Combative by Jay McLean

Author:Jay McLean [McLean, Jay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: combative book one
Published: 2015-05-16T04:00:00+00:00

14

MADISON

Sara: What are you doing?

Madison: Walking.

Sara: On your own?

Sara: You there?

KY

I fight a war in my head trying to work out what parts to reveal to Jackson and what to keep to myself. I decide on the facts that are of interest to the case—and nothing else. The personal vendetta I have on DeLuca is exactly that—personal. I tell him about DeLuca’s phone and the numbered codes—and I tell him about it being set on a different language.

“What language?” he asks.

I stop and lean against a building on the way home from the gym. “I can’t be sure. DeLuca—sounds Italian, right? Maybe it’s that.”

“Maybe. Thanks for getting that info. Doesn’t really help much, though.”

“Sorry, man. I’ll keep trying.”

“It’s all we can do. Keep me in the loop on everything.”

“Yeah.”

“Everything, Ky. I mean it.”

“Promise.”

Lie.

***

Madison jumps up from the seat in the foyer when I enter the building. I wish it were one of those times when seeing her would make me forget everything else. Unfortunately, it isn’t. And I can lie to her—lie to Jax, even. But I can’t lie to myself. “Morning, Kyler,” she coos, sauntering toward me. She curls her arm around my neck and leans up for a kiss. But she stops halfway and pouts, then runs her thumb across the cut on my lip.

I rear back and push her hand away.

She frowns.

“Sorry,” I mumble.

“I take it it wasn’t a good session?”

I swing my gym bag behind me and wrap my arms around her waist. “Sucked. I just wanted to be back in bed with you.”

“So you missed me, huh?”

“Always.”

She jerks her head toward the mailboxes. “Are you going to you check your mail today?”

“What?”

“There might be a surprise...you know...other than bills or credit card applications.”

I spin on my heels and move toward the boxes. Over my shoulder I say, “How did you get into my mailbox?”

She follows, standing next to me as I turn the key. “Frank,” she says.

“Frank?”

“The maintenance guy. Jeez, Ky. You don’t know the maintenance guy?”

I shake my head and then open the box.

A single pink rose.

“Debbie said it was the color for thankfulness.”

I pull out the flower and pretend to examine it, but my mind’s reeling. “When did you see Debbie?”

“This morning, while you were at the gym.”

I glance up at her. “You went out on your own?”

“Yup!” She nods proudly.

“By yourself?”

Another nod.

“And your anxiety?”

“Not so bad.” She shrugs. “It was worth it. I just wanted to find a way to show you how I felt about you.”

“You’re thankful?”

“For you, Ky. Yes. I’m thankful.”

***

Slumping down on the couch, I start to unwrap the tape from around my fingers. Morning sessions at the gym focus on Martial Arts. Gunner and I spent most of the time sparring in the cage while he taught me different moves; defense and offense. Gunner knows a hell of a lot more about skilled martial arts. Me? I just kind of punch things. So far, that had been enough. But if I want to get DeLuca, I need time. Which means that I need to make it through my first fight.

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