Page 47 of Legacy of Danger
Chapter 12
Four solid walls, clean furniture, some knickknacks, and a few pictures did not a peaceful sanctuary make. Didn't matter that Mariah's house was located smack dab in the middle of Copper River, with pleasant neighbors all around.
Late into the evening, she paced circles on her living room carpet.
Right now, in her mind, she wasn't in Copper River.
No, in Mariah's mind, she was back at the compound in that desolate corner of Utah, trapped in the unfinished plywood room, pacing across rotting subfloor. Every circuit, she'd had to avoid a black section of moldy wood or risk crashing through the floor. Every circuit, she passed by the locked door.
How many times had she been trapped in that building, held there by men with guns who threatened her brother's life? Meanwhile, the closer Kevin had come to reaching his teenage years, the more beatings he endured.
Sweat beaded her brow, even in the winter climate.
Keep walking. Just keep walking.
Tonight's episode with Vaughn had rattled her down to the bones. He didn't trap her. Didn't confine her. Hadn't pressed. Maybe he'd manipulated her emotions some, and whether it was intentional or not was a subject for debate. But she could deal with that question. Hey, sometimes guys could be a mess.
To be fair, she had participated equally in this evening's parking lot interlude. He'd given her plenty of chances to step away. In fact, he had let her take the lead.
The intensity of her desire for him scared her—not because of the possibility of success but for the chance of failure.
Time to stop trying to diagnose herself.
She sank into the rocking chair, picked up the phone, and hit a number from her contact list.
"Hi, sis," came the voice on the other end.
She gripped the phone. "Kevin. How are you?"
"You called me. What's going on? Everything okay?"
"Yes. Just needed to hear your voice." The tension inside of her dissipated like a boiling pot removed from the heat.
A pause. "Did something happen? Do I need to come up there?" That was Kevin, always willing to drop everything and help.
"No. Of course not." Her voice faded away. In her mind, she was that fourteen-year-old girl, looking out a cracked window over the desolate terra cotta rock and sand terrain, desperately plotting a way to save them both. "Tell me how your training is going. When's the bout? January?"
"Yeah. This might be my big break, moving up to the next level. There'll be scouts from the UFC present. I've been working on jujitsu skills the past few months, and I think it'll pay off."
"Awesome. But are you staying healthy? Nutrition good?" Normal, safe topics. The bad memories faded away as she ran her hand over the solid, real, wooden arm of the chair. The present. Not the past.
"You bet. The gym here has a guy who helps with diet. Shouldn't be an issue to cut weight next month. I'm feeling good going into this one."
"Still fighting at 135?" Her brother might not be a big guy, but pound for pound he was one of the fiercest competitors she'd ever seen. He'd stand up to people twice his size, especially if it meant defending his older sister. That fierceness had drawn far too much negative attention and subsequent pain.
No. That's the past. Stay in the present.
"Yeah. It's a tough division, but if things go well, I might get a contract. Oh man, that would be awesome, fighting on the big stage. Maybe compete internationally." It sounded like he took a sip of something. "What about you? Working any fights coming up?"
"Just a few local matches lately. This weekend I'm going to Lander. Want to come up?"
"Can't. Gotta work to support my MMA habit."
She laughed. "You're a junkie."
"And you're enabling me by helping with the costs." He blew out a breath. "If I haven't told you thanks lately... thanks. I used that last check to cover my trainer for the month. You don't know how much those extra bucks help."
"Are you getting mushy on me, Kev? You might be my larger little brother, but I can still kick your butt."
