CHAPTER 25
Landon Lane
THE NEXT TWO WEEKS FLEW by. More news vans showed up in town. Joe pulled me in one direction, Janet in another—I didn’t feel like I was giving Cora near the attention she deserved. Janet was doing almost all of my duties as a father, and I could feel some tension creeping in with Logan. My face was everywhere. I couldn’t go into town without a flock of people surrounding me. In a city of a few thousand people it was difficult to escape or blend in. If we tried to venture to Missoula? Forget about it—mobs.
I had to sneak away to go see Gus though. Joe wanted no part of the spotlight, but it was some kind of public relations thing, and I had to participate to keep Edmon and his ilk at bay. It was good for Gus’s business and I’d do anything for him, so there was a silver lining at least.
I walked through the door and Sam Wright was jumping rope in the corner. He stopped what he was doing and headed over, then paused before he reached the windows and faked a limp. A few people snapped pictures of us from the sidewalk.
“Almost forgot.” He smiled.
We shook hands. His acting could use a little work because the smile was obviously forced. Fighters didn’t like people taking their place, and I’m sure he was used to the attention being on him. I’d give it back to him in a heartbeat if I could. I flashed him a skeptical and obvious side eye. “How’s the, umm, rehab coming?”
He snickered. “Hanging in there.” Sam glanced out at the photographers as if they could hear him. “Should be all healed up in a few months. Then you better watch yourself.” He faked a punch at me. “Better be ready if you want a piece of this.”
He didn’t want any part of me in a ring—and he knew it.
Sam straightened up. “He’s got another fight tonight. Last one before you, probably.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Thanks for the reminder, asshole.” Joe was rubbing off on me.
“No problem.” He gave me a playful smack on the shoulder with the back of his hand. “You got this, man.”
I sighed. “I hope.”
He nodded. “You’ll be ready. I took a punch from you. You can do this.”
If he only knew.
Gus walked out from the back. “Look, the primadonna is here.”
I flipped him off. “Don’t give me that shit. I hate the attention.”
Gus chortled and held out his hand. I shook it. “Where’s Joe? I see you’ve taken up his trademark exit move.”
I laughed. “At home. Probably watching movies. I told him it meant ‘thank you’ before the fight.”
Gus shook his head. “You guys are going to tarnish the StrikeForce brand.”
“You’ll be all right.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Who the hell is that guy? He looks like the terminator.” Sam’s eyes widened.
I glanced over at him. “Someone you don’t want to mess with.”
“It’s good that you’re training with him, out at your place. You need any equipment hauled out there?” Gus’s eyes rolled to the cameras on the sidewalk then back to me.
“I’ll ask Joe. Probably not. We appreciate everything.”
“All right,” Gus said. “Well, whatever you need. It’s yours. Just say the word. Let’s let the vultures in here and get this shit over with so you can get back to it. It’s just a photo op for WMMA.”
I nodded.
They snapped some pictures of Sam and me, Gus and me, all three of us together with the StrikeForce signs in the background. All for marketing purposes.
A few news vans had circled up by the time I made it out of there. A couple of reporters shouted questions about Sid the second I walked through the door. I threw my hood on and directed everything to Gus and walked away. I went down about two blocks and then weaved my way back through a few alleys where I’d hidden my car. Didn’t need to make things any easier on them or any crazy fans.
It was only going to get worse in the coming weeks. I needed at least a half-day off with Cora and Logan or I was going to lose my mind.
WE PLANNED IT PERFECTLY AND even tricked Joe into participating. He drove off in my car without his ridiculous shades on and a hood pulled up over his head. He led the news vans and cars of overzealous fans around the Montana countryside for a bit. I bought Janet five new books for her Kindle before we left, in exchange for using her car.
Logan and I were going to kidnap Cora and surprise her.
We pulled up in front of her house and I had on my hood and Joe’s glasses, that way if anyone did spot us they’d just think I was him. Logan walked up to the door and rang the doorbell.
Cora answered, and he handed her the invitation, just like we’d rehearsed. She grinned like an idiot and waved us inside. I craned my head around, looking for signs of anyone, and then sprinted up to her doorstep.
She opened up and rushed us inside.
I kissed her as hard as I could, and managed to keep it appropriate in front of Logan. Was proud of myself for having some self-control.
“You guys sit down on the couch. I just need to get ready real quick.”
Logan and I fist bumped. We’d planned the mission together while Joe rolled his eyes in the corner, before telling us everything we did wrong and how terrible we were at creating a diversion. Once he’d realized we suckered him, and that he’d agreed to letting me out of training for the morning, he’d been less than enthused.
A picnic at a secluded park with the two people I loved most. I felt like we all deserved it. Everyone was on edge. It’d been a tense couple of weeks.
Cora walked around the corner practically beaming. She looked like she was floating on air and her life was set to a musical.
Then it happened.
A knock at the door.
All the blood drained from Cora’s face. She went white as a ghost. “No. Oh no. No, not now. Please, this isn’t happening.”
I leaped up from the couch. “What’s wrong?”
“That’s my dad’s knock.” She went stiff and shook her head. Just stared at the door. “This isn’t good.”
“Were you expecting them?”
She glared in the direction of the knock. “No.”
“Just tell them you’re busy.”
“It doesn’t work that way. And they think—”
I stood there and still failed to see the problem. Cora paused mid-sentence.
“They don’t know we’re still together. I told my mom we were taking a break until the school year was over.”
I stared at her. I mean, it made sense. We’d been secretive across the board, everywhere. Because of her being Logan’s teacher. It surprised me a little that her parents didn’t know, but I hadn’t met them. I knew things were rough and I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers. My mind accepted it as a wise move, but my jaw didn’t seem to get the message.
She looked like she might burst into tears. “I’m sorry. It was just easier. I would’ve told you, but we haven’t had much time.”
I put a hand on her shoulder and then pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay. You did what you needed to do.”
“You say that, but your face said something else.”
I held her out in front of me and tried to convince her of the truth with my stare. “It’s fine. I promise. I’ll hang over here with Logan. We’ll stay out of the way.”
She nodded, but her feet weren’t moving.
“Cora? We can hear you in there. Everything okay?”
She turned her head toward his voice. “Yeah, Dad. I’m coming.”
I grabbed her gently by the arm. “You want us to hide out in a room?”
She stared blankly for a second. “No. I’m not hiding my boyfriend and his son in my own house.” She took a deep breath. “It’ll be fine.” She seemed to say it more for herself than anyone else.
I mouthed “I love you” at her as she walked over and opened the door. Her father walked in, followed by her mother. Her dad was definitely military, or was at one time. We could always spot one another. Something in the walk—the gait.
He nodded at me, but his forehead wrinkled. A tiny muscle in his jaw ticked. He played it off well other than that. Had I not been watching for subtle details I wouldn’t have even noticed. Her mother walked through the door in a pant suit. It made her look like a politician or maybe a realtor. She glared at me, and then Logan.
I draped an arm around him and pulled him closer to me. He wasn’t stupid, and I know he saw her shitty glance. If it wasn’t Cora’s mother, and the fact we were trying to be respectful, we would’ve got up and left immediately. I leaned in by his ear. “It’s okay, buddy,” I whispered where nobody else could hear.
“What are they doing here?” Her mother’s voice was pure venom.
“What are you doing here?” Cora matched her mom’s sneer with one of her own.
It set me at ease a little, but I didn’t know how much more I could take. I didn’t want Logan in the middle of all this.
“We were heading to lunch and thought we’d stop by and see if you wanted to go. That’s all,” her father said.
“Well, I’m sorry. I have plans. Maybe we can reschedule?”
Her mother’s eyes locked onto Logan and me once more. “That’s your student and his father. In your house.” Her mom took another step into the middle of the room.
“It’s none of your business, Mother.”
A few extra creases appeared on her wizened forehead. “And there are news vans following him all around town. Everyone will know about him being here. I swear—”
“You swear what?”
Her mother’s jaw tightened, and she shook her head—crossed her arms over her chest.
I stood up. Thought maybe I could defuse the tension in the room. I thought wrong. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m—” I reached out for her father’s hand, but her mom cut me off.
Her head snapped back in my direction. “We know who you are. The whole world knows who you are.” She whipped around to Cora. “You lied to us. You’re an embarrassment.” There was nothing but hate in the way she said the word ‘embarrassment’.
The blood drained out of Cora’s face. I looked down at Logan and he shuddered and started to stand up. I could tell he wanted to go hug Cora. I caught myself trying to grin at how protective he was of her, but I laid a hand on his shoulder and kept him seated.
Be an example for him.
I had to tamp down my anger. Choke it off before it came to life. I felt the same as Logan and I wasn’t going to stand by and watch the woman I loved get berated in her own home. I didn’t care if it was her parents or not. She didn’t deserve this. But Logan would remember everything. If I overreacted, he would log it in his brain and think it was acceptable behavior.
Her mom started to speak again but I held up a finger and gave her a nice firm stare. It was enough to quiet her for a second. I kneeled in front of Logan. “Go wait in the bedroom for just a second. Okay, buddy?”
He nodded. “Yes, Sir.”
I caught Cora’s father’s expression out the corner of my eye. It was a hint of appreciation. For what, I didn’t know. Maybe it was Logan calling me sir. I knew he’d back his wife’s play, though. It’s what you do.
Logan ran off to the bedroom. I knew he’d grow bored after a few minutes and I needed to cut this off, preferably with as much diplomacy as possible. Logan was well-behaved, but at the end of the day he was still only seven. He’d grow impatient back there, especially when he knew what was going on in the living room.
I listened for the door to close and then stared lasers at Cora’s mother. Her hand trembled a little at her side. I hadn’t meant to intimidate her that much, but I wasn’t too upset about it either. Cora looked like she could break down any minute.
“Maybe you should come back by tomorrow. When everything has cooled down a little.”
“Maybe you should mind your damn business! This doesn’t concern you.”
Cora’s hands trembled at her side. She stared at her father, practically begging him to intervene.
I watched her hands. Watched her heart breaking. Glanced at her father then back to her. Cora’s mother still glared pure hate right at me, and then at Cora. How could her father stand by and watch her do that?
“Ma’am, I don’t want to cause any problems here. You may think this doesn’t concern me, and maybe it doesn’t. But I won’t stand by and watch you disrespect Cora in her own house.” I walked over and put an arm around her. Her shoulders quivered under my touch. She couldn’t even speak. Tears streamed down her cheeks. I looked over at her father. “I mean no disrespect, Sir. But I think everyone needs to just calm down a little. Take a break and regroup at another time.”
I knew she’d had issues with her mom in the past, but something about her telling Cora she was an embarrassment, fucked her up good. I had a feeling she’d told her that before. I squeezed Cora tight against my chest, but it was like she wasn’t even there. I was holding a shell of her. All the fight—her spirit—it was gone. She just stared off at the wall and sniffled. Her eyes were so pink and welled up I was surprised she could see anything. She wouldn’t even look at her father anymore. I couldn’t imagine watching my kid sit there and suffer that way.
I looked at Cora. Even in her catatonic state, she was beautiful, and not just in a physical way. She was so kind and giving. She knew empathy and loved children and her job. What could she possibly have done to be such a disappointment to her mother? The only thing I could think was that her mom was the one with the issues. Maybe she’d had dreams that were dashed and she resented Cora for it. It was the only thing that made sense.
“I think Landon’s right,” her father said.
I’d been staring at Cora and it shocked me back into the moment. I hadn’t expected him to speak up, let alone agree with me.
He nodded at me and turned to her mom. “I think we should go for now. Let the tempers calm a bit.”
Cora’s mother stood there, shaking her head at her. “What happened? I thought we were on the same page. Thought we’d had a breakthrough. Progress was being made. Then you deceive us and tell us you’re not with him anymore. Said you were going to wait until the school year was over. How could you do this to us? Embarrass us this way? What is wrong with you?”
Cora was done with the conversation a long time ago. Her mom was doing nothing but piling on the anguish and she knew it. I could tell. There was a slight curl at the corners of her mouth, like she got off on the pain she was causing.
“That’s enough.” I stepped between her and Cora and stared down at her. Frightening women wasn’t something I enjoyed doing, especially to the love of my life’s mother, but she was inflicting a lifetime of psychological pain. It was going to end.
“Or else what? What are you going to do?” She turned her gaze up to me. The lady didn’t back down from anything.
I glanced to Cora’s father and back to her mom. Stepped up so that I was about a foot away from her. Leaned over and let her know with my stare she wasn’t going to bully anyone else while I was there. “Look, I’m asking nicely.”
Her eyes widened along with her husband’s.
Cora stepped out from behind me. “Everyone just go.”
I spun a one-eighty to face her. My heart palpitated. “What?”
“Come on.” Mr. Chapman took his wife by the elbow and guided her out the front door.
I hadn’t raised my voice to them. Was Cora mad at me too? I didn’t disrespect anyone. I hadn’t been loud.
“Cora?”
Her lip trembled. “Just go. Please.”
I shook my head.
“Please, just go.”
Cora’s father guided her mother through the front door with their backs to us. I could practically feel her mother grinning as she heard Cora’s words. She’d gotten what she wanted.
Cora covered her mouth with her hand. She wouldn’t look at me. Her voice cracked when she started to speak. “It’s just—too much. I’m sorry.”
I placed a hand on each of her shoulders. “I can’t. I can’t leave you like—”
“Please go.”
Logan stepped out from the hallway. “Dad?”
Cora’s face blanched. She glanced back at Logan and completely broke down. “I’m so sorry.” She sprinted past him to the bedroom.
I wanted to run after her. Chase her down and hold her and comfort her. Logan had tears in his eyes. The day wasn’t supposed to go this way. It wasn’t what we’d planned. Anxiety roiled in my stomach.
“Daddy, I want to go home.”
I glanced to him and back toward Cora’s bedroom and then back to him again. I nodded. “Okay, buddy. Come on.”
I hoisted him up in my arms and we walked out to the car. After I got him settled in, we pulled down the road. It was the slowest drive of my life. I watched her house disappear from the rearview mirror.
I wanted to tear down the world. Burn it to ashes. But I couldn’t. I had to grit my teeth and bear it. I had a responsibility to Logan. I had to respect Cora’s wishes. He watched everything. Saw everything. What kind of man would I be if I blew up at everything? What kind of man would he become if he saw that? Cora needed time. She’d come around. She was just overwhelmed. Who wouldn’t be? Janet was the closest thing to a mother I had, and if she told me those same things I wouldn’t want to deal with the world either. I had to give Cora space. No matter how much it hurt.