Outside The Ropes: OtherSide Of Fear Part 16

I THREW OPEN THE DOOR TO HIS office, and Gage popped to his feet.

"Regan." He rounded the desk, approaching me fast with concern lining his face. "Whats wrong?"

"You tell me." The storm that I blew in with was swirling my thoughts, I didnt know where to start. "I was stopped on my way to cla.s.s-"

He put a finger to his lips, silencing me. His other hand gripped my elbow, turning me to walk out the empty office. He didnt let go as we walked through the club already spotted with men in suits coming straight after work to watch the girls dance. Outside, he pressed the starter for his SUV and it came to life, engine humming and lights flipping on.

"We can talk in here." He opened the pa.s.senger side door for me and closed it once I was in.

My heart pounded in my stomach as I waited for him to come around to the drivers side. His reaction was freaking me out, and I hadnt even told him anything yet.

Once he was in, he turned up the heat and turned down the music. Then his focus was on me. "They approached you today too? Did you say anything?"

"Who?" Questions exploded in my mind. "Alessandra stopped me at school. Who are you talking about?"

He sunk into his seat as he let out a breath, but the relief was short lived. His shoulders tensed back up in the next second, and he turned to question me, "Alessandra? What did she want? What did she do?"

I watched him. Her words played in my head, making him look different. But I couldnt repeat them yet. "Who approached you?"

He inhaled, reaching for my hand. "Ill tell you, but first, tell me what happened."

"She wanted me to get in the car with her so we could talk." I spoke fast, more interested in what happened to him now.

He stilled, grip strong on my hand. "Did you?"

"No."

"Howd that go over?" He was giving me an odd look, a small smile blending with his worry lines.

"She didnt like it." I shrugged, muscles stiff with nerves. "But I couldnt get in that car. I didnt trust her motives."

"Good. You shouldnt. Sh.e.l.l say anything to get her way. Did she say anything?"

I nodded, silent.

"Get in." She smiled a knowing smile and nodded to the seat next to her.

"No." I took steps back before I could give in to my curiosity. If it werent for the life growing in me, Id be in that car. "We can talk another time. Ive got to get to cla.s.s."

"Stupid girl. My husband will be out soon, and you will do well to remember who you and Gage really work for."

Her words chained me where I stood, reminding me that there was no escape, no matter where I ran.

"Anatoli may have shown you favor before but prisons taught him greater control. You dont want to make me an enemy too."

"What?" His voice was gentle, coaxing, as he warmed my hand between his. "What did she say?"

"Rusnak will be out soon." I lifted my eyes from our hands to question him, "Do you work for Viktor or him? Whats going to happen?"

Each second that he stayed silent tightened the chains on me.

"Their Attorney General was elected, and he can sway things, but nothings certain yet. Theres no release date, no sign that hes getting out anytime soon."

"But if he does?" My fingertips were frozen, even in the warmth of Gages hand.

"Him and Viktor will work together. Anatoli will have a lot of baggage getting out of prison. His name is tainted, he wont be able to fall right back into things."

"And what about you?" I attempted to pull myself back from thoughts that were headed towards a dark pit I didnt want to fall in. "What happened to you today? Why are we in the car talking?"

He dropped my hand and wiped his palms on his pants. Gripping his knees, he looked at me with a side eye. "Someone cornered me in the gym this morning. Someone with the FBI."

He had my full attention now. "What happened?"

He shook his head. "He questioned me about the club, about the girls working here, about who I was working for." He moved a hand to the back of his neck as he faced me. "He said I could avoid legal trouble if I agreed to become an informant."

"What did you say?" It was barely a whisper, everything twisted inside me.

"I told him, he needed to either arrest me for something or get the f.u.c.k out of my face, that I didnt know what the h.e.l.l he was talking about."

I released the breath I was holding. The knots in my stomach, loosening. "And he just walked away? So they dont really have anything on you?"

He shook his head. "No, they have ideas, nothing solid. But..." His finger tapped on his knee. "Im not sure it wasnt set up by Viktor to test me. Either way, I have to tell him, but its got me paranoid about everything. Thats why were not talking in the office."

"Well, if it was a test, then you pa.s.sed. If it was for real, youll sell the club soon and not be attached to it. What did they have on the club anyways?"

"I think the prost.i.tution. I told Alessandra from the start, the girls shouldnt do that, we needed to avoid any illegal activity that would draw suspicion and interfere with the main purpose of filtering money. At least its separate now, but Ill have to warn Ian."

He looked at me then, eyes softening as they ran over me. "How are you doing though? I dont want this stress to get to you. Ill take care of it, you just worry about that baby." His chest rose and fell, and then he leaned over the console to me, hand sliding behind my head. His eyes held mine, close enough that his lips caressed as he spoke, "Im proud of you for not getting in that car."

The kiss was soft and warm. His gentle touch on my stomach melted the ice there into a puddle. And for the first time since I heard Anatoli Rusnaks name, I felt safe. This was Gage, the man who loved me, who would do anything for me. I pushed my doubts down.

The hum of a car pulling up to the back door of the club pulled us apart, and we both looked up. It was Alessandras town car.

"Thought she might come here since you wouldnt talk to her." He shook his head, tight lipped. "Ill go deal with her. I want you to go home. And starting tomorrow, youre getting a driver, I dont want you alone."

My mouth went dry at the sight of her and the idea of Gage going to her.

"I can go with you. That way she can tell us both whatever she wanted to say." I opened the door before Gage could speak and stepped out as Alessandra rose from the back of her car.

She pulled the collar of her fur coat around her, blocking the cold, and smiled when she looked towards me. Her gaze s.h.i.+fted to Gage in the next second, and her lips stretched even further. "I should have known youd come straight here and talk to him."

"What do you want?" Gages deep voice cut through my response.

She rolled her eyes. "Neither of you. I came to talk with Katya and Ian."

"Katya?" Gage questioned.

"Cherry." She smiled at me. "That girls got potential to go far." She turned away from us and walked towards the back door.

I pulled on Gages arm to stop him from following her. "Let her go talk with them. Theres something else."

He ran his hand through his hair as he turned to face me, but his eyes still followed her into the club.

"People at school know Im pregnant."

That brought his attention firmly back on me. "That f.u.c.king coach. Ill kill him."

I squeezed his arm, his words scaring me.

He clenched his jaw, but the fire dropped from his eyes. "Who knows?"

"A few people." I shrugged. "Im not sure. Only one said something to me."

He paused, and then his hands gripped my shoulders with light pressure, meaning to give comfort but falling short. "Itll be okay, but this is one more reason that youll have someone with you from now on. Ill set it up." He looked up, back to the closed door of the club. "Go straight home. Ill be there as soon as I can." He kissed my lips briefly, but he wasnt present for it. His thoughts were already in that club.

"Wait." The wind carried away my voice, and he didnt pause as he jogged to the back door.

The chill of the day was nothing compared to the ice in my bones as he slipped into the club. I tried to block out the rest of Alessandras words, and focus on the truth I felt with Gage. But my trust in him had cracks, and she seeped into them.

"I can help you." Alessandras smile didnt look friendly.

"Ive got to go." I looked over my shoulder, across the lawn of the mall, my next cla.s.s on the opposite side. But my feet still werent moving.

She clicked her tongue. "Were done here, Yuri. Get back in." She stopped the man from closing the door on her as he got back in the pa.s.senger seat. She leaned over an empty seat to hiss, "Youre pathetic. Anatoli was wrong about you, youre not cut out for any of this."

I must not have been as frozen as I thought because she laughed at whatever reaction crossed my face.

"Yeah, I know about you two. But I dont care. He knows my value. And besides," her lip curled, slithering under my skin, "Its not like I havent f.u.c.ked your husband too."

She slammed the door shut and the car rolled away.

18: The Past.

THE FRONT DOOR SLID CLOSE, A LIGHT sound but enough to pull me from the surface of sleep. The beeping of the alarm as it was deactivated and then reset let me sink back against the headboard. It was Gage.

The clock on the nightstand table read 12:31. It only felt like minutes, but I had been asleep for hours. His shadow traveled down the dark hallway, growing as he approached the room. His fingers were already at the b.u.t.tons on his s.h.i.+rt, undoing and removing.

He paused as he crossed into our bedroom, s.h.i.+rt half undone. "Youre awake?" A small smile touched his lips as he changed direction, strolling to our bed instead of the closet.

"I heard you come in." I sat up, blankets covering my bare legs, a thin tank top doing little to keep away the chill in the room. But he warmed me by running his large hands over my arms when he sat on the edge of the bed.

I s.h.i.+fted closer as he moved towards me, meeting him in a kiss. His lips moved with mine, not demanding anything, but his eyes did as he pulled back. His gaze locked on me, searching as his hand moved to my cheek. "Why havent you said anything?"

"About what?" Nerves crept in, but his gentleness kept them down.

"Alessandra told me what she said."

I stiffened. "That you two slept together?"

He nodded, too calm, too focused on me.

"Why did she tell you that?" The warmth was ripped away, and I pulled back.

"She thought you already did. She thought thats what I was going to talk to her about, but you hadnt told me that. Why?"

Bringing my knees up to my chest, I wrapped my arms around them. My own protection against a conversation with the potential to destroy.

"I trust you." Or at least I was trying to. I was trying to block out the thoughts that went against my instincts. "I dont want to keep accusing you of things, Ive done that too much. I have to trust that you would have told me if it were true."

His eyes dropped from mine, and my heart dropped to my stomach.

"Right?" I wanted to beg for it not to be true. I wasnt ready to face this. That was the truth as much as I tried to pretend otherwise.

He lifted his head back up. "It was a long time ago." I covered my mouth as he grabbed my hand on my knee, speaking fast, "Before I met you. I was young and stupid, and it was a mistake."

The tightness in my chest was pulling, nearly snapping. It should have been a relief, but I couldnt stand the visions that flashed. I dropped my head to my knees and took in a few breaths.

He slid his other hand around the curve of my shoulder, tentative and slow. "I didnt tell you before because we never talk about the past, and thats all that is."

My head popped up. "No, thats not all that is. Shes not the past, shes here now."

"Im sorry." His grip on me tightened. "I didnt know shed use it to try and hurt you, or I would have warned you."

"You should have told me. You shouldnt have secrets with her." I slid out of his hold.

He grabbed the covers like pulling on them would keep me close. "I dont. It really was a one-time thing. A mistake."

"Tell me. Everything."

He made a pained sound, face twisting as he looked at me. "Dont do this. You dont want the details."

"I want to know what happened." I nodded, sure. "Does Rusnak know?"

"f.u.c.k him. I dont care what he knows," he snapped, anger raising his voice.

"Well I care, so answer the question."

"Why?" He narrowed his eyes, voice cold and rigid as he leaned in close to me. "Why do you care about him? Why bring him up?"

"Because you slept with a married woman, and thats her husband." Our eyes burned into each other, tension set on fire. I leaned back, rising above the challenge. "And if he didnt know, Im sure he will now. She said it in front of those men in her car, they could tell. I cant imagine him taking it well."