Chapter Thirty

 

Faith

 

(6 Days Later)

 

Time had moved quickly the past few days. It was the day before the big fight and our time had run out. I kept hoping for a miracle, but nothing ever came. All we got from the police and the FBI were that they were close. Close wasn’t good enough. Tomorrow, Dominic would be in the ring. The Cartwrights were keeping their fighter a secret. I didn’t like that at all. Dominic was an excellent fighter and even more so with Paxton’s help, but he could be getting in the ring completely outmatched. According to the UFC weight class, Dominic would be considered a Middleweight or even a Super Middleweight with his weight being around 190 pounds. If the Cartwrights had a Heavyweight fighter they’d outweigh Dominic by seventy-five pounds or more. With the Cartwrights loving to play dirty, I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be a fair fight, not with so much at stake.

“Dinner was amazing, Francis,” Gabriella gushed. “I hate we have to leave. I’ve enjoyed your cooking.”

Francis came over to the table and picked up all of our plates. “Thank you, Mrs. Emerson. It’s been a joy cooking for a famous athlete.”

Paxton finished his piece of steak and waved a hand in the air. “Maybe you could come out to California and teach Gabby a few things.” Francis laughed and carried our plates into the kitchen. With us leaving town soon, he’d decided to stay in New York for a while since his partner’s fashion line was based here. Still, I kept my fingers crossed that he’d make his way to Wyoming one day.

Gabriella pursed her lips at Paxton. “Keep it up, asswipe. When we get home I’ll force my spaghetti down your throat if you don’t watch it.”

Paxton shuddered and held up his hands. “I give up.” He winked at her and she smiled triumphantly. I’d spent the entire week with them and I hated to see them go. Gabriella had turned into a good friend. She’d taught me a lot and I felt more confident because of it. Not that I could get in the ring and beat a trained fighter, but I at least had the ability to hurt someone.”

“What’s wrong with your spaghetti?” I asked her.

She snickered. “I like green peppers in my sauce and Pax hates them. He refuses to even try it. When you come out to visit me, I’ll make it for you. It’s seriously the best.”

Paxton grumbled and it only made Gabriella smile more. “Dom and I will have a guy’s night if you do that shit.”

Gabriella shrugged. “We’re fine with that.” She winked at me and then frowned when she noticed the time. “We have to go. Our plane leaves in a couple of hours.” She stood and nodded toward the living room. “Before we leave, I want to give you my phone number. I saw your phone on the coffee table.”

She followed me into the living room and I picked up my phone off the table. “Here you go.”

Her fingers flew over the keys and she handed it back to me. “Tomorrow night, I want you to text me everything. Pax and I won’t be able to rest until you do.” She threw her arms around me and squeezed. “You’re a good fighter, Faith. Whatever happens, don’t let those fuckers get to you.”

“I won’t. I wish you two could stay for the fight.” She and Paxton had to get back to California for one of his fights.

Gabriella let me go. “I do too.”

Dominic and Paxton walked out of the dining room, laughing as if there wasn’t a care in the world. It was good to see Dominic being able to let go and have some fun. It was the first time I’d noticed that he didn’t really have any friends. All he had was his family. He was raised to believe that was all he could trust.

Paxton came over to me and scooped me up into his arms. “Take it easy, Faith. I’m expecting you to visit soon. Gabby and I will show you around Cali.”

He swung me around and I giggled. “Can’t wait.”

Once he set me down, he said his goodbyes to Dominic and that was it. The second they disappeared out the door, reality set in. Dominic’s smile slowly faded as he made his way down to me. “I forgot how much I missed being around that guy.”

That made me smile. “I can tell. You need more friends in your life. Maybe you can actually have some when we leave this place.”

He pulled me into his arms. “I have you.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Yes, you do. You’ll also have your mother, sister, Bryce, Reed, and all the other Chandlers when we move.” Taking a deep breath, he glanced around the living room as if something was on his mind. “Thinking about the fight?” I asked.

“Yes and no,” he answered. “I want to get a last workout in before tomorrow.”

“Let’s go right now,” I said. We were already dressed in our workout clothes. “I can show you some of the moves Gabriella taught me.”

His lips pulled back. “I saw. You looked sexy as hell doing it too.” He pressed his lips to mine and I opened up to him. My whole body tingled with anticipation. I rubbed my body against his and felt him respond. “I’m thinking we should go to the bedroom,” he groaned, nipping my bottom lip.

Before I could answer, a knock sounded on the door. This time, it was me who groaned. “Expecting someone?” I asked him.

Dominic situated himself in his shorts before walking toward the door. When he opened it, Reed and Micah were there. He stepped out of the way and waved for them to come in. “What’s going on?” he asked them.

Reed winked at me with the biggest smile on his face. “It’s over, Faith. We got everything we need to take Cadoc down.”

“Allison?” I gasped.

Micah nodded and followed Reed down to me. “Yep. The FBI got her. We’re taking over the case. She confessed to knowing everything and that she was the one who gave Cadoc all the information about you. The gun Cartwright used to kill Philip was in her car. Turns out he made her watch as his nephew cut out Philip’s tongue. Cadoc is the one who shot him.”

It was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Dominic didn’t have to fight. “Did she say why she helped him?” I asked.

Micah glanced over at Reed and Reed answered. “Cadoc had threatened to kill her sister and her sister’s kids.”

I felt sorry for her. With everything Allison did to break up my marriage, I really needed to thank her for it. After seeing what Cadoc and William did to Philip, she knew they followed through on their threats.

I looked over at Dominic, expecting to see relief on his face, but that wasn’t what I saw. Instead, it was disappointment. “This is good news,” I said to him.

He shook his head. “You don’t understand. I have to go through with this fight tomorrow.”

Reed huffed and threw his arms in the air. “Are you out of your damn mind? What about Faith? What happens to her if you lose, or worse, die in that fucking ring? Isn’t she more important than your fucking pride?”

Tears filled my eyes. I’d prayed all week for a miracle and it finally came. Micah stood between Dominic and Reed, his hands outstretched to keep them apart. “That’s enough!” he shouted. He glared at both guys and then settled on Reed. “Dude, back off. I can see why he wants to fight.”

Reed threw his hands in the air and backed up toward me. “So help me God, do I need to beat some sense into both of them.”

Dominic glared at Reed, but then his eyes softened when he turned them over to me. He came toward me and gently wiped my tears away. “You are more important than my pride, Faith. That’s not why I want to fight. You know I can do this.” He grabbed my hands and squeezed. “I need to do this.”

I couldn’t begin to understand his reasoning, but I did know that I trusted him. If he felt he needed to fight, I wasn’t going to stand in his way even if I was strongly against it.

The consensus was split down the middle with Micah being on his side. “Is there any way the FBI can grab the Cartwrights after the fight?” I asked Micah. “We already know they’re going to be here at the hotel.”

Micah’s eyes narrowed in concentration. “We can, but we’re not going to want to do it here at the hotel. Too many people around.” That was true. There was no telling what would happen if the FBI stormed in and tried to take Cadoc or his nephew. Innocent people could be killed. Micah paced the floor, but then his eyes lit up when he looked at Dominic. “You want revenge, right?”

Dominic stared at him, clearly intrigued. “Yeah.”

I didn’t know if I liked the way everything was headed, but I had to admit, I was intrigued as well. Micah turned his attention to Reed. “You can’t tell me you don’t want to put a bullet in Cartwright’s head. What makes Cadoc different from the rest of your targets?”

Reed blew out a sigh and met my gaze. “He has a point. From what I know of Cartwright he’s not going to stop, even if we put him behind bars. There will always be a threat.”

Dominic growled. “He’s right. He needs to die. So does his nephew.” He walked over to Reed. “And I want to be the one to do it.”

Micah held out his hand to Reed. “We on the same page, brother? We can’t do it without you.”

Reed shook his hand and nodded. “I’m with you. Now all we have to do is figure out how to get Cadoc and William alone.”

I raised my hand. “I have an idea?” I suggested. “Don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but Cadoc threatened to kill my parents if I didn’t leave with him after the fight.”

Dominic took one look at me and his eyes darkened in understanding. “Fuck that,” he growled. “You’re not going. Your parents are safe now. I’ll forfeit the fight before I let you leave with Cadoc alone.”

I lifted my chin. “You don’t have a choice. It’s the only way your plan will work.”

Micah smirked. “She has a point.”

Reed huffed. “Unfortunately. I don’t see any other way.”

Tension filled the air and I could barely breathe. Dominic fumed, and paced the floor, but I was determined to help them. “If I leave with Cadoc, he’ll take me to a private place. You guys can follow us and do what you gotta do.”

Reed agreed with a nod. “As much as I hate this plan, it could work. I can put a tracker on Faith just in case. Once we get the bastards alone, we take them out.”

All three men looked at each other and I shivered. I never expected I’d be in the middle of a murder plot, but there I was. The thought terrified me, but what choice was there. It was simple, there was none.