Page 9 of Further To Fall

5

Carter

The car radio cut out as my phone rang through the speakers. I glanced at the screen and tapped accept. “Hi, Liam.”

“Hey, how was school today?”

I grinned even though Liam obviously couldn’t see me. The first few days of classes had been exhilarating and exhausting, and I had loved every second of it. “It was great, I think I’m starting to get the hang of things. I don’t feel like I want to barf before starting a lesson anymore.”

Liam chuckled, “Sounds like a win to me. So, what are you up to right now? Want to meet up for an after-work drink?”

I grimaced, glad Liam couldn’t see my face. I didn’t want him to make a big deal of me getting self-defense lessons from Austin, so I hadn’t told him. But there was no way around telling him now. “I’m actually going to the gym to get some self-defense pointers from Austin.”

I was met with silence. After about thirty seconds, I heard a throat clearing and then, “Austin? Austin Lyons?”

“One and the same.” I turned my car into the parking lot my Prius’s navigation system pointed me towards and slid into an empty spot.

“Last time I checked, you guys had a strong dislike vibe going.”

I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel. “We did. But he showed up at my house last week with a million cupcakes and an apology for having misjudged me. I’m guessing you talked to him.”

“I might have had a word.”

“Did that word come with the threat of bodily harm?” I asked.

“Hell no! He’s an MMA fighter, I love you like you’re my own sister, but I don’t have a death wish.”

I couldn’t help the snort that escaped. “I guess that’s fair.” Now that Liam knew what was going on, I couldn’t resist digging for a little more information on Austin. “So, what’s the deal with his ex?”

“He told you about her?” The shock was evident in Liam’s voice.

“A little. He said she cheated and that I reminded him of her. That’s why he was a jerk to me.”

Liam let out a humming noise from the back of his throat. “That girl raked him over the coals, so I get it, but he needs to stop letting someone from his past ruin his present.”

I gripped the wheel. Now I had to know. “What happened?”

Liam was quiet for a few moments. “I’m going to share, so you understand where he’s coming from.”

“Okay.” The word came out hesitantly because my conscience was at war with itself. Half of me was dying to know what the story was, and the other half felt like it was a total invasion of privacy.

“Austin comes from a pretty poor community. He didn’t have much money, but he scrimped and saved and worked his ass off to get enough money to move him and Hailey out to LA. He kept working his ass off when he got here. Nightshift security gigs so he could train during the day.”

“That’s admirable.”

“It is. Hailey did not get a job. Said she wanted to model, but I never saw any evidence of her actually pursuing that. One night, I was having a party at my place. Austin couldn’t come because he was working as usual, but Hailey showed up. I didn’t think much of it at first, but then she followed me into my bedroom and proceeded to make a hard pass at me. I kicked her ass out and called A immediately.”

I couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped my lips. “That witch, you’re his closest friend out here.”

“I know.” Liam’s voice sounded defeated, and if I wasn’t mistaken, it carried a note of guilt. “After he did a little recon, he found out she’d been sleeping around pretty much the whole time they were together. Austin was working so hard, he didn’t see the signs. When he ended things with her, she emptied their joint bank account and stole his emergency cash and anything she thought she could sell from the apartment. She had also applied for a bunch of credit cards in both of their names, which she maxed out and didn’t pay off, tanking his credit.”

“That’s awful.” My words came out as a whisper. I felt slightly nauseous at the revelation of how badly Austin had been treated. I had a lot more empathy for his view of women now, that was for sure.

“It threw him for a loop. He dealt with it by turning off his emotions a bit, not letting anyone new in, especially women.” My heart softened even further towards the angry mountain man. Between the softening of my heart and the way my body tingled at Austin’s proximity, I was going to be a mess during this workout. Liam kept talking. “I’m glad you’re hanging out with him. I think you’ll do him some good. Shine some of that Carter sunshine on him.”

I let out a light laugh. “I don’t know, I might accidentally give him a black eye. You know how I am with physical activity that requires coordination.”

“Oh, boy.”

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