Tyler's Undoing (Gloves Off #1)(74)

Smiling, I held the tank top up to my chest and traced Tyler’s name with my finger. “Let’s do it.”





MATT TAPED UP my hands and Ryley shoved a pair of ear buds in my ears, playing nothing but Breaking Benjamin songs, to keep my mind off of Kyle when it was his turn to walk past. Needless to say, I would have to go through three MMA fighters to get to him. I could do it, but Matt, Ryley, and Cole didn’t deserve to feel my wrath. Nope, that was all for Kyle.

Ryley fumbled with the volume on the iPod and smiled, mouthing the words to the song playing. His right eye was bruised from his fight and he was still in his blue and white fighting shorts, along with a black T-shirt that had Team Gabriella on it—he must have lost a bet. His fight tonight wasn’t for a title, but in just a few short weeks, he was probably going to be fighting his own twin brother for it.

“All right, the cocksucker’s gone,” Ryley assured me, taking out the ear buds.

“Thank f*cking God, I’m surprised I can still hear,” I grumbled, shaking my head.

“Well, it’s a good thing I did, or you would’ve heard him taunting you when he walked by. It took all I had not to go after him.”

“Same here,” Matt and Cole agreed simultaneously.

Matt handed me my black gloves and I slid them on my hands, fastening them tight. Taking me by the shoulders, he looked into my eyes and nodded his head. “You’ve got this. I wish your dad could be here to see it, but we all have faith in you. This is your time and you’ve proved that you earned it.”

He slapped me on the back and nodded again before waltzing up to the black curtain waiting for the announcer to call my name. Cole joined him.

“I can’t believe everything that’s happened,” Ryley stated incredulously. “It literally blows my mind how so many people can just be f*cked up beyond repair.”

Thoughts of Kacey lying tied up on her bed while Liam touched her, flashed in my mind. “You have no idea how enraged I was when I barged in on Liam trying to force himself onto Kacey. The only thing that stopped me from killing him was her. I had to think of what it would do to her.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine it either,” Ryley replied. “If someone were to do that to—” Abruptly, he stopped and clenched his jaw. I caught his hesitation, but he laughed it off. “All I know is, that someone would be on the brink of death,” he finished.

“Uh huh. Why don’t you finish what you were going to say, Ryley? If someone were to do that to who? Ashleigh? You can be honest with me, you know.”

Ryley huffed and dropped his gaze to the iPod in his hands. “Ashleigh’s long gone by now. I’ve moved on and so has she.”

Gabriella was going to be furious with me, but I didn’t care. He needed to know the truth. “What would you say if things weren’t what they seemed? It appears that women have a knack for hiding the truth to protect us. Why the f*ck they do that, I don’t know.”

Ryley furrowed his brows. “Dude, I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

Sighing, I placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “I’m talking about Ashleigh. She’s not with Colin anymore, man. After the whole baby scare, she left him as soon as they got back to California. From what I understand, she called it quits because she still had feelings for you.”

Ryley’s face paled, but I could see the anger flash in his eyes. “How do you know all of this? Did Gabriella tell you?”

I nodded. “She told me about a week after it happened. For some reason, Ashleigh doesn’t want you to know. Gabriella was just honoring her friend’s decision. I guess Ashleigh knew it wouldn’t work out since you went right back to your usual self.”

Furiously, Ryley ran his hands through his dark hair. “That happened a month ago, Tyler. I can’t believe she left him and no one told me! What the f*ck am I going to do now?”

“Would it have mattered?” I asked. “Would you have taken her back after what she did?” When he didn’t answer, I knew it was because he was afraid to admit he fell for a girl who broke his heart. “Ryley, whatever’s going on with her, you might want to take the time to find out. Yes, it’s been a month, but there’s a reason she’s staying away from you. Take a lesson from my book if you need . . . Kacey kept me in the dark because of her brother. Ashleigh’s probably doing the same thing, but has her own reasons. I would find them out before it really is too late.”

“Since when did you become all philosophical?” he teased, except the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

The music blared overhead and the announcer’s voice boomed through the microphone. It was time—my time. I slapped Ryley on the shoulder and smiled. “Since Kacey. I can’t help it, she brings it out in me.”

Ryley rolled his eyes and we both laughed as we walked up to Matt and Cole. Matt held out my robe and I slipped my arms inside, pulling the hood over my head. Kyle was being announced first and if Kacey was already out there in her seat, I wish I could see the look on his face.

“Remember, Tyler,” Matt began, “Kyle will go for the legs. He’ll try to take you down to the mat.”

“And that’ll be his downfall. Too bad for him, I’ve been trained by the best floor gamer in the UFC,” I replied with a wink.