Not because I wasn’t good enough, but because I was letting fear overwhelm me, and that was a recipe for disaster. If I stepped in that ring right now and sparred with him, I wouldn’t be coming out unscathed.
I hissed in a breath as Deke rotated my shoulder. The pain wasn’t really there, but it did the trick.
“Nah, you’re not getting in the ring today.”
“It’ll be fine,” I said, getting to my feet, bouncing on my toes.
“Not happening. Let’s ice it and see how you are tomorrow.” Craning his neck, he shouted to the other man, “Masters! We’re holding off for today. The gym is yours!”
Masters raised a glove in acknowledgment, then got to work on the bag I’d abandoned not even ten minutes ago.
“Let’s get you cooled down,” Deke said, slapping me on the back. “Should I get the ice bath going?”
I shook my head, unwrapping my hands. “I’m just gonna steam for a little bit, then hit the showers.”
“You sure? It could help with that shoulder.”
The shoulder that didn’t need help at all.
“I think it’s just tension.”
Strolling over, he crossed his arms over his chest, giving me that look I knew all too well. “Look, if this is about that woman?—”
“It’s not.”
“She can’t pull your focus. Not when you’re this close to a comeback.”
“I know, and believe me, I’ve got it under control.”
“You’d better. We didn’t go through all this to walk away now.”
“I said I’ve got it,” I snapped, regretting it seconds later as my trainer’s jaw twitched in irritation. “Look, it’ll be fine tomorrow. I just need to take the rest of the day to reset my head.”
“You do that.”
This was everything I’d ever wanted, and I was blowing it. If I really wanted this shot, I would have to drop Cassidy. I couldn’t afford to lose momentum now that I was back on track.
But if I stopped watching over Cassidy, who would be there to protect her from Austin?
What I needed was an update from Michael. After showering, I snatched my phone out of my locker and called him, hoping he could give me good news.
“Parker,” Michael answered.
“Any updates?”
“Yeah. We found the poison. It was in one of Josie’s herbs.”
“But you don’t believe she actually had anything to do with it, do you?”
“Me? Not a chance in hell, but Pop isn’t so easily convinced. He’s got blinders on where Ma’s concerned.”
“What about any links to Austin?”
“Still nothing.”
I cursed under my breath, pinching the bridge of my nose as my anxiety spiked. I needed this to be over. Not just for my own sanity, but because if I didn’t get Cassidy out of my head, I was gonna blow everything. And that was just part of the problem.
Walking out of the gym, I quickly tucked myself against the brick wall when I spotted Cassidy bringing in her sign for the night. I had to get away from her.
