Ruined: Loving An Alpha Male(48)

“So you’re not running from Travis or any of his goons?”

“No, of course not.”

I paused, listening for the inflections in the voice to indicate when someone is lying. So far she was passing, but my gut told me something was wrong. I didn’t push.

Instead, I calmed down slightly and said to her, “So if everything is okay, I’ll see you at the fight tomorrow?”

“Mason, I…”

I didn’t let her finish. “Angel, you have one of two choices. One is that I come to where you are. And don’t think for a second I won’t be able to find you. I’ve done it for a living for ten years. Or, I’ll see you tomorrow at the fight before it starts.”

To help her along, I said softly, “I need you there with me tomorrow, Maxine. It’s important.”

I knew she couldn’t deny me then.

I heard her sigh loudly, and then she conceded, “Okay. I’ll be there.”

“Thank you… And afterwards we need to talk.”

“I know,” she said softly.

I let her go by reiterating her presence being needed tomorrow. What I made sure to do until I see her is change my way of thinking. I can’t let my emotions get the better of me, and I was feeling that happening. No matter what I learned, tomorrow, I had to stay focused. I dug deep within and summoned the darkness that I’ve been trying to suppress. I instantly felt fear for the first time in a very long time.

I also knew I truly cared about this woman. No matter what happened tomorrow, I had to make sure she knew that. There’s not that many people I would lay my life on the line for. Except for my country as a whole and my SEAL team, my brother, grandparents, and AB are the only ones I would die for…until now. I knew if given the opportunity, I would do anything for Allura Maxine Shaw.

When I arrived at the facility, I was quiet. When Alex saw me, he knew a transformation took place. Being a SEAL, there were so many things we saw, and so many things we had to do that weren’t for the faint of heart. Being on the SEAL Team meant we had the ugliest jobs known to man. I can’t begin to tell you how many people I sent to hell throughout my career. What people knew about me was how quiet I liked to be. You never knew when it was coming, or when I was coming. But when I got to you, it was guaranteed that I was ending your life. When you laid eyes on me, there wasn’t a question of “it’s me or you.” No doubt about it, it would be your life that would be ending.

So Alex and my team started calling me “The Reaper.” They always said it was something in my eyes that would change and nothing else. My face would show no emotion, but my eyes would be blazing with fury. I never saw it, mind you. But by the way Alex was looking at me now, I knew that change had occurred. I felt it happening last night. It was something in me that just switched. I needed to release this aggression within me, and I hoped it would be soon.

I remained quiet in the waiting room. I concentrated on warming up and staying loose. I felt myself losing patience as time went by. When I finally saw her, the body language she wore told me something was wrong. She walked in with Stephen and helped him set his equipment up for any fighter that needed him throughout the night. I watched her closely—the way she moved and how she interacted with everyone—and something was off. I knew she felt me watching her. I could feel it when she had her eyes on me, and I knew we shared the same feeling. She was avoiding me.

Alex was next to me putting tape on my hands when he looked up and saw what I was looking at. He paused and watched too.

He whispered, “Oh shit,” which sprung me into action.

I headed in her direction, and she felt me coming. She turned, and I could clearly see her bracing herself. But as I got closer, I could see her relax.

That is, until her eyes met mine. She smiled weakly.

“Hey, you. Are you ready for the fight?”

I searched her eyes and assessed the damage. When I spoke, it was softly, so only she could hear.

“What the fuck did he do to you?”

Her eyes grew large as saucers, but she didn’t reply. I saw her eyes get moist, and I touched her cheek and wiped the tear that fell.

“Tell me what happened?” I asked her.

She shook her head no, and continued to not meet my gaze. I traced the side of her jaw and traveled down to her chin. I tilted her head, and I saw the faintness of a bruise and swelling on her cheek and the effort of concealing. She finally met my eyes, and I could see fear all over her.

She still didn’t speak to me. I decided I would find out what he did on my own. I placed my hands on the sides of her beautiful face, and then moved them down to her neck. I tilted her head up slightly, so I could see if there was bruising underneath her scarf. I think she knew then what I was doing and moved her neck from my grip.