Free Follow Me (Caged Hearts Book 3) by Heather West

knocks before, Jasper. Don’t let her reaction put you off!”
     
    “She wasn’t the only one who got scared, Carl. The way I lost it out there, it was unreal. I just fell to pieces.”
     
    “Endurance, stamina, that’s all it comes down to,” Carl was clapping his hands together on the key words.
     
    “We’ll get you in the pool swimming laps and running at least two miles a day. When did you last go swimming?”
     
    Jasper had to pause to think. It obviously wasn’t a recent memory.
     
    “Exactly!” Carl pointed excitedly at him. “You’ve been slipping with your training. You used to swim every day.”
     
    “Back when I was trying to create muscle tone,” Jasper defended himself. He no longer had time to swim. It had been pushed to the bottom of the list of his priorities against weights and reps.
     
    “That’s your problem! You’ve been neglecting the elements which help you with endurance. It’s not all about power, Jasper. I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”
     
    “I know, I know,” Jasper leaned forward and cradled his head in his hands. He wished he still had his trainer. The American had been tough, but he knew his stuff. He’d make sure Jasper could endure the end of the world, let alone a second round in the ring.
     
    “This next fight, this is your chance to shine, and we’ll be properly ready this time,” Carl promised. “You’ll taste victory again, Jasper.”
     
    “I hope so,” Jasper sighed. Because if he didn’t, it was all over.
     

Chapter 33
     
    “Thanks so much for meeting me,” Kait slid in to the booth across from Michael Daniels, a former champion fighter whose career had ended just before Jasper’s began.
     
    Michael was broad with powerful shoulders and a friendly smile that lit up his old face. Kait vaguely recalled hearing his name when she was younger. Michael had been known as the Gentle Giant. He had a kind face and a pleasant disposition, but the moment he was in the ring, all that changed. At the height of his career, he was a household name, but he abruptly lost everything thanks to a string of devastating losses.
     
    Kait had been surprised that he’d replied to the email she’d sent. He seemed eager to meet up and talk about Carl.
     
    When it comes to that man, he’d wrote, I always have something to say.
     
    “Did you find the place okay?” Michael enquired kindly.
     
    “Yes,” Kait nodded with a smile. “I had no problem.”
     
    Michael was already nursing a black coffee, so Kait caught the waitress’ attention and ordered herself a pot of tea. They were in a small café down a narrow side street on the outskirts of the city, hopefully tucked away from any prying eyes. It was a café Kait had never been to before, but she liked its quaint décor and wall lined with plush leather booths. It was definitely somewhere she’d look to visit again.
     
    “So you’re dating Jasper Duboix?” Michael asked before taking a sip of his coffee.
     
    “Yes,” Kait smiled shyly.
     
    “I’ve seen him fight on television; he’s a powerhouse.”
     
    “Yes, he is,” Kait agreed, “or at least he was.”
     
    “Is he taking some difficult losses?”
     
    “Sadly, yes.”
     
    Kait’s tea arrived, and she began to stir in the sugar and milk while Michael talked.
     
    “Does he go in to the ring feeling stronger than ever, then out of nowhere it’s like he’s been drugged or something?”
     
    “Yes!” Kait was surprised that Michael could know so much, but then she reasoned that Jasper’s story was now tragically mirroring his own.
     
    “It’s how he does it,” Michael leaned back in the booth and furrowed his brows together. His dark hair was streaked with grey, and deep lines framed his hazel eyes. He was still a handsome man, but the loss he’d weathered at the hands of Carl Santino had taken its toll. He looked tired.
     
    “First, he builds you up, then, he tears you down.”
     
    “But why?” Kait asked