Fighter(5)

A second later, the big door for the shed opened, and she came back out, pushing my worst nightmare.

“Fuck me,” I muttered.

She grinned brightly and waved her arms toward her find. “Voila. A wheelchair!”

Yep. This was my life. I was going to hunt down my ex-boyfriend in a wheelchair. This had to be a bounty hunter’s most embarrassing moment. I mustered a weak smile and gave her a thumbs-up back.

She clapped and waved her hands in the air. “This will be fun! I want to wear a bulletproof vest.”

Chapter Three

In the end¸ both of us wore bulletproof vests and sunglasses. As Haley pushed my wheelchair up to the handicapped entrance, my elbow rested on my lap, and my hand held my stun gun.

Yes. We were badass.

Then Haley tripped, and my wheelchair bumped into the rail, hitting my hand, and I dropped the stun gun in my lap. I froze, pure terror going through me, but it didn’t go off. Haley stifled a scream as I turned and smacked her.

She yelped, cradling her arm. “Ouch.”

“I could’ve stunned myself.”

She nodded, and a laugh slipped from her lips. “Well, you’re already in a wheelchair.”

I glared at her. “We had another one in the shed.” I raised the stun gun and pointed it at her.

She kept laughing and rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Be all menacing. I know you have a mushy heart, and besides, if you stunned me, who’d bring you coffee in the morning?”

I snorted. “You’re not going to. What are you talking about?”

“That’s true.” Then, still laughing, she straightened the chair and started up the ramp again. Once we got to the door, we formed our own line. The other line of able-bodied patrons spread down the entrance and out onto the sidewalk. The ones waiting close enough to the door watched us the entire time. Some had their hands covering their mouths, laughing, but others glared. If we got in like this, I had no doubt they were going to rebel.

The bouncer turned to us, and I smiled, lifting my stun gun. “Let us in, Ace.”

It was my cousin. He was large and in charge, and dressed all in black, except for the white lettering across his chest that said STAFF. Between his sunglasses, bald head, and tattoo circling his neck and trailing up the back of his skull, he would’ve terrified most people. Not me. He was just a year older than me, even though he looked thirty, and I had enough dirt on him to know he had a healthy fear of his mother. The knowledge I could share with her would be my blackmail.

“You have a weapon,” he pointed out. “No way, Dale. Besides, your brothers are already here, and I have strict instructions not to let you in.”

I pointed the stun gun at him. “Still have those strict instructions?”

He grumbled, but he knew I would do it. It didn’t matter where we were or that my escape would’ve reminisced a tortoise trying to flee the scene.

He shook his head. “Fine. Whatever.” He held open the door, and as we started in, he grumbled, “You got in through the back door, okay? Ted’s back there, and he’s wasted. If they ask him, he’ll probably be convinced you actually did get in through there.” He stopped talking as Haley brushed against his arm.

She smiled at him, slow and seductive. “Nice and large,” she said as she dropped her gaze. “I wonder what else is nice and large.”

He stood upright and fought not to smile back. Still wearing his shades, he scanned her up and down. “Still with that Carl guy, Haley?”

She tilted her head and trailed a hand down his chest. “We ended things last Friday.”

“So you’re living free and fun now?”

She winked at him. “How’d you know the names of my two girls?” She jiggled her chest, making her breasts sway. Then, continuing to laugh, she pushed my wheelchair forward. “Let me know if you’ve got some free time. I’ll arrange an introduction.”

He grunted, his eyes trained solely on her backside now. “Will do. Will do.”

Once we were inside, I twisted around, frowning. “Who’s Carl? I thought it was Clint.”

“It was, but your cousin can call my ex any name he wants. I forgot how delicious he is.”

“My cousin or my brother?”

“Oh.” She pretended to swat at my head. “I’m single. Clint’s been pretending he was single for the last two years, so I’m doing the same thing now. I have every intention of flirting with all hot male specimens who cross my path. Whether I hook up or not is up to me.” She made a clicking sound from the corner of her mouth and winked at me. “Now, let’s go find you some of your own fun and freedom, huh? Where’s that hot piece of ass I know you’re drooling to see fight again?”

I scowled at her, but I couldn’t ignore the little burst of sensation that shot through me. A tingle of excitement. She was right. It’d been too long since I saw Jaxon fighting, and when she wheeled me around a group of people to an open space where we could see the fighting ring, I got a view that lit my groin on fire.

Holy. Shit.

Jaxon was already in the ring, clad only in black shorts that hung low over his slim hips. As his opponent swung at him, he dodged, and every muscle in his backside contracted, showcasing themselves for my viewing pleasure. Stepping forward, he twisted to the side and brought an uppercut, ramming underneath his opponent’s chin. As he did, the rest of my lady parts jerked awake. I got a view of his front then, and his stomach muscles were just as ripped and sculpted as his backside. They were also red and bruised. He’d already taken a beating. I wasn’t surprised. His opponent was twice his size.