Page 93 of Last Round

Bex seems to agree with that theory. I did break down and tell her a little more about the situation. Not the assault or anything. I kept it to him cornering me in the hall and Killian seeing it. Without the whole story, she was already team Killian and in full support of the fight tonight.

While everyone is preparing, excited to see them duke it out, there’s one option to put an end to all of this. It’s a long shot, but just maybe I can save Killian from hurting himself. He thinks my worry is about him losing. Sure, there is a level of that. But it’s no different than any fight he’s ever fought before. What I’m scared of is the cost he’s going to pay for winning.

If Tony is only here because I hurt his ego by dumping him, what will happen when Killian embarrasses him? Or when Gideon swoops in with all his lawyers? If Tony doesn’t seek retribution for the loss, Gideon will. I’ve seen his PR approach when his fighters lose in the ring. Before the fight even happens, he already has every bit of garbage dug up on the player. If what he has isn’t good enough to get the match disqualified, he smears the fighter to the point of quitting. Killian might think that he has nothing to lose, but I dread what Gideon has on him. Because I know he has something. He never would have set up the contract if he didn’t.

I swallow down the last of my coffee, grab my phone, and rush downstairs.

As I assumed, Sean is here coaching Tony. I can’t believe it. Then again, he doesn’t know the situation. Hopefully, all of that will change once I show him this video. I have no intention of ever telling Sean the whole story when it comes to my ex. My brother and Killian are both hotheaded. Over the years, I’ve seen how they’ve handled situations like this. That being said, Killian surprisingly has a little more control over it than Sean. Also it helps that Killian loves me, and is curbing his instincts because of that. Sean, though, sure he’s my brother and loves me. That doesn’t mean I have any ability to reason with him. I mean look at where we are. He said cruel things to his best friend and I couldn’t get a word in edge wise when it came to that thick skull of his after he found us together. What chance in hell do I have of telling Sean about what happened, then convincing him not to commit a felony?

None.

Besides, I never want to tell Sean what happened with Tony. I couldn’t handle him knowing or the way he’d look at me. He’d internalize the guilt, thinking that if he had been there with me or paid more attention, he’d been able to stop it.

Telling Killian was one thing. I shared my pain with someone else. And it helped. Now I want that part of my life to fade away. Replace the awfulness with new, wonderful memories of Killian and me. The more people that know, the more they will look at me differently and I will never escape Tony.

So, let’s hope Sean watching his fiancée take it from behind, in their bedroom, will be enough for my brother to tell Tony to go fuck himself without killing him. Stop this madness before someone, mainly Killian, gets himself hurt… or worse.

“Hi…” I approach my brother.

Sean spins around. He looks shocked to see me, but then frowns and turns away. “What are you doing here, Molly?”

“I need to talk to you.” I have the phone out, cued up to play for him.

Tony stops sparring in the ring, and his dark eyes find me. I hug myself. Even in this oversized sweatshirt I’m wearing despite it being eighty degrees out, I still feel exposed around him. It’s an old one of Killian’s. He’s had it since he was in high school. I found it when I was digging around in his closet this morning and it felt like finding an old stuffed animal: warm and familiar.

“As you can see, I’m busy. Dealing with your and your boyfriend’s mess.” Sean’s in a mood and clearly wants nothing to do with me. It was foolish to think that he’s calmed down enough to have a mature conversation. But I assumed, after all those texts, he wouldn’t shut me down right away.

“What are you talking about? None of this is our fault—”

“Isn’t it?” Sean pivots to face me again, his brows pulled together while he gives me the disappointed big brother frown. “You think I didn’t hear all about it?”

“About what?” I’m confused. Clearly, he’s pissed and I have a sneaking suspicion it isn’t about me and his friend anymore.

“Please, spare me the innocent routine. Unlike you, some people are forthcoming with information.”

Okay, maybe he’s still a little pissed about Killian and me… or at least how he found us. “We were going to tell you, Sean.” I stop and shake my head. “But this has nothing to do with that.”

“Doesn’t it?” he huffs. “Tony, like a mature adult, came to me shortly after I caught you and Killian together, when the whole gym learned that you two were upstairs fucking.”

I clench my fist. This is worse than I thought.

“He apologized to me. Said that he didn’t realize you were my sister till he saw you here, and when he learned, he didn’t want to say anything out of fear we would treat him differently. Worried we’d bully him about dumping you.”

I open my mouth but snap it shut. Obviously, Tony has done one hell of a fucking job spinning shit in his favor.

“But after everyone learned about Killian and you, he decided he had to tell me. Because with the two of you dating, and him being your ex, he knew Killian was going to be harder on him. Not train him well. Guess what, Molly? He was right. Look at where we are now. A coach fighting his trainee.”

“That’s—”

Tony blows me a kiss. No doubt he (and everyone else) can hear Sean. My brother’s not trying to keep this conversation private.

“Did you corner Tony in the hall on purpose? Knowing Killian was coming and would catch you together? Use your new boyfriend to beat up your ex?”

My heart shatters.

“It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”

Same, brother.I tuck the phone back into my pocket. “This was a mistake.”

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