Unbroken (Fighter Erotic Romance #4) (8 page)

KACE.
There are people who are always looked up to by their friends, family and associates based on what they have earned, obtained, or acquired. The amount of money or belongings a person has is in no way a means of measuring their worth as a person. I would like to live in a world where people could obtain points for being kind, considerate and caring. The people with the most points would be viewed by their peers as being more valuable based on their ability to actually provide something meaningful to the world they live in.

Having a family and doing things as a family is something I have always wanted, but never really had. Josh and I were in a relationship since I was a teenager. He prevented me from seeing my mother, which caused our relationship to deteriorate. Although I have seen her since Shane and I met, she hasn’t expressed any desire to spend much time with me. I took Casey to see her once, but she has yet to come see him on her own. As disappointing as this may be, I am grateful I have my adopted family – even though they may be crazy.

“Hand me the taters, and pass Casey this way, Katie,” Ripp’s father said.

“Pop, he ain’t a bong. Stop passin’ that damned kid around the table like your hittin’ a joint,” Ripp grunted.

I laughed as I watched Katie hand Casey to Manda, who handed him to Vee, who handed him to Ripp’s father. Without a doubt, Casey would grow up more loved and cared for than most babies. Seeing this type of acceptance from the group was very satisfying to me. As Vee handed the baby to Mr. Ripton, he held him with one arm while he ate with the other.

“You shouldn’t smoke marijuana, Michael,” Ripp’s mother said.

“I ain’t smokin’ pot, mom. I’m talking about passin’ that kid around like a fuckin’ joint. We ain’t at a college frat party hittin’ a bong. Put the kids down and let’s fuckin’ eat. Jesus,” Ripp chuckled.

“Don’t cuss in front of the god damned kids, Mike,” Mr. Ripton snarled.

Ripp’s mom looked up over her fork and shook her head at Mr. Ripton. Shane started to laugh so hard he began to choke. Before long, the entire table was laughing.

“What?” Mr. Ripton said as he shoved another spoon full of mashed potatoes into his mouth and looked around the table.

“You cussed to get us to stop cussing,” I smiled.

“I did not. Now let’s eat.”

Alec sat with Jessie in his lap, his chair placed away from the table more than everyone else’s. As he picked at his food, he talked softly to the baby and listened to everyone else talk. Alec didn’t always talk, and when he did, he generally just answered a question someone asked him directly. If he ever spoke for very long, it was almost always a war story that he tried to relate to the topic being discussed. Lately I have seen change in him, and I must say I like it. I think all of the babies around have softened him up. He spends a lot of time around our house with Shane now, and always offers to watch Casey so Shane and I can go out to eat or on a date.

Having friends and family like Alec and Ripp is what I always dreamed of. I turned to Shane and smiled, secretly hoping times like this could last forever and ever. Some things just seem too good to last. This meal with family and level of love I see is one of those things.

“So, Alec. Are you ever going to pop the question?” Ripp’s father asked as he cut his chicken breast.

Alec looked up from Jessie, “Sir?”

Oh crap, this is going to be good.

“Katie. Are you ever going to ask her to marry you, or are you just going to keep rentin’ her?” he laughed.

I turned toward Alec and grinned. The entire table was silent, waiting for an answer to a much unexpected question.

Well?

“Dad,” Katie sighed.

Ripp’s mother continued to look down at her plate and eat quietly. She never really does much, and always stays fairly quiet. I think even though she spends a lot of time staring down at her plate, she really pays attention to everything around her.

“It’s my intent to do so someday, yes. When I feel everything is in order, you’ll be the first to know, sir,” Alec responded.

“Son of a bitch, Pop. What a way to put a guy on the spot. Holy fuck, let A-Train eat,” Ripp said as he gnawed at a piece of chicken.

Uh oh.

“No cussing at the table, Michael. And no nick names,” Ripp’s mother said quietly.

“Well fuck, ma,” Ripp laughed.

Oh shit, Ripp. You’re going to get in trouble.

“Mike,” Ripp’s father howled.

Told you.

“Alright. I’m just sayin’, let the man be. Alec. Or whatever his real fuckin’ name is,” Ripp shook his head and dropped the chicken bone onto his plate.

As I watched Ripp, I smiled. When Shane was in the hospital and Ripp came to comfort me was the first time I really spent time with him without Shane present. I was scared at first, but as time passed I realized he was simply trying to protect Shane from harm and prevent me from being in pain. When he told the lady behind the counter to call the police, I wondered about him maybe being crazier than I had originally thought. When he told her to call in the S.W.A.T. team because he
really
hated cops, I was
sure
he was crazy.

But Ripp is just Ripp. He’s big and mean to most people but soft as a big teddy bear to us girls. I wouldn’t trade Ripp for anything. As Shane rubbed my inner thigh with his hand, I smiled and tilted my head toward him.

I love you.
His lips formed the words, but he didn’t speak.

I smiled and gave him a light kiss.

Shane leaving me was something I thought I would never recover from. I suppose Shane is no different than any other person, he’s human. Sometimes he seems superhuman to me, but he’s not. He makes mistakes like the rest of us, he just doesn’t make very many. When he makes them, he makes big ones. I had forgiven him completely for what he did, and for the most part, I’d already forgotten it. Shane was scared and he handled it differently than I did. No different than his father, Shane ran from what he didn’t feel comfortable attempting to understand or accept.

“I saw that,” Vee smiled.

“It was a peck. We weren’t making out,” I whispered.

Vee smiled and glanced at Alec, who still held Jessie. As she lay in his forearms, he gently rocked her back and forth and leaned toward Bug and kissed her on the lips.

“I saw that,” Vee laughed.

Vee and I had become like sisters. She was intelligent, kind, and understanding of whatever I chose to talk to her about, regardless of the topic. She didn’t understand Shane’s leaving as well as I did, and still held a little bit of a grudge, but she didn’t hate him. I imagine as time passes, she’ll warm up to him again and things will be the same as they were before. For now, she’s a good sister to me, and I love her with all my heart. I look forward to many years of us playing with our kids while Shane and Ripp ride their bikes and train for the next match.

Vee and I had spent many hours together before we had our babies talking about being mothers. Both being new mothers, and feeling as if we had no one to turn to for advice, decided we would eagerly assist each other. As our children grew older, considering their ages being the same, we felt we could help each other immensely. We would encounter the same issues and concerns at roughly the same stages in growth. Admittedly, we were both scared to death, and had reservations about our ability to provide sufficient care to our soon to be born children.

I spent the majority of my pregnancy worrying about what mistakes I was going to certainly make.

When I was a little girl, I caught a moth and held it cupped in my hands for the majority of the morning. I was probably six or seven at the time. As I made my way through the day, I carefully carried the moth with me everywhere I went. I was limited on what was able to do, because both of my hands were occupied in keeping the moth captive.

I convinced myself the moth was mine, similar to a child. I had every intention of keeping it forever, and watching it grow old with me. I imaged building a large cage later in the day out of a cardboard box and some old window screen from the garage. During the morning, however, I felt as if I needed to keep the moth close to me.

Content with the new addition to the family, I went to my room to listen to music. Often, as a little girl, music was my escape. My way of relaxing and developing a deeper belief of the world being a place of beauty, serenity and dance was to listen to my radio. Typically, I would spin in circles as the music played, watching the hem of my dress flare out as my legs tried desperately to hold me from falling. Inevitably, I would fall, and today was no exception. After thirty minutes or so of dancing with my moth, I sat on the edge of my bed. Exhausted from dancing, I eventually flopped onto my back on the bed and held the moth as I closed my eyes and relaxed into a dream like state.

When my mother had lunch prepared, she called me to come and eat. As I lay on the bed still under the comfort of music, I slowly pulled my thumbs apart to peer into the comfortable home I had developed for the moth to live in.

I couldn’t believe what I had done. Emotionally crushed, I opened my hands fully and stared at my palm. The moth, from either the many times I fell, or from the sweat which developed in my hands – or potentially both – had died. Wet and lifeless, it lay against my palm, stuck to my wet skin.

Softly, I began to cry. Slowly, I walked to the bathroom and got some tissue. As I folded the moth in the tissue, I realized if left alone the moth would still be fluttering through the yard; living a life no differently than any other moth in the neighborhood. I was convinced the moth had died as a result of my poor nurturing skills.

I placed the moth filled tissue in the wooden box at the foot of my bed, in my diary. As I walked into the kitchen filled with shame, I accepted the fact I could never be a parent of any form of living being and do so effectively. As a result, I have never allowed myself to have a pet as an adult.

Upon learning of my pregnancy, it was only a short time and the moth came to mind. I wondered if it may be an accurate representation of my lack of ability to be an effective mother.

I glanced across the table toward Ripp’s father. “Pass me the joint,” I chuckled.

Yeah, I think I’ll be just fine.

SHANE.
6th street in downtown Austin is a place every tourist who comes to town has to see at least once. The majority of local
responsible
adults make an effort to stay away as much as possible on the weekends, due to the amount of drunken foot traffic the street sees. Flooded with drunks and disorderly hoodlums, the entire place is a circus, hence the nick-name
Dirty Sixth
– named after the filth which migrates toward the area on the weekends. There are no less than a dozen bars per block, and the street goes on for miles and miles. Entertainment value is very high, but there are certain risks associated with partaking in the fun. Two days from leaving town for the largest fight of my career we decided to celebrate amidst the local drunks for entertainment value alone. After all it was a Wednesday night, and the level of shenanigans was sure to be at an all-time low for the week.

By my calculations, after our night on the town I would have a day to recover, another night to rest, and then we’d all fly to Atlanta for the big fight. After Ripp’s parents volunteered to watch both children, A-Train, Bug, Ripp, Vee, Kace and I went out on the town.

“So Vee says,
you change her diaper
,” Ripp explained.

“And I’m thinkin;
it ain’t that big of a deal
. Hell, how bad could it be? So I get little Jessie, take her to the plastic deal…”

“Changing table,” Vee interrupted.

“Yeah, changing table,” Ripp acknowledged.

“So anyway, I take her to the deal, lay her down, and I start smelling this
funk
. It’s bad. My gut starts churnin’, and I back off a little bit and look at Vee. She just smiles and waves from across the room like she knows something’s gonna go down. Anyway, after my gut settles down I go back in for the big change. I unhook the sides of the diaper, and lay ‘em to her side. Then, I flip down the front, and lift her legs. The whole deal takes maybe five seconds – the diaper flippin’,” Ripp paused and took a deep breath.

“And this fuckin’ smell comes rising up from the diaper like a big fog, and I drop Jessie’s legs and scream. Hell, it was so bad, I could
taste
it. But that ain’t the best of it. After I drop her back into the diaper, it stirs that funky assed shit up, and I get a second wiff of it. Now this time, my gut starts heavin’ and I barf all over the changing table, Jessie, and the floor. Bad thing was, earlier I’d been drinkin’ and eatin’ hot dogs. I had five Ultra’s and six dogs. They were them really good beef dogs, too. I love them damn things and I must have ate ‘em like real quick without chewin’ ‘em up real good. So there was chunks of fuckin’ hot dog the size of peanut M&M’s all over the kid, the floor, and my new shoes,” he shook his head and tipped the beer bottle to his lips.

“I guess guys ain’t cut out for that shit,” he sighed as he took a sip of beer.

Vee nodded her head in Ripp’s direction as she looked toward Kace and laughed, “I warned him, Kace. He didn’t believe me.”

I leaned forward on the table and looked at Ripp, “You puked on your daughter?”

He nodded his head as he continued to sip his beer.

“You’re gross, Ripp,” Kasey laughed.

“Shane changes Casey all the time,” Kace shrugged as she looked toward Vee.

“Jessie
stinks
,” Vee chuckled as she waved her hand in front of her nose.

“Maybe I’m sweeter than you,” Kace said as she raised her hands to her chest and squeezed her boobs.

“I think
not
,” Vee chuckled.

A-Train nodded as he pulled Bug closer to his shoulder, “Quite a story, Ripp.”

“But I’ve got a question,” A-train sighed as he leaned into the back of his chair.

“Yep, what is it, bro?” Ripp asked.

“Who cleaned up the mess?” A-Train asked.

“I can tell you who
didn’t
clean it up,” Vee hissed as she pointed toward Ripp.

A-Train raised one eyebrow, “No shit? You let Vee clean up the mess?”

Ripp shrugged his shoulders as he finished his beer, “Hell, Train. I was weak after all the puking. I couldn’t clean that shit up. Men ain’t built for that shit.”

I fully expected A-Train to begin a tale of some grotesque exposure to human remains after the explosion of an IED in Afghanistan or a beheading he witnessed in Iraq; but the story never came. He shook his head and turned to kiss Bug. As everyone sat and laughed about Vee cleaning up Ripp’s vomit, I studied Alec and Bug. They had been in a relationship for a little more than a year, and the changes in Bug were incredible. She had gone from being shy and uncertain to confident and outgoing. I smiled and looked down at my watch.

“Shit, it’s one o’clock in the morning. I have to get some sleep and prep for the fight. We should probably get out of here, shouldn’t we? ” I asked.

Everyone agreed it was pretty late and Ripp offered to pay the tab, to which I eagerly agreed. Considering I paid for his shoes a few weeks prior, I felt a little better about my loss for the new Ed hardy Chuck’s. As the live band playing came to the end of a song, we stood and quietly made our way for the door.

Getting out of the bars on Dirty Sixth
before
the 2:00 a.m. closing time allows a person to walk to where they’ve parked their car and escape from the area before the traffic from all of the patrons attempting to leave is doing the same thing. The biggest problem is the distance from the bars where one must park. While we walked the four blocks to where we had parked, Ripp continued to tell stories and discuss the upcoming fight. As we approached the SUV, we split into three groups of couples walking toward different doors to enter the vehicle. Katie, Vee and A-Train walked to the far side of the vehicle; and Kace, Ripp, and I walked to the near side.

As soon as Vee unlocked the car with her keyless entry, a man jumped from beside the car next to hers, and surveyed the crowd quickly as if he knew exactly who we were.

“Oh my God Shane,” Kace screamed as he jumped in front of us.

Fuck, he’s after me.

The first thing I noticed was the gun he held in his hand. Within a split second, it was clear who he had come to rob. He promptly raised the pistol level with my eyes and held it an inch from my forehead. With the pistol leveled at my head, he stepped from behind the car and spoke in a jittery stutter.

“Shuh shuh Shane. You’re Shane Dek Dek Dekkar. The buh buh big tah tah time boxer. Yep. Shane Dekkar. You got muh muh money. Big money. Yep. Gimme your wallet, muh muh motherfucker,” his eyes darted back and forth but his pistol never moved.

“Don’t anyone do anything stupid,” I said slowly and softly as I carefully raised my hands.

“Oh my God. Shane just let him have what he wants,” Kace cried.

“Please Shane, don’t try anything,” she begged.

“I won’t baby,” I assured her.

Truth be known, I always figured if someone ever tried to rob me, I’d beat them senseless. I never figured it would
actually
happen, and I certainly never thought if it did, I’d have a pistol leveled at my face – an inch from my forehead. There was no doubt in my mind if I moved in any manner he was uncomfortable with, all he’d have to do was flinch, and I’d be dead.

There was no amount of money to justify my son being raised without a father.

“Babe. Just settle down, I’ll give him whatever he wants,” I whispered.

“Well, get get get to givin’, muh muh motherfucker,” he stuttered.

“I’ll give you what I’ve got but…”

“But, I carry the money. I’m his bodyguard. I’ve got all the cash,” A-Train said as he walked around the rear corner of the SUV.

I heard Bug and Vee crying from the other side of the car. Ripp Stood behind me toward the front of the car on the passenger side. I stood at the center facing the rear of the car, with the armed man between the rear of the car and where I stood. As A-train slowly walked around the rear of the car behind the gunman, the man became nervous.

“Duh duh don’t walk up on me, Mr. fuh fuh fucking bodyguard. I’ll kuh kuh kill this boxer lickety split if you do,” the man explained.

A-Train walked in a sweeping motion around the man, circled behind me and stopped at my right side. As he stepped beside me with his hands held close to his chest, he began to talk slowly to the man with the gun. As he started to speak, I worried about the potential of this going to hell in a Texas sized hand basket. Standing on my left side, Kace began to sob.

“Listen. I’ve got the money. So, you’re going to need to talk to
me
. But we’ve got a little problem,” A-Train paused and shrugged his shoulders.

“He pays me to keep his money
safe
, you know protect it. Now, I can’t just give it to you or he’s going to fire me as soon as you’re gone – and I’ll be without a job. So for me to let you have it, I’m going to need you to point the gun at me and threaten me,” A-Train said very calmly.

“I ain’t duh duh dumb. He’ll buh buh box my ears when I muh muh move the gun,” the man said.

“No he won’t. I’ll make sure he doesn’t do a god damned thing. It’s my job to keep
him
safe, and keep
you
happy. You’re going to have to trust me. He’s got seventeen bucks and I’ve got ten grand, you need to pay attention to
me
,” A-Train explained slowly.

A-Train tilted his head my direction, “Dekk, slowly put your hands in your jeans pockets. And Kace, I need you to take four steps to your left, babe. Just four. Stand there quietly.”

A-Train studied the gunman, “Now, as soon as he gets his hands deep in his pockets, you point the gun at
my
head.”

A-Train stood calmly and nodded his head as he spoke. Not hearing any opposition from the gunman, I slowly lowered my hands to my waist and shoved them into my pockets deeply. I had no idea what A-Train had planned, but he sure was calm about doing it. The gunman’s eyes darted back and forth between A-Train and I.

“Alec...no…” Bug sobbed from the other side of the car.

“It’s gonna be just fine Katie. We’ll all be sipping slurpies at the 7-Eleven in five minutes. I promise,” A-Train said calmly.

“Dekk, step four steps to the side slowly, and stand by your girl. He’ll move the gun when you do. Just make it slow,” A-Train demanded calmly.

As I stepped to the side, Kace hugged me, crying into my shoulder. Immediately, the gunman moved the pistol to A-Trains forehead. Ripp stood roughly eight or ten feet behind A-Train with his hands at his side. I could see from where I stood Ripp’s hands were shaking. Considering his recent experience with gunman, I doubted the shaking was from fear. Anger was more like it.

“Wuh wuh what about thu thu the ten grand, fucker?” the gunman asked.

“I’m going to reach for my wallet with my left hand. I’ll do it slow. Hell you got that piece pushed into my forehead, so you know I won’t try a damned thing. I’m nervous as hell, but I need
you
to be calm, okay? You okay with that? Me reaching for my wallet?” A-Train raised his eyebrows in wonder.

The gunman nodded, “Yup. Suh suh slow.”

Slowly, A-train began to move his left hand. What happened next should be in some form of instructional training video for all civilians. With is right hand at chest height and his palm open, A-Train swung toward the gunman’s forearm, halfway between the wrist and elbow. At the same time, his left hand swung up and grabbed the barrel of the pistol form the left. In one fluid movement, the gun was swung one hundred eighty degrees and now in A-Train’s hands and pointing at the gunman. It happened so fast, if I hadn’t actually seen it, I never would have believed it.

“Holy shit!” Ripp screamed.

“Get on your knees,” A-Train demanded.

With the gun now pointed at his head, slowly the man lowered himself to his knees.

“It’s all good over here, Katie,” A-Train shouted over the top of the SUV toward Bug and Vee.

Vee and Bug ran around the rear of the SUV. As soon as they cleared the rear portion and saw the man on the ground, they both gasped.

“I’ll call the police,” Vee said as she cautiously walked around the rear of the car.

“Fucking punk ass bitch. I’m going to beat your ass,” Ripp grunted as he walked toward A-Train and the man.

“Don’t call the cops, Vee. And Ripp, you need to stand down,” A-Train shouted, still holding the gun to the man’s head.

“Our man Dekk has to fly out for a fight in less than 48 hours, and he doesn’t need to be on the ten O’clock news. Police reports and bullshit will have to be filled out. We don’t need all that. Everyone just get in the car, and go around the block. Stop back by here in ten minutes and pick me up,” A-Train said calmly.

“Go around the block?” Vee asked.

“Yeah. Just go around the block, I’ll take care of this,” A-Train nodded his head as if this was a common thing for him.

“I’ll stay here with A-Train, just roll around the block. Nobody needs to see this guy get his ass beat,” Ripp said as he rubbed his hands together.