Rebel Walking: Fighting The Odds Part 9

The nod of his head makes my heart drop.

"YES, YOU STUBBORN a.s.s. I CAN'T DEAL WITH YOU BEING SLICED OPEN OVER AND OVER.".

He talks over his mouth piece, but I can hear him. "I've got this, Kimber. For you, I can do anything."

"I KNOW YOU CAN. I JUST NEED YOU TO STOP. IT'S NOT WORTH IT AND MY FATHER IS IN ON THIS.".

The sound of the bell ringing stops my plea. f.u.c.king bell.

"LUKE, REMEMBER WHAT I TAUGHT YOU. GO KICK HIS a.s.s. YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED RIGHT HERE TO DO THIS." Lou puts his hands through the slot in the cage and slaps his chest just over his heart.

Luke c.o.c.ks his head up, kisses the air in my direction and turns to walk away.

"LOU. WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS?".

"WHY DOES YOUR FATHER DO EVERYTHING?" I know this answer. Money, just as I thought.

Watching the next round isn't any easier. It actually gets worse. Luke is bleeding, but he doesn't back down. He forces Greg to the ground again and manages to bind that left hand under his knee. His fist lands over and over on Greg and I can see the exhaustion set in on them both. Luke's body towers over Greg's, but he's moving slower than he was. He keeps that hand under him and I look over to see my father's disproving face.

He knows he's going to lose this. It would take a KO for Greg to win this. The bell should've gone off by now. I know this. I can run the bell on just my feeling of time after so many years of witnessing fights and training. Something's wrong.

"LOU, WHERE'S THE BELL?".

"IT SHOULD BE GOING OFF. LUKE HAS THIS FIGHT." I keep waiting. Where the f.u.c.k is the bell. Greg moves and maneuvers it so that he's now holding Luke around his neck with his left arm. This should make me feel better, but that f.u.c.king bell has me on edge.

"LOU, WHERE THE f.u.c.k IS THE BELL?" Lou moves to the judge positioned at center stage. He leans in and when he pulls back, his face is full of terror. I watch Lou grab the edge of the table and throw it in the air. All of the equipment flies in the air. He turns and climbs the cage and screams at Luke.

"TIL DEATH, LUKE. FIGHT TIL DEATH. KILL HIS a.s.s." Lou watches for realization in Luke's face, then turns to my father once he sees it. My body freezes and the entire room goes silent in my head. Things are moving in slow motion as a nightmare begins to unfold.

A muscular body engulfs me and I don't even fight him. He holds my head against his chest and I pray. Pray for it all to stop. Please stop everything. PLEASE f.u.c.kING STOP EVERYTHING.

Chapter Twelve.

Luke.

"IT'S TIL DEATH. KILL HIS a.s.s." What in the f.u.c.k? This isn't what I signed up for. The look of Lou's face tells me he didn't know either. This is bad. Really f.u.c.king bad. It's bad because I have no problem killing this mother f.u.c.ker for everything he did to Kimber.

I move so his hold on me is forced to release. That razor blade lands every once in a while and I think it's about time he feel the freedom of the slice. I take his arm behind his back and further restrain him with my fist against his head. Smas.h.i.+ng his head into the ground will be my pleasure.

This fight needs to be over. I f.u.c.king hate this rolling around on the ground s.h.i.+t. It's time to end this f.u.c.king mess. I use my fist against the side of his head over and over to drive my point across. Adrenaline has filled my veins and I won't stop until they pull me off his dead body.

"LUKE STOP!" I hear her. She's screaming at the top of her lungs. "THIS ISN'T YOU! STOP!" Maybe this is me. It's actually nice to unleash this fury. I'm not even sure at this point if my anger is about Kimber or about where I've let myself get in my life. I've been so f.u.c.king lost and for once, I feel found when I'm with Kimber. She reminds me to live. Reminds me to feel even if feeling is painful.

I look down at Greg. This man killed a baby. He will have to pay for that in time, but he doesn't even f.u.c.king know what he's done. I spit out my mouth piece and the extra saliva onto the floor beside his face.

"Touch a woman again, and I'll find you. I'll make it so that you never walk again." His eyes are swelling shut.

I'm going to win this fight, then I'm going to f.u.c.k Kimber while she cries for you. His words from earlier flood my pounding head. I push harder on his back until his breathing is even more restricted.

"Touch Kimber again, and I will make it so that they never find the pieces of your worthless body, you sick f.u.c.k." Sweat and blood drip from my face onto his cheek.

Her arms wrap around me and my only thoughts are to get her away from him. She needs to be far enough away from him that she never has to think about him or look over her shoulders in worry that he'll be there.

I stand and wrap her up in my arms. Walking out of the cage, I see a policeman standing there. He walks up to me, "You're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.........." f.u.c.k!

I hold my arms out for the handcuffs. "Can you tell me what I'm being arrested for?"

"First degree manslaughter." I turn to look at the lifeless body of the a.s.shole who can't hurt her anymore and I don't feel any remorse.

"Talon, take Kimber home with you, she's mine so take care of her." He's holding her as she watches me through tears. This night is so f.u.c.ked up.

He pulls the cuffs tighter and starts to pull me away when we come face to face with a wall of men. "Excuse me officer. That man isn't dead and I believe you have some explaining to do." My eyes meet an older man standing next to Holden. Holden is serious and in security mode.

I see more movement behind him. Looking closely I see some men man-handling Kimber's father.

"You're involved in an illegal business and your a.s.sociation will be the end of you professionally. I will bring the whole operation down if it's the last thing I do. You need to remove the cuffs from Mr. Jacobs now." He releases my hold, but not the cuffs.

Two men move in on the cop quickly. My what-in-the-f.u.c.k expression meets Holden and he finally steps forward.

"I knew s.h.i.+t was going down tonight, I decided you needed reinforcement." Looking around... really looking around... this place is flooded with people being arrested.

"They all bet on an illegal fight." Kimber moves in against my chest and wraps her arms around my waist and I finally let my breath go. I hadn't realized that I was holding it until then. Is it really f.u.c.king over?

"What about me, I just fought in one?"

"Why do you think I wanted to know what you had signed? Did you know this fight was to the death?"

"h.e.l.l no."

"Did you bet on it?"

"h.e.l.l no."

"Did Kimber?" I look at her and hope to G.o.d there isn't any way she found miracle money and decided to try to gamble her way into some money to move.

"No, I don't have any money."

"Then you'll be cleared."

"Mr. Jacobs, I suggest you let this fight be your last with this organization." The man standing with Holden moves closer, holding his hand out for me to shake. I do, even with my gloves on.

"It's my last fight for any organization. I'm heading my a.s.s back to Missouri."

Kimber I don't think my heart can take another second of this. It's been a roller coaster of emotions and I'm ready to get out of here. Luke is talking to his friends and I refuse to detach myself from his side. He's bleeding and I want to take care of him.

This night needs to be over. I don't even want the money. I'll figure something out, but I refuse to use the money from this fight.

Luke seemed to really miss these guys. He's genuinely happy to talk to them about things that make no sense to me right now. I try to keep up with the conversation, knowing Luke will catch me up eventually.

"I'll meet you guys tomorrow. There's one thing I need to do tonight." We find Lou in the mix of all the commotion. He's upset about the whole fight. I knew he didn't know it would turn out like that. He would've never allowed Luke in the cage.

"Son, you did an old man proud out there." Lou's smile when Luke came near is priceless. I'm going to miss him.

"Lou, I'm leaving. I can't stay here any longer."

"I'm taking her with me to Missouri. I'll keep her safe." Luke's statement surprises me. It sounds perfect and I can only hope this means he's going to go back to his life from before. He hasn't told me too much, but I know he played in a band. If the looks of his friends mean anything, it's a band full of very good looking guys.

"Stay in touch, Kimmy."

"I will, I promise." His look of approval as Luke and I walk away is enough for me to know that I'm doing what I should be doing.

"You need to clean up some of this blood."

"Yeah. I'm hitting the showers."

I wait in the locker room with him while he showers. Everyone has either been taken out of the back rooms, or left on their own. The guys with Holden have cleared us to be back here, so Luke is taking advantage of the showers.

"I want to go for one last ride tonight." His voice echoes in the shower.

"Okay. Sounds perfect."

He speeds up, letting the wind hit us even harder. I don't think I'll ever get tired of riding behind him. It just feels like I'm exactly where I'm meant to be when I'm there.

He slows down to turn into a side street on our drive of Mulholland Drive. It's a secluded little area, a place with a fantastic view. Shutting the engine off, he moves a bit to get off. I move out of the way, only to have him slam into my lips, his hands moving all over my body until he fills his hands with my a.s.s. He pulls my s.h.i.+rt over my head without any warning and steps back to remove his own.

"Pants off, Kimber. I want you on this bike right now." He drops his own to his ankles and sits on the seat facing backwards. His back laying across the fuel tank of the bike, he watches me as I try to grasp what's going on. This is spontaneous, but so has everything else we've ever done.

"You're on top. I'm going to watch your t.i.ts bounce in the moonlight."

"Luke, what if someone sees us?"

"Better make it good then, they'll expect a show." He doesn't care. He's full of energy and life and I love that about him right now. I want to feel that with him. He's rolling a condom on and looking at me with those craving eyes that I can't resist. I drop the remainder of my clothes on the ground near the bike, and climb on to his hard body. His muscles flex and move as I position myself over him.

"Slide down slow, baby. I want to feel you the entire way." I'll feel him, that's for sure. I'm still feeling him from the first day we had s.e.x. Since then it's been non stop and I'm not complaining at all. His compa.s.sion is something that's new to me. I love feeling the way he makes me feel. Like I'm someone worthy of wors.h.i.+ping. Like I'm someone worthy of loving.

The first time we had s.e.x, he was feeling the loss of Lilly, but I've never felt like our s.e.x was about anyone but the two of us. He might have been battling with justifying his feelings for me by finally dealing with the loss of Lilly, but that s.e.x was about us. He held me like no one ever has and that can't be denied.

I straddle him and try to find my footing on the bike. He guides me over him and I slowly slide down his length, just like he asked me to. It's impossible to keep my eyes open when I feel him like this. It's so good.

He puts his hands around my waist and pushes me up and down on him. The wind blowing on my naked skin causes chills to rush over my entire body. My nipples couldn't get any harder if I had ice cubes to rub on them.

"Kimber, I love feeling you like this. Thank you for reminding me to live." His words come between breaths and my o.r.g.a.s.m comes between thrusts. He leans up to pay attention to my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, knowing just how to make me last even longer. He continues to move me up and down until he's practically growling through his own ecstasy and leaves us both out of breath under the night sky.

"Kimber. I want to take you back home. To meet my friends. To become a part of my life." His words. .h.i.t me like a brick wall. This seems fast, but in all honesty, I have nowhere else I'd rather go.

Coming This Winter ....

Never Say Goodbye.

The next book in the Rebel Walking Series.

Prologue.

Eaven.

The guys found my cousin, Luke, and I'm so excited to see him again. I want to make sure his house is ready for his return. Talon told me Luke will be bringing someone home with him and I can tell it's a girl just from the way he was acting in the short time I could talk to him. I drop Luke's mail into the box with the rest of it. If it's not a bill, then I don't worry about it.

As they fall, one catches my eye. There's no return address, but there's something about it that intrigues me. The hand writing is beautiful and unique. I know I've seen it somewhere.

I probably shouldn't open it... but I do.

Luke.

I can't keep this from you any longer. I love you and miss you every single minute of every day. Please know I had to do it to protect you and my family. I would never put you in danger and I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me.

You deserve to know about him. He's the love of my life. I hope one day I can let you meet him, but until then just know you'll always have a special place in my heart.

I'm sending you his very first picture. I've placed kisses on it with tears in my eyes just thinking of how hurt you'll be to read this, but I know I just can't keep him from you. He'll have your last name and I promise to tell him that he was conceived in love and that his father is the best man I've ever known.

I Love you forever and always, Your Freebird.

I wonder who he called Freebird? Chills rush over my body and I know this is something I need to show him as soon as he gets here. I just hope he's emotionally stable enough to deal with what I think this letter means.

Acknowledgments.

First and always, I'd like to thank my husband for everything he is. He makes me a better person. Not everyone has the chance to be with a person who supports them unconditionally. I know this is rare for an author to have the FULL support of her partner. Even with all the travel, you have never doubted my ability or intentions to be successful! I can never thank you enough for being my guy. <3 forever="" and="" always!="" you="" are="" the="" best="" father="" to="" our="" babies="" and="" for="" that="" alone="" you="" mean="" the="" world="" to="" me.="" my="" kids="" deserve="" the="" most="" amount="" of="" praise="" for="" allowing="" their="" mom="" to="" live="" this="" journey.="" it="" means="" they="" miss="" out="" on="" their="" mom="" at="" a="" few="" of="" their="" events="" and="" it's="" hard="" on="" them.="" this="" is="" why="" you="" might="" see="" me="" on="" my="" phone="" at="" a="" signing...="" it's="" always="" one="" of="" them="" needing="" their="">

Jake Wilson.... You quickly became a great friend and one person that I know 100% has my back in this industry. Our journey has only begun, and I'm so d.a.m.n excited to see where we'll be in a year from now. We just pa.s.sed the date where we've been doing signings for a year already and it's insane how much we've both changed. I know it's way beyond either one of us dreamed possible. Not bad for an author and a tattooed guy who had no idea where to start. You're still the smartest decision I made... I know this... and so do many authors who'd love to have you. Thank you for being supportive and seeing that I'm worth sticking with. It means the world to me.

Christine.... Every day... I know you're there if I need you. It's known and I can't tell you how important you are to me. You get me, no judging... I know my secrets are always safe with you. And I know you'd whip a.s.s for me if ever needed. It's been proven. We've been through a lot together and I can't imagine what it would've been like to fight that rojo battle without you.

Kellie... My mouthy partner in crime... My sister from Texas! I love that we've become so close lately. It's an honor to call you a friend and to have your support every single d.a.m.n day! You rock and I love your support of your favorite authors! We are so lucky to have you! PLUS you SAVED my life on this book! I'll always remember that! Thank you!!