Beyond Chance (3 page)

“Probably,” Gabby said.

“I’ll bring your check,” the server
said.

“Thank you,” I replied, getting a small knot
in the pit of my stomach as I thought about the upcoming fight. No
matter how I tried to fool myself it didn’t work. What person in
their right mind wanted to see their brother possibly get the shit
kicked out of them?

“You look a little green,” Gabby said.

“I think I—”

“Not you. Lily,” Gabby said.

Lily stood up quickly, and she didn’t look
well. She spun around and rushed toward the bathroom.

“I’ll go after her. You grab her food.”
Gabby dashed after Lily, and I waited for the leftovers. The server
handed me the plastic bag and the credit card and receipt.

“Thanks,” I responded, hoping the server
would leave so I could sign for Lily and be done with it.

My phone buzzed and I saw a text from Aaron
come over. My heart almost bounced out of my chest with glee. I’d
missed him so much since he went over there, and I couldn’t wait to
see him.

Hey beautiful. I just woke up and wanted to
tell you how much I love you. I haven’t been able to keep you out
of my mind. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. I’ve missed you so
much, and I’ve got a little surprise for you…

My heart flipped, and I couldn’t erase the
smile that had magically plastered itself on my lips. Quickly
texting him back, I felt the excitement of getting to see him again
run through my veins. I was finally allowing myself to come out of
the haze that I’d put myself in the last few weeks.

I can’t wait to see you. I can’t believe
I’ll be in Paris living with my artist boyfriend in a little over a
day. Love you and don’t forget about me.

He replied quickly.

You are unforgettable.

I sent him a heart and felt the warmth of
his love flow through me. This was exactly what I needed. My
assailant’s trial was about to begin and I needed to be somewhere
else. I’d been haunted by the accident and the nightmares never
seemed to subside. I needed a fresh start in a new place until the
trial was over and even then all I could do was hope that he’d be
convicted.

I couldn’t think of a more fun somewhere
else to be. I spotted Lily and Gabby near the exit. Hopefully Lily
wasn’t so green. I snatched the credit card and leftovers and
walked toward them.

“Feeling better?” I asked Lily.

She nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t get sick. I just
felt gross.”

“Well, you look a lot better,” I
offered.

“And you look extremely dopey,” Gabby
snickered.

“I do not,” I said, smiling.

“Yeah. You do,” Lily agreed.

“I just got a text from Aaron.”

“And he does that to you long-distance?”
Lily smirked. “That’s pretty impressive.”

“No more impressive than what I’ve witnessed
with you and Ayden.” I opened the door and Lily and Gabby marched
through it, with me following only a few steps behind.

“I’ll take Lily since she got sick,” Gabby
said.

“I didn’t get sick. I only felt a little
queasy. I’m fine now and I’m driving myself. Besides. Ayden and
Mason are taking one car and Ayden can drive us home after the
fight. I promise I feel fine.”

I grabbed my keys out of my purse and saw
Gabby tuck in the annoyance behind her expression, but there was no
arguing with Lily, especially since she was already opening her car
door and sliding inside.

“See ya there,” I said, walking to my
car.

This was it. My last night in Seattle before
I headed off to Paris. I slid into the seat of my car and glanced
at the pile of unopened mail sitting on the passenger seat. A grey
envelope caught my eye, and I picked it up quickly not recognizing
the sender. I slid my finger along the seam as dread sizzled under
my skin. I glanced around the parking lot and neither of the girls
had left yet so I had time to check out what was tucked in the
envelope. It was probably just a sneaky piece of junk mail.
Companies were getting trickier every day.

With a quick tug on the document and an
unfolding of the tri-fold paper, a claustrophobic sensation almost
suffocated me as I stared at the writing. How could this be? He was
in prison, awaiting his trial. Bail had been denied by the judge.
There was no way he was out, and the prison checks all outgoing
mail. My hands began shaking as I read the words slowly, and the
nightmares threatened to overtake me.

Have a nice time in Paris.

How would Derek Bourot know that I was
leaving for Paris? My hand moved down my leg; my fingers running
along my leggings as the scars from the surgeries heated with my
touch. I attempted to steady my breathing and tucked the paper back
inside the envelope before tossing it on the seat. I backed my car
out of the parking spot and followed Gabby and Lily to the match. I
didn’t have time for this. I would be gone soon and could leave
this nightmare behind. I needed to leave it all behind.

The warehouse was packed with fans.
Tonight’s fight was bigger than the last one I’d attended. It
seemed like underground fighting was getting more popular by the
minute, which I’m sure increased Mason and Ayden’s take and added
another reason why Ayden wouldn’t be hurrying to leave the gig. Not
that he needed extra cash, but easy money was easy money. I sighed
and followed Gabby and Lily up the stairs to where Ayden and the
other guys were getting ready. A man was standing guard at the door
and took a step forward, blocking us from entry.

“I’m Ayden’s sister and this is his
girlfriend. He should be expecting us.”

The guy nodded and took a step away from the
door, letting us inside. The hallway was narrow and the linoleum
floor dingy.

“This is so crazy,” Gabby whispered.

“Tell me about it,” I replied, trying to
push away the anxiety from the letter. I was here for my brothers
and didn’t need to complicate the night. “We didn’t have that
greeting last time.”

“Things must be more serious,” Gabby
said.

We turned the corner and spotted the guys.
Ayden was already dressed for the fight and Mason was leaning
against a table, talking to Jason.

“Lookin’ good,” I said, smiling at
Ayden.

“Looking like a winner, I hope.” Ayden’s
grin fell the moment his eyes connected with mine.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

I looked over at Mason, and his eyes flashed
to mine. His body stiffened as Ayden took a step forward. The
halogen light flickered above, and the room felt stuffy and
extremely warm. I didn’t need Ayden worried about me as he was
about to enter the ring.

“What do you mean?”

Ayden’s stare stayed fixed on me.

“Just worried about leaving everything and
everyone. Going to Paris for this long is a big deal, especially
for me.”

Ayden laughed. “A truer statement couldn’t
have been spoken. You’ll love it over there, and it’ll be your last
hooray before law school. I bet this is the first time that you’re
going into a situation without a plan in place…” Ayden grinned and
his brows arched up. “Am I right?”

I couldn’t help but smile back. He was
absolutely right. I had no idea what to expect in Paris, and I had
absolutely no idea what I was going to do over there. I was used to
plans and routine and this was anything but.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff,” Ayden said,
stretching toward the ceiling.

“I won’t. You’re right.”

Gabby walked over to a chair near Jason and
collapsed. “How did Katie do with Carla coming over to
babysit?”

“Absolutely wonderful,” Jason assured her.
“It didn’t hurt that Carla showed up with a teddy bear and a bag of
popsicles.”

“She certainly knows the way to someone’s
heart.” Gabby closed her eyes as Jason placed a quick peck on her
cheek, and I longed for Aaron. It wouldn’t be long before I’d be in
Paris, and all this nonsense could be put behind me. I knew I
needed to pass on the information I received, but it wasn’t ideal
timing considering it was the night before I was set to leave on a
plane.

Mason was far too quiet, and his eyes
remained on me as Lily started speaking about eating too much at
dinner.

“I know the feeling,” I said, commiserating
with her even though I’d barely eaten.

When Ayden was distracted with Jason, Mason
walked over and pinned me in place with his gaze. He dropped his
voice. “I know there’s more going on than pre-flight jitters. You
need to tell me what’s really on your mind.”

Lily’s smile dropped, and she watched me
closely as I attempted to come up with another excuse only none
came.

“Brandy, what’s going on?” she whispered.
“You didn’t mention anything at dinner.”

I glanced at Ayden and then back at Mason
and Lily. “That’s because it hadn’t happened yet. Listen, I’ll tell
you both after Ayden’s fight. I don’t want to interfere or give
anyone any reason to be distracted. Please…”

Mason nodded and Lily wandered over to
Ayden.

“Is it about the trial?” he asked.

“Maybe. I don’t really know the
ramifications, but please, let’s just drop it until after.”

Mason nodded.

Ayden was hugging Lily as she gave him her
little pep talk, and I glanced back at Mason, silently pleading
with him to stay quiet.

“I hate to break up this little party,”
Mason said. “But I think it’s that time.”

Relieved that the attention had been taken
away from me, I jogged over to Ayden and gave him a quick kiss on
the cheek.

“Make it quick and painless,” I teased.

“I’ll do my best.” He smirked and fist
punched Jason and Mason before they left the room with Gabby and
Lily right behind them.

“Good luck out there.” I smiled and made my
way out of the room to let Ayden have a few moments of quiet. Mason
stood next to the door, waiting for Ayden, and Jason and the girls
were down the hall, motioning for me to hurry up.

I stopped in front of Mason and held up my
hand for the group to hang on.

“I’m going to miss you this summer,” I said.
“I wish you’d change your mind about coming over to Paris.”

He shrugged and shook his head. “This is the
busiest time of the year at dad’s company. It wouldn’t be right to
leave him hanging like that.”

I pretended to knock his jaw and laughed.
“Who would’ve thought you’d be the responsible one.”

“Hey, I resent that. I’ve always been the
responsible one,” he teased.

“The moment Ayden knocks his opponent flat,
you better be prepared to let me know what’s going on,” Mason
whispered.

“Promise. Now concentrate on pumping up our
brother or whatever it is you do.” I sprinted down the hall,
leaving Ayden and Mason behind as we jogged down the stairs and
pushed our way through the large crowd.

I scanned the crowd for any sign of the
other fighter. I didn’t know who or what I thought I was looking
for, but I hoped to find someone who looked slow and sloppy.

The crowd began clapping, and I turned my
attention back to the ring where the announcer was now stationed
next to a female who was dressed in a white, string bikini.

“Is that Mason’s girlfriend?” Lily
teased.

“Beats me but probably.” I grinned as I saw
the ring girl parading around the mat, motioning for the crowd to
get their volume up before they introduced the first fighter. Her
red hair stretched down her back in ringlets, and her white bikini
was strategically placed. One sneeze, and we’d have a serious
wardrobe malfunction on our hands. It only took her one loop around
the ring and the place was going nuts. The announcer introduced the
first fighter, Maxwell Duncan, and the crowd turned into a mixture
of boos and cheers.

My stomach became uneasy as he walked down
the aisle. His body was oiled up, and his silver trunks hugged a
very muscular form. He looked shorter than my brother, but he
looked strong. I glanced at Jason who was nodding his head,
assessing Maxwell.

“What do you think?” I hollered through the
crowd noise.

“I think Ayden’s got this hands down.” Jason
smiled and draped his arm over Gabby, drawing her into him.

“Me too,” I said, watching Maxwell sneak
between the ropes of the ring.

My brother’s name was announced, and a loud
roar surged through the building as Ayden began walking through the
crowd with Mason right behind. Ayden looked like he’d already won
the match. His concentration was solely on the ring and man in
front of him as he made his way down the aisle. Ayden stepped
between the ropes and into the ring. Mason gave him some last
minute instructions as the first clang of the bell sounded.

The flutter of uneasiness had grown into
full-blown panic. I wasn’t cut out to watch my brother fight like
this. Just one mistake was all it would take for my brother to be
the one down on the mat.