Chapter Fifteen

Joslyn

I hardly sleep that night. My dad’s words loop on repeat in my mind, playing a melody I don’t want to hear. I wish, more than anything else in the world, that he’d lied or exaggerated. But I know that he’d never do that to me, especially not now. It’s hard news to digest. Dad has always been my hero, tough and strong and invincible.

And that’s been ripped away from me. It’s like the last thread of safety I’ve depended on has been stolen. By a man who doesn’t even deserve to be walking God’s green earth.

And now I start to realize that if I hope to survive Dante Giovanetti, I’ll need to be my own heroine. Write my own ending. Troy promised to protect me, and in the moment, it felt good to hear. But now that he’s asleep beside me, I feel a little uneasy about giving away my power to a man.

After all, what if Dante sends over a barrel of spiders?

In the morning, I feel like shit, but I still have to head to Tribe of Amazons and teach my class. I don’t want to let my girls down – just because I’m going through some rough shit on my own doesn’t mean they have to suffer through those consequences.

“Joslyn, you look terrible,” Taryn says as soon as I enter the studio, Troy walking me to the door before heading to work himself. “I mean, sorry. Not terrible.” She touches my shoulder. “Just tired.”

“Rough night.”

Normally, I enjoy taking the time to chitchat with my girls before starting, but today I’ve got so many things swirling around in my head that I can barely see straight. I can’t stop thinking about my father and Dante and Troy and what danger lurks around every corner. This morning, Troy checked the undercarriage of my car for a bomb before he let me slide behind the driver’s seat.

The sound of fingers snapping brings me right back into the real world. I look up to see Haylee standing in front of me.

“I talked to Ford,” she says, leaning in close. “And we both think a self-defense class for Atlee would be good. Did you hear about what happened at the Mona Lisa?”

The mention of Dante’s casino makes my heart leap into my throat. All I can do is shake my head.

“Some woman was…I don’t know, dragged into a back room and groped,” Haylee whispers with a tiny shudder. “I like Vegas, Joslyn, I really do. But I don’t want my daughter to grow up defenseless.”

It sounds terrible, but I’m relieved that the Mona Lisa incident had nothing to do with my father, but probably everything to do with Dante.

“Of course,” I say, nodding my head. “That makes sense. I’ll see what I can do.”

I walk to the front of the room and lead the girls in a series of stretches before blasting Marilyn Manson’s newest album from the stereo and teaching the girls how to free themselves from a headlock. We move on to throwing right hook punches and roundhouse kicks, and I find myself really throwing my body into the class. By the time it’s time to cool down and relax with dim lights and softer music, I’m drenched in sweat.

Marcella comes up to me after class. “That was great, Joslyn. I really feel like I’m getting somewhere. You know, I was at the grocery store the other day, and some asshole tried to cut in line ahead of me. I actually told the rude bastard to get behind me where he belonged.”

I smile, but it’s fake. Plastic. “That’s not exactly what this class is for.” An image of a girl screaming pops into my head. “But I’m glad you’re getting some good use out of it.”

Marcella nods. “I know. I just wanted to say thanks for helping me feel more powerful.” She gives me a small smile, then walks out of Tribe of Amazons, chattering with Taryn and Haylee.

Just as I’m about to grab my bag, I hear my phone ringing. Troy. He must be calling to check on me – or apologize for totally ditching class today. Of course, I knew that he might not be able to leave the casino floor to make it, but I can’t resist an opportunity to bust his balls. Even playfully.

“You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, Spiderman,” I say sarcastically as I wedge my phone between my cheek and my shoulder, but I know the smile is clear in the words.

Silence.

Troy doesn’t say anything. Frowning, I glance down at the caller ID and groan when I realize it’s an unfamiliar number.

“I’m so sorry, I–”

“I’m calling for a Ms. Joslyn Monroe, is she available?”

“This is she.” I slap a hand against my forehead. “Can I help you?”

“Ms. Monroe, on behalf of American Ninja Warrior, I want to thank you for submitting your audition video. We’ve had a contestant drop out last minute, and we’d be pleased to offer you that spot in our tryouts this weekend.”

“No way.” I struggle to resist the urge to jump up and down. “You’re kidding.”

The man laughs, and it calms me. “No, Ms. Monroe, I’m serious. We were really impressed by your tape. As well as your home course. Did you build it yourself?”

I lean against the wall and sigh, closing my eyes and grinning. “I did, with a little help from my dad. I still can’t believe it. Thank you so much for calling.”

“You should receive an email in the next hour or two with information for the group audition. It will be taped and televised. You’ll need to fill out all the consent forms and send over two forms of photo identification beforehand.”

“That’s not a problem.” My breath leaves my body, I’m so damn excited. Finally, something good is happening to me. Inside, my heart dances a lively jig – I can’t believe I finally got a spot running the American Ninja Warrior course.

“Well, again, congratulations and good luck,” the man says.

When he hangs up, I can’t even move. I can’t even put my phone back in my bag – I’m frozen with excitement. But the moment only lasts a second, and soon I jump up and down and squeal.

“Yes!” I cheer, tossing my hands in the air in a victory arch. I drop my bag and dance around the gym, shaking my arms and legs and whipping my hair over my head in my best Bret Michaels impression. “I fucking did it!”

When a man clears his throat behind me, I whirl around and gasp. Troy stands in the doorway, smirking, his hands on his hips.

“How can you be dancing?” Troy says as he struggles not to laugh. “There’s no music, crazy girl.”

I tap the side of my temple. “There’s music in here. And it sounds very much like the theme song of American Ninja Warrior.”

“Yeah, I bet.” He saunters forward to capture my flailing hand. “Wanna grab lunch?”

I laugh. “I can’t believe you totally glossed over that. What kind of a lunkhead coasts over the important part?” I step closer and narrow my eyes. It’s hard to ignore how hot Troy looks in his fitted suit, but right now I’ve got bigger things on my mind. “I just told you something hugely exciting. The most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me!”

“Wait,” Troy says, frowning. I ignore the heat rifling through my body as he caresses my inner wrist with the pad of his thumb. How does he throw me off my game with just the whisper of a touch? “You’re actually going to be on American Ninja Warrior?”

“Hell, yes I am. And you’re going to come with me. You know, for moral support.”

Troy’s eyes widen, and he drops my hand. I feel the loss in spite of myself. I’ve already become addicted to our electrically charged physical connection. “Are you gonna bring home the Aggro Crag trophy?”

I roll my eyes. “Very funny. American Ninja Warrior is a lot more intense than that kid’s show, you know that.”

“Hey, I grew up in the nineties. I always watched GUTS.”

“I bet you did.”

“So, when is it? Your ninja experience?”

“This weekend. The guy said they’re going to email me the specifics. I can’t believe it – hell, I almost wish I’d gotten more notice. I don’t feel nearly in shape enough to kick ass.”

“You’ll do great, kid,” Troy says, and I realize he means it. He believes in me. “You’re going to walk in there, kick ass, and take names.”

“I hope so. But have you seen those people? I mean, they’re like superhuman.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Troy replies. “I know you can do it. You’re the biggest bad-ass I know. Male or female.”

“It’s crazy. Five minutes ago, I felt exhausted from class. But right now, I feel like I’m bouncing off the walls.”

“You should go home and take a few runs on your course. Maybe that’ll help. Ramp up your confidence.”

As much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. There are four days until the weekend, and I know I’ll need at least one day of rest and loading up on carbs. But the other three days?

My course better get the hell ready.

“Okay. You’re coming with me, though.” I lean in close. “I can’t exactly watch for Dante when I’m hopping across a water trap. I don’t trust that greaseball not to try something. Even in public.” I think back to Starbucks. “Maybe especially in public.”

As Troy and I leave my gym, I realize that something has changed between us, and I’m not entirely sure what. I can’t pin him down – I can’t define it. One minute, he grates on my nerves, and the next minute, I can’t tear my eyes away from his sexy, chiseled abs. And it isn’t just me, I know it isn’t. I feel more of a pull between us, more of a connection than ever before.

But he’s been acting differently too. Ever since he stayed over, I feel that he’s trying to keep me at arm’s length while keeping me safe at the same time. Like he’s giving me his body but not even offering his soul. Maybe it’s because he feels responsible for me. I frown as we head into the parking garage. But that doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense, either.

“Hey,” I say as we climb into my truck. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing.” He pauses, as if he’s about to say more. But then he clamps his lips shut and shakes his head. “Just worried about you. I want to make sure you’re not taking this thing with Dante lightly. You have no idea what he’s capable of doing.”

“I’m pretty sure I do.” My foot pulses where my toe should have been, and I yank the gear shift into reverse and back out of the space. “But your tender concern is touching.”

Troy doesn’t elaborate. I slide him a look. I can tell he’s hiding something…but I can’t waste the energy and time on trying to figure out the man’s moodiness. He’s an enigma, and I don’t have the energy to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Not when I only have four days until the moment I’ve been waiting for my entire life.

“Yeah,” I mutter under my breath. “Me too.”