Page 158 of Forgotten Comeback

The light shifts to the back, but there’s no Gavin.

An eerie silence fills the arena.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Spider has five minutes to check in ringside or this bout will be called by DQ.”

I shove past my security detail, both men shouting something at me as I sprint backstage. My chest heaving, I pound on Gavin’s locked dressing room door, but no response.

I round the corner, lunging behind the wall and peeking around with my hands over my mouth.

So this is the reason for Mike’s smaller entourage. Four of them are lugging a body-bag-sized burlap sack.

They slip inside a utility room and step out bagless, and I jerk my head back around and hold my breath.

My heartbeat ricochets in my chest as I give it to the count of five, and peek around the corner. The coast is clear, and I hurry to the utility room. Opening the door, my hands fumble with untying the bag.

The material drops, revealing Gavin.

Bound and gagged, his eyes look exactly like they did after Mia shot me.

Empty.

Soulless.

Dangerous.

My knees hit the floor as I cup his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me. “You will take care of Mike in the ring.”

Gavin nods, and I rip the tape off his mouth. “Get some scissors to cut me loose, and call Inferno and tell him what happened,” he says in a clipped tone.

I nod, hurrying to my dressing room.

“What the fuck, Taylor?” Steve and my security guards are there to greet me. “Gavin’s missed his intro, and you’re both about to miss the damn fight!”

Ignoring him, I unlock my room and find a pair of scissors, running down the hallway with them. “Why are you running with scissors? Taylor, get back here!” Steve calls.

Reaching the utility room, I cut Gavin loose. “You have three minutes to check in ringside,” I estimate, and he takes off in a sprint.

Nowhere near as fast as he can run, I make it back to my dressing room and ignore Steve bitching at me. My phone in my hand, I call Inferno. “Mike’s crew tried to sabotage Gavin’s fight,” I explain what went down, my chest heaving.

“I’ll handle it,” Inferno says. “Get ringside and keep your security tight.”

I end the call and hurry down the hallway, with Steve yapping in my ear. “I have to take this to the judges and get the fight called?—”

“You will do no such thing.” I stop, getting in his face. “You knew how dirty Mike was. Welcome to the foreseeable consequences of your inaction.”

“Taylor—”

I hold up my hand. “Gavin deserves his shot at the title. Let them fight it out.”

Because all my money’s on Gavin.

Steve holds up his hands in surrender. “Alright, let’s get you to the ring.”

We hustle ringside, my feet faltering when I see it.

Mike’s bitch of a girlfriend is in the ring, holdingmyRound 1 sign.

“Taylor, wait!” Steve calls, but I’m already on the canvas and slipping beneath the ropes.