“Lie to someone else. What’s up?” I’ve known Thomas for a good while; I know when shit is up, and this is Thomas who’s battling something. I can see the heaviness hanging on to him.
In an instant, he kicks his legs down, making a loud sound as the footrest collapses back in. I watch as he stands up and paces the room. Thomas is huge and full of Aztec tattoos. Someone you don’t want to be mad at you. A two-time champion of Champ One. Being able to witness his reign has been one of my greatest pleasures. He eats and sleeps MMA. It was and is his lifeline.
He stops his pacing, facing away from me. “I’m in love. Fuck, I think I’m in love.” When he turns toward me, his face is a mixture of fear and excitement.
I know my face conveys the way I’m feeling by those words, shocked. Thomas has only ever had flings, never letting them last too long or get too close to him.
“Holy hell.”
“Tell me about it.” He starts his pacing again.
I know if I don’t get all the information, Rowan is going to be pissed at me. I chuckle quietly to myself.
“Who is it and when the hell did this happen?” I ask confused, because I am. The last woman I saw him with was at his celebratory dinner, which he forced Rowan to attend when she first came around Hard Knocks. I’ve heard a woman speaking in the background of our phone conversations, but that’s the extent of it.
Thomas’s shoulders rise and then fall. “Fuck. Okay, she’s the doctor for Champ One… It’s Rebecca Anderson”.
My eyes bug out because I know exactly who he's speaking of, and she’s more than just the doctor for the fighters; she’s also the owner’s only daughter. “Are you insane?” Because he must be.
“Yeah.” He smiles so wide, showing his white teeth gleaming against his tanned skin, and I know he’s screwed. In that one moment, he just showed me all his cards.
“Thomas, she’s off limits; everyone knows that.”
“That’s what made it so fun. But here I am now, in love with a woman I’m not supposed to be in love with. With a woman that I can’t live without, now.”
He could lose everything—his career in the MMA, his titles, all of it. Bryan Anderson isn’t someone who takes his daughter lightly. I’ve seen what he did to the last man. And now, I’m concerned about Thomas and his safety.
Then it hits me. “She’s supposed to get married this year, Thomas!”
He grimaces. “She isn’t getting married. The only reason she was there was to connect Champ One and Revolt. It was a business arrangement made between her father and Jennings.” He spits the words out.
My heart pounds because this is more than just him and Rebecca; this is the two biggest MMA companies forming; this is money. “Thomas, this will not end well.” And I know with my whole being it isn’t, and that scares me.
“I’d rather die while loving Rebecca than live without ever having been loved, Luca. And I know you, out of everyone, know what I mean. Rebecca is my start and end. And if I have to end because I love her, then so be it.” He pauses. “You ready?” he says as he pockets his cell phone; the conversation is now over.
I don’t say anything more to him about this, but this conversation isn’t over. This is some serious shit, and I don’t even know if he understands how serious it truly is. I’m scared for my friend, my brother.
The thirty-minute drive to the location is quiet, both Thomas and I in our own worlds, and it stays that way until we’re two blocks away from the house, our rental parked next to a curb in a suburban neighborhood. This man tried to stay inconspicuous, but we found him.
It never fails; my stomach turns, and my heart picks up its speed when I get so close to a job. As I sit, I say a brief prayer. A prayer for my safety and to return home to Rowan.
“I’m not sure where he’ll be, but he’s been in the pool house as of late, or he’s been occupying his office.” Thomas reiterateswhat he had already told me in our first debriefing when I got to town.
Nodding my head, I tap my pocket, knowing the case is there, but needing to feel it.
“Keep your ears on.”
“Yes, Dad,” I joke with him as I place my ear devices in the shell of my ear, so we’ll be in constant communication in case anything goes haywire. Just a push of the button, and he can hear me.
This is the first time I’m using this, Thomas’s new addition to the job. We’ll see if I hate it.
“I’ll be at the meetup spot when you’re done.” He holds out his fist, and I bump it with mine before stepping out, pulling my beanie down lower to conceal my long hair that sits in a topknot.
I take the two blocks at a brisk walk, not wanting to draw any attention to myself, when I stop in front of Marco’s house.
It’s unremarkable, a normal cookie-cutter home that doesn’t scream trafficking and illegal activities.
I check the street before I walk to the edge of the property, along the grass between his house and the neighbor's, blending in with the darkness that welcomes me.
