“I CAN’T BELIEVE he’s back. Has he called you this week?” Nic asked nervously. She was cruising along the treadmill while I was busting my backside to go as fast as I could. If he did come after me, I was going to be ready.
“No calls this week, but Tyler’s been handling the phones more now that he knows.” I sucked in a huge breath and let it out shakily as my legs pumped. Only one more mile to go and I was done.
“Megan?” I heard my name but I couldn’t concentrate on it. Alex was around and there was nothing I could do about it. There was a restraining order against him, but he didn’t give a shit about that. “Megan!” Kyle’s shout snapped me out of my inner turmoil. I jumped off the treadmill, gasping for air. “What the hell are you doing?”
My lungs burned but I sucked it up. “I’m making sure I’m ready, what does it look like I’m doing?” I stalked past him to the punching bag and pounded on it as hard as I could.
“Megan, I’ve gotta go,” Nic called out, “but you’ll be at the restaurant tonight, right?”
I punched the bag and the pain from the blow radiated up my arm. “Yep, I’ll be there.”
Out of the corner of my eye, she glanced up at Kyle and then nodded, her voice just above a whisper. “Okay, I’ll see you around eight.”
Once she was gone, Kyle grabbed a hold of the bag while I pummeled away on it.
“He’s the one who came after us, Kyle. I know it. He’ll be back for me, especially because he knows I’m with you.”
“Then let him come after me. If he’s watching you, the last thing he needs to see is your fear. He’ll eat that shit up.”
Stepping back, I wiped the sweat from my brow. My whole body ached now that I wasn’t moving. “I’m not scared, I’m pissed. None of this would be happening if I’d just killed him when I had the chance. Now that he’s out, it’ll never be over. I’ll constantly be looking over my shoulder.”
Kyle put his hands on my face and shook his head. “No you won’t because I’m going to keep you safe.”
“You’re not always going to be with me, Kyle. You can’t be with me twenty-four-seven.”
He kissed me and let his hands slide from my face. “You’re right, it’s almost impossible to be with you every single minute of every day. But I can promise that if you ever need me, I will find a way to get to you.”
I laid my head on his chest, his heart beat hard and strong. “I don’t think I’m worried as much about what Alex will do to me, but what he’ll do to you. He’s psychotic, Kyle. I know you have a history of being the one everybody feared, but Alex has nothing to lose. He won’t show mercy.”
He kissed my head. “Neither will I.” His phone started to ring and I stepped back so he could answer it.
“Megan,” Tyler called, beckoning me up to the desk.
I left Kyle so he could talk, and joined Tyler. “What’s up?”
He looked up at me and got to his feet. “You okay? I know with everything going on, it’s a lot to deal with.”
“I’ll be fine, I promise. Being here and around everyone keeps me sane.”
“Just so you know, I have cameras being installed tomorrow around the perimeter. We’ll be able to look at everything through the computer.”
“Thanks, Tyler. You don’t know how much I appreciate that.”
Grabbing my shoulder, he pulled me in for a quick hug. “You’re part of my family now. And one day, quite literally, if you and Kyle ever—”
“Okay, let’s not talk about that,” I laughed.
“Talk about what?” Kyle said, joining us.
Tyler grinned wide. “Oh, just about how I consider her a part of the family. And that one day if you two ever tied the knot, she’d be family for real.” He winked and chuckled the whole way down to the back hallway, leaving me and Kyle standing there in an awkward silence.
“So,” I said, switching the subject, “who was on the phone?”
He slid his phone back into his pocket. “It was Jake. He asked if I wanted to fight tonight. Apparently, after last week, he’s had a shit ton of people request me.” I could see a twinkle in his eyes at the thought of fighting, but he looked torn.
“Are you going to go?”
He shrugged. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I know we’re supposed to go to the restaurant and be Nicole’s taste testers.”
“Kyle, I’m the one she asked to be her guinea pig, not you. You were just going to drive me over there. If you want to fight, please do. I think it’ll be good for you. Tyler can take me to the restaurant and then drop me off at the Labyrinth if we get done in time.”
His eyes lit up. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I exclaimed, smacking him on the arm. “I’m not going to keep you from something I know you want to do. We still have to live our lives, right?”
He smiled. “Yes, otherwise he’s won already. If you don’t get to the Labyrinth in time, I’ll just head over to your place afterward.”
I winked. “Sounds good to me. Just make sure to win. You might get a reward if you do.”
“How about you in a whipped cream bikini with cherries on your nips?”
Teasingly, I bit my lip. “I think you’ve watched Varsity Blues one too many times. But I’ll see what I can do.”