“God,” Sunny said softly and rested her head on his back. He knew this had to be hard as hell on her, but no way in hell was he going to let Mack make her feel like she shouldn’t be with him. He may have been with a lot of females, and he may fight illegally to pay his bills, but he cared about her like he had never cared about anyone else.
“I fucking knew it, but I thought you were smarter than this, London.” Mack’s voice was a rough growl, and he took a step closer. London tensed, felt his muscles tighten, and knew that if it came down to it he’d have no problem holding his own with the big fucker.
“Mack, please.” Sunny said from behind London, and when she tried to move around him he held her in place with a hand on her hip.
“Sunny, we warned you countless times that getting involved with a fighter was just a set-up for disaster.” Mack looked at her, and his face softened, which only pissed London off even more.
“Don’t you fucking look at her with
pity.
In fact, don’t fucking look at her at all.” London was like a territorial wild animal staking his claim, and even though Mack wasn’t a threat in the sexual sense to his girl, he still didn’t like the asshole being this close to her. Mack swung his eyes in London’s direction and curled his lip, but before he could spout off a bunch of bullshit, London said, “I care about her, and there isn’t anything you can say that will change that.
”.
Yeah, he may have lived a reckless life, but hell, couldn’t people change? It wasn’t like Mack was some saint, and it was almost like a slap in the fucking face that the Russian thought so lowly of him. London had seen Mack with countless females, most of whom he had met the same night he took them home.
“I fucking told you to stay away, that being with her was going to bring a lot of problems to your door.” He could tell Mack was getting more pissed by the minute. “You only think with your fucking dick, and not about the pain you cause when you’re fucking done with the chicks. To be honest, I couldn’t care less who you screw and leave, but you’re fucking with someone I care a lot about, and I am not about to let that go, London.”
Now it was London’s turn to feel his rage escalating. “Watch your fucking mouth, Mack. I’m not putting up with your shit, and no way in
hell are
you going to compare Sunny to a Chaser.” Mack’s nostrils flared, and London knew this was going to get ugly, but that was okay because he was fucking ready, and not about to let anyone stand in the way of him being with Sunny. “I won’t deny that we should have told you and Harlond, but to be honest it isn’t anyone’s business but our own. We also knew the fuck-storm everyone would get in once they found out, and excuse us for wanting to have a bit of peace before that happened.”
Sunny pushed away from him, but he made sure to keep her close to his side. “Mack, we didn’t mean to upset or deceive anyone, but look at how you’re reacting.” Mack stared at her with a plethora of emotions passing across his face, but after a prolonged moment he breathed out roughly and ran a hand through his hair.
“Sweetheart, you have to know what a bad idea this is. Your dad and I have told you how bad it is to get involved with a guy that fights. It isn’t just London we were referring to, but
all
fighters. The majority of them take home random girls every other night.” He cut his eyes to London. He tried to keep his cool, but he was getting pretty fucking sick of this shit. “Listen, I came looking for you. Your dad wants to talk to you.” He looked at her again, and then back at London. “And even though I thought something was going on with you London, I really didn’t think you’d go there.” Mack started pacing back and forth, and London reached out and pulled her close to his side.
“Just go see what your dad needs, Sunny.” He stopped and smiled, but London could tell it was forced.
She turned in his arms and looked up at him. “It’s okay, baby. We won’t kick each other’s ass.” She didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t blame her. “Go on. I’ll see you before I leave the center.” She looked like she was going to argue, but reluctantly she nodded and made her way toward Mack. London held his place and
grit
his teeth when Mack ran his hand up and down her back as she passed. It wasn’t anything sexual, but it pissed London off nonetheless.
“Please don’t fight.” She looked between them, and her gaze landed on Mack. “I mean it. I really care about him, Mack.” The Russian’s jaw
clenched,
and a muscle ticked beneath the flesh. After a prolonged moment of them staring at each other, he finally nodded.
“Okay, Sunny girl.
No fighting. I promise.” She looked at London, and he nodded his agreement.
“Really, baby. Everything will be okay. We’ll talk in a little bit.” She smiled, and he visibly saw the tension leave her. She left them alone in the locker room, and they stared at each other. It was clear Mack wanted blood on his hands, and so did London, but they had both promised her they’d behave, and London wasn’t about to break that promise. The sound of their breathing was loud, and finally Mack broke that stillness.
“I hope you know what the fuck you’re doing.” He took a step closer to London, but no way in hell was he backing down from the giant.
“Yeah, I know what the fuck I’m doing.”
Mack made a low sound in his throat. “You better, because if you hurt her I’ll come after you and beat you until you can’t walk.” A lot of things were on the tip of London’s tongue, ones where he told the Russian to fuck off, and others where he told him to meet him in an alley later so they could get this out of the way.
“
Don’t
fucking threaten me, Mack. Just remember I took you down in the ring the other day, and can do it again.” He eyed him, but didn’t say anything else. “My relationship with Sunny doesn’t concern you or anyone else.” Again they held each other’s gaze. London wasn’t going to fucking back down, and even if he didn’t finish this right now, he could always do it another time.
Mack stabbed a finger toward him. “If you fucking hurt her I’m coming after you.”
Without missing a beat London said, “If I hurt her I’ll be hurting far worse than anything you could deliver.” Mack smirked.
“I doubt that.” With that he turned and left. London slammed his fist into the locker, over and over again. When he was finished he dropped his bloodied hand to his side and hung his head.
Shit.
He needed a fight, one that was bare-knuckled and nothing held back. He grabbed his phone again and dialed Ross. Again he answered on the second ring. “I need a fight tonight.
A dirty one.”
Ross chuckled and rambled off a time and location. He needed to get this extra energy out of him, and that was only going to be done by making another guy bleed.
He headed out of the gym, and immediately saw Sunny walking toward him. Her expression was one of worry, and he wished he hadn’t been the one to put it on her pretty face.
“Hey.” She stopped in front of him, and her apprehension was clear in her voice.
“Hey, baby. Everything’s okay.” He lifted his head and saw Mack standing beside Harlond across the gym, both of them staring at him. “Did you tell your dad?”
“He seemed in a cranky mood, kept mumbling things to
himself
about fights, and I thought now probably wasn’t the best time.” He didn’t want to tell her that there wouldn’t be a “best time” to tell Harlond. He’d be fucking pissed no matter what.
“It’s all right, baby. I should be the one to tell him anyway. Might as well go over there and get the ass reaming out of the way.” It would be more than a verbal onslaught. Hell, Harlond might even throw a punch at him.
“We should do this together.”
He shook his head and smiled down at her. “He’s pissed at me, baby, not you.” She tugged her bottom lip into her mouth, her straight white teeth worrying the pink flesh. “It’ll be okay, Sunny.” She nodded.
“I know, it’s just this whole thing with Mack and my dad is ridiculous. I feel like a damn child when it comes to them.” Anger started to replace her wariness, and he couldn’t help but smile. “I’m not a child, and the fact they continue to treat me like some kind of breakable doll is getting old.”
“They’re just looking out for you, and I can’t blame them.” Ever since Sunny came into his life he felt shitty for the life he had led. She was so good and wholesome, and compared to him a freaking saint.
“I know, and I love them for it, but I’m not going to let them stand in the way of us. I’ve wanted you for a long time, London.” Hell, he might have just fallen in love with the fieriness in which she said that.
“And I have wanted you for a long fucking time, too. I won’t let them stand in the way either, baby. I mean, as long as you don’t mind me looking like I got run over by a truck, we’ll be fine.” Because there wasn’t any doubt in his mind he’d have some bruises and maybe even a broken bone or two once this was all said and done. He wanted to kiss her so fucking badly, but even if he didn’t care what anyone said about his relationship with Sunny, his wasn’t about to be disrespectful in
Harlond’s
house either. They needed to talk, and he needed to let the old man know he cared about his daughter, and she wasn’t just a lay to him.
Chapter Seven
Sunny had watched London walk up to her dad and both of them disappear into one of the medical rooms. She really wanted to wait to tell her dad about being with London, but after Mack had found them almost having sex, she knew she wanted him to hear it from her, and not from Mack or through rumors. She just hoped London Stein wasn’t a mistake, because Mack would have been right, and she didn’t know if her heart could heal after something like that.
She cared for London, and those emotions grew every minute until she was drowning in them. Seeing this gentler side of him, one where he looked at her with adoration, and told her sweet things she could never imagine him saying, had Sunny realizing that there was so much more to London than what everyone around them saw. She was staring at the door they had gone behind when a touch on her shoulder had her spinning around. Mack stood behind her with a scowl on his face.
“Can we talk?” Well, she knew this was coming, so she might as well get it over with. She nodded, and he tilted his head to the locker rooms again. Sunny followed him, and once they were inside and he turned and faced her, there was a moment of silence.
“Just say it, Mack, so we can move past this.” His scowl deepened.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing messing around with London?” He sounded like her father, and she scowled.
“Just stop right there.” She held her hand up. “I love you like my brother, Mack, but you’re not my father, so stop acting like it.” He didn’t respond, and suddenly she felt so exhausted from all of this. A sigh left her, and she leaned against the wall. “Okay, listen, I know why you’re upset, and I love you for being worried for me.” He opened his mouth to say something, but she lifted her hand to stop him. “I don’t want to hear about what London has done before we decided to try this out, whatever this is. No one’s perfect, and you calling him out on stuff I know you’ve done is pretty hypocritical.”
“Yeah, but I’m not trying to get into your pants, Sunny girl.”
“I’m an adult, can decide how I want to live my life, and know what the consequences are for those decisions.”
“Sunny, we just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“For as long as I can remember you and Dad have been telling me not to get involved with a fighter, that they are too rough and hardcore for me, but you fall into that category, and I think you are an amazing man. You sleep around just as much as the
others,
and I know how much you fight outside of the center in those underground events.” A flash of surprise crossed his face. “Don’t look too surprised. The guys talk around here, and they have pretty big mouths. I’m also not stupid, Mack.”
“Sunny, I don’t think that.”
“I’m also not some delicate freaking flower. I may not agree with you doing that, but I have never thought any differently of you because of it, Mack, and you shouldn’t either.” She rubbed her eyes, feeling so exhausted all of a sudden. “I know you’re just looking out for me, but please just let me find out for myself if this is a good or bad idea, okay?” It took Mack a long time to respond, but when he exhaled roughly and smiled almost reluctantly, she knew she had won him over, for right now at least.
He pulled her into a hug and rested his chin on the top of her head. “I know you’re grown, and I don’t mean to father you, but you’re like my little sister and I love you. I just don’t want to see you hurt if this doesn’t turn out to be a happily ever after.” He pulled back and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. “Just be careful, and if he makes you upset, you tell me and I’ll kick his ass.” He gave her a lopsided grin, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. She knew he was being serious, despite his current easygoing attitude.
“All right, but please don’t go around acting all different with him. It was my idea to keep this quiet.”
“I mean, I can’t promise he won’t run into my fist one day.” She smacked him in the chest, and it was like hitting a brick wall.
“Stop it.” There was no heat behind her words because she knew Mack wouldn’t get into a fight with London, not after he promised her he wouldn’t. She also knew the same went for London. A fighter might be rough and ruthless, but they were also loyal beyond belief and had hearts of gold. They didn’t give each other enough credit, and even if she told them that until she was blue in the face, they were hardheaded and stubborn. She left the locker room and headed to where she had set her bag before all of this had happened. The sound of her phone vibrating with an incoming text had her reaching inside the duffle and grabbing it.
London:
Sorry to just run out, baby. Got something to do, but will call U tonight. It’ll be late. Is that OK?
She was hoping to see him after he spoke to her dad, and if he had actually told him about the two of them. Speaking of her father, he didn’t appear to be around either. She typed out a quick reply telling him that was fine, and shoved her phone back in her back. Scanning the gym, there was no sign of Harlond.
“He ran over to the distribution center. He’ll probably be gone a few hours.” Tyler wiped the sweat from his face and looked down at her.
“Did he seem upset when he left?” Tyler seemed to think about it.
“You mean more than he usually is on a given day?” He grinned broadly and shook his head. “He looked like he had a bug up his ass, but that is about the usual for Harlond.” He ruffled her hair before he walked over to the punching bags.
Sunny had wanted to talk to him, to see what his thoughts were after London told him about their relationship, but clearly he wasn’t going to make this easy. Well, he couldn’t hide for long since they lived together. Shaking her head because all she could do was
wait
it out, she decided a long, hard run would help her clear her head, even if it wouldn’t fix her immediate problem. But before she could get on a treadmill she heard her phone vibrate once more.
Daria:
Gurl
, don’t make plans 2nite.
Gots
us someplace exciting 2 go 2!
Gr8. I can only imagine where u
plan
on taking me.
Daria:
Don’t B a bummer. It’ll B fun.
Promise.
Just tell me now so I can prepare myself.
Daria:
Two words.
Man. Candy.
Sunny groaned as she reread Daria’s text.
This better not be another foam party with wieners in my face.
Daria:
Hey, that was fun times.
J
It’s
not
tho
. I’ll call u later.
Daria brought a whole new meaning to the word “Outgoing”. She was fun to hang out with, but there were times when Sunny had just wished she stayed home, especially when Daria had thought it was fun to take her to a foam party, one where everyone at the club was pretty much in G-strings and pasties and jiggled their way through a sea of bubbles. Sunny had seen more wieners than she thought humanly possible in a two hour period. And that had been one of the tamer times. There had also been the strip club hopping one night, one where men in elephant themed thongs shook their “trunks” in her face. Daria was imaginative, that was for sure, which meant Sunny would have to be on alert, because no way was she going to have a surprise lap dance with balls all over her lap again.
****
Daria decided not telling Sunny where they were going was a great idea. Sunny thought it was a suicide mission. She had picked up Sunny a little after eight, and now they were headed deep into the city, and toward the industrial part of Absinthe. It was nearly an hour away, and the farther they drove the more Sunny was starting to think this was a very bad idea. “This doesn’t look like where another foam party or strip club would be.” The big and ominous buildings were on both sides of them, and the river that ran parallel to those and separated Absinthe from
Haralston
came into view.
“I told you it’s something way different.”
“Define different.” Sunny peered out the window and saw a large building with boarded up windows.
“Think big sweaty hunks, knocking each other out.” Daria pulled her car into what appeared to be the pothole riddled parking lot for a loading dock in front of the scariest looking building out of all of them. She turned and looked at Daria when they finally stopped.
“You took me to an underground fight?” Daria’s face lit up, and she nodded furiously. “I see guys fighting all day long. Why would I want to see them do it in a freaky ass building in a place that is probably crawling with rapists and murderers?” Daria rolled her eyes and grabbed her purse.
“You’re being dramatic. First, we are totally safe. Look.” She pointed out the windshield, and Sunny followed the line of her arm and saw a man standing by a rusty and scarred door. The light right above him flickered ominously, and was so dim she hadn’t even initially noticed it. “They have guards all around this place, making sure people stay in line. I went to one of these with Sandra.”
“What?
When?”
Daria shrugged. “Like a month ago when you went on that weekend vacation with your dad. Anyways, it was intense. The guys are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. And the best part is they are so violent, so masculine, that your panties will get so freaking wet you won’t even be able to walk right the rest of the night.”
“
Eww
.
Why didn’t you tell me about going to one of these with Sandra?”
“Because you would have complained the whole time, told me it was dangerous, and given me the mom speech.”
“I would not have.” Sunny looked back at the small door. “I’m kind of numb to guys fighting, Daria. I don’t think it’s going to have the same effect on me as it does on you.” There were guys that trained at the center specifically for these underground fights.
“Sunny, this will
totally
have a different effect on you.” Daria got out, and Sunny quickly followed. She was apprehensive about their surroundings, and would have been perfectly content to get back in that car and get the hell out of there, but Daria was a risk taker and hauling ass toward the front. When she looked over her shoulder and saw Sunny lagging behind she stopped, moved quickly toward her, grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. They made their way to that scarred door and stopped in front of the shifty looking bouncer. He eyed them, but made no move to let them in. “Honey gave us these.” Daria let go of Sunny’s hand and reached into her purse. She pulled out pieces of paper about the size of a postcard. The bouncer looked over the cards, eyed them once more, and then moved over and opened the door. Daria grinned over her shoulder and grabbed her hand again, leading her inside. The stench of decay, mold, and an aging building filled Sunny’s nostrils, and she covered her nose and mouth with a hand.
“God, what died in here?” The lighting was shady at best, and Sunny was glad she had worn her jeans and boots instead of the “club gear” that Daria had tried to insist she wear. As it was her friend was having one hell of a time maneuvering her stilettos through the junk lining the ground. Sunny knew a little bit about underground fights, even if several of the guys at the center trained for them. She knew enough that the cards Daria had given the bouncer had made it so they didn’t have to pay a hefty cover charge. She also knew that there was most likely going to be a shitload of people watching the fights, and that the guys fought dirty, without gear or protection. It was like UFC on speed and crack.
“Once we get to where everyone is it’ll open up and won’t be so bad.” They passed a few guys leaning against the decrepit wall, smoking cigarettes. The sound of cheering became louder the deeper they went into the warehouse, and once they took a long flight of rickety stairs and followed the hallway the room opened up. For a moment Sunny was stunned by what she saw. This was certainly not like any UFC fight she had ever been to. A cage was erected in the center of the room, and there were so many people crammed inside that the heat was strong enough to knock a person on their ass. The bodies were shoulder to shoulder, and the smell of sweat, alcohol, and even blood was overpowering.