Page 1 of Destined to Fight

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As Kelly’s feet made contact with the bright-red concrete floor, a weight seemed to lift from her shoulders. Workouts always gave her a sense of accomplishment and relief, but tonight was more than that; it was the night she’d been training for. She hit the button on the side of her watch and raised her wrist to look at it. Four minutes, thirty-two seconds; a course record for her. She was ready.

Someone walked up behind her and patted her back.

“Damn Kelly, you killed it!” Dom said.

“Thanks, Dom.” She barely breathed out. Her lungs were on fire, and she was still sucking wind.

“What’s your time?” he asked.

She couldn’t help but smile. “Four thirty-two.”

Dom grabbed her wrist to look at her watch. “Holy shit. You realize this is a women’s record for the club, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not that big of a deal.” At least, she didn’t want it to be. Showing off was not her style. She trained to better herself and to blow off some steam while she was at it.

Dom dropped her wrist and shook his head. “You don’t get it, Kelly. You could make it on Real Ninjas. You could make a living doing this.”

Kelly looked up at him now that she could finally stand up straight. His deep-blue eyes were lit up with excitement. They contrasted his dark hair so well. Dom was just about as handsome as they came. He was tall and well built. Not too stocky, but not thin by any means. Hell, the man owned a ninja training gym, and his body showed it. His beard was clean and shaped his sharp jaw line well, and his hair was always neatly cut with the top gelled and combed to the side. He always wore t-shirts with the sleeves cut off, so his muscular arms were constantly on display. She’d biffed more than once because she was staring at those arms instead of her next obstacle.

“Kelly, you all right?” Dom asked.

Shit, she was busted. “Huh?” she asked, dazed. Way to go, girl, she thought. You sound sooooo smart now. The reality was, he was way out of her league. Sure, a girl could gawk all she wanted, but he would never be interested in street trash like her.

“I asked if you want to go grab a beer after you wash up.”

“Oh, uh…” She was dazed yet again. “Thanks, Dom, but I have plans tonight.”

“I should have known,” he said. His shoulders slumped a bit as he started to turn away.

“It’s not like that.” She laughed a little at the thought of going on a date. “It’s work stuff. You know I work nights a lot.”

“Yeah, well, you should take a break every now and then. Maybe a rain check?”

“Sure, some other time,” she said turning to head to the showers.

Dom didn’t say anything as she retreated to the back of the gym. Using her shoulder, she pushed the women’s locker room door open and kept her eyes to the ground while walking to her locker. She tried to be courteous to other women at the gym, but she didn’t really like any of them and definitely couldn’t connect with them. All of them had good jobs and supportive families, and none of them knew that the gym was the place where she got her daily shower or that her car doubled as her living quarters.

Kelly opened her locker, grabbed her shower gear and a couple of towels, and changed from her shoes to flip-flops. She walked to the row of showers and chose her usual, all the way back and on the right. No one else ever used the showers, which is why she’d chosen this gym in the first place. They actually had hot water and good shower-heads. What more could a girl want?

She hung her towels on the hook outside the stall. Kelly stepped into the stall and pulled the curtain closed behind her. The spray of the water bounced off the tile floor in front of her and created a cool mist that hugged her body. The flush in her cheeks started to fade, and she felt her body calming as her heart rate continued to slow. As she waited for the hot water, she took her shorts and shirt off and hung them. A sigh escaped her as she tested the water temperature with her fingertips. The hot water welcomed her into its embrace as her feet carried her in of their own accord.

As the warmth cascaded over her tired body and aching muscles, Kelly took a moment to breathe. Focusing on the air entering her lungs, her mind pictured it feeding her cells as the oxygen entered her veins and traveled through her body. When all else failed, she would stop and breathe to center herself. She focused on releasing the tension in her muscles and the chaos of her mind; it was so important that she be able to focus tonight.

Her plan was simple, really; scale the building and enter via the third-floor balcony. When one of them arrived, she’d watch the elevator to see what floor they went to, then take the stairs. She’d follow the next arrival to their meeting place, then eavesdrop.

The night she’d stumbled upon them was clear in her memory, even now. It happened on one of her nightly runs shortly after she’d started living in her car. She’d never been afraid of the night like most women; the dark made her feel alive deep down in her core and it was much cooler than the hot and humid days in Dallas.

That night, Kelly rounded the corner of Elm Street and continued her jog through the business corridor of Dallas. Surprisingly, no one bothered her in the middle of the night, but she stuck to the streets where the homeless were less prevalent just to be safe.

A black SUV passed her. The dark tint on the windows and blank license plate drew her attention. Wondering why anyone would have a completely blank license plate, she watched the SUV closely. It slowed as it approached the Star Plaza and pulled in to the port cochere. A tall, broadly built man got out of the driver’s door and stepped back to open the rear door.

Even from a distance, she could tell the man exiting the back seat was stunning. He wore a perfectly tailored suit, made up of different shades of gray. He stepped out and squared his shoulders, adjusting his suit in the process.

His eyes locked with hers. How she knew that from so far away, she’d never be able to explain, but they did. She was drawn to him. Of their own accord, her legs slowed to a casual walk as the man continued to draw her in.

A tingling feeling started at her fingertips, working its way up her arms as their eyes remained on each other. She felt the pull of him drawing her closer, so much so that she nearly tripped over an uneven spot in the sidewalk. The misstep pulled her from the trance through, and she picked up her jog again.

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