Game(62)

“No more underground for you. No more fighting. No more guns. No more of this business.”

“That’s all I know, Pete.”

“No. You know something else.”

Pete snapped his fingers and the door opened again.

When I saw who it was, I jumped to my feet, sending the chair toppling over.

“Henry,” I said and ran to hug the old man.

Henry had been Cormac’s trainer. I’d known him for a long damn time.

We hugged tight and then I looked back at Pete. He put his thick hands to the desk and pushed up. “This is what you’re going to do now.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“You’re going straight,” Pete said. “Back to the right kind of fighting. I own it all, Finn. With Cormac dead, we need a superstar. That’s you. From the underground to the limelight. Your first fight will be in exactly three months.”

I stood there, shocked.

“We fight for Cormac, kid,” Henry said in his rough, smoker voice. “Always for Cormac.”

There was only one person missing from all this.

Shayna.

What the hell was she doing?





46.


(Shayna)



I was escorted to the bathroom. It was like a freaking hotel room. There were three different kinds of showers, two tubs, marble everywhere. I could have lived in the bathroom it was that big.

I walked to the sink and turned on the water. I cupped my hands and splashed water to my face. It didn’t do anything. It didn’t make me feel any better. I stared at my reflection, water dripping off my chin. The scene kept rushing through my mind. Fiore and Zander standing together. They had been working together. They had known about me. About Sasha. About everything. Chills ran through my body. It was like everything I knew was a lie. From the time I was a kid until now. Losing Sasha to a dark world and then never being able to find her. Just to know for a second, she was okay.

I dried my face and then noticed something on the toilet.

A bag.

With my name on it.

I inched to the right and plucked the piece of paper resting on top.



Shayna -



For you. Hope it’s everything you both want. You will be taken care of the right way. I’m sorry for what’s happened, but you get the greatest reward I could possibly imagine - Finn. If you won’t love him the right way, I will.



- Mara



I put the note down and opened the bag.

I touched my stomach and gasped.

It started to make sense now.

When I got into the SUV, I had been complaining of my pain…

I reached into the bag and took out the pregnancy test.



~



Once again, the three minutes took damn near forever.

I sat on the edge of one of the tubs and cried my eyes out. When Finn opened the door and rushed to me, he dropped to his knees and touched my face.

“What is it? Are you in pain? I’ll call an ambulance.”

“Finn. No.”

“What? What is it?”

And I had to say it. I was able to say it. It would all mean more than anyone would ever know.

“I’m pregnant.”

Finn’s eyes went wide. “For real?”

“Yes. Those pains… the test… I need to see a doctor to be sure. But, yeah, I’m pregnant, Finn. After all this stuff. He got what he wanted, right?”

Finn stroked my cheek. “No, sweetie, he didn’t. I got what I wanted. You.”

A tear ran down my face to his finger. “Finn, this is insane. We have nothing. I don’t have a place. Your cabin… I mean, if you don’t want this… I’m not going to give anything up though. I mean…”

“Shayna,” Finn said. “Shut up for a second. The cabin is going to be rebuilt. Okay? Zander is dead. Fiore has been taken care of by his family. And I just signed a major contract with legal fighting. And my trainer is Henry, Cormac’s trainer.”

“Wait, what?”

“It’s going to be okay.” Finn placed a hand to my stomach. “And you’re the real fighter here, Shayna. Not me. You did all this. You took a crazy, stupid chance and look how it turned out. If you think for a second I would turn my back on you or our baby, you’re the insane one. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

I lost it for good then. I cried like a baby. Finn held me the entire time. It felt so good to be in his arms. He was my ultimate protector. And now… holy shit… he was the father of my baby.





47.


(Finn)



* 10 months later *



I didn’t think the call would ever actually come. But it did. I hadn’t seen or talked to Mara since the night we left Pete’s mansion. Part of me never wanted to hear from her again. I went straight into training and took over the fighting world, as planned. Me and Henry worked together harder than ever before. The old man challenged me, pissed me off, and a few times, I ended up with my hand at his chest, ready to punch him. He was that good and that loyal. I loved him.

I held Shayna’s hand tight as I pulled to the side of the small cafe.

“What are we doing here?” she asked.