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  “Okay, Niles. You surprise me.”

  “I have that wonderful way about me.” He reached over and patted her leg. “Now, do you like Italian?”

  “I don’t eat meat but I do love pasta.”

  “Don’t worry, Tiny told me you don’t eat meat. I checked with the restaurant and they’ve got plenty of pasta dishes for you to pick from.”

  “If you’re so nice and accommodating, why are you still single? I’m sure a lot of women would love to have you.”

  “Ah, but it is also my choice. I’m … picky.”

  She burst out laughing. “You’re picky and you think I’m the perfect candidate to date? You do know my dad was once President of The Skulls. I’m his daughter. The club life is all I know. I used to beat people up. I’ve got an attitude.”

  “Yes, I know all of this, but you see, I also saw that you’re a fighter. You don’t allow anyone to walk all over you. You fight for what you want. You’re kind even if you don’t want me to see just how much you are. You’re considerate and above all else, you love family. You’re a family woman. I don’t see a single thing I don’t like. You’re incredible.”

  “I suggest you hold your judgment there, Niles. You don’t know me.”

  “But I’d like to. As a friend, of course. Even if it does scare me a little. You’re very passionate,” he said.

  She chuckled. “I don’t think this date is going to be so bad.”

  They arrived at the restaurant. She tried not to feel overwhelmed as it was fancy. There were a valet and a maître d’. They were seated at a nice, cute spot, private. The lights were low. The music soft.

  “This is as friends?”

  “This is one of the best restaurants around. Trust me. You’re going to love this.” They were handed the menus and she noticed hers didn’t have any prices on.

  “If we’re doing this as friends, I need to know the cost.”

  “No, you really don’t.”

  “Niles, I can’t have you paying for me.”

  “I’m a gentleman. I asked you on a date, I picked the place, and I will pay.”

  “My dad set this up.”

  “He did, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t turn him down.”

  “You’re being sweet. Is he paying you to be sweet?” Tabitha asked.

  “No, this is who I am. But believe me, I can be a real bastard when I want to be. Would you like some wine?”

  She shook her head. “Just water for me.” The last occasion she’d relaxed, drank some beer, and partied, Angel had called her to tell her about Nathan’s fever and how he’d gotten really sick. She’d been too drunk to drive and at the hospital, the guilt had overwhelmed her. Even though Sandy had told her not to worry about what other people thought, she hated looking like the idiot young girl who’d gotten pregnant by accident but wanted to continue living her life. She didn’t want that.

  So, she never drank. Sure, she went to parties and danced. They were always few and far between.

  “Would you trust me to order for you?”

  “Why not? Have at it.” She didn’t see a reason to argue with the man. He’d taken care of everything else. This was supposed to be a relaxing evening. The waiter took their menus and she glanced around the restaurant.

  “It’s a nice place.”

  “I’m glad you think so.”

  “Do you take all of the women here?”

  “No,” Niles said, laughing. “I don’t date a whole lot.”

  “You don’t?” She looked at him. He had to be in his thirties. He was older than her. Why was her father setting her up with older men? “Do you mind me asking your age?”

  “Oh, of course not, I’m thirty-five.”

  “Right,” she said. “I’m twenty-three.”

  “Yes, your father did say.”

  “What else did he say exactly?” she asked.

  Niles’s face went a nice shade of red.

  “That flattering?”

  “He said that you’ve … I don’t feel comfortable with this.”

  “Oh, please, do continue.”

  He sighed. “You’re making this very difficult.”

  “I imagine it’s hard for everyone on a date,” she said. The only person she’d been with, the only guy who’d ever made her heart soar, was Simon. The very man she was angry with right now. Who she wanted to forget more than anything. He could go around fighting, doing whatever the hell he wanted while she had to remain at home being the good little girl. No, she was done waiting around for him.

  “Your father told me you were in love with a man, a man who he didn’t think deserved you. You’ve been waiting for him to come back to town. How from a young age, you’d both promised yourself you’d be together for a lifetime?”

  “It seems my father likes to talk a whole lot.”

  “He cares.”

  She pressed her lips together, trying not to be hurt. “His name’s Simon. The guy. The one I’m in love with.” She no longer wore the ring he’d given her. Not on her finger at least. The ring was around her neck. She kept it on her person, always.

  Damn it.

  Was she really waiting for someone that was never going to be hers? The security footage Daisy had shown her hadn’t exactly given her an insight into Simon’s life.

  She’d waited for him. Had he done the same? There were a lot of women at that fight. All of them had been over him like he was a fucking drug.

  Niles reached over, taking her hand, making her jump.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. I’m so sorry. I zoned out a little.”

  “Simon hurt you a great deal, didn’t he?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “You don’t have to lie to spare my feelings. You’ve been pretty clear where I stand.”

  She took a deep breath, licking her lips. “I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t need to apologize.”

  “I kind of do.” She took a deep breath. “I … I don’t know where to begin.”

  “How about you don’t begin? Why don’t you just speak and see where that leads you?”

  “Do you think five years is a long time to be waiting for someone? He promised me he’d be back. I know he keeps his promises, usually. I sound like a sucker right now. I can even hear it myself. I suck at this.” She hated how desperate she sounded. This wasn’t like her. This wasn’t her, period.

  “Ugh, I’ve turned into that woman who waits around for a lifetime for a guy who’s never going to turn up. I can’t believe it.” She shook her head, dropping her head into her hands.

  “I love the weird glares I’m getting, but could you please keep it together?” Niles asked.

  She lifted her head up and groaned. “I’m sorry. I’m not normally like this.”

  “I have no doubt. I bet you’re usually really funny.”

  “Not in a long time. The most excitement I get is when a pair of Nathan’s socks goes missing. Especially if they’re his favorite. He likes everything to do with the sea. He’s going to be a pirate one day. He has to have these socks for bed.” She shook her head and laughed. “This is so awful.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Why are you being so nice to me?”

  “I’m a nice guy.”

  She sighed. “You are and thank you.” She held his hand, giving it a squeeze.

  “I think this can go down as the weirdest date in history though. I will have you to thank for that.” He smiled as he said it, and she joined in, laughing.

  It was nice to not think. To just be.

  The waiter brought their food and she had a beautiful rich tomato sauce that was so delicious. She closed her eyes, basking in every single bite, enjoying the taste as it exploded on her tongue. It was really good.

  For the remainder of the meal, she listened to Niles, hearing about his life. He had two sisters, both younger. One was a lawyer, another a doctor. Both were very competitive. His parents lived over in Italy. They’d ret
ired there a couple of years ago. He often traveled to see them.

  They wanted all of their kids around them, but understood they were living their dreams. Niles always wanted to work in banking or accounting. He was good with numbers. She listened to him talk and it was a lot of fun just to relax, not having to take charge of the conversation. He was fun to listen to.

  By the end of their meal, she enjoyed a chocolate dessert while he ordered the cheesecake. Afterward, she wasn’t ready to head on home, and so they decided to take a short walk.

  She put her hand through his arm, linking them up as they enjoyed the night air.

  It was dark and there was a slight chill to the air. They were due another heat wave. Nathan had already asked if he could get the pool out and she’d agreed. If it was going to be as hot as they said, she was going to enjoy it by the small pool, after work.

  “You know, I think we’ve walked far enough,” Niles said, coming to a sudden stop.

  Tabitha lifted her head and glanced around. The buildings with the intricate designs and pretty titles were gone.

  She saw the rundown buildings, broken windows, and graffiti all over the wall. She’d been enjoying their walk and hadn’t paid attention to where they were heading. Up ahead, she saw light filling the night. She and Niles stood near the last lit lamppost.

  Noise.

  Heavy grunts.

  Yells.

  Cheers.

  Groans.

  All of it filled the air, making her heart race. She didn’t know what the cause was, but she knew she wanted to find out. Would it be so hard to go and see what all the fuss was about?

  “I think we should head back.”

  “Do we have to go?” she asked. She had to go and see what was up ahead.

  “Really, Tabitha, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said. “I promised your father I’d take care of you.”

  “We’re only going to go and check it out. It’ll be fun. You said yourself you wanted adventure.”

  He pulled against her hand, not moving an inch.

  “Niles?”

  “Look, I’m not … I’m not a fighter. I’ve never been in a single brawl. I run a bank. I’m not … I don’t know how to protect you.”

  “You don’t need to protect me, Niles. Come on. You said you’d give me a good time. I want to go and see what all the fuss is about. It’ll be fun. You’ll be surprised.” She didn’t know if it would be fun for him but it would be for her.

  She honestly didn’t know if she was making the biggest mistake of her life. Ever since she’d had her altercation with Miss Andrea, something had been woken up inside her. She’d found herself going to the Quad. She didn’t know if it was still used by the latest bunch of Skulls and kids. There had always been rumors spread about what happened there. She heard them but didn’t partake.

  The fight was back inside her.

  She pulled Niles along behind her. His name was so close to her twin brother’s, who she hadn’t seen in a short time. He was prospecting for the club and Lash wasn’t taking it easy on him, or on Anthony.

  Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she walked up to the main building. A large guy had his arms folded, ink displayed.

  “You got to pay to get in.”

  “See, we can’t go in. Come on, let’s go,” Niles said.

  Tabitha pulled out some cash and handed it to him. “Now we can.” She took Niles’s hand and marched him into the fight.

  They stuck out. This wasn’t like Ned Walker’s fights. People here were dressed in jeans, coveralls, and not a whole lot of anything else.

  The scent of blood, smoke, and sweat was heavy in the air. Her heart raced. She hadn’t been this excited in a long time. It was exhilarating.

  Glancing around, she saw men raising their fists in the air.

  “Kill him!”

  “Hit him!”

  “Get it over with!”

  “Stop toying with him.”

  “Kill! Kill! Kill!”

  She looked toward where they were shouting and she smiled.

  The podium was raised. It was a fighting ring. Two men she didn’t recognize were pretty much killing each other.

  She put a hand to her chest, feeling the pounding. Moving her way through the crowd, she saw the ref move toward the two men. One of them was in a chokehold. The other flailing around.

  The ref slammed his hand to the mat.

  The crowd shouted out the countdown and finally the man patted the mat, wanting out. This wasn’t an underground fighting ring. If it had been, this man would have been dead already.

  They got to their feet and the crowd roared with approval. It was so vibrant, intense, and everything she’d been wanting. Watching the men walk off, she saw one had an arm across the shoulder of the other, like a team. There was no animosity.

  “Now, ladies and gentlemen, I know you all go crazy for a bit of girl-on-girl action.” There were some whistles and screams of fuck yeah. She shook her head and glanced over at Niles, who kept looking toward the door.

  Poor him.

  She wasn’t ready to call it a night just yet. She felt like she’d found the payload of fun.

  “Let’s give it up for the undefeated champion right now, Melanie, The Dog, Tigers.” A muscular woman came into the ring, holding her hands up, begging for the cheers. Tabitha saw the strength in the woman, the confidence. This woman wasn’t waiting for life to come to her. She’d run headlong into life. She had some ink on her body as well. She wore a pair of tight shorts and a vest top. At first, with the reference to The Dogs, she worried this was about the Monster Dogs MC, but looking at her know, and knowing fighting the way she did, this woman was no relation to the MC.

  She was clearly on top of the world and at that moment, Tabitha envied her.

  The announcer was called to one end of the mat. Tabitha watched him nod and then turn to the crowd with a smile.

  “I’m afraid we’re going to have to miss our most prized part of the evening.”

  Boos descended on the mat. No one was happy about being kept waiting.

  Tabitha’s heart hadn’t stopped racing and she watched as people shook their head.

  “Her opponent is not going to be able to make it tonight, but if you stop by tomorrow—”

  “I’ll fight her!” The words were out of her mouth within seconds, before she could take them back.

  Attention turned toward her.

  “Tabitha, what the hell?” Niles asked.

  She looked toward him.

  “You’re going to get yourself killed.”

  “No, I won’t. Besides, if anything bad happens, you can call my father.” She moved toward the mat, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her.

  “This, all of this, is insane.”

  “I know, right? It’s completely crazy, but here’s the thing. I’m doing this. I want to do this and I’m going to.” She looked at the mat and smiled. “Please, try to understand.”

  “If anything happens to you, your father is going to kill me.”

  She shrugged. “He won’t. He knows what a pain in the ass I can be.”

  Heading toward the mat, she climbed into the ring and approached the middle of the ring. Melanie scoffed.

  “You think you’ve got a shot against me, princess? You don’t have a chance.”

  Tabitha wasn’t threatened. “I want to fight.”

  “What are you, twelve?” Melanie asked.

  “I can do this. I can fight,” she said, ignoring her opponent.

  The crowd had gone silent, all waiting to see where this was going to go. The energy in the room was insane. She loved it.

  “How old are you?” the announcer asked.

  “Twenty-three and believe me, this isn’t my first fight.”

  The man looked down at what she was wearing. The dress came to her knees, but it wasn’t tight at all. She had a lot of movement within the outfit, even if it wasn’t exactly the best.

  “The heels wi
ll have to go,” he said.

  As the announcer got the crowd ready for the action, she removed her shoes and tossed them toward Niles, who only shook his head.

  “Please, it’s going to be okay. I promise.”

  Without waiting for his response, she came back to the center.

  “What’s your name, sugar?” he asked.

  “Tabitha … Skull.” It seemed only right to use her club’s name.

  Stepping back from Melanie, she watched as the other woman raised her fists.

  What are you doing? This is fucking crazy. You’re not a kid in high school anymore. You shouldn’t be on this mat. There’s no way you’re going to win this. Slapping around Miss Andrea isn’t winning a fight.

  Melanie came at her.

  She dodged the first fist, and the second. She spun and made Melanie chase her.

  You’re a mother. You should be setting a better example.

  Tabitha grunted as Melanie struck out, hitting her in the gut and then slamming her fist against her cheek. That was so going to bruise tomorrow. Rather than go down, Tabitha stepped back.

  “There’s no fight in you. Come on, end this, it’s going to be a bloodbath,” Melanie said.

  Tabitha stayed where she was. Another couple of punches, one to her chest, the other to her stomach. She got slapped around the back of the head and her hair was tugged.

  She got away, facing off against Melanie, who she had yet to hit.

  You’re better than this. You’re not him. He left. Simon left and he’s enjoying beating the crap out of people for fun. He killed someone and left to get his shit together. It has been five years. Five years and he’s still not here. He’s gone. He’s gone and he’s not coming back.

  In her mind, she saw her husband. The man she was supposed to be with. He’d promised her forever, but it had been lies. Every single part of their life had been lies. He hadn’t stuck around. All he’d done was what he wanted to do.

  Melanie swiped at her. This time, she blocked her arms and swung. She connected with Melanie’s jaw. It was a hard hit, making the woman stumble.

  The pain. The anger, it washed over her like rain, pouring out of every single pore and nerve ending.

  Simon could go and live his life while she had to wait around, always waiting around, but no more. She wasn’t going to take his shit again, or ever.