Free Uncaged Love #4: MMA New Adult Contemporary Romance by JJ Knight

decided he doesn’t hate me,” I say.
    Buster laughs. “About time.”
    I lean against the edge of his desk. “Did Nate ever find out about Lani?”
    “He called a bit ago. He met with Parker’s trainer,” Buster says. “I wish he was here to tell you, but he’s meeting some promoter. I’ll try to keep it straight.”
    My heart hammers. So, they know something.
    “This Parker fellow is friends with the Berend family. Lani is their youngest. That was her real name, first name anyway. The rest of her form was made up.”
    “So, she lied.”
    “Definitely. She signed on right after I knew Colt was coming here, but before it was announced. She must’ve had inside information. I’m guessing that’s where her brother comes in.”
    “I didn’t even know she had a brother.”
    “A fighter. He goes by Striker.”
    “Is he UFC? Or a beginner?”
    “Well, actually, he kind of stalled out. Seems like he was trying to get a UFC spot and decided to force Colt to fight him. I guess he thought it would give him a leg up.”
    So, none of this was random. I feel my hands go cold. “What happened?”
    “You can ask Colt more about it, but basically Colt wouldn’t do it. Told Striker to build his skills and try again later.”
    “That probably didn’t go over well.”
    “Yeah, it got bad. Striker decided to go full-scale media on it. When Nate mentioned it, I started to recall it a bit. It got embarrassing for him in the end. But Colt’s hands were pretty tied. His manager would never let him fight someone that far down the chain.”
    “You think Lani is trying to get back at Colt?”
    “You lost me there. I thought you two were friends.”
    I did too. “Thanks, Buster,” I tell him. “I should get back to the girls.”
    “Stick tight to Colt,” Buster says. “I don’t like any of this.”
    I nod and walk back to the addition. None of us do.

Chapter Fourteen  

    It’s not until we’re back at Colt’s condo that night that I get a chance to ask him about the lawyer.
    “He’s going to look into all of it,” Colt says as we ride up in the elevator. “You’re not in the missing-children system now, and he didn’t see any warrants. But he’ll get back to us in a few days when he knows more.”
    I follow him down the hallway to his condo. Now that my past is about to intrude on my present, I wish I could forget it all.
    He stops outside his door to pull me in close. “I hate that stricken look you get. I wish I could make this all go away.”
    “You already are,” I say.
    He kisses the top of my head. “You know, we should forget all this until after your fight tomorrow. You need to focus.”
    I give him a light jab to the ribs. “Yeah, we’ve seen what happens to your face when you don’t pay attention in a fight.”
    His laugh rumbles through my body. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
    “Not as long as I’m breathing.”
    Colt turns to unlock his door, then freezes.
    The door is not pulled all the way closed.
    We look at each other. Something isn’t right. My belly vibrates with fear, but I shut it down. I am not going to be afraid anymore. Colt and I can take on anyone.
    Unless they bring in a weapon.
    Colt flattens his hand against the door to push it open, but I grip his wrist and give a plaintive look. He pauses. Doubt flickers across his face for a moment. Maybe he’s thinking the same thing. None of our skills are any match for a gun.
    But something comes over him. I don’t know if it’s rage, or if he’s thought through the people involved and decided he can take them. But he steps back and kicks the door open with a blast.
    Paper flutters all over the room from the sudden movement. Colt charges inside, looking in every direction. I follow, trying to stay loose and ready. We both stand there as little colored bits drift back to the ground.
    Nobody’s here.
    Colt snatches at one of the papers. “It’s fake money,” he says, holding it up to me.
    I