‘Her?’ Dax said and quietened.
‘What?’ Ivy asked, nudging his shoulder to prompt him on.
‘I was thinking about you,’ he admitted, and this revelation subdued her want to talk.
‘About me?’
‘Yeah. In a couple of years, I’ll have to retire for good. I don’t fight half as much now as I used to… but when I stop… where will all that energy go?’
Pushing away, she crawled backwards until she was on her knees between his legs. ‘You think that… that you’ll be like him? That because he’s a bastard who beats women that you’re going to be the same when you can’t vent your emotions in the ring?’
Levering up, Dax crunched his abdominals. ‘I—‘ Ivy slapped her open palm across his cheek, and his words became silence. ‘What the fuck?’ He seized her wrist, but she wasn’t going to hit him again.
‘I’m more likely to be the one physically hurting you,’ she said. ‘Don’t you dare compare yourself to him again, do you hear me? You are ten times the man that he is, and you would hurt yourself long before you would lift your hands to me in anger. You love me, and I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe that my safety wasn’t paramount to you.’
‘And you had to hit me to tell me that?’
‘I had to hit you to remind you that I am capable of fighting for myself. I would fight back, and that would be one battle you’d be incapable of winning.’ Lurching forward, Ivy kissed the cheek she’d hit and nuzzled against it with her open lips. ‘You couldn’t hurt me when it was Mauri’s greatest wish for you to do it. I’m never safer than when I’m right here.’
Bringing his arms around her, she rearranged their legs so that she was straddling his hips and rising up, Ivy sank down to bring him into her body again, their eyes locked as she rode him. Watching him doubt himself broke her heart, but she had conviction enough for both of them.
This relationship was his priority and he’d proven that by walking away from his life for her. Being back here brought back his hesitancy because he was reminded of what he was before, just one of Mauri’s henchmen, doing what he was told and prioritising Mauri’s wishes above his own.
Bruno was a beast, selfish and callous, he acted in sadistic malice. She knew what it was to be beaten by him, she’d endured his cruelty and knew that Dax was incapable of such hostility. Bruno’s anger came from a place of blackness that resided in his every cell.
Dax had chosen her and had been willing to protect her with his life. He wasn’t evil, as Bruno was, she would never doubt him and any time he needed reminding she planned to be available to do just that.
Chapter Seventeen
Dax had stopped counting the number of fights he participated in years ago. The buzz of the room was intoxicating, and it was difficult to keep his mind on why he was here. As soon as he walked in, it felt like everyone in the place was looking at him or wanted to talk to him, but that was nothing new. Except this time something was new for him, instead of languishing in the atmosphere, he was scanning the crowd trying to pick out anyone whose interest wasn’t on him but on what he might have brought with him: his wife.
There was no danger to him here, this might be a very public arena, but Dax knew most of the faces, they were the same ones who’d come to these kind of fights for years. More importantly, the spectators knew him. No one would dare touch him, he could take down anyone who wanted to fight, and his supporters would start a brawl with anyone who might try to tackle him. His wife’s safety wasn’t as assured.
He’d struck gold with Ivy. She wasn’t happy that he was leaving her alone in their sheets, but she didn’t whine or give him shit. She accepted that he was doing what he had to and let him go without giving him the guilt trip as other women might have.
Thinking about their afternoon in bed wasn’t productive, and here in this crowded bar basement, Dax had to focus on trying to find the person who was threatening his peace. Too many faces blended together, some men just wanted to shake his hand while others wanted to talk about how he could make them some money. They tried to either tempt him into fighting on their premises or to throw a fight and make them a fortune.
Dax had fought in this bar before so he knew where to go to get away from the clutching mass of people. Heading for the corner room he went into the disused cloakroom and sat on the bench that ran along the back wall. Serg was going to meet him here, he’d already texted his associate to let him know where to find him.
Unless someone approached him about Ivy, it would be on him to initiate a conversation without creating a fight outside the ring. Serg would have to keep an eye on things while Dax fought in the ring because he had to concentrate in there, and it wouldn’t do anyone any good if he was handed his ass because he wasn’t paying attention. As Ivy had said, she wouldn’t be there tonight to patch up any injuries that he might sustain.
She always seemed kind of offended when he refused to bring her to a fight, but this was exactly why he wouldn’t, she was a distraction. Ivy wasn’t even present, and she was all that filled his head. Before Ivy, he could come into a place like this and eat up every opponent thrown at him, and he could do it without breaking much of a sweat. All that mattered to him was the fight, taking down whoever stood opposite him, and collecting his money.
But it wasn’t like that anymore. The money was unimportant. He didn’t even care much about the win anymore, it didn’t give him the same high. Now that high came from screwing his wife until she screamed like she had that afternoon. She stoked his kindling to a flame when she laughed or gave him that little half smile that told him she was thinking about something kinky.
Fighting was a thrill, and it gave him a rush, he needed it to get rid of negativity that he had always carried on his shoulders. But since he’d surrendered to his feelings for Ivy that negativity wasn’t as heavy as it used to be, maybe it was the way that she looked at him, but he didn’t feel like the same lowlife that he had back then.
Putting her out of his mind he thought about what lay ahead that evening. He got changed and went through his usual warm-up routine. When he was done with the fight, he would ask some leading questions and see what he could come up with. Ivy’s wellbeing depended on him.
Winning the fight was quicker and easier than he’d anticipated, but just what he needed for the night. Serg had showed up just before he went in and had done his job. No one had anything to say about Ivy or the bounty though and as frustrating as it was, Dax wasn’t surprised.
‘What now?’ Serg asked.
They were outside the bar, keeping to the shadows, and they used this seclusion to pounce on anyone who came out from underground. Being that it was the end of the night, most people were gone now, but the bookies were still down there settling up as security removed all traces that the fight had taken place.
‘I want to talk to Robbo,’ Dax said, dropping his sports bag onto the asphalt between him and the building at his back.
Robbo was a bookie at the forefront of all the fights, there wasn’t one taking place in this city that Robbo wasn’t a part of.
‘Do you think he’ll know something?’
‘Maybe,’ Dax said. ‘But he knew The Greyhound, they were tight for a while. If something went down at The Greyhound’s apartment today, then Robbo will know.’
‘Want me to go in there and pull him out?’ Serg asked. Patience wasn’t his strong suit, but that came from his bulk and reputation. Few people would make a guy of Serg’s size and build wait when he wanted something. At the very least people were eager to have him off their premises.
‘We’ll wait,’ Dax said. ‘But if you want to head home you can. I’m confident I can take the guy if I have to.’
‘Yeah, but who’ll keep lookout while you dig the grave,’ Serg said. They shared the joke then Serg leaned back on the wall. ‘I thought Ivy might persuade you to stay home.’