Page 81 of If You Fight

Shaking my head, I answered him truthfully. “No, I didn’t threaten him. If anything, I begged him for his help. He just seems to have a soft spot in his heart for me and couldn’t say no.”

“Everyone seems to have a soft spot for you, son. Floyd, my daughter, even me. For example, I know I should have just told Floyd to let the police take you and solve a multitude of problems for me. But instead, here I am talking to you and considering what I might do to get you out of this mess you’ve created.”

“Get me out?” I asked, confused about what he meant. “There’s no getting me out, Robert. I beat that guy into a coma in the fight tonight. I’m going to get charged with at least assault, and they’re going to put me away. There’s no out from that.”

My explanation of the situation seemed to amuse him, if the smile that slowly formed on his lips was any indication. Waving my ideas away like they were nothing to him, he rolled his eyes and said, “All this time you’ve known me and you say something like that. Of course, there’s a way out. There’s always a way out. The question is do I want to help you this time?”

I tried to speak, but nothing came out I was so shocked. It had never occurred to me that he’d want to help me. I’d betrayed him, and I knew what happened when someone betrayed Robert Erickson.

They paid, often with their life. So why would he help me when he could just let the justice system take me away so I’d pay for that betrayal?

“I have to admit, though, I’d be more inclined to help you if you hadn’t lied to me.”

I knew what we wanted. He wanted to know why I’d fight behind his back. He knew I didn’t love fighting enough to do it for kicks. I’d have to tell him if I ever wanted a chance to see Serena again, assuming he didn’t make never being with her from that point on one of the conditions of his help.

It didn’t matter. I had to take the chance, even if it meant he sent me away from her. I couldn’t spend my child’s first years in prison. I couldn’t do that to Serena.

“I asked Floyd to help me find fights for extra money. Serena’s pregnant, and I wanted it to be right this time.”

Robert’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “Pregnant? I had no idea. And when you say this time, am I to understand the last time was your child also?”

I nodded. “Yeah, and that fuck Oliver found out and tried to kill Serena and the baby. He succeeded with the baby.”

With a heavy sigh, he sat down on the bench next to me. “Well, that explains why you wouldn’t have a problem with killing him when she asked you to.”

I knew the moment had come to finally tell him the truth about how I felt about Serena. Turning to face him, I said, “I love her. I’ve tried to protect her from everything your world forces on her because she’s not made for that. She’s sweet and gentle, and you married her off to a man who thought nothing of pushing a pregnant woman down a flight of stairs to kill her and her baby.”

Robert said nothing and the look on his face said he wasn’t so much surprised by my admission that I loved her as much as resigned to the fact. But I knew if I wanted his help I had to say what he wanted to hear or there’d never be a chance for Serena and me to escape this life after tonight.

“I’ll do whatever you want. You name it. I’ll do it. Just let her be, Robert. Don’t make her marry another man. We love each other, and that’s not going to change. We’ve been through too much already to let anything come between us.”

“Other than you being in prison,” he said casually, like he was taunting me.

“Please don’t do that to us. I’m begging you, Robert. I’ll do whatever you want. I just want to be allowed to be with her and our child. Make me your errand boy or the gardener who shapes the hedges into those funny bird shapes. It won’t matter as long as I’m with her. Make me work off the cost of helping that guy once he wakes up. Assuming he wakes up.”

He stared at me for a long moment without saying a word, and then abruptly stood up from the bench. “Fine. You and Serena can be together, and I won’t marry her off to anyone else. You’ll come back and work for me, not as a fighter since there’s no way anyone’s going to want to fight you now. Even if I can clean this mess up, and that’s going to take some money, I’m sure, the rumors will get out and there won’t be a goddamned man around who will fight you anymore.”

I wanted to jump for joy at hearing his words. Whatever he made me do, it couldn’t be worse than being away from Serena and the baby. As long as I had them, I’d be okay.

He stuck his hand out and I shook it as I asked, “What will you have me do?”

That crocodile smile of his slowly lifted the corners of his mouth. “Nothing you can’t handle, Ryder.”

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