Page 41 of Double Trouble
My last punch, I didn’t even look to confirm it had ended him. I knew it had.
Instead, I twisted around, searching for the face that mattered most. Cin was glowing.
Then, the bell rang, and the crowd screamed. The referee was saying something, but I beelined to Cin and Owen.
Owen was eyeing me strangely, as though he knew. “Shaky start, there.”
I shrugged. “Gotta give the fans something to talk about.” I’d delve into the whole ‘do you owe this douchebag money’ conversation way later.
“That was…” Cin let out a ragged breath.
I wiggled my brows. “That good?”
She responded with a kiss, full on the lips.
We broke apart, laughing.
“Damn,” I said, grinning like an idiot. “If I’d known I’d earn that, I would’ve won way sooner.”
Now, Cin was slamming a kiss into Owen too. Jesus, with everyone watching, I reflected. Surprisingly, the thought only warmed me.
Let them see. Let them all see the woman my brother and I couldn’t get enough of.
Cin seemed bouncing with energy, the reason for which I found out soon enough.
“Got to go to the bathroom,” she said. “Be right back.”
“Hang on,” I told her.
Owen and I made sure to cut a way through the still-cheering fans so Cin could pass through. While she was in the bathroom, Owen turned to me. “Guess that earned you a slice of pizza.”
He lifted a dismal looking rectangle from his pocket, wagging it. “For a minute there, I thought our good old lucky fry had stopped working.”
“About that…” I said.
Just then, a trio of teenage boys pushed their way through. “Autograph?”
“Sure,” I said, accepting the proffered sharpie. “Where?”
Smiling sheepishly, they held out their shirts. As I signed away, more people thronged to get their autographs as well. I happily obliged, although it ended up taking way longer than expected.
I only stopped when Owen pulled me aside. “First thing, Cin’s been gone a while. Second thing, your pizza’s gone cold.”
“Why didn’t you say so?” I took a bite of the admittedly cold triangle. “I would’ve gotten another one.” I tossed a glance at the bathroom. “Don’t be a spaz about Cin. It’s a girl thing, taking ten minutes in the bathroom.”
“Yeah, except it’s been” – Owen checked his watch – “twenty minutes. And she hasn’t responded to my text five minutes ago.”
“Oh shit. Really?” Time really had flown while I was autographing.
“Yeah.” We exchanged a look.
“Let’s go,” I said.
In the bathroom, some girls squealed as soon as we made it to the doorway.
“Sorry ladies,” I said. “But we’re looking for our friend. Could you call out and see if there’s a Cin – she has highlighted brown hair – in there?”
A minute or so later, the redhead we’d asked returned with a decided head shake. “Nope. No Cin in there.”
I scowled. What was the face I’d seen as I made my way?
Rodney’s. Absolutely fuming. I’d forgotten it, barely registered it, but now, could Cin being missing have anything to do with it?
No.
Owen gave me a questioning look, but I was already striding into the bathroom. Luckily – or not so luckily – there was no one there. No one to berate us for coming where we didn’t belong. But Cin wasn’t there either.
My heart felt like a fist pounding against my ribs. My phone buzzed with a text.
Unfortunately, I realized the number all too well – Rodney’s.
Got your girlfriend, it said simply. You’re not getting her back until the money’s paid up.
30
Owen
No. That was all my brain could process as Jake showed me the text. Suddenly, the air in the boxing venue was stifling. Outside, it wasn’t any better.
Jake was saying something. “What the hell was this about dude?”
“What the hell was that about?” I asked. “You in touch with Rodney?”
“Not by choice,” Jake said. “He wanted me to throw the match on purpose, so he could earn back the money you owe him. But then I saw Cin and I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want her to see me lose.”
He stabbed a number on his phone, and next second was on a call – with Rodney, probably.
“Rodney?” he said, sure enough, a few seconds later. “It’s Jake. I’ll throw however many fights you want, just bring Cin back.”
A pause, where Jake’s scowl deepened. “I know I screwed up, but I won’t this time. You can believe me.”
Another pause, and Jake was lowering the phone, snarling, “You do that, and you’ll be sorry. Mark my words.” He looked at me and the sunken in quality of his eyes shook me.
“He said he didn’t believe me. That I have three days to get him the money, or he’ll kill her and send her to us in pieces.”
Jake shook his head, his expression going angry as it rested on me. “What the fuck dude? You’d better tell me everything right now Owen. Everything.”
“I borrowed the money to get you started,” I reminded him, angry myself. “But after I paid it back and Rodney saw how good you were doing, he started asking for more, claiming he’d forgotten about the interest. He threatened to hurt you and end your career unless I kept paying. So I paid him three times over what we’d originally agreed on, but he still wouldn’t let up.”
