Page 29 of Sealed in Ink

He sounds impatient. I have no time for a proper shower or to fix my hair. I splash myself with water and tie my hair up, not bothering with makeup. I put on a hoodie and thick blue jeans. It’s not like hiding myself worked last time. Three long weeks ago. I need to find time to get a pregnancy test. My thoughts won’t stop skipping, torturing. I need everything to slow down.

“Are you ready?” Brad asks ten minutes later, with another knock.

There is no slowing down. “Yeah.”

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

RUST

“I didn’t even like surprises when I was a kid,” I tell Marquis as we drive into the gym together. He lives around the corner from my penthouse, an ideal setup since I’m his most successful student by far.

“You’ll like this one,” he says gleefully, turning the wheel, seeming like some trickster god. “It’s agoodsurprise. Not like an assault.”

“Self-defense. The cops didn’t even care.”

ButIcared. It’s been two nights since then. Two nights of Maddie Maddox’s bullcrap online. I’ve had time to reflect on what happened: Dad’s call, the tears, the emotion. It’s all because of my woman. It’s because I’m letting myself think of her. Now, I have to be ruthless. I have to eliminate her from my thoughts.

“And a secret affair,” Marquis goes on jokingly.

“No,” I tell him. “Not a damn affair. I never saw that woman before that night.”

“Okay, okay, jeez, I apologize.”

“I don’t want anything to do with her,” I snap.

“I understand, my friend. Anybody would think I have struck a sore point, but I’ve never seen that lady before.”

“It’s because I’d rather set myself on fire than be with anybody…”Except Mary.

“What? Female?”

“No. It’s not like that.”

“Anybody at all, then?”

“Are you driving or talking?” I grunt.

He focuses on the road, tsking. “This fight is only getting bigger. I’m sure you saw what Cruz said.”

“Yeah, that I staged the whole thing to play the hero. I don’t give a damn.”

“Training is more important than ever. Getting you sharp. All I know is what my eyes tell me, my friend, and my eyes tell me you need help.”

“You’re not taking me to a therapy session, are you? I’ll walk out.”

“Not therapy inthatsense,” he says. “No, we’re going to the gym.”

When Marquis insisted on driving, I suspected it was because he didn’t want me to be able to leave easily. He’s pulled stunts like this before, like having me hit pads on an open-top trailer on a train. Or run hills at 3 a.m. to condition my mind. Usually, I’m game, but I know nothing will fix this mood I’m in exceptMary. Except for Brad saying,Please, claim my eighteen-year-old sister again. No hard feelings.

“There is something I have been wondering,” Marquis says, taking the final corner to the gym. I say nothing, and he continues, “I have been your coach for sixteen fights: fifteen wins and one loss. I have never seen you angry in a fight, but you were fighting angrily in that video.”

“My technique was good enough,” I grunt.

“It was fantastic,” Marquis says. “The armbar attempt, the spatial awareness, the fight IQ, all top-notch, but you wereangry, Rust. Why?”

“Maybe because I’m a man and not a goddamn robot. What do you want from me?”

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