Ryley's Revenge (Gloves Off #2)(31)

My dearest brother,

One day you’ll thank me. By the way, your bed is a lot more comfortable than mine. I had fun in it last night.

~ Cam



Gritting my teeth, I crunched the note in my hand. I was going to f*cking kill him. Throwing the letter in the trash, I ripped the sheets off my bed and opened my balcony door, throwing them over. Washing them wouldn’t be able to wipe away the memory of my brother f*cking his whores all over them. They needed to be burned.

My fingers shook with rage as I dialed his number. I knew he wouldn’t pick up, but it didn’t stop me from leaving him a message. “You motherf*cker,” I hissed. “What the hell is wrong with you? I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but it’s going to stop now. You can hide and ignore me all you want, but come time for the title fight, it’s on. I’m not going to hold back and I sure as f*ck am not going to let you ruin things between me and Ashleigh.”

Ending the call, I squeezed my phone in my hand. Now where could she be? Taking a deep breath, I dialed her number. I dialed again when she didn’t pick up, and still nothing.



Me: Please answer the phone, angel. I need to talk to you.

Me: Where are you?



I waited for her to text or call back, but she never did. She could be anywhere. Pacing along the floor in my room, I racked my brain, trying to think of where she could be. Then, my eyes landed on something displayed on my dresser. Walking over, I picked it up and grasped it in my hand. I had a feeling I knew exactly where she was. Now, I just had to hope she’d listen to me.

As fast as I could go, I sped down the highway to our beach. It was the longest hour of my life. Once I got there, I saw her car in the parking lot and breathed a sigh of relief. Quickly, I rushed out and stopped at the top of the staircase leading down to the sand. My eyes instantly found her sitting on a towel with her staring straight out at the ocean.

Slowly coming up behind her, I stopped and just stood there, watching the way her chocolate brown hair blew in the wind. I had so much to say, but I didn’t know where to begin.

“It’s over, Ryley,” she spoke without even turning around. “The lies, the secrets . . . I’m done with them.”

“What are you saying exactly?” I asked, wishing like hell I could hit something. I wasn’t going to let it end—not like that.

She turned her head and the tears falling down her cheeks reflected the sun. “It’s just what I said . . . I’m done.”





WHEN I WATCHED Ashleigh run out of her apartment, I knew she’d watched the video. Hell, I was the one who shoved it in her mailbox. My plan didn’t go quite the way I wanted it to, but by the look on her face when she sped away, I knew it was going to be over between her and that douche bag. Unluckily, I couldn’t watch it all play out since I was on my way to New York, alone. I had hoped she wanted to come with me.

“So how did it go?” Camden asked, answering the phone.

“I think it worked. She looked pissed as f*ck when she left.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, and I know my brother definitely is, judging by the message he left me. I’m going to keep a low profile until the fight this weekend. I need you to be my eyes and ears.”

“Will do. I’m heading to New York for the next two days, but I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”

“Let’s hope not. If I have to step it up, I will.”

The thought made my hackles rise. I didn’t want him messing with her more than he already had. She wasn’t in the condition to handle the stress. “Look, you’re not going to do anything, unless I approve it. The video was fine and it’ll do the job. I don’t want you anywhere near Ashleigh, you got that?”

“Hey, you’re the one who agreed to all of this. You want your girl, right? Well then sit back and let me handle it. She’ll be yours soon.”

The only problem was, secrets never stayed hidden for long. If she were to find out I had any part in this, she’d hate me. But it was too late. I had to keep going and hope she would never learn the truth. She was mine . . . and I wasn’t going to let her go.





RYLEY DROPPED TO his knees. “Please don’t say it’s over, angel. Gabby told me about the video. I know it looks like I lied to you, but I swear I didn’t.”

The way he said it broke my heart. I didn’t mean we were over. “Ryley, no, I didn’t mean it that way,” I exclaimed quickly, turning my body to face him.

He pulled me into his arms, his expression wild. “Thank f*cking God. You have no idea how bad I want to kill my brother right now. I did some stupid things after you left, but I stand true to my word. I never slept with any of those women. You have to trust me, angel. Don’t let my brother tear us apart.”

I breathed him in and let him hold me, the visions of those women plaguing my mind. “He’s not going to tear us apart. I’m not going to let him. I just don’t know how much more of this I can take. What’s going to happen next, when he finds out his ploy didn’t work?”

Ryley sat back and took my face in his hands. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, we just have to stick together. If he sends another video, we’ll break it apart and laugh in his f*cking face. Just promise me you won’t let him get to you. I’m already going to beat the ever-living shit out of him when we fight for the title. That will be my revenge.” He kissed me on the lips and touched his forehead to mine. “Promise me, angel.”