Page 169 of Heartless Legacy

Tank takes one look at my face, and jerks his head towards the wall where Wolfe is standing, as if to saytake it up with him. Oh, I will be.

“Why is he here?” I ask, walking over to Wolfe.

“For the same reason, everyone else is. To train.”

I unzip my jacket, dropping it on the floor. “Why is he traininghere?In my gym?”

Wolfe looks down at me, that sinful mouth curling on the sides in an almost irresistible smirk.

“When did this become your gym? Did I miss a change of ownership or something?”

“I’ve been working out here. I was here first. He’s got a campus and a mansion gym he can use. Tank and this gym are all I have.”

Wolfe says, “I could argue you have an entire compound of people to spar with.”

“I’m your girlfriend.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“This is your gym.”

“It is, but I still don’t understand how that makes it yours.”

Is he intentionally being obtuse? Or does he really not understand how this works? “You’re mine.”

His lips quirk again. Leaning down, he asks, “Are you saying that you own me, so you feel you have some ownership in this gym?”

“I have an interest in the success of this gym and the superior clientele we let patronage it.”

“Couldn’t Paxton Cox be considered superior clientele?”

“No. He’s the wrong person to be here. This gym is for everyday people who are serious about training.”

Wolfe chuckles, “Relax, Thea. He’s here on a trial run for Tank. I’m trying to find someone else to spar with him, since his current partner is moving. With Pax being a southpaw, this helps me prepare him for his next fight, which happens to be with a leftie.”

I blink, digesting his words. “You asked Pax to come here?”

“I did.”

“For Tank.”

“Exactly. Tank winning his fight is the best way to advertise what a great program we have here at the gym. And if I could get you on a fight ticket, it would double our exposure.” He turns me around, his hand slipping down my back to my ass, which he gives a gentle but firm squeeze. “Off to the treadmill you go.”

“Are you suggesting my ass is squishy?”

“I love this ass. I want to bite it and kiss it, and slip my dick between it. But these are training hours, and your training session always starts with the treadmill.”

Grumbling, I head over to my machine. I still hate the treadmill, but I’m also secretly glad that he still makes me get on it. I’m getting my endurance back up, and when I can run forfive miles again without feeling like I’m dying, I get to go to one of the Phoenix Foundation’s weekend war games. It’s two days of obstacle courses and capture the flag on a tropical island. The next one is this summer and I’m determined to qualify for a spot.

As I up the incline on my treadmill, I think back over the change in my feelings for the organization. What started out as a begrudging willingness to work with them as a means to an end has turned into something more. I actually like the people I’ve come in contact with. They do some shady shit for the government, just like Andor Reese, but I also know their side business is to help people who have nowhere else to turn, with a side of vigilante justice.

I’ve been thinking of ways they could be useful in the archaeology field, outside of the security segment. I could actually use their fancy equipment and radars to research potential dig sites and locate missing artifacts stolen from war-torn civilizations.

I’m obviously getting ahead of myself. I won’t be able to do any of that until I finish with the threat here. Malcolm’s presence feels suffocatingly close today, since I’m being forced to watch his son spar.

I understand Wolfe has him here for Tank, but it feels like he’s intruding on this place. Like he’s taking it and making it another one of his places, which means I won’t have anywhere to train that hasn’t been tainted by him. I grumble to myself as I start a slow jog. I don’t just rock up to Vale Tower and use their gym.

My face splits into a smile and I up the speed on the treadmill. I know how to fix this.

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