Tyler's Undoing (Gloves Off #1)(38)

I waved at him as he pulled out of my driveway and slowly trudged my way to the door. The house was lonely now that my grandmother had passed. It was quiet, and not the least bit inviting anymore.

When I got inside, I set my purse down and pulled out my phone, turning it on. It immediately beeped from missed messages. Most likely from Bree. Sadly, only one message was from her, while the others were my brother. Why couldn’t he just leave me the hell alone? The one from Bree was basically her demanding that I was going to Phoenix with them, whether I liked it or not.

While booting up my laptop, I listened to the few messages. The first two were nothing, only the sound of Kyle hanging up the phone. The third one, however, was him.



“I’m assuming since you’re not answering your phone, you’re still pissed at me. You know, you could avoid all of this if you’d just talk to me. I don’t know why you’re making things so difficult. So listen, I’m going to be in Vegas this weekend for my fight. I want to come by and see you and Nana, maybe grab something to eat. As much as you hate me right now, you’re still my sister, my family. I’ll be there tomorrow around lunch time.”



Groaning, I shut my laptop. There was no need to see where he was fighting anymore. Sitting on my bed, I ran my hands through my hair and stared at my phone. If I ignore him, he’ll do something stupid to get my attention. If I call him and tell him about our grandmother, he’ll get pissed because I kept it from him. Situations like this shouldn’t be difficult. At least, they’re not supposed to be.

I should be able to call my mom and go shopping, like normal mothers and daughters do, but instead all she wants to do is talk about herself. Never once in the last eight months has she called me to see how I’d been doing. Knowing there were real mothers out there like Tyler’s, made me realize how lonely and sad my life really was—especially now that Nana was gone.

Basically, I only had one option. Taking a deep breath, I sat on my bed and dialed his number, secretly hoping he wouldn’t answer.

“Well hello, Kacey. I’m glad you called me back,” he answered.

I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Yeah, it was either that, or wait on you to do something stupid. I’d rather deal with you, than put up with your dirt bag friends.”

“Damn, Kacey,” he chuckled. “My friends aren’t going to mess with you. I only had Liam get close to you to get information on your well-being. I’m just worried about you out there by yourself, taking care of grandma. Especially since you don’t cash any of the checks I send.”

“It’s because I don’t need it, Kyle. I’d rather work for it myself instead of taking your blood money.”

“Kacey, you’re being ridiculous, but I guess we both get our stubbornness from dad. So anyway, I’m going to be in town. Let me take you out to lunch tomorrow. We can go anywhere you want.”

Here we go.

“I’m sorry, Kyle, but I’m not going to be in town. Bree and I are going away for the weekend. We leave tonight.”

“Tonight? What about Nana? I thought you were taking care of her?” he replied.

I closed my eyes and hung my head. The pain of my grandmother’s loss was always going to hang heavy on my soul. I don’t think there will ever come a time when I don’t feel that pain.

“Kyle, I think you should know. . .” I started, but then stopped to take in a calming breath. “Nana passed away last week.”

The phone went silent, at least until Kyle’s angry outburst tore through the phone. “Are you f*cking serious? Why didn’t you tell me?”

To avoid a screaming match, I calmly responded back, “Can you honestly tell me you give a f*ck? You never once called her or talked to her—neither had mom. I didn’t see the need in telling you. Everything is taken care of and she’s put to rest. It’s all over.”

“Yeah, it appears that’s not all you hadn’t told me,” he grumbled.

Immediately, I stiffened. “What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about your job at the bar, Kacey. I found out that you stopped working there. Liam went to check on you and was told you quit. What are you doing for money?”

“I find that working the corners in Sin City is very lucrative,” I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes. He didn’t seem to find that funny by the growl in my ear. “Don’t worry, I have plenty of money saved up. I’ll be fine until I open up my restaurant.”

I wasn’t about to tell him I worked for Tyler. He’d show up in a heartbeat to drag me out. “How much more do you need?” he asked curiously. “I can loan it to you if you want.”

“I don’t think so,” I scoffed. “I don’t need your help. In fact, I really need to go.” Looking at the clock, I had already wasted ten minutes on the phone with him.

Kyle huffed. “All right, I get it. Just so you know, I’m going to be back in Vegas in two weeks for the title match. We’re going to have to celebrate when I win.”

Instantly, I felt sick to my stomach. I had known the title match was coming up, but I didn’t realize it was in two weeks. “Who are you fighting?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Tyler f*cking Rushing,” he sneered.

“What is your problem with these other fighters? Are you jealous of them?” I snapped. “What did they ever do to you? I hate hearing stories of the things you’ve done to screw with people.”