Levi was a damn fool. He didn’t know what he was doing at Casper’s gym. It was a bad idea, but he needed to get a few things off his chest before he could move on. First and foremost was that as far as he was concerned, the last two contracts he’d signed were null and void since Casper had breached them by putting Rocko in the ring instead of Tiny.

Standing outside the building, he took a fortifying breath. For months, this place had been his salvation. His way of letting off steam. After today, he had no plans to step back in here again. He was closing a chapter on his life that he hadn’t even realized had been opened.

Walking through the front doors, past the receptionist, and into the inner workings of the gym, he watched Cam and Tiny sparring in the ring, tossing insults back and forth as they danced around each other. The men were more like brothers than adversaries.

“Yo! Knuckles!” Cam called out upon seeing Levi. Tiny looked worried as he walked over to them.

“Sup?” His eyes searched for any sign of Rocko or Casper. “Casp around?”

Tiny snorted. “That chickenshit has been locked in his office since we got here. He knows he scored you a raw deal at the fight and that we’d be out for blood.” He was glad to know Tiny wasn’t any happier about what had happened than he was.

“Rocko been around?” Levi was curious if the man would flee with his tail tucked between his legs or be accusing him of a dirty fight.

“In with Casper,” Cam told him.

“You alright, man? Should you even be here?” Tiny’s concern was genuine.

“I’ll live,” was all he said walking away.

Pounding on the office door, he heard chairs scraping across the floor as they moved. Heavy footsteps followed by the door being pulled open showed Rocko’s beaten up mug. Levi couldn’t help but smirk at the man’s injuries.

“What the fuck are you doing here, sell out?” The man snarled. With his swollen lip, twisted nose, and closed eye, the image was more like a kitten hissing.

Ignoring Rocko, he stepped in to face Casper. “Shut up and sit down,” he told his former agent when he began to open his mouth. “You breached our contract. I won’t be honoring the last two fights. I’ve spoken with the MMA, and they won’t be coming to you again. A lawyer will be in touch to talk about damages since Rocko wasn’t supposed to be my opponent.”

“Can’t handle the competition?” The big guy laughed.

Without turning around, Levi reminded him, “I kicked your ass, remember?” He shut up again.

“You can’t do that,” Casper sputtered out.

“I can. I have. You fucked up, Casper, not me.” His temper was precariously close to the surface.

“We had a deal!”

“No!” Levi yelled right back at him. “You had a fucking dream to get to the MMA. Not me. You fucked up. Tiny and Cam would have taken you there. They won’t accept now; you’re worth shit after this.”

“This is because of that whore.” Casper seethed.

“No, it fucking isn’t, you stupid son of a bitch. I told you from the get-go I wasn’t in it for life. I wanted to blow off steam. That’s all it’s ever been to me.”

“So, what are you going to do now? Go back to your slut, be a mindless pussy-whooped dog?” He laughed at his own stupid words.

Levi rounded the desk he hid behind, got in his face and snarled, “One more nasty fucking word about her, and I’ll put you where I put Rocko. Only you won’t be leaving on your own two feet.”

“Are you threatening me, boy?” Levi saw the abject terror in the man’s eyes as he forced the words past his lips.

“No, Casp, I’m fucking promising you. You betrayed me. Look where that got you? A lost fight that I bet you put a lot of money on.” Surprise flickered in his gaze. “Yeah, you dumb shit, I know you’ve bet against me before, too.” He grinned as Casper tried to backpedal. “We’re done.”

Stepping back, he noticed the other fighter standing off to the side, unsure of himself for the first time. Levi didn’t feel anything for the man but contempt. He’d tried to fight dirty and lost.

Leaving the office, Cam and Tiny met him by the front doors. “What are your plans now?” Cam asked him, laughter in his gaze.

“Hayes goes to school this fall for Food Science and Nutrition.” He couldn’t be fucking prouder of her. “I’ll be working on opening my own boxing club while she finishes up and then comes on board with me.” Scratching his jaw with one hand, he looked between the two men. “Might need a trainer or two.” They both perked up at his subtle offer. “Think on it, guys.”

As he exited the gym, he made plans to speak to Hayes’ parents about taking her home to San Diego to see her brother. Over the past few days, she’d made it known that she hated he wasn’t going to be there for her big day. She needed closure and forgiveness to move on.

* * *

The days were dragging on as Hayes sat in her History class. The teachers barely had anything for them to go through. Finals were done, yet attendance was required. She had better things to do like taking care of Levi since the foolish man couldn’t seem to stay in bed like the doctor had ordered. He kept pushing it, and she was worried he was going to hurt himself further.

“So, he’s done fighting for good?” Alyssa asked her. They’d spent most of the class talking about Levi and his injuries from Saturday’s fight.

“Yup. He seems kind of relieved about it as well.”

“Well, how long can one person keep getting beat up before they’re tired of it?” Lys laughed.

“I have the feeling he’d have gone a lifetime.” She left out the part about why he was fighting. That was his secret to bear.

“He seems like the type to push until he can’t get up.” Her sigh had Hayes looking at her with a raised brow. “Relax, I’m not crushing on your man, Hayes. I just wish I had someone who’d give everything up for me.”

She could see the appeal of that. Never in a million years would Hayes have asked Levi to stop fighting for her. She wasn’t fond of him getting bruised up, but if it were what he felt he needed to do, she’d have accepted it. Didn’t mean she wasn’t glad he was stopping, though.

Going away to college in the fall left her a bit worried about how they were going to handle being apart. While the commute wasn’t lengthy, she was troubled that with her course load and studying, they might interfere with their budding relationship. Levi hadn’t said anything other than he was proud that she was going. Maybe she was making a mountain out of a molehill. Maybe it wouldn’t even be an issue. Nonetheless, she couldn’t help fretting over it.

Lys talked happily about anything and everything for the remainder of the class until the bell rang, and they parted ways. Lys went in search of Brett, and Hayes just wanted to get home.

As she passed Dustin in the hallway, he shot her a glare so deadly it sent a chill down her spine. She’d never led him on, never accepted a date, and still, he hated her all the same. She didn’t think she’d ever understand his behavior.

Just a few more days. She repeated the words to herself as she walked out the front doors.

Much to her surprise, there sat Levi, sexy as ever, waiting for her. Her smile was involuntary as he walked up to her.

“You should be in bed.”

“You’re not there.”

“I would have been eventually.”

“I also made plans.”

“Such as?” Her curiosity was getting the best of her.

“It’s a surprise.” His eyes twinkled with excitement.

“Levi, you shouldn’t be overdoing it.”

“Cross my heart, I’m not. The pain’s receding, and I can take a full breath without crying like a two-year-old girl.” She wasn’t so sure she believed him.

“So, if I poke you in the ribs, you’re not going to cry like a pageant queen who didn’t win the crown?”

He paused before answering. “In my defense, I’ve made plans, and if you do that, we may not be able to go.”

She hemmed and hawed over the decision. Just as he started to look uneasy, she relented. “Fine. I won’t for now.”

His smile widened at her answer.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re leaving on a jet plane! Don’t know if we’ll be back again.”

“You really shouldn’t sing, Levi.”

His jaw snapped shut at her words, and she couldn’t help the burst of laughter at his sad eyes. Soon enough he couldn’t either.