Path To Retaliation (Fighter's Den, #2)

Chapter 14 - Avery

My heart pounds violently in my chest as my car comes to a halt in one of the last few spaces of the stadium parking lot. I try not to think about what's going to be there, who's going to be there, when I meet everyone after the match.

It's been eight days since I've seen Cameron.

Eight slow, painful, confusing, awful, and overwhelming days since he walked out of my apartment without sparing me a glance as I crumbled to the floor, completely broken by his words and decisions. Decisions that apparently didn't include me in his future.

In a way it was good that he chose to leave because, as desperate as I'd been to make us work, I realize how hopeless it would have been. I laid awake in bed that night with my mind reeling from everything I learned about Cameron. It still baffles me that he went through all of that. When I first met him I'd been convinced that there wasn't a person alive as happy and carefree as that hunk. Little did I know that he was forced to become a fucking gigolo at eighteen years old because of his psychotic mother and that he was being blackmailed to stay because of his...his vile rapist. The mere thought of her floods me with anger like I've never experienced. I am by no means a violent person but if I ever came across her, I would kill her in a heart beat.

I wanted nothing more than to keep Cameron by my side and protect him, show him that there was still good out there and that we would make it, but he was right. I'm not sure that the two of us have what it takes to push past everything we've been through. We had both seen the darkest and ugliest parts of life and despite our efforts to keep our spirits intact, there are still so many parts of us completely broken. And I can't say for certain if we have what it takes to not let these damages get the better of us. Our hypothetical relationship would definitely taken a toll. I know for a fact that having sex with Cameron would make me think of everything he's done and been through and I know that Cameron now sees me as someone fragile, a damsel, despite his best efforts not to.

We won't work as a couple. I know that. It doesn't mean it hurts any less though.

"You have no idea how much I l-"

He'd almost told me he loved me. He didn't even have to finish the sentence for me to know. It was the look in his eyes, the passion they held, that made me believe without a doubt how this man felt about me. Which was the exact same way I felt about him. But love isn't always enough no matter how badly we hope it might be.

When I feel confident that I won't bawl my eyes out the second I see Cameron, I calmly exit my car and make my way towards the stadium. The match should be done by now and I'm excited to hear who won. Jaxon is up against his long time rival, Ridge Sanders, and the winner takes home seven freakin' million dollars. I have unwavering faith that Jaxon holds the title as champion. He's one of the most dedicated fighters I've met and based on all his previous matches it's obvious he's gifted. My best friend is one lucky gal.

My thoughts are interrupted when a loud chorus of shouts and swearing catches my attention. I crane my neck to get a better view past the crowd of reporters that are flailing their microphones wildly and flashing their cameras. I can just barely make out the top of Emily's dad's hair. A smile splits my face. Jaxon must have won after all. Why else would the reporters be swarming him like bees to a beehive?

"Greg!" I yell around cupped hands. His head snaps in my direction at the sound of my voice, eyes wild and...red. Puffy. What the hell? Is he...crying?

A little more than worried, I pick up the pace and walk directly to him. It's nothing short of a struggle to push past the sleazy reporters and I have to elbow my way through the energetic bodies. What the hell is going on? Maybe Jaxon was injured during the fight? Oh, God. That would make sense.