Fighting for Love (Second Chances #4)(48)

A woman scorned was a fearsome thing to behold, and I was almost positive he’d pissed off a few, maybe even one that wanted him to pay him back. How could there not be after going through so many of them?

“That’s a possibility,” he agreed, “but how would any of them know about you to want to get you involved?”

The only people on my mind were Lexi and Jace, except I knew they were in the clear even though the coincidence with Hayley was uncanny. However, there was someone else who came to mind that until just recently had spent years hating me. Not to mention, she probably had some friends that got their hearts broken by the infamous Matt Reynolds.

“What about your sister?” I asked hesitantly. “Other than Lexi and Jace, she’s the only other person that would know our history.”

Immediately, he tensed, gaping at me with wide eyes before snapping, “There is no way Gabriella has anything to do with this. Do you honestly think she’d help out that douche bag? The last thing she’d want to do is hurt me.”

Okay, maybe that was the wrong approach.

“I didn’t exactly say that, Matt, but think about it. I love your sister to death, but she’s hated me for years and I’m sure she’s had no qualms about telling someone what I did to you. I’m not saying she’s the one who’s helping Kyle because I agree with you, she wouldn’t deliberately want to hurt you, but what about some of her friends. Surely, you’ve broken a few hearts out of them?”

As soon as I said that it was as if everything fell into place for him. Groaning, he nodded and hung his head before sitting on the plush, brown leather couch in the middle of the room. “There were a couple,” he admitted, running his hands over his face.

“All it takes is the right place, the right person, at the right time. Kyle might have heard or seen something and then made his move. What better way to find out the dirty secrets about you than from someone who had a tie to your own sister.”

Sighing, he leaned over on his knees and held his head in his hands. “I’ll talk to her and see who she keeps in touch with. We both know she has a big mouth.”

That’s the truth, I wanted to say. He still didn’t know that she told me about his plans the night after I left him; the ones about his proposal. Maybe I could talk to her and find out some answers myself.

A knock came at the door, and this time it was Carter, not Garrett, who stuck his head in through the side. “You have five minutes, son. If you want to forfeit the fight we need to know.”

Getting to his feet, Matt scoffed and ripped open his bag, dumping the contents on the table. “I’m not forfeiting, and while I’m gone have someone round up all of these pictures so I can burn them.”

Carter nodded and lifted a brow at me before rushing off. We were surrounded by pictures of me and Kyle, and honestly, all I wanted to do was get out of there so I didn’t have to see myself in them. I was embarrassed and appalled, but most of all I was angry at Kyle for making me look like a fool and for having the audacity to even do such a thing. I couldn’t wait for their fight in two weeks so I could watch Matt beat the hell out of him.

Matt had his head down, wrapping his hands while I stood there motionless. I knew he was still angry, but it was hard to tell if it was all directed at Kyle or if he was a little upset with me because of the pictures. Swallowing hard, I slowly took a step back and reached for the handle on the door.

“All right, I’m going to go get my seat and let you finish getting ready,” I stammered, hoping he’d look up at me. When he didn’t, I continued on, “Gabriella’s probably wondering where I’m at since I’m supposed to sit beside her, so ...”

Realizing I was wasting my breath and looking like an idiot, I sighed and opened the door, taking one last look at all of the pictures and Matt in the center of it all. People dealt with anger in their own ways, and I knew he needed to get his head into the fight and focus. I just hoped we could move past it.

Garrett and Carter paced outside of the room, and as soon as I ventured out they stormed in. My heart pounded in my ears as I walked down the hall; all I wanted to do was run away from it all and get away from the eyes that watched me as I passed. I needed an outlet, a way to let go, and as soon as I turned that glorious corner I found what I was looking for.

“Why hello there, love,” Kyle taunted with a sneer on his face. “How did you like the pictures? I hate that I missed the expression on Matt’s face when he saw them.”

He must’ve just recently finished a fight because he was sweaty and still wearing a pair of black fighting shorts and a blue T-shirt with his sponsors’ names on it. A couple of other guys stood with him, but I didn’t care about them or the knowing smirks on their faces.

The closer I got, the angrier I became and either Kyle didn’t realize how pissed off I was or he was too stupid to back out of the way. Guffawing, he spread his arms wide and opened up that mouth of his again. “Have you decided to come back to me now that Matt’s through with you? Don’t worry, love, you can always be my bitch. I’ll forgive you for making the wrong choice.”

I didn’t exactly think about the consequences of my actions at that point, because frankly, I couldn’t think of anything other than making Kyle pay for what he did. It wasn’t just for Matt, it was for me.

I reacted … and I paid the price for it.