bump on his left brow. She lifted her hand to touch the skin around it. The guy didn’t even flinch.
“Are you okay?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah, it’s just a bruise.”
Just a bruise, my ass. “Have you got an ice pack here?”
“Yeah, in the freezer in the kitchen, but I don’t need—”
“Save it, Mr. G.I. Joe. I’m getting you an ice pack.”
She moved across the room and into the kitchen. It sat in the back corner of the building. There was a door inside that led to the parking area behind the gym. It was also where Larry used to take out the trash. She was pretty sure this small space had once been a mudroom or something before Larry had converted it into a poky little kitchen.
She opened the freezer door, secretly glad the guys had invested in the fridge. Because that meant they were considering staying. Or at least prolonging their stay in Lindeman. You didn’t buy an expensive appliance unless you planned to use it for a while, right?
The last few days had been amazing. But there had also been the whispered reminder in her head that eventually they’d figure this Ryker stuff out…and what then? Jackson had made it clear this town wasn’t his favorite place to be. He didn’t want to be around his father, but the guy didn’t seem to be in a hurry to go anywhere.
Would he stay for her? Or would he ask her to go with him?
Blowing out a long breath, she reached for an ice pack.
One thing at a time, River. Right now, if she wanted to find her brother, her focus needed to be on that and only that.
She was just closing the freezer door when she was hit by a small breeze. Looking at the back door, she watched as a stiff wind blew it open. Only a tiny fraction, but still…had someone forgotten to close it? And why wasn’t it locked?
She took a single step forward and was about to close it when suddenly a body pressed against her back and a hand came over her mouth.
Before she had a chance to react, she was pulled outside, and her front was shoved against the back of the building. For a moment, fear clouded her mind and froze her limbs—and that small hesitation killed any hope she had of escaping. By the time she struggled against her attacker, it was too late. He’d effectively rendered her immobile. His entire front pressed against her back, forcing her so tightly against the wall there was no space to even move her head. The hand over her mouth barely allowed her to breathe.
She tried to buck her hips. To bite or scratch the man. Nothing worked. He didn’t move, and she couldn’t reach him.
When the sharp edge of a knife touched her throat, her body stilled, ice cascading through her limbs.
A mouth pressed beside her ear, hot breath making her stomach coil. “I have a message for you.” The voice was unfamiliar, but it had a shudder racing up her spine. “Leave your brother’s death alone. Stop looking into it. Don’t even fucking think about it.”
She tried to nod, but the guy’s hand on her mouth, in combination with the knife against her neck, made it impossible.
The guy pushed his face into her hair. Her skin crawled. Was he smelling her?
“Just so you understand we mean business, I’m gonna need to do something. You won’t like this very much, sweetheart.”
His fingers latched into her hair, tugging her head off the wall before slamming her head against the bricks—hard.
Pain crashed through her skull and her vision darkened. Her body hit the ground the second he released her. She tried to scream but all she could muster was a groan.
He lifted her hand—and she felt the edge of the knife press against the knuckle of her finger.
Oh God, was he planning to—
The sharp blade sliced into her skin.
She’d barely opened her mouth to force a scream when the knife disappeared, along with the weight on her back.
Then there was the sound of scuffling.
River rolled onto her back, grabbing at her hand, feeling the blood drip from where he’d cut her finger. Her vision was blurry, fading in and out, and the side of her face throbbed with pain from where it had collided with the wall.
She scrunched her eyes, trying to make out the people fighting nearby. They were so fuzzy, moving too quickly.
She blinked. Wait. Was that…?
Her breath caught. Ryker! Or at least, she thought it might be him.
She tried blinking again, but rather than become clearer, the men blurred more. Her lids grew heavy. She tried to keep them open but it was impossible.
The sounds started to fade, and for a moment, she thought it was because she was passing out—but then she heard something else.
“River?” Footsteps drew closer. “Fuck, Rae! Baby, are you okay?”
She hadn’t passed out. Ryker and the man had disappeared.
Warm hands touched her cheeks. She already knew there was blood on her head, the warm stickiness heated her temple.
More footsteps, then more cursing.
“We need to get her to a fucking hospital!” Jackson shouted. His voice was desperate. His hand went around her wrist, and he cursed again. “It’ll be okay, baby. I promise.”
