Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
It cuts off, and then it goes off again, only to be cut off after the first ring. Fucking what the hell? I walk in, and there is my manager coming out of the locker room. “Were you touching my phone?”
“No, I was coming out to tell you it was going off, but it kept shutting off after it rang.” I run to my bag and grab it. It’s from Mitchell. Panic floods every bone and fiber in my body.
“You shouldn’t have your phone on when you’re training.” Anger rages and he’s about to get tossed across the room if he doesn’t get away from me. From the look I’m giving him, he takes a step back.
“Fuck off. It’s for emergencies. You’re my manager, not my trainer, so mind your business or get out of my face.” He’s been pissing me off. Twice he made the offhanded remark about Tina being absent from my life and that women are an unnecessary distraction.
Mitchell calls, and my phone rings four fucking times. The bastard did send it to voicemail. “What’s up? Please tell me she’s safe.”
“For now, but I think we have a problem. I’m sending you a text of a woman, and I want you to tell me if you know her.” My phone dings.
“Okay. I’ll check it, but what the fuck is it for?”
“She was in Ms. Solis’s face and waving a ring in her face. I didn’t get close enough before it was all over, but I heard Ms. Solis say, ‘You can have him.’ Then, she fled into her apartment, very upset.” I don’t bother looking at it because there’s never been a woman in my life except for Tina, so whoever she is, she’s not an ex.
“Son of a bitch. I’m on my way.” I grab my shit and rush out of the locker room. My manager is nowhere to be found, which is good because I was ready to slam his fucking head in. He fucking sent my phone to voicemail intentionally, and it doesn’t matter the reason why.
Shit, I fucking smell. As much as I want to go see her, I need to wash off first. I head up to the apartment my brother and I keep here in Vegas for our fights. While I get that together, I book myself the first flight out to Dallas. It leaves in two hours.
I try calling Tina, but she must have me blocked because it goes straight to voicemail every time. The shower only takes ten minutes, so when I pop out, I check in with Mitchell again and he lets me know she hasn’t left her apartment. Packing my bag, I rush out to the street and jump into a waiting taxi, itching to get to Tina.
It seems like an eternity to get to the Las Vegas airport. I check the image Mitchell sent, and the woman looks familiar, but I can’t place where I’ve seen her before. I call my brother because I need a favor. “Hey, Danny, can you pick me up in Dallas around midnight?”
“Why? What are you doing back here? Miss your girl?”
“Yeah, but it’s more than that.”
I explain what Mitchell told me, and then he says, “Hey, bro, I’ll call Cyber and see what I can find out before you get here.”
“Thanks.” I’m grateful I didn’t get Cyber in trouble with Boomer the other day.
Finally I get to the airport, and my impatience grows.
When I land, I take my carry-on and move through the crowd fast, finding Doc outside the vehicle waiting for me. When I hop into the blacked-out SUV, I see my sister in the front seat, and Danny and Sammie in the back. “We all wanted to be here for you and Tina.” We dodge the press easily because Doc isn’t a celebrity and I kept my head down and covered.
“Now—I’ve got some news for you. Cyber found out that the chick is a ring girl from the Octagon. We’ve seen her often at the pay-per-view events, but I know we probably haven’t spoken to her, so either she’s insanely obsessed with you, or someone’s intentionally trying to sabotage your relationship.”
“How would she know where to find Tina?”
“If she was stalking you, it would be easy, but…”
“But what?”
“Cyber checked the footage and she’d only arrived that day and then left immediately. Like she wasn’t following Tina at all, and she wasn’t around anywhere. He’s digging into her financials now.”
“If there’s anyone involved, I’m going to destroy them.” I drop my head into my hands and groan. “She’s not going to trust me. Tina’s been through a lot, and her belief in good men is hard as fuck. She doesn’t like famous guys for this reason. Women are always throwing themselves at them, and wives and girlfriends have to deal with the constant threat of losing them to temptation.”