Page 56 of I Am Lioness

“You ready to go?” I asked.

“Yeah.” One word from her. That was it.

It only served to make me angrier. She snatched her bag off the table as I rose to my feet and together we made our way out the door in silence. Not a word was uttered in the elevator nor while we waited near valet for the car.

To say the short ride to the gym was tense was putting it lightly. I opted to drive so I could focus on something other than the dozens of thoughts running wildly through my mind.

Hazel sat motionless in the passenger seat beside me, eyes glued out the window, lips curled in an angry smirk of sorts. She took my hand when I offered it and answered the few questions I asked, but her responses were clipped and she made no move to initiate any sort of conversation.

When we walked into the gym, Hazel left me by the door to do her own thing and I didn’t stop her. I let her go because I wanted to get my own workout in as well, clear my head before we hit the bags.

I ran on the treadmill, hit the elliptical, and then the weights, all the while watching Hazel go beastmode on every leg machine she came across. Apparently it was leg day for her.

We were going to have to get on similar schedules now that I was here for good, especially with what I had in mind.

Almost an hour later, Hazel joined me at the back of the gym with a roll of pink tape in her hands. I finished one last rep set and wiped my face before I lead her to one of the benches and wrapped up her hands.

As soon as the last bit was secured in place, she took off for the bag and came out swinging likeitwas attackingher.I watched from my seat and let her go at it for a while before I rose to my feet and began calling out different combo’s.

She nailed each one with such precise speed and force, grunting and roaring as she pummeled the bag with no mercy.

When she tired of the bag, we climbed into the ring, and this time around, she didn’t argue about me throwing on the mitts. Upon securing them in place, I shielded myself behind my arms, giving Hazel the green light. Much like she did with the bag, she came out swinging without holding back.

“So, when were you planning on sharing with me that you haven't found a new coach yet?” I asked suddenly, unable to hold back the question any longer.

Hazel’s possible removal from the league if she couldn’t obtain a new coach was disconcerting. As per her contract, she was required to have one throughout the course of the season and after Bernie’s funeral, the Board had generously granted her a four-week grace period due to the circumstances.

But those days were quickly coming to an end and based on what I’d overheard this morning, the final outcome didn’t seem too promising.

Hazel froze, brown eyes drifting away from the mitts momentarily to focus on my face. “That’s not something I particularly care to discuss right now.” Her fist came flying out at lightning speed, crushing into my left hand. She jabbed out three more times with alternating arms, each blow more forceful than the last, before adding with finality, “We’ll talk about it later.”

It wasn't lost on me that Hazel had not only completely overlooked my question, she was also expecting me to back down and do as she said.

The woman was equally as domineering as I was, assuming I would just fall in line and obey her every command with a snap of her fingers. The one crack in her plan, however, was thatI would never submit.

I was not a man easily deterred.

Nice try, baby.

I shook my head and pressed on adamantly, determined to acquire the answers that plagued me from the moment I learned the truth. “No, we’re going to discuss itnow.I don't think you realize how serious of an issue this is. If I heard correctly then you havetwodays left to present a new coach to the Board. TWO. And if you don't, they’re going to pull you from the season.”

“I’m very well aware, Knox,” she snapped, hopping on the balls of her feet in a perfect circle around me.

Keeping up with her pace and following her brisk movements, I pivoted in my spot waiting for the next swing. “Good to know. Now please, tell me, what exactly is your plan?”

“I said we’ll talk about it later.” Her tone held a edge this time, red-hot anger bubbling just beneath the surface.

One more poke at the angry bear—or Lioness rather—and she was likely to explode in the same way she'd done with Jason. But right then in that moment, I could not have cared less.

“Later is not an option, Hazel. We’re having this conversation now. You’ve had weeks to share this tidbit of information with me yet you chose to lie, for reasons I can't understand. And the cherry on the damn top is me finding out about this shit storm because I overheard you and Jason this morning. The man who has continuously tried to shove a wedge into our relationship is well aware of the trials in your life, but me?Your man?I'm left in the dark and…”

“I said I don't want to talk about this right now!” She roared furiously, cutting me off mid-sentence and rooting us both to our spots just a few feet apart.

Her stance fell away but her piercing stare held like a vise. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin challengingly, crossing her arms across her chest. The twinkle in her eyes held no amusement, in fact, it was all too similar to the one she preyed upon her opponents with.

Unfortunately for her, I wasn't a weak opponent.

My blood instantly burned with indignation. What aggravated me most was her resistance to open up to me about this specific situation—one I was all too familiar with—when in the not so distant past she’d had no problem communicating with me.

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