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As soon as the car came to a stop, I grabbed my bag and stepped out.
“I’ll be about twenty minutes. I hope.” Ravager still hadn’t surfaced and at this point, it was no surprise. But I still needed to talk to Rachel Cruz and the other winners about doing more promo. Right now, the whole world was talking about them, and we needed to capitalize on that to make up for the money Ravager had cost us.
Even though my thoughts were on business, I couldn’t help but feel like I was being watched as I walked across the parking lot. Again, maybe even still. At this point, I wasn’t sure anymore. I wasn’t even sure someone was watching me, but the feeling lingered whenever I was out in public. I walked a little faster, ignoring Terry’s masculine scent or his proximity.
The creepy sensation followed me inside the gym, so I tried to focus on my job. I studied the fighters lifting weights and jumping rope, sparring. I watched their movement exercises, the way they hit the bag, and all of those details helped me worry about what was important. The company. The fighters. Yet, through all that, the feeling stuck with me that there were eyes on me, but I shook it off and slipped easily into the role of barracuda. It was what everyone expected, and I was happy to do it. More than happy, at the moment.
“Emmett, you’re looking much better.” I wrapped him in a hug and smiled, happy to see he was getting back to his old self.
“Much better than hell? Thanks, I think.” He stepped back with a friendly smile on his face, the bruises fading and cut healing. But I could see the way tension had settled in his shoulders and the wary tone in his voice. “What brings you by?”
“A few things. I need to talk to a few fighters about promo stuff, but I wanted to check in with you to see if you’d seen or heard from Ravager?”
It was a long shot and I knew he would have said something if his fighter had reached out to him, but I had to ask.
Emmett shook his head and raked a hand through brown hair that had grown longer than I’d ever seen it.
“Nah, haven’t seen him and I don’t think I will. But I’ve had plenty of time to think while waiting for the bruises to heal.” He let out a bitter laugh and shook his head, “and I think someone put him up to it.”
Interesting. “Really? What makes you think that?”
“I don’t have any proof, but a couple of days before the fight I spotted a new gold watch on his wrist. At first, I just chalked it up to him getting an advance based on the odds released before the fight. Now, after all that’s happened, I don’t know.”
He shrugged again and his eyes took on a far-off look that said he wasn’t finished. “I know what went down, Kat. I wouldn’t have agreed to it, but I know how these things work sometimes.”
I nodded, acknowledging his words. “I know, Em, but I didn’t want to put you in that position.”
“And the others?” I knew what he was asking. I could feel Terry’s gaze on us from across the gym, so I shook my head.
“Just Rob. If you see him or if he reaches out, tell him he needs to talk to Jasper, will you?”
“Sure will. Believe me.”
I laughed at the hint of vengeance in his tone. “I do. But now we need to talk to a few fighters.” Emmett groaned and I laughed. “Since I’m already here, it’ll be easier to get them all scheduled for press and photo ops at once. We don’t want the public forgetting about our fight card.”
He nodded reluctantly and thirty minutes later, we had interviews, signings, and youth outreach scheduled for our champs. “It’s all on the books,” Emmett told them all, “but put them in your personal schedules, because I’ll only remind you the day before. Back to work.”
The fighters dispersed and I turned back to Emmett with a smile. “As soon as your face isn’t green and yellow, we’ll get you back out there too.”
He nodded and let out a loud laugh. “Never thought I’d be so damn happy to be all busted up and ugly.”
“Hey, I’ll bet you get tons of women if you did some press like this,” I motioned to his face with a laugh. “In fact, if that’s what you want—”
“I’m good, Kat. Thanks.”
“Suit yourself,” I told him with a shrug. “And thanks, Em.”
“My pleasure, Kat.” His smile changed a little, and my stomach tightened in anticipation. “So, you and Terry, huh?”
I froze, wondering if Terry had said something, a thought that pushed a bitter laugh from deep in my gut. Of course, he didn’t say anything, he’s too worried about Jasper finding out.
