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Opening the refrigerator, I pulled out a bottle of water. “Braden’s fine, just a little banged up.”
“Will he be okay for tomorrow? I wanted to talk to him about our plans.”
I dreaded the thought of him going to the charity ball with her. “He’s passed out right now. I’ll tell him you called, though.”
“Please do. Does he need anything? Is anyone staying with him tonight?”
There was no damn way I was going to let her spend the night with him. “I’m with him right now, but my sister and her fiancé will be here later. He’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Call me if things change.”
“What about tomorrow?” I questioned. “Are we training?”
Annika sighed. “No. I don’t want to have any black eyes for the function.”
“We’ve only had two full days to train before your fight on Saturday. Are you sure you’ll be ready?” I had a lot of doubts.
“I think so,” she replied. “I’m going up against Mila Porcello. She’s tough, but I’m sure I can take her down.” Her optimism was good. Maybe she did have a shot.
“What about next week? How many fights do you have?”
“I think I have two. It all depends on how Saturday goes and how I perform. If I lose, my family’s reputation will take a hit. I can’t have that.”
“In all seriousness,” I began, “whatwillhappen if you lose?”
The line went silent for a second before she responded. “If I lose, I might as well be dead. I won’t be able to show my face again. The embarrassment will be phenomenal.”
“I think you’re a little hard on yourself.”
Annika huffed. “I have to be. Promise me you’ll come to the fight. I don’t think I can do it without you in my corner.”
My stomach dropped. “Annika, no. I can’t get involved like that. What if someone sees me?”
“Reagan, please,” Annika begged. “You have to be there. I need you.” Groaning, I sat down at the bar and slammed my water bottle on the counter. “I’ll do anything to have you there,” she added. “If you want more money, you’ll get it. I don’t care what I have to do.”
“Stop,” I exclaimed. “I’ll be there. I won’t let you do this alone.”
She gasped. “Thank you, Reagan. This means a lot to me.” She blew out a sigh. “All right, I have to go. Please tell Braden to call me.”
“Will do.”
She ended the call, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. It made me grateful that my family wasn’t all about power and money. But now, I had a bigger problem. How was I going to attend Annika’s fight without someone recognizing me? The answer was simple … I wasn’t. I just had to hope and pray that word of my presence didn’t spread.
CHAPTER14
BRADEN
Ithought I’d wake up feeling like hammered dog shit, but it wasn’t that bad. My body ached and I had some scrapes and bruises, but it was nothing compared to being incinerated. It was strange to think I was the last person to see those men in the store alive. I couldn’t imagine what their families were going through. If I hadn’t left when I did, I’d be a pile of ash.
Looking over at the alarm clock beside my bed, I was shocked to see it was almost lunchtime. With a groan, I ran my hands over my face. The last thing I remembered was Reagan bringing me home and talking to me before I passed out. Nevertheless, I remember what we talked about. She said there were too many complications if things were to go sideways. I wasn’t going to let that happen; she needed to know that.
Slowly, I rolled out of bed and walked out into the hall. The sound of the TV echoed from the living room. “Reagan?” I called out.
A cabinet door slammed in the kitchen, and when I turned the corner, I expected to see her, but it was Carter. “Sorry, just me, brother. Reagan and Emma will be right back. They went out to grab us some lunch.” He glanced down at the bandage on my arm. “You feeling okay?”
Nodding, I sat down at the bar. “Thankful to be alive.”
Carter grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and slid it across the counter to me. “No shit. I’ve been watching the news on the explosion all morning. They’re saying a disgruntled ex-employee tossed a homemade bomb in through the back door. There’s video footage of him driving away, but the police haven’t caught him yet.”
