Page 4 of Absolution

One legged or two, Paddy O’Keefe was a force to be reckoned with. I’d served under him, and there were few men I respected more.

“Come on then, let’s get this beating over with. Wanda is serving my favorite supper tonight, and I have no intention of being late. Besides, my wife would divorce me if I missed a meal she’d spent all day cooking.”

Paddy and Wanda O’Keefe had been happily married for thirty-some years. They were the kind of people I’d wished were my parents, back when I was a kid being shuffled from foster home to foster home. They also had the kind of relationship I’d always wanted. Strong and unbreakable. A wave of envy coursed through me.

Six rounds later, I was spitting out my mouth piece and pulling off my protective head gear. It had been a tough bout, both of us evenly matched despite our age difference, my bum hip, and Paddy’s prosthesis, but in the end, I’d won by points.

“Nicely done, Marshall,” he congratulated me.

“Thank you, sir.”

He waved me off. “We ain’t in the Army anymore, kid. Cut that shit out.”

It didn’t matter that neither of us were still serving, it was a habit deeply ingrained, and I didn’t expect it to ever change.

“Enjoy your dinner with the missus. I’ll see you back here on Thursday?”

Paddy had his gym bag in hand and was halfway across the room already. He waved over his shoulder.

“You know I’ll be here.” Then he disappeared out the front door.

I’d been a regular at Franklin’s Boxing House since being medically discharged from the Army almost two years ago. Vets from all branches came here to work out. Most of them just came to decompress from all the shit we dealt with integrating back into civilian life. Besides Eden, Franklin’s was where I spent the most amount of time.

Not only was I a boxing instructor to the other Vets, but I was also in charge of the twice weekly class that was opened to the neighborhood kids. We did what we could to keep them off the streets and out of trouble. Something I wished I’d had.

Now that the bout was over, my muscles were beginning to protest. All I wanted to do was take a hot shower, grab dinner and a beer, and then hit the sack. I headed to the locker room, accepting a few congratulations from some of the men I passed.

Hot water sluiced down my back easing some of the aches and pains. While I stood under the steaming stream, I thought about Gina. She’d been pretty as a young girl, but damn if she wasn’t a fucking knockout now. I’d been floored the first night I stepped into Eden.

“Mr. Marshall, welcome.”

I turned at the greeting. My gaze traveled over the suit he wore, and I felt weirdly underdressed in my jeans and black t-shirt. Donovan hadn’t mentioned a dress code. Deciding not to worry about it, I clasped his outstretched hand.

“Thank you.”

“I’m Marcus Allen, one of the owners. I’m happy to let you know that your application for membership has been approved. Why don’t I give you a tour?”

The sights and sounds of the club infused themselves inside me, and the longer we strolled through the club, the more at ease I felt. Tight muscles relaxed and circulation began to flow through them. While Marcus extolled all the benefits of membership my gaze darted around the room, taking everything in. The St. Andrew’s Cross. The rope rigging apparatus.

The tour was drawing to a close, and we were headed back in the direction of the bar when my footsteps faltered for a beat. Standing off to the side was a short and curvy, dark-haired woman speaking to a long-legged redhead. My eyes studied her: every hauntingly familiar feature. Slightly narrowed eyes, a nose that just barely tipped up at the end, and the pointy chin. She had the perfect hourglass shape, accentuated by the corset she wore. My muscles tightened again like a bow string the longer I looked at her, a buzz of recognition humming through my veins.

The whole room shrank until my only focus was her. Dimly I was aware of Marcus turning back to me, but I couldn’t tear my eyes off the woman. I didn’t know who she was but something about her tugged at me with familiarity. When she laughed at something the redhead said, I sucked in a breath.

No fucking way.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

I don’t remember moving, but suddenly I was beside her. She and the other woman turned at our approach. Our eyes met, and it was like I’d been flung back in time.

“Bridget, Gina, I’d like to introduce to you our newest member.”

“Leo…” she breathed out at the same time Marcus spoke. “Leo Marshall.”

The other night I’d been standing by that same bar, and when the back of my neck burned, I knew someone was watching me. Correction, notsomeone. Gina Castillo. Her gaze seared my skin like a red-hot branding iron. When I’d turned, I saw everything I always did. The hatred in her eyes she more often than not forgot to hide. The tightening of her beautiful lips. The way her body went slightly rigid.

Although, to be honest, in the entire year I’d been a member of Eden, only one time had I ever seen her truly relaxed. It had been that single moment before Marcus introduced us. Except, we already knew each other. Or rather, we had known each other almost a lifetime ago.

Gina and I had been so close as kids, but now I was treated like the enemy. I stopped trying to figure out why not long after that first night, when all I got for my effort was the cold shoulder. Now, for the most part, we ignored each other. Except I couldn’t ignore her the other night. When I’d seen her and Bridget together, the expression on her face had triggered a warning inside me. Which is why I’d approached them. And why, days later, I was still thinking on her words.

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