“Ouch! Ouch! OUCH!!” Deva bit back a smile as the fighter in treatment whined like a spoiled brat even though she was barely applying any pressure.
“Come on Hector; you are a tough guy. And if I don’t remove that knot in your leg muscle, it won’t heal properly. I know that, you know that, so stop whining.”
The man growled as she continued to work on his thigh muscle. Hector Nazario, aka “Quick Silver” was part of the Puerto Rican mob family, but also one of the most dangerous contenders on the official MMA circuit. And bonus, he was always a gentleman with her, funny and considerate, unless she was treating him. In the hours Deva had spent in his company in her treatment room, his body lying on her bed of torture, as he aptly named it, he was the most grumpy, insufferable and childish patient she’d ever had.
“You know how much I hate you right now, mi corazon?” His question came from clenched teeth and a barely restrained temper that made her smile. She had been at the gym for three weeks now and had treated the man almost every day of the week with the same whining tone coming from his gorgeous lips.
“Yes, I know, Hector. You tell me every time you come to see me.” After one more press that made his leg jerk, and satisfied that she had remedied the situation the best way she could until his training the next day, she only rubbed his leg. “And I’m done. You can relax now.”
The sigh he gave her was as if he had been under a blade for the previous hour. “You have surprisingly strong hands for a woman. You know that.”
Patting his knee, she straightened, moving her shoulders to loosen them up a little. Treating very fit guys required more strength and intensity to get through the muscle mass, especially since they weren’t wounded or recovering from extensive surgeries like her previous patients. And seeing at least four guys a day at one or two-hour treatments each, she was glad to be in good shape herself. Deva always liked training and hadn’t stopped, Rusty was kind enough to give her the alarm code and allowed her to train on the gym’s equipment outside of the usual opening hours.
Deva grabbed a towel and wiped her hands as Hector came to a sitting position. “I need strong hands with you guys. So? How’s the thigh?”
Hector jumped off her massage table and flexed his muscle a bit, moving his leg before offering her a huge smile. Kind Hector was back. “Hey, the pain is almost gone.”
“Good, but ice it tonight. And no running. You need to give it the night off so tomorrow the treatment can stick. At least a few hours I hope.”
“You are a miracle worker, Deva. Thanks so much.”
The tall, Hispanic warrior came to her side and put his scarred hand on her shoulder. “Again, I’m sorry to be a pain to you, Deva.”
Deva rolled her eyes at him and chuckled. “I’m only trying to help you, try to remember that. What I do is painful but necessary, especially since you are pushing your body to the limits. And for all that whining, you'd better beat your opponent’s ass or be prepared to be really tortured in here as a consequence. I didn’t put so much effort in that body of yours to see you fail.”
Hector smiled and shook his head. “Are you coming to the fight?”
Deva skirted him to remove the sheet from her table and throw it in her linen hamper. “Don’t know yet.”
“Oh, come on! You gotta come. I’m offering you free tickets, bring friends.”
“I don’t know if I want to see you being bashed by another guy, Hector.”
In an instant, the friendly man turned into a beast before her eyes, his voice cold as steel. “I have no intention of losing, Deva. Don’t ever say that to me.”
Sorry to have picked his ego, she put a hand on his forearm. “I never said you would lose. But the man might get lucky and throw a couple of successful punches at you. Before he falls on the mat and you win, of course.”
His posture relaxed once more, and amusement brightened his dark chocolate eyes. “I never saw it that way. But please consider coming to the fight. Will you?”
“I will consider it. Satisfied?”
Hector grabbed his t-shirt before going for the door. “Nope. I’ll only be when I see you in the front row, cheering.”
Deva shook her head, amused. “We’ll see. Now get out, and don’t forget to take it slow tonight and put ice on it. That’s an order.”
Hector winked at her and left.
That man was so stubborn, she thought. But as work was never done, Deva quickly started readying her table and replacing her bottles, ointments, and towels in their proper places. A quick look at her watch told her that Hector’s appointment had run longer than usual, but as it was the last one of the day, she didn’t mind. As she had skipped lunch, Deva grabbed a granola bar from her bag and munched on it as she finished straightening up. Rusty popped his head from behind the door, making her jump.
“Sorry about that Deva. Just wanted to tell you that Hector just left and I’m closing. You ready to leave?”
“Almost done here. But I was considering using the treadmill. Would it be okay?”
The big ginger-haired man grinned. “Sure! Go ahead, just be sure to finish before the sun goes down. Or take a cab if you do stay too late. Promise me that, or I change the alarm code.”
“Don’t worry. The doors will be locked, and I’ll do as you say. Cross my heart.”
Satisfied with her promise, Rusty winked at her and left. When Deva got out of her treatment room, the gym was dimly lit, but the cage was in darkness. Satisfied to be alone, she changed quickly, pulled her hair into a ponytail and grabbed her mp3 player. It had been a long day, and she didn’t feel like pushing iron, opting instead for a run. Her arms and shoulders were too tired anyway. Setting the music to a hypnotic electronic beat, she started the treadmill at a slow pace, slowly accelerating to a comfortable, long-distance rhythm. As her body warmed up, her breathing labored, and a mist covered her skin; her mind finally calmed down.
The last few weeks had been uneventful, as she relayed the same information to Gabrielle day after day. As expected, Deva fell into a routine quickly. Coming to the gym early, as the guys were warming up, she had the time to complete their files with the latest treatments, injuries and intended results. Rusty was adamant about having a detailed assessment of each of his fighters and being used to such records, Deva didn’t skimp on the details. So far, she had seen and treated all the fighters, except one. Aleksei. The Russian kept to himself, and she hadn’t found a way of approaching him without sounding stupid or suspicious. And Rusty didn’t require him to take an appointment with her for an assessment like the others. He trained, a lot. Always one of the first to arrive, and one of the last to go. Deva had to admit that she admired his stamina; the man pushed himself beyond reasonable limits, and she had only seen that type of physical endurance with high-level athletes. But what for? She had seen the fight schedule Rusty posted in his office, and his name wasn’t there like the others. Did he only come here to train? Unlikely, as Rusty didn’t seem to need the money to have extras and had little spare time. Had he been coerced to take Aleksei? Another possibility. It would be more proof that he was probably linked to the Russian mob. As so many fighters from different syndicates trained here, it wasn’t surprising that the Bratva required one of their own in here too.
Her muscles started to burn as she jogged, but Deva kept going. The whole situation was frustrating. She thought it would be so easy to figure the man out, and after their very first encounter, Deva thought he would continue to tease or threaten her for his own amusement. Being friendly would have a been the perfect way to approach him. But on the contrary, the man was closed off, and barely looked at her when he was there. However, when he did, Deva felt cold and hot all at the same time. The fighter didn’t remind her of the men who surrounded her father, far from it. What he exuded was even more lethal. A contained danger, calculating when to strike, making him the most dangerous man she had ever seen. All her skills and all her knowledge of the underworld wouldn’t be enough, and as she suspected, she would have to risk a little bit more to make him trust her.
The air stirred a little, and as the hair on the back of her neck prickled, Deva knew she wasn’t alone anymore.