“That’s not true.”Lonnie shifts on his feet, and I stand up from my desk.
“You want me to go get Kincade and we can ask him together?”Lonnie’s eyes go wide.“That’s what I thought.”
“He’s an asshole,” Lonnie says, and I shrug.
“So what?I’m an asshole.You’re the one that wanted to train for the lightweight division, Lonnie.Kincade can get the job done, but not when his fighters skip training to chase ass.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lonnie says, but his eyes widen.He knows he’s busted.
“Really?That wasn’t you sneaking a girl into the women’s locker room two nights ago?Because the guy on the security footage had a bright yellow gym bag with your initials on it.”I glance down at the gym bag in his hands and raise an eyebrow.“And the girl with him looked an awful lot like the new chick at the smoothie shop next door.”
“Boss, I can explain?—”
“Don’t bother explaining it to me, Lonnie.If you want to train to fight, then you need to apologize to Coach Kincade and get your ass in the ring.If you don’t want to be here, then stop wasting his fucking time and breaking my fucking rules.”I stand up and take a step toward him.With my height, I easily tower over his frame.“You’re smart enough to know you’re not going to walk into my gym and get a participation trophy, just like you’re not going to walk into my office and get a pat on the back.So you can get your ass out there and get to work, or you can get mad and storm out of here and come back in two days when you realize you fucked up and walked out on your best shot at getting a title.The choice is yours, but it would save us both some time if you made the right decision now.”
Lonnie presses his lips together for half a second before nodding and letting his shoulders sag.“Sorry, boss.It won’t happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t,” I say before nodding to the door.“If you hurry, you can finish your warmups before Kincade starts.”
As soon as Lonnie is gone, I go back to my desk and grab my cell.I need to make some rounds before I head out, and now is as good a time as any.
Prized Fitness is a high-end gym that specializes in training for competition.I won more than my fair share of titles in the MMA octagon after being trained by my grandfather and father, who ran this gym before me.Once I stopped competing professionally, I took it over from my dad, and now I’m the one in charge.This is a place that has a legacy, but it’s state of the art and caters to those that want to level up their skills.We work in all areas like jiu-jitsu, mixed martial arts, and even boxing.This is the city where I grew up, and the name Bolland means something to the fighting community.
Although I don’t compete on the pro circuit anymore, I still like to get dirty from time to time.There’s an underground fight ring that I host once a month, and it’s happening tomorrow night.It’s one of the reasons I’m a stickler for the rules.I can’t have someone like Lonnie coming in here with a girl after hours and then word getting out that I host unsanctioned fights illegally.Sure, it’s risky, but it’s one of the few thrills I’ve got left, and I’m not ready to give it up.
“Everything good?”I ask Cedric when I get to the front desk where everyone checks in and out.
“All good, boss,” he says, but before I can turn around to leave, he’s calling me back.“Oh, I almost forgot.I had to reissue Stephen a new key fob.He lost his old one.”
“Again?”I growl, feeling annoyed.
“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Cedric says and holds up his hands.“He said he thought he left it in his ex-girlfriend’s car and asked me not to cancel it yet.”
“He knows damn well he didn’t leave it in there,” I say, rolling my eyes.“He’s just trying to see if she’s fucking someone else yet.”
“My money is on Stephen’s brother Reece.”Cedric leans close and lowers his voice.“I saw Reece texting her the other day.”
“And they say women like to gossip.”I shake my head.“Give him twenty-four hours and then cancel the old one.Got it?”
“You got it, boss,” Cedric confirms, and I head back to the gym.
Making the rounds, I say hello to a few coaches and watch them work.Everyone calls me boss, including the guys training.Once that’s done, I check in with Albert, head of housekeeping, to make sure we’re all good on supplies before tomorrow night’s underground fight.
“I want first-aid set up by the back wall,” I say to Albert.“And I want someone stationed by the entrances to the locker rooms.Both men’s and women’s.I don’t want anyone sneaking in there while the fights are happening.”
“Are you sure the women’s too?”Albert asks, and I nod.“Probably not a bad idea.I’ve been seeing a lot more activity in there recently when I go to clean at night.”
I curse Lonnie under my breath.I didn’t go back and look at other footage of who went in and out of the locker room once I saw Lonnie and the smoothie girl.I guess I should have checked to see how many times they’ve been visiting the women’s locker room, but it’s not like it really matters.I’ll keep an eye on it going forward, and if I see him go in there again, it’s going to be a problem.
“Thanks, Albert.I appreciate you checking on it.”
As busy as this gym is, we don’t have a ton of women that work out here regularly.I’ve reached out to a few women about coaching here, but so far, nothing has panned out.I should be better about recruiting, but with how busy I’ve been, I haven’t made it a priority.Just then someone calls my name, and I’m pulled in another direction.Maybe one of these days things will settle down.
CHAPTERTHREE
JULIET
Ijerk awake when a hand touches my shoulder, and a small scream leaves me before I can press my hand over my mouth.This is the last place to be screaming.
