Page 101 of A Dark Duet

Nate whistles. “Your house, huh? Giselle is going to be thrilled when she finds out. Why are you in such a grouchy mood? You got her in your house, which is a fucking miracle because only I have ever been invited.”

My nostrils flare after I kick the bag with another combo. “She’s fucked up, Nate. Like really fucked up. She’s been through something worse than I ever thought possible. Some really fucked up shit.”

My eyes sting when I think back to the medical records, I read detailing what they did to her. How they left her. Probably why I had the nightmare with the vivid image of her on the bed. It was the same bed in the trailer with the same smell except for the smell of urine. It was real, like the image was placed there for me to see whatever memories she was battling but what was weird was it was mixed with my own demons. Evil and disgusting. My eyes water when I imagine her whimpering.

Her eyes are haunted by something so dark, something so evil. She has been hiding it and I was too stupid and self-absorbed to notice. A tear I haven’t shed since I was a kid slides down my face and I sniff, wiping it away with my forearm like it was sweat.

Nate notices before the other guys sparring in the cage look this way. He pulls me in for a brotherly hug, not caring that I’m drenched and crying like a bitch for my girl. Her soul and spirit are broken and the love she had for me is gone because I killed it.

“It’s all good, brother. I got your back. Whatever you need, I got you. You know that. Anything for you and Brie,” he says.

I nod after he pulls away and I raise my head to the ceiling of the fifteen-thousand-square-foot gym. Breathing in and out slowly, trying to control the emotion that is clogging my throat.

“Thanks, brother,” I croak, puffing air out of my mouth.

“Where is she?”

“She took an Uber to school this morning. She left before I woke up.”

He checks his phone. “It is almost five. She will probably go visit Giselle and catch up with her BFF. I’ll let you know when she shows. I’m going to head to the office and catch up on the promo for your next fight. It’s a series of three fights and the last being Zavier Morales for the title.”

An hour passes and Janine shows up. “Hey, Champ. Ready for me?”

My eyebrow quirks and Brian scratches his chin, eyeing her with disinterest. She is trying to make an impression with her tight uniform that is about a size too small. Probably wears it like that on purpose. I don’t know why I even slept with her before. She does nothing for me now and was a lousy lay. No attraction whatsoever. Must have been an itch I needed to scratch, and she was just there and willing.

“Just the shoulder today and that is all. Got it?”

“Whatever you say, Champ. I will do whatever you want,” Janine says with an innuendo, giving me a wink.

Brian purses his lips and I roll my eyes. “Let’s get this over with. My shoulder is killing me,” I tell her.

She stands next to me, a little too close. She places her hand on my throbbing shoulder and if things couldn’t get any worse, the front door of the gym opens and Brie walks in. Fuck. My. Life. The woman looks like a fucking wet dream with her simple white T-shirt stretched over her beautiful breasts with her skintight skinny jeans and Converse sneakers. Her hair piled high in a messy bun of platinum locks. Her sun-kissed skin flushed from the sun with her oversized bag on her shoulder.

Her gaze is locked on me and then it slides to Janine with her hand on my shoulder. When I look at Janine and then back at Brie, Brie’s expression is blank. No emotion. My stomach clenches because three years ago, it was jealousy and hurt I now recognized. Now it’s nothing. No anger, no jealousy, no hurt. Just nothing.

I shrug my shoulder, trying to remove Janine’s hand from touching me, but she doesn’t budge.

“Isn’t that your ex-girlfriend?” Janine asks.

Brian coughs and Jake clears his throat. Brie ignores her. She clearly heard Janine ask a dumb question. Brie’s attention turns to Charles sitting out front. Charles glances over, giving Janine a glare. He never liked Janine working here and hardly even acknowledges her. This is clearly my fault and my own doing.

“Hello, gorgeous,” Charlie says, greeting Brie.

“Hey, Charlie,” she says, giving him a friendly hug.

“Are you going to dance at the studio? The champ has therapy and then he should be done.”

“That’s okay, Charlie. I actually just stopped by to say hi.”

The old man gets red in the cheeks and Nate comes out of the office. Nate looks over and surveys the scenario with a grim expression. He gives me a death glare and then shakes his head when he sees the smirk Janine is sporting.

Nate walks up to Brie and gives her a hug but murmurs something in her ear. She nods and waves at Charlie. “I gotta get going but I’ll be at the studio.”

“You’re going to practice?”

“Yep. Got to help Giselle out with something,” she says without a backward glance. Fuck. Taking a deep sigh, I mumble. “Let’s get this over with.”

We walk to the back room leaving the door open. “Are you guys back together?”

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