Before We Fall

  “Yes, sir,” I stammer. For some reason, he just seems like a person I should address as sir. He smiles though, for the first time since I met him. It crinkles the corners of his eyes and spreads to the rest of his face, lighting up his wrinkles.

  “Sir. Ha! That’s a good one. Sir was my father. Or my drill sergeant back when I was in the Army. I’m just Joe, young lady.”

  Finally. Something to break the ice with him. Relief washes over me.

  “You were in the Army?” I grab at that straw quickly, before he changes the subject and the topic gets away from me. I don’t want to go back to staring at the clock, waiting for Dominic in uncomfortable silence. “My brother was, too. He was a Ranger. He just got a Medal of Honor, as a matter of fact.”

  Joe stares at me now, sufficiently impressed and curious.

  “You don’t say? That’s impressive. It takes a lot to get one of those. What did he do?”

  “His Humvee got bombed in Afghanistan, and according to the president, he acted with extreme valor in the face of peril, above and beyond the call of duty. Basically, he risked his own ass to save someone else’s.”

  “You don’t get more salt of the earth than that, missy,” Joe drawls sincerely, nodding. “You should take some pointers from your brother. What does he think about you being here?”

  My shoulders slump at the mere thought of what Gabe thinks about it, and Joe laughs.

  “That bad, huh?”

  I smile and he smiles back. Thank god. The ice has definitely been broken.

  “Don’t worry,” he tells me, his tone softening just a bit. “My bark is worse than my bite, as long as you stay on the straight and narrow and do your job. These kids here…”

  He pauses, staring out the window of his door at the teenagers punching at bags out in the sweaty gym.

  “They don’t have much, see? If they don’t come here, they would get into trouble on the streets. And I don’t want that. It’s our job to keep them on the straight and narrow. To do that, you’ve got to be there, too. Capisce?”

  I nod quickly. “Joe, seriously, this is the first time I’ve ever been in trouble. That pot wasn’t even mine…” But Joe holds up his hand.

  “That’s not my business,” he tells me. “My business is just making sure that you don’t get into trouble again. You hear?”

  He’s stern again, and I know I’m back at an arm’s length with him. He’s going to be a tough nut to crack, and I’m going to have to earn his respect, but I just get the feeling that deep down he’s a good guy. A nice guy. I saw a glimpse of warmth in those eyes a minute ago. Plus, he dedicates his life to helping troubled teens. That’s got to mean something.

  “I’m sorry I’m late.”

  The voice comes from behind me, freezing me in my chair.

  Dominic.

  I would know that voice anywhere now. Husky and low. Arrogant and dark. I don’t know why I think a voice can be dark, all I know is his just is. His voice hints at dark things.

  I turn in my chair to find him lingering in the door, looking like he just stepped from the big screen into this tiny office. He’s bigger than life, even here. He doesn’t look at me; instead his gaze is fixed on Joe.

  He’s got an arrogant, sexy attitude that completely fills up whatever room he’s in. And even though he’s saying he’s sorry, he doesn’t look one bit apologetic. He doesn’t offer even one tiny explanation for his tardiness, either.

  Joe stares at him.

  “The next time you’re late, don’t bother coming in at all,” Joes tells him gruffly. “Have as much respect for me and my boys here as you do for yourself and we’ll all get along nicely. If you can’t do that, get the hell out the same way you came in.”

  Dominic looks at him calmly. “Noted.”

  Joe stares at him, his blue eyes meeting Dominic’s green. Neither looks away for a minute, until Joe breaks the gaze and looks at me.

  “This one’s got balls,” he tells me, nodding. “Just wait til I break ’em.”

  I giggle and Dominic stares at me in disdain.

  His gaze doesn’t stray to my cheek where I have a bruise, and it doesn’t meet my eyes. He also doesn’t bother himself to comment. That’s one thing that’s clear about Dominic Kinkaide. He isn’t going to go out of his way for much.

  “Listen up,” Joe tells us, snapping me out of thinking about Dominic. “I don’t have much to say, other than what happens here with the kids stays here. These kids have rough home lives, and they don’t need you spreading talk about them outside of this gym. You’re here to help them in any way you can. Be a mentor. Show them that there is life outside of trouble. Think you can do that?”

  I nod.

  “It’s pretty simple here. Don’t be late. Don’t mess up. Don’t make their lives harder than they already are. Do some good. What you put out into the world, it comes back to you. Got it?”

  I nod again, but Dominic sits silent and still.

  Joe turns to him. “All right, since you were late, your job today will be to empty all the spit cans from around the boxing rings. Take them into the locker room, dump them out, rinse the cans, and put them back.”

  Dominic stares at him. “You can’t be serious.”

  Oh, but he’s serious. There’s not a hint of a smile on Joe’s face now.

  “Yeah, I’m fucking serious. Don’t be late again, or—”

  “Or don’t bother showing up,” Dominic interrupts, as he heads for the door. “Yeah, I got it.” He walks out without another word and Joe looks at me.

  “Your friend might not last long here.”

  I stare after Dominic, at his wide shoulders striding away from us. He’s tall and lean, drop-dead gorgeous and proud as hell. “He’s not my friend,” I finally answer softly. “I barely know him.”

  But I have the feeling that’s about to change. What I don’t know… is how I feel about that.

  Chapter Seven

  Dominic

  After I dump the disgusting cans of old spit down the even more disgusting bathroom sinks, I take them back out to the gym, pausing for a minute as I stare at Jacey. As much as I hate to give her attention, it’s hard not to notice her here, especially when she’s thrust herself in the middle of a group of at-risk kids and her face is pressed into a punching bag as one of the boys punches at it.

  Especially when I walk past her and she smells like apples, crisp and clean.

  She’s as out of place in this dirty sweatbox as anyone I’ve ever seen.

  She’s got that girl-next-door quality that is so underrated among women. They all want to be glamorous bombshells, overly made-up and too sexed out. But even though Jacey is wearing makeup and short workout shorts, she’s the classic girl next door, even if that’s not her goal.

  I bend and replace a spit can next to one of her toned legs, and she glances down at me, her eyes warm and sparkling.

  For a minute, there’s something in her expression, something mischievous, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she just braces for another punch from the gigantic kid pummeling the bag she’s holding. It’s taking all of her weight to hold it still, but she’s doing it. I can’t help but be impressed.

  Mainly because not only is she holding it, but she’s not intimidated by him, either. She’s half his size, but she just marched right out here and jumped in, just like she jumped in between Cris and me. Completely unafraid.

  The kid she’s with looks like he could eat her for breakfast, and every time he punches, it practically knocks her into the wall. But she still holds on.

  She’s stubborn, I’ll give her that much. And fearless.

  Why I’m thinking about her at all, though, I don’t fucking know. Annoyed with myself, I turn around and head to the other side of the room.

  That’s when I hear the commotion.

  Snapping around, I turn just in time to see the kid grab at Jacey’s chest, his tape-wrapped fingers twisting her T-shirt and yanking her toward him. For a split second, my heart
hammers as I watch the juvenile delinquent manhandling her. The kid is giant, and Jacey is extremely small.

  But there’s no time for me or anyone else to react before Jacey spins out of his grasp in one deft move, swinging her leg around in a surprisingly powerful roundhouse kick to his chest, knocking him onto his back.

  I’m utterly stunned and so is she. I can see it on her face as she stands over him, her hands clenched and shaking at her sides as she balances one tennis shoe lightly on his neck.

  “Don’t touch me like that again!” she snaps at him. “I’m here to help you, but that doesn’t give you the right to grope me.”

  By now, activity in the gym has halted, and every eye is on Jacey and the kid on the floor. You can hear a pin drop in this place.

  The kid is still and silent as he looks up at her, and unconsciously I start to move toward Jacey. Even though I don’t want to be involved with her or anything else, I can’t leave her there by herself. I’m not completely heartless.

  But then the kid smiles, even though Jacey’s foot is still on his neck.

  “If you let me up, I’ll behave,” he promises. Jacey stares down at him uncertainly, but after a second, she lifts her foot. The kid climbs to his feet, holding his hand out to Jacey.

  She eyes him hesitantly.

  “I’m sorry,” the kid tells her, smiling again. “My name’s Jake. There’s no hard feelings, right? I was just messin’ with you.”

  Jacey stares at him and I stop a few steps away.

  “I guess not,” she finally answers. “No hard feelings. Just don’t do that again. I can take care of myself.”

  “Fuck, yeah, you can,” the kid agrees. “Where did you learn to do that?”

  Jacey shrugs, relaxing slightly even though she still keeps an eye on the boy.

  “My brother’s an Army Ranger. He taught me a lot of things. One of those things is how to shoot, and I have a 9mm in my bed stand. It might be pink, but it shoots just as straight as a regular one.”

  I can’t help but chuckle now, at both the thought of this tiny chick with a pink gun by her bed and at the look on Jake’s face.

  “No worries,” he tells her quickly. “I don’t have any plans to break into your house. No need to threaten me with your pink gun.”

  I hear chuckling around me from the kids, and Jacey relaxes.

  “Good. I just thought I’d let you know.”

  “Jake!” Joe’s voice booms through the gym, and I glance over to find him standing in his office doorway, a pissed look on his face. “Get in here.”

  Jake turns slowly and Joe looks at Jacey.

  “You okay?” he calls to her.

  She nods and so does he. “Good. And nice rotation on that kick, young lady.”

  Jacey smiles now, a real smile that spreads to her eyes. “Thanks.”

  Jake disappears reluctantly into Joe’s office, his shoulders slumped, and the door closes behind them. Jacey stands limply for a minute, probably trying to decide what to do now… now that she’s shown the entire gym that she’s an unlikely badass. Noise resumes around us as everyone goes back to their business.

  I look at her.

  “That was impressive,” I admit quietly, because it’s the truth. “You looked like a stuntwoman. Or a ninja.”

  Jacey laughs a warm laugh, real and husky, as she walks toward me, closing the three-foot gap between us.

  “Thanks,” she tells me. “I guess those endless self-defense classes with my brother paid off. I used to think that he just wanted to inflict pain on me, but maybe there was rhyme to his reason.”

  She’s unflustered now, once again sure of herself. She tucks a stray lock of her blond hair behind her ear, and I can’t help but notice her plump lips. They’re just the right size to nip at. The tip of her tongue pokes out, licking her lips, and I swallow.

  Must distract myself.

  “Your brother’s really a Ranger?” I ask, refocusing myself. “Because that’s badass shit. If he trained you, it’s no wonder you can take down a guy twice your size.”

  Jacey smiles, hovering near my elbow. Close enough to touch, but I don’t. Close enough to inhale, so I do, filling my lungs with the scent of apples.

  She’s a breath of fresh air, whether I want to admit it or not.

  “Yeah, he is. Or he was until a year or so ago. He is pretty badass.”

  I’m getting ready to reply when a group of guys headed for the locker room stop off beside us.

  “Dude, are you really Dominic Kinkaide?” one of them asks, his face dubious. I smile what I hope is a patient smile.

  “Yeah, that’s me,” I answer. I can feel Jacey watching the exchange with interest, but she remains silent. The kid grins.

  “Dude. I loved Annihilated. That was some crazy shit! Did you do your own stunts?”

  I nod, and the kids start chattering eagerly, asking me questions about leaping from a helicopter and how I’d managed to flip my jet ski over backward. One of them runs to Joe’s office to get paper for autographs, and the group grows from three guys to fifteen.

  The kid runs back and hands me a stack of scratch paper, and I start scrawling my name, handing an autograph to each boy surrounding me. As I do, I see Jacey slip away from the ruckus. A part of me is disappointed by that. I’m fascinated by the Jacey that just laid Jake out flat on his back.

  I want to know more about her, because she seems different from the Jacey who works at Saffron.

  After five minutes or so, Joe sticks his head out of his office and barks at the boys.

  “Hey! You’re not here to get autographs. Let the man do his job and you guys get back to work!”

  The kids sheepishly disperse, going back to their punching bags or to the locker room, and I head to the weight room to wipe down the seats. When I get there, I find Jacey already crouched by a machine, cleaning it. When I walk in, she glances up at me and smiles.

  “So that’s your life?”

  I shrug. “Most of the time. It’s why I don’t go out much. It’s just part of it.”

  I grab a rag and help her, cleaning the other side of the machine she’s working on.

  “Well, I think it’s awesome,” she answers. “Everyone loves you. That must be an amazing feeling.”

  I snort. “Yeah. Everyone loves me. Jacey, no one knows me. Not really. They know my face. They know the roles that I play. But they don’t know me. That’s okay, though. It’s how I like it.”

  Jacey shakes her head. “That’s depressingly lonely, Dominic.”

  “Not really,” I mutter, bending next to her to grab the bottle of sanitizer. As I do, she wrinkles up her nose.

  “Jesus. You smell like sex. Did you come straight from a whorehouse?”

  I feel myself flush, just a bit, because she caught me dead to rights.

  Visions of the girl-on-girl action I was a part of just before I came here flash through my head. I hadn’t taken the time for a shower because I was late enough already.

  Busted.

  Jacey shakes her head in… what? Disappointment? Disgust?

  Before I can figure out her reaction, she walks away, breaking whatever moment we’d been having and leaving me staring after her in astonishment as she exits the room. No one ever walks away from me like that.

  But she just did.

  Not only that, but she’s not looking back, either. She’s not so impressed with who I am that she’ll overlook any fault that I might have. Interesting… and unusual.

  As I stare at her shoulder blades, I realize it’s possible that there might be more to this girl than I thought.

  Yeah… no, there’s probably not.

  I decide this a few hours later as I walk into the parking lot at the end of my shift, after scrubbing toilets, refilling ice packs, and wiping graffiti off the wall.

  It’s clear that she’s exactly like I thought she was.

  Kaylie, the girl from the party the other night, is dressed in her tiny server’s uniform, and she tosses a bag at Jacey
as Jacey piles into Kaylie’s little convertible.

  Then, right in the parking lot, Jacey hunches down in the seat and changes her clothes.