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She wasn’t sure why his opinion of her mattered so much, but she couldn’t seem to let it go. Maybe chatting with Winnie and shopping could help her get her head on straight. She really wanted to talk with Regina because after they’d lost their mom, Regina had been her sounding board. Regina would love nothing more than to see them married with kids on the way. She was the exact person Remi couldn’t talk to about this.
Times like this she really missed her mom. Her mom had been tough but had always had a hug and the right words to help them get to the heart of the problem. It had been ten years and she still sometimes forgot and picked up the phone to ask her a question.
Crying over spilt milk, or in this case blown confetti, wouldn’t help the problem. She and Winnie would get some shopping in and maybe chat about her fascination with the man who made her blood boil.
Chapter Nine
War walked into thebuilding, cataloguing exits and any threats. His dad had informed the MC that it was the quarterly fight nights at the training academy. He instructed them to have clothes to change into just in case they were needed for demonstrations or possibly a match. When he questioned Matt, who he still had a hard time remembering to call Roam, he’d acted like it was a normal part of fight nights. He wasn’t sure why Roam’s road name was harder to remember than others but maybe it was because he’d been his brother Matty forever and then Matt in high school and then he’d had a nickname in the military.
Roam was struggling with being a single parent even with all the brothers’ help but there seemed to be something more. His outlook on life was the polar opposite from when they’d talked on the phone. He’d thought he’d understood what being president entailed but he had been missing a huge part. He wasn’t a touchy, feely type of guy but it seemed like he’d need to work on that. Keeping the brotherhood together was more than meeting once a week and talking about businesses. He only hoped he could live up to his dad’s legacy.
Winnie jumped up on the elevated ring closest to the door, grabbing a microphone. She tapped the microphone twice to get everyone’s attention. She was the middle sister and gorgeous by his standards, but she did nothing for him. It was the tall brunette in the tank top and shorts who had his interest. Her hair was in an intricate braid, which was twirled low at the back of her head. She was standing by a group of girls who he’d guess were high school or college age.
“Welcome to exhibition night at the academy. Tonight, we have a couple of special additions. We have four students who have passed their gold level and will be sparring tonight, so let’s get started.”
Two high school age boys with boxing gear on made their way into the ring. Beth had a t-shirt with the gym’s name on it and referee in print. She had them tap gloves then walk back five steps, then blew the whistle. The boys did some footwork around each other. He idly watched to see who would take the first punch. The one boy must have been watching. His opponent telegraphed with his body language what he was going to do but the watcher struck first, landing a hard blow to his head. From then, it was constant action for the rest of the round. The boys were evenly matched and enjoyable to watch. Whoever had taught them had done a good job.
Beth blew the whistle at the end of the round and the boys retreated to their corners. A man he didn’t know was talking with one boy and Winnie was talking with the watcher. She turned and demonstrated something to him, patted his shoulder and smiled. The kid nodded his head.
He’d had no idea Franks and Daughters Bail Bonds had multiple businesses. Bail bonds was a lot, but it seemed like they’d diversified.
A shoulder bump heralded Roam beside him.
“Pretty impressive, huh?”
“Yeah, it is. It seems lucrative, too.”
Roam nodded. “I know it is, but the students tonight are all scholarship ones, I believe.”
“Scholarship?”
“Beth is the youngest, but that woman can squeeze money from a turnip. She visits different businesses and asks for their support. Adults, unless they’re coming through Remington’s contacts, pay to learn self-defense, boxing and other disciplines. Anyone in school is offered a scholarship if the sisters have any inkling that they can’t pay. Scholarship students, though, are required to help out and volunteer their time for the younger kids.”
He ached to ask what Roam meant about Remington’s contacts but his quieter voice when he mentioned it told him all he needed to know. He’d ask about it when they were in a secure place without all the unwanted ears around. The building was impressive. He’d guessed it was one of the larger metal barn structures but inside, you’d never tell the sides were metal. Sheetrocked walls and ceilings had it looking like a high-end gym. Mirrors were interspersed on the walls beside weights where people could check their form. Positive sayings were painted on different parts of the wall. A couple places had levels written and names were signed underneath.
Besides designated restrooms, there were locker rooms at one end of the structure. The outside had looked a little strange to him when he walked up. Instead of seeing metal in a solid color, there were designs on the outside of the building. It had been getting dark enough he couldn’t tell if it had been done with wood or paint. Everything about this and the event made him curious to know more about Remington. It would help if she looked at him with something other than disdain.
