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I set my phone back on the nightstand. “Yeah, everything’s fine. It was just a text.”
Lying my head back down, I closed my eyes again but swiftly opened them back up.One is the beginning.
I didn’t like it . . . I didn’t like it at all.
CHAPTER17
ETHAN
ONE WEEK LATER
It’d been a long time since I’d seen snow fall, but today was one of those days. Out of all the places I could go to see it, I never thought it’d be in Wilmington, North Carolina. There wasn’t expected to be much, maybe an inch or so, but it was still great. It made me miss my family’s mountain cabin. A part of me wished that was where Peyton and I had gone during this break, but she wanted to be in Wilmington. One day soon, I was going to take her to the cabin. It was where my parents raised my sisters and me away from prying eyes. We’d have privacy there.
My phone started to ring, and when I looked at the caller, I quickly glanced back at the house. Peyton was in there making hot chocolate and was supposed to join me on the dock. I didn’t want to keep anything from her, but I didn’t want her to hear my conversation with Seth Michelson, especially when I had no clue what he wanted.
“Hey,” I answered, my tone rushed.
Seth chuckled. “Hey, yourself. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“A little,” I replied. “What’s going on?”
“I haven’t heard from you in a while. When I asked Ripp where you were, he evaded my question.”
“That’s because I don’t want anyone to know. I’ll be back in California in a couple of weeks. Did you need something?”
“No. I was just calling to see if you were ever coming back to Vegas. A lot of my people have been asking about you. They want to watch you fight.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I watched Peyton carefully walk down the patio steps, smiling up at the snowy sky with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands.
“I have a lot going on right now, Seth. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back.”
“Interesting,” he said, chuckling. “I thought you loved the money.”
“I did, but now I have other things I need to focus on.”
He sighed. “I know what you mean.”
“Do you?” I asked. I remembered what Ripp said about Kali and how Seth was showing interest in her.
“What do you mean by that?” he fired back.
I didn’t want to get on Seth’s bad side since he had helped my family and protected them from his psycho-ass brother. But I had to watch out for Kali. She needed to be protected from him. I just had to hope the Vegas crew would have her back.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on out there, but you know Kali is a close friend, right? She’s off limits.”
The line went silent, but then Seth huffed. “That’s not your decision, Jameson. Kali has a mind of her own.”
Peyton joined me on the dock, her smile falling when she looked at me. “Yes, she does,” I said to Seth. “She’s the bantamweight champion and strong enough to take care of herself. I’m just saying that it might not go over well with my guys out there. They’re not going to want her involved with you, even if you aren’t the enemy like your brother.”
“Thanks for the concern, but I’ve got this. If you decide you want to fight again, give me a call.” He hung up and I blew out a sigh.
Peyton blew into her hot chocolate. “What was that about? Were you talking to Seth? I still can’t believe I haven’t met him.”
I scoffed. “I’m hoping you never do. But there might be a time when you need him.”
The blood drained from her face. “I don’t want to think about that.”
I held out my hand. “Can I see your phone, please?”
