13 Rounds Read online

She’s so calm about it. You’d think that everything she’s been through that she wouldn’t be. Honestly, she’s the only reason why I do control my temper. If it was up to me, that mother-fucker Ryan would have been knocked out cold at least a dozen times already.

  She laces her fingers through mine as we walk toward the condo.

  My breath hitches.

  I stare at her as vibrant smile spreads across her lips.

  Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever get sick of looking at her. Sometimes I wonder if the love I have for her will fade. Somehow, I doubt it. Out of all the women I’ve been with she’s the only one I’ve ever said those three monumental words to. And I can’t help it if she puts my mind in a whirl.

  Makes my heart beat a little faster.

  Sets my soul on fire until it’s so engulfed flames that I’m almost ashes.

  We’re about twelve feet away from the glass doors when I hear it.

  “Boy-o!”

  Fuck.

  My spine stiffens.

  I squeeze Hadlee’s hand. I stop walking. She comes to a halt beside me. “Sean, what’s the matter?” she asks. There’s only one person who calls me boy-o and that’s Connie. “Sean, is something wrong?” she probes again.

  I can’t tell her. I don’t want her to know anything about Connie except that he’s like a father-figure to me.

  I can’t tell her about the brotherhood or the drug running or anything else involving that part of my life. I know there’s probably a big part of her that resents me for keeping quiet about so much, but what she doesn’t understand and what she’ll probably never understand is that I’m doing it to protect her.

  Connie’s footsteps are closing in on us.

  Panic grasps my insides and latches on for dear life.

  I keep my eyes glued to the pavement, refusing to turn around and look at Connie. I release Hadlee’s hand, place my left hand on her shoulder and push her towards the door. “Get inside.” I make sure my voice is low because I don’t want Connie to notice that anything is up, even though he probably already does. That asshole doesn’t miss a fucking thing.

  I glance up at Hadlee out of the corner of my eye. She’s wearing a puzzled look and I continue to shove her gently in the direction of the door. “What? Sean,” she pauses, “I don’t understand.”

  I put a little more force into my voice, “Just get inside.”

  “Sean—I.”

  “Get inside!”

  With that she leaves me on the sidewalk. When she gets to the door she glances at me from over her shoulder. “I don’t understand.”

  “Just go to your old condo,” I tell her. I give her an urgent look then watch as she obeys, walking through the door and scurrying down the hall.

  She knocks on the door and the second the door opens and she walks inside I can feel him behind me.

  Hovering.

  “Who’s that lovely little lady friend?” His accent rings out on the word lovely and I cringe before turning to face him.

  I take a few deep breaths, wipe my face clean of any kind of emotion. Then I throw my shoulders back. “Just a friend,” I say non-chalantly.

  “Just a friend?” Connie eyes the glass doors then focuses on me. He’s not buying it. I have to up my game.

  I nod toward the door smirk. “Yeah, you know?” I shrug. “The hit it and quit it type.”

  “Right.” His expression changes and I’m hoping that he buys what I’m fucking selling.

  Chapter 7

  ~Hadlee~

  Lara sets a cup of coffee down in front of me then pulls out a chair and sits down next to me. I cup the mug with both of my hands. “Lara, I don’t know how much longer I can take this,” I mention. My eyes water up and I squeeze them shut, holding back the tears. “The secrets…the lies…it’s all too much. I can’t handle it.”

  I open my eyes and notice the intense look on Lara’s face. Her eyes sweep over face like she’s examining me. Hard. It’s like I’m a math problem and she’s trying so hard to find the answer. Then she rubs my forearm lovingly, a faint smile on her lips. “Lee, sometimes some things are just better left unsaid.” There’s a tenderness in her tone that I truly appreciate in this moment. She shrugs. “Maybe he has a really good reason for keeping things from you.”

  The look on my face twists from hurt to anger. I can’t believe her. I can’t believe her. She is my best friend. She’s supposed to be there for me. “Are you taking his side?” There’s a vehement tone in my voice that I can’t hide.

  She looks at me with shock etched into her soft features. “Are you serious right now? Are you even listening to yourself?” She shakes her head, sits back in her chair, and folds her arms across her chest. “I can’t believe you just accused me of that.”

  “Well that’s what it sounded like to me,” I snap.

  She continues shaking her head. “All I’m saying is that maybe there’s a reason that’s much bigger than you and him. Maybe that’s why he’s so secretive about everything. Did you ever think of that? Hmm, Lee?” She leans forward, resting her arms on the table.

  No because that doesn’t matter.

  A reason bigger than me and him should not matter.

  “I don’t expect him to spill the beans on every portion of his life, Lara. All I want from him is something. Anything. Even if it’s a minor detail, I’d be completely content with that.” He gives me nothing… Well I take that back, I do get ‘don’t worry about its’ and ‘nothing.’ I’ve always believed that you can’t have a decent, lasting relationship built on secrets and lies.

  I hold back words that I know need to be said, but I don’t want to say them. Just thinking them makes me eyes start to water again and a deep, plunging, throbbing pain punctures my heart.

  With shaking hands, I bring the cup of coffee to my lips and take a big gulp. After I swallow, I let out a long, ragged breath. “I need to end it,” I say. “This is not how a relationship works.”

  I eye Lara as the tears drip down my cheeks. My face is on fire and I place both of my hands on my cheeks, hoping they’ll put out the blaze. My hands are cold and it helps a little, but not by much.

  “Are sure that’s what you want, Lee?” Lara probes. I close my eyes, but I can feel hers on me. She’s examining me again, I know it. “I know you love him.”

  I do love him.

  More than anything.

  It’s like I am the moon, illuminating the dark, night sky with my love for him.

  In my eyes he is my first, my last, my one and only.

  I know deep down in my heart that I’ll never love another the way I love him. I know that when or if I ever look into another man’s eyes, I won’t feel the same way. I know and feel if any person ever has a chance at that one, true thing they shouldn’t waste it.

  But then…

  There are moments where you have to ask yourself when enough enough is. And when enough is enough how long after that will you hit the point where you break?

  Shatter.

  Explode into a million little pieces.

  I’ve reached that point.

  I lower my gaze and stare at the table. The dark, cherry wood fills my gaze and I feel defeated. “It’s over.” There’s finality in my tone and when I say, “It’s over,” a second time my voice cracks.

  I sob.

  My face is my palms and the sobs are coming out so hard and so fast that I’m having a difficult time breathing. Lara gets up and moves behind me, draping her arms over my shoulders. I hear the smile in her voice when she says, “So when are you moving back in, roomie?”

  I sniffle and let out a soft laugh as I thumb the tears out of the crescents of my eyes. “Well technically I didn’t really move out.”

  When Sean and I first started dating, I thought it would be best if I didn’t move my stuff out of my old place. After all, we live right next door to each other. That and I wanted to have my old place to fall back on in case something ever really did happen between us. Now I’m glad I made that
decision.

  There’s a knock at the door.

  I blink several times.

  Blow out some air through my lips.

  I glance at Lara warily for approval. She gives me a thumbs up, meaning that I’m okay for conversation, so I get up and make my way to the door. I throw her a grin from over my shoulder and she mouths, “See you soon.” Then she blows me a kiss.

  I chuckle at her, shake my head then open the door.

  Chapter 8

  ~Connie~

  There was something strange going on with the boy-o. Connie was absolutely certain of this. Not only because of his actions when he first called out to him; the way he hurried that young lady into the building, but also because of his mannerisms during their conversation.

  He was fidgeting.

  Restless.

  He seemed distracted.

  Wouldn’t really make eye- contact.

  Connie played it off like he was none-the-wiser, but then again, he’d always been a really good actor.

  But…

  The boy-o knew him. He knew him well, which meant that if Connie tried anything the boy-o would catch on pretty fast. Still, Connie wasn’t willing to risk everything that he had built based on the fact that the man that he practically raised knew the way he operated.

  He approached the Lincoln and Aidan stood next to the door, he opened it for Connie. After Connie sat down inside and Aidan closed the door, he waited for his right-hand man to secure himself in the driver’s seat and when he did Connie spoke up, “Aidan.”

  Aidan glanced at him through the rearview mirror, his eyes a piercing green. “Aye, Connor?”

  “Find out who they boy-o’s lady friend is. Find out exactly what kind of relationship they have. And any extra info you can dig up.”

  Aidan started the car and stated, “Consider it done.”

  “Aye, bug both of their phone’s too. And put a tail on the girl.”

  “Yes sir.”

  With that, Aidan pulled away from the curb. Connie glanced out the window. Cars lined the road, parked but there was no oncoming traffic. As he watched the cars they passed by, he began to think harder about his earlier conversation with Sean. He had purposely brought up Teagan to find out if Sean knew anything about her whereabouts.

  “Boy, have you heard from your sister?” Connie had asked.

  “No,” Sean responded. “I called, Emery, or Emil…you know? Her husband whatever his name is. I called him several times and left messages, but haven’t heard anything back yet.”

  “Aye, well if she contacts you tell her to call me.”

  At that moment the boy-o started looking at him suspiciously. “Why?”

  Connie had let out a fake, jovial laugh. “What?” He’d thrown his arms up. “Can’t I ask her about how she’s doing in college? I practically raised her and you too in case you’ve forgotten.”

  Sean had relaxed his shoulders and nodded in agreement. “Yeah. If I hear from her, I’ll have her give you a ring.”

  Sean started walking toward the door and Connie had stopped him with a, “Hey!” His voice had been loud. Booming. When the boy-o balled his fists at his sides, Connie knew that he had gotten his attention. Sean turned slowly facing Connie. “I’m not done yet.” Connie aimed his finger at Sean. “I want you to remember one thing.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Don’t you ever turn your back on me boy-o.”

  ~~~

  Murphy O’Fallon hated doing the bitch-work for the brotherhood. He longed to see action. Sometimes he wondered if any of the mob stuff he’d seen in movies was legit.

  All Connie ever had him do was run errands, clean up the warehouse and blah blah blah. He wondered that if he’d ever be trusted to count the cash from drops like Sean or even collect money owed like another member named Kyle did. He guessed that since he hadn’t been a member for too long that maybe that kind of responsibility would come with time.

  The sun was setting on the horizon as he pulled into the parking lot of one of the abandoned warehouses that Connie owned. He was instructed to drop off some bread and water for someone Connie was holding. Although he wasn’t one hundred percent certain who. Connie picked up randoms he was affiliated with for questioning all the time.

  With a flashlight in his left hand, the brown paper bag in his right, he got out of Sean’s old mini-van and headed toward the building.

  The right corner was crumbling in, the red brick was coated with a black-looking residue and some of the windows were either cracked or completely gone.

  Even for Murph, who was well over six feet and almost three hundred pounds, being inside this building didn’t feel safe. Still, he was loyal to the brotherhood and when the king-pin instructed him to do something he fucking did it ASAP.

  Once inside he gagged. The pungent smell of wetness and mold nearly choked him and it took everything in him not to upchuck all over the floor. After his stomach settled and he turned on the flashlight, he located the stairs and quickly made his way to the basement.

  The walls were powder blue and pieces of plaster were hanging down in chunks. There was the same black residue that was on the outside of the building all over the walls and when Murph lowered his eyes to the stairs, he noticed that they were falling apart in places. It was at that moment that he wondered if he was really the right man for this job.

  He took each step carefully, hoping and praying that the rotting wood wouldn’t crumble beneath his weight. When he reached the last step, he raised the flashlight high above his head, walking forward a few steps. He noticed someone bound to a chair, their head hanging down and the closer he got the more familiar the person became.

  Mother fucker.

  Murph rushed toward the chair as fast as he could and dropped the brown bag at her feet.

  “Teagan!” he cried. “What the fuck, Teagan?” He slapped her face a few times, gently, and just enough to wake her if she was sleeping. “Son of a bitch!” Then he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “Tee, wake up. Please wake up!”

  Murph knew that Connie had brought her in for questioning based on something, but he never thought that he would actually stoop to this level of treatment for someone he considered to be his family. Murph also knew that Connie could be a cruel and ruthless man when he wanted to be, but to Murphy O’Fallon, at that moment he had crossed the line.

  “Oh God, Teagan.” He was not an emotional man, but Murph could feel the tears pooling in his eyes. A pang struck his big, gentle heart. He knew that Connie would most likely kill him for what he was about to do, but he also knew it was right. Teagan was the closest thing he had to a little sister and he wasn’t about to let her endure anymore of this type of torture.

  In one swift motion, he ripped the duct-tape off of her arms and legs, picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and then ran from the building.

  Chapter 9

  ~Hadlee~

  I look into Sean’s eyes and almost lose it.

  I’m on the verge of breaking down again. We walk down the hall a little bit and I almost stumble into Sean. Part of me wants to bury my face in his shoulder and cry harder than I ever have before, but I don’t.

  I remain strong.

  Solid.

  I’m an ivory statue built to last hundreds of years.

  There’s an uncomfortable silence expanding between us and Sean breaks it when he says, “Sorry about that.” We stop in front of the glass doors and he nods toward the outside. “You know, earlier.”

  I decide that this is it. I’m going to give him one more opportunity to speak for himself. I’m hoping he doesn’t blow it. “Oh yeah,” I say. “What was that all about?”

  He remains silent for a second then takes both of my hands in his. I know he’s staring at me. I know he wants me to look him in the eye, but I can’t. Not right now. “Don’t worry about it,” he tells me. “It was nothing important.”

  I let go of his hands, let mine drop at my sides, and try, strain, f
ight as hard as I can to hold back the tears welling up in my eyes. “Nothing important,” I whisper. Finally I glare at him. “Nothing important.”

  There’s a caring look on his face. “Are you okay?” he asks, a hint of concern in his voice. “Hadlee, if there’s something wrong you need to tell me.”

  “You’re what’s wrong!” I shout. “You’re what’s wrong!”

  “What?” His mouth falls open, he takes a step back staring at me, baffled. “What the hell are you talking about?

  I don’t want to expose the way I feel right now. It takes a lot for me to let it all out. Maybe in time I’ll be able to fully explain it, but not right here. Not right now.

  Instead, I swallow hard.

  Mentally chant.

  Keep it together.

  You are strong.

  You can do this.

  I keep my voice low and level when I say, “You know that everything is not okay.”

  He throws his hands up in the air in frustration. “Well then will you please tell me, what the fuck is wrong!”

  The five words I’m about to say to him nearly strangle me. I’m not even sure if I can get them out. And I know when I do finally say them there’s going to be a part of me that dies. As painful as it’s going to be, I know the words need to be spoken and it’s at that moment that I tell him, “I want to break up.”

  Chapter 10

  ~Sean~

  Days have passed.

  Followed by weeks.

  It honestly doesn’t even matter anymore because my days, nights, weeks, yeah…time in general all seems to blur together.

  Nothing seems right since Hadlee dumped me.

  She fucking dumped me.

  It’s the first time I’ve ever been dumped.

  I’ve been doing my training schedule for upcoming fight at night. Joe comes for a portion of my workout. I do a few rounds of sparring in the early evening which usually results in me knocking my sparring partner out then I complete my workout by skipping rope or going a few rounds with the punching bag.

  It’s punching bag kind of night.