GRAYSON

 

It’s late, and the gym is closed…but not to him, not tonight. He heads straight for the mats where he expects to find West but stops short in surprise. It isn’t just West who appears out of the darkness; he’s not alone.

 

“I told you not to tell anyone about this.” Grayson looks at West accusatorily.

 

“So I’m ‘anyone’ now?” Tommy crosses his arms, leveling Grayson with an amused stare.

 

“Not now, Tommy. This doesn’t concern you.” Grayson doesn’t even look at his friend. Instead, he directs all his attention on West who doesn’t show any signs of shrinking away.

 

“The hell it doesn’t!” Tommy’s voice echoes loudly around the empty gymnasium. “You’re my best friend, man, and if something’s happened to your girl, then I’m going to help—whether you want me to or not. Besides, Adriana’s a helluva cool girl. Whatever you need, I’m in.”

 

Grayson swallows the retort that was playing on his lips. Tommy’s words have disarmed him, making him grateful once again for his friendship. He clears his throat, too many emotions to count circling around his soul. “We have to get her back.” It’s not a question. For Grayson, there is no plan B.

 

West nods grimly, reading the determination in Grayson’s expression. “Tell us everything, from the top.” He nods towards a bench by the side of the mats, and Grayson collapses onto it, letting his legs give way beneath him.

 

He hadn’t realized how much the events of the past hour had taken out of him until he’d sat down. It kills Grayson to think that not so long ago Adriana had been sitting on that bench, watching him and Tommy spar, that he’d taught her some moves on the mat, and that he’d had her so close he could touch her and smell her. It was hard to believe that it had only been this morning that he had made love to her. Now, she seems so far away from him.

 

Grayson looks at West uncertainly. “There are some things that Tommy doesn’t need to hear.” He grits his teeth at the thought of having to tell him all about his past; there are things that even Tommy didn’t know, dark things.

 

But Tommy has other ideas; he crosses his arms over his broad chest and gives Grayson an unimpressed glare. “This isn’t the time to go all shy on me, G. I’m in. Whatever it is, I’m in. So just get on with it already; we’re wasting time.”

 

There’s no hint of amusement in Tommy’s voice. He’s deadly serious, and it strikes a chord with Grayson. His friend the joker, the player, the good-time guy is prepared to do whatever it takes to help him get Adriana back. That realization is enough to push through the walls he’s built up around himself. The whole story comes tumbling out: the years he spent with Morrison fixing his own fights, throwing them when he was told to, and how West had to bargain to get Grayson away from the bookie and into the legit fighting ring.

 

Finally, he gets to the part that’s hardest to tell, the story that Grayson wishes was just that, a story. He can’t meet Tommy’s eyes as it all comes out, but he feels West’s steadying hand on his shoulder, giving him the strength to tell it. “It was an accident. But that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.” Grayson shakes his head to get the memory of that night out of his brain. “It changed everything.”

 

When Grayson finally looks up at his friend, the expression of shock on Tommy’s face is a picture. He rocks up and down on the balls of his feet, as he thinks about what it is that Grayson has just told him. “Alright, so I get that this Morrison guy is a Class A scumbag who knows how to get what he wants. So, what happens now?” Tommy looks between Grayson and West, waiting for orders.

 

“Did you hear what I just told you?” Grayson’s expression of shock says it all. He’s known Tommy for years and thinks of him as his little brother, but even so he couldn’t muster the courage to tell him about the awful things in his past. Now that he finally has, his reaction was like nothing he could have anticipated.

 

“I heard you, G.” Tommy’s expression hardens, as he looks at his friend, the conflict in his eyes clear. “I’m not gonna lie; it’s not ever going to be my favorite bedtime story, but, like I’ve said a couple times already now, I’m in. So, what happens now?”

 

Grayson reacts purely instinctually; he stands and envelops Tommy in what could only be described as a bear hug, virtually squeezing the life out of him before he releases him. Grayson is not a man given to spontaneous displays of affection, which makes the embrace even more meaningful. Tommy looks down at his feet as if he’s dropped something, not wanting anyone to see the emotions playing on his face.

 

“What happens now is that we get Adriana back. Poor girl, she doesn’t have anything to do with this.” West rubs a hand over his bald head, his standard gesture of frustration.

 

“And that’s why the only thing that’s important is getting her back; everything else takes a back seat.” Grayson looks from West to Tommy and back again. “I’m going to do whatever Morrison wants.”

 

West frowns at him, looking wary. “What do you mean?”

 

“We’re not going after her?” Tommy seems equally confused at Grayson’s words.

 

“Where Tommy? Where are we supposed to even start looking for her?” Grayson starts pacing around the men, moving on the balls of his feet like he’s primed for action. “We have no idea where she is, where Morrison might have taken her. He has all the cards, and we’ve got nothing.” He punches the sandbag with his injured fist, leaving a bloody print of his knuckle, as he expels some of the anger and frustration that he’s trying to keep just below the surface.

 

West and Tommy exchange a silent look. “I hear what you’re saying G, but you can’t just let Morrison win. We can call in some favors, do some digging, and find out where he might be keeping her.”

 

Grayson rounds on him, his anger threatening to boil over the lid he’s so desperately trying to keep fixed on his feelings. “And how long will that take, Tommy? A few days? A week? We don’t have that sort of time! Morrison has Adriana and, from his little note, he doesn’t seem to be planning on keeping her safe and sound while we run around Miami trying to track him down!” He throws the note that he found in Adriana’s apartment down, like he doesn’t even want to touch it.

 

It floats to the ground, landing in front of West. As he picks it up and reads the words, his face darkens. “He wants you to throw the fight.”

 

Tommy’s eyes flash, the anger in them clear. “No fucking way! You can’t do that, G, not after everything you’ve worked for! You deserve that title, more than that snake Dexter, more than anyone!”

 

“Is what I’ve worked for more important than Adriana’s safety, more important than her life?” Grayson swallows hard at the thought of the danger that she’s in. He can’t stand to think about where Morrison might be holding her or what he might be saying or doing to her.

 

Tommy clams up, unable to contradict Grayson, but too angry to speak.

 

“Throwing a fight like this is anything but simple, Grayson.” West keeps his voice even, not wanting to rile Grayson up any more than he already is. He knows that when Grayson’s angry he can’t think straight and that’s not the way to get Adriana back. “The UFC has strict rules about this sort of thing; they can spot a fixed fight a mile away.”

 

“Then, I guess I need to make it look good. Because there’s no way I’m putting Adriana’s life in danger just to win some goddam title.” Grayson virtually spits the words out. A few weeks ago he would never have considered that he would have to make a choice between the woman he loves and everything he’s worked for, everything that he’s good at. But now that the moment has come, the choice couldn’t be clearer. “There will be more fights, guys. There’s only one her.”