In Your Corner by Sarah Castille Page A

entirely misinterpreting his signals. My panties dampen. My nipples tighten. And I am so hot, I am tempted to strip down to my undies on the pretense of doing some fighting of my own in the cage.
    “I’d have to give up the burgers if I wanted to train seriously,” Jake murmurs half to himself. “Don’t think I can swing it though. I need to put more time into the company if I’m going to turn things around.”
    We walk in comfortable silence down the corridor and then Jake turns into the changing room. “Just going to grab a shower. Back in a few.”
    Desperate for a distraction, I wander around the foyer. The chalkboards are filled with schedules of the daily training regime. No yoga, tai chi, step, or low-impact classes at this gym. Instead, there is “Ground and Pound,” “Grunt ’n’ Grapple,” and “Mission: Submission.”
    “You interested in training?” Fuzzy stops on his way to the changing room and gives me a wicked grin. His number two buzz cut does look delightfully fuzzy under the bright, overhead lights, but I restrain myself from running my hands through his hair.
    “Just looking.”
    “Well, if you are interested, you should start with my boot camp class, Get Fit or Die.” He taps the chalkboard beside his name. “It’s best to get conditioned first, so you don’t injure yourself.”
    “What do you do in Get Fit or Die?”
    His eyebrow twitches. “I kick your ass until you beg me to stop and then I kick it some more.”
    “How can I say no to a good ass kicking?”
    Fuzzy’s smile broadens. “You can’t. Next session starts on Monday. I’ll be expecting you.”
    “I’ll think about it.”
    After he heads into the changing room, I chat with the few remaining fighters in the hallway, catching up with old friends and making a few new ones. Makayla, tucked tight under Torment’s arm, gives me a meaningful wink as they saunter out the door.
    Finally I am alone. The screen in the corner flashes the new Team Redemption MMA logo. Showers whoosh in the changing rooms. The gentle murmur of voices and Sandy’s sharp laugh drift from the workout area.
    The door behind me opens and closes, letting in a rush of cold air. Footsteps thud softly across the concrete floor. Only when a large shadow swallows my little one does the hair on the back of my neck prickle. I turn quickly to see who is behind me.
    “Well, look who we have here.” Bob’s lips press into a thin line and he glances over at the hulking form of his bouncer and then back to me. “Come on, Angel, don’t keep us waiting. Say hello.”
    Violent tremors shake my body, and my heart pounds so hard I fear it might crack a rib. It is all I can do not to turn and run, but I will not give them the satisfaction. Brave in the knowledge that I am in a gym full of testosterone-fueled fighters who would destroy Bob and his sidekick no questions asked if I so much as scream, I grit my teeth together.
    “Thought you two would still be in jail after your arraignment.”
    “We got friends in high places.” Bob takes a step toward me. “Got out on bail. And you know what we did first? We met with our lawyer ’cause someone has to pay for these.” He holds up his arms covered in thick, white casts that extend from his wrists to his elbows. The bouncer does the same.
    “Seriously?” Nervous laughter erupts from my chest. “You and your bouncer broke both your arms in the exact same place during the fight? And you both got the exact same casting?”
    “You think that’s funny, girlie?” The bouncer reaches over and grabs my ponytail with the dexterity of someone not in need of a cast. “We can’t work no more. You see us laughing?”
    Jake and Fuzzy choose this moment to emerge from the shower room with Obsidian, Rampage, Blade Saw, and Homicide behind them.
    Their chatter fades and the world stills. Save for the thunder of blood pumping through my veins, I hear no sound. Although the bouncer is still holding my ponytail, I feel