Page 33 of Love in the Wild

Travis was wrong. Gage did not have a date.

He did have a meeting with Hadley later, and something told him she wouldn’t be impressed by a bruised face. Thankfully, his beard would cover that one.

Why did he care what she thought? She was a minor blip on his radar–a momentary speed bump on his way to making sure Thea stayed gone.

A flash of brown in his periphery caught his attention. The instant rush in his brain died when he realized it was a guy strapping on gloves instead of Hadley’s long hair.

He’d seen her before their meeting yesterday. He’d passed that pretty face in the hallway at the hospital when he’d been visiting Thea.

Hard to forget a woman like that. Long dark hair, piercing green eyes, and a thin build. He’d watched her walk away too, and that view deserved some awards on its own.

Travis wailed, and Gage turned just in time to catch a foot to the face.

Gage cursed and shook his head. The stars were back, and Travis was laughing like a hyena.

For Travis, sparring was fun. For Gage, it was a necessary outlet. He needed to stay in shape, sharpen his senses, and let out the fury he kept bottled up.

Taking a few hits helped in its own way. Every punch in the face reminded him he was alive–reminded him of his dad’s fist landing on his cheek.

Yeah, he needed that rage to stay clear. It was the motivation he needed to get out of the rut that was now just a part of his life.

Sparring started off as a way to protect himself against his dad. Now, no one had the guts to stand up to him unless they had a death wish.

He also liked to imagine it was either Bruce, Tommy, or Cain’s face he was pounding. It was helpful when circumstances forced him to keep his mouth shut.

“Sorry to ring your bell,” Travis said through a laugh. “Well, not really. Put some ice on that before you leave.”

Gage ran his tongue over his lips, tasting the blood from the inside of his cheek. “You’ll pay for that later.”

Travis hopped from one foot to the other. “Have to catch me first.”

Gage’s usual sparring partner was like the Energizer bunny. They were the same age, but Gage’s energy came in spurts and only when necessary.

Travis was playing. Gage was surviving. His adrenaline kicked in when it was needed. Other times were for conserving energy.

Gage bit the strap on his glove and tore it off. “I gotta head out.”

“Oh, come on. You can’t leave while you’re losing.”

Tearing the other glove off, Gage smiled. “I never lose.”

Travis beckoned Gage with his gloves. “One more.”

“Nah, man. My shift starts in half an hour.”

“Tomorrow, same time, same place?” Travis asked.

“You got it.”

Travis wasn’t a guy Gage would normally strike up a friendship with, but their work schedules aligned so they were usually at the gym at the same time. Gage left for his shift at Beau’s while Travis headed out to save lives as a paramedic for the Blackwater Fire Department.

Talk about a story of opposites. Gage was running moonshine and dealing stolen car parts while Travis did noble work.

A text came through on Gage’s phone as he slid into his truck.

Hadley: I’ll be there a little after noon.

Gage quickly locked the phone. He didn’t need thoughts of Hadley scrambling in his head all day. He’d already taken a foot to the face for letting his guard down.

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