Losing All But The Fight. (complete) updated.

Chapter 9.

On Wednesday I still hadn't seen much of Vance. I went ahead and got half the painting done in the kitchen though. It needed to be done either way and Vance had a business downstairs to run. All that would be left was to pull off all the painters tape, touch up, and clean up.

Stepping into Rick's gym I caught sight of him right away. He was working with one of the guys in the front ring with still about two hours before tonight's round of fights.

"Hello, Darling." Rick greeted. "You ready for tonight? I switched you to Saturdays fight. There was a drop out and I thought you might like the 10,000 dollar purse. Tonight's your warm up."

Ten thousand dollar purse, huh? "Don't give me pet names." I passed him up on my way to the locker room. "And you like your winner's cut too Rick. You always have a double motive my friend." I called the last over my back, making Him laugh.

My opponent had been sloppy. Still managed a few good blows though. It was his size that made it harder for me to take him down. For some people it doesn't matter how hard or how many times you hit them, they just don't go down until you find their soft spot. This guy, was one of those guys. It took me longer to take him down than I would have liked but, I looked at it as practical training. Odds are I would be stuck defending myself against another opponent just like him in the future. Good to be prepared but outside of the ring I was always armed.

I said goodbye to Rick after he tossed me my yellow envelope and caught a cab home. By the time I finished cleaning up from all the painting and took a shower exhaustion caught up to me and I collapsed into bed, on top of my covers.

My eyes flew open and my senses heightened. I was ripped out of sleep by the jingle of metal from outside my door, the sound of the hammer flipping back inside the deadbolt. I clicked the light on my watch and saw that it was 3:35am. It wasn't Vance. That much I knew. Vance and I had boundaries and he knew not to sneak up on me.

Slowly, I got out of be and pushed my back against the wall in the pitch black apartment. The floor was bare and I easily remembered how many steps in the dark it took to get from one point to the next. This was my advantage. I followed the sound of softly shuffling feet, waiting for the moment.

My heart was beating wildly as the worst possibilities came to mind. I wondered if this was it. Would I be dragged back to my inescapable fate of being stuck with the gang. I suspected Drake was getting desperate by now but this could only be a scout. Each of the enforcers faces came to mind and my reaction to the possibility of coming face to face with the ones I hated and feared most started screwing with my nerves.

I sensed his movement and swung myself through the door frame the moment a hand came in contact with the switch between the kitchen and my bedroom door. Light flooded the room, the form staggered back and tried getting a hold of me on the way down. I spun out of his grasp and kicked his legs out from under him when I dropped to the ground. I was on his chest with a knife to his throat before I saw the resemblance in the eyes, stock still with shock, my grip on the knife still solid. The man was breathing harder beneath me with his hands up at his sides in surrender, panic and shock flickered through his expression.

What was it about his eyes? I saw the resemblance to Vance in his brow structure and complexion. His eyes were more familiar than Vance's and that's what freaked me out the most. Where have I seen blue-green eyes like that before?

"Josh?" I whispered, still startled by his appearance. He pointed to the knife under his chin and I immediately dropped it and stood up. "Sorry. What are you doing here?" I looked at him confused. The resemblance between him and Vance was scary, but where Vance was more of a clean cut charmer, Josh had a bit of stubble and his facial features were sharper, his jaw squared. He looked rougher.

"Jesus woman are you always ready to attack people in the middle of the night?" He propped himself up on his elbow for a minute, rubbing the back of his head from where it hit the floor, checking his neck. Josh straightened up slowly, his eyes traveled up every inch until he met mine and smiled. "You must be Vance's, Ally."

I nodded my head once and his undivided attention was a reminder of just how little I was covered. I only managed to throw on boy shorts and a v-neck t-shirt. I guess it was to late now.

"Do you always lurk around women's apartments in the middle of the night?" I rose an eyebrow making him laugh. "Your apartment is the one next door." I studied his face, fixated with his eyes. "I'm sorry for..." I glanced at the blade and he got it. "Can't be to careful and your brother always lets me know if he's going to come over and sleeps at his house." I didn't realize I was shamelessly staring at him until he cracked a smile.

Josh's eyes darkened, the heat in his stare made it hard to concentrate until a frown appeared on his face. The way Josh's brows scrunched reminded me of his brother. "Where did you get those bruises?"

He was referring to the blocking bruises on my arms from keeping my guard up. The guy I was tossing in the ring with was a tank and I was in an oddly pissy mood. I had a few nasty bruises on my ribs too, those he couldn't see.

"So." I completely dropped the subject. "Your apartment hasn't really aired out yet from the painting and cleaning. I guess, you can sleep on the floor if you want." I moved into the bedroom and came out with two blankets and a spare pillow and handed them to him. Looking around I was a little embarrassed I'd never bothered to bring a single piece of furniture in.

Vance understood to a point, even though he'd offered to find me a sofa at least, many times. I hadn't really wanted it. A sofa was a big step for me. It signified finding comfort here, a home, and I couldn't afford to let my guard down. My plan was starting to come together and soon I would have to leave and end my family. I would never be able to hide forever.

Josh watched me lock the door. "How long have you lived here?" He looked around confused his voice betraying his curiosity. God, I hoped he wasn't going to be one to really pry.

"Uhmm," I bit my lip taking a look around. "Sorry about the lack of comfort. Vance is the only other person that comes up here. Speaking of which...does he know you're in early?"

Josh frowned at me and then thought about my last question. I wasn't sure if I wanted to answer any of his questions yet. Sure he was Vance's brother and I trusted him, but I wasn't about to be dulled by the similarities between the two in looks. Josh carried himself like a fighter and his eyes were tired. I would be a fool to not recognize it.

"No, I couldn't sleep, so I caught a flight. Figured I could surprise him and get a jump start on settling in while I have the time." He shrugged. "I must have gotten the apartment numbers mixed up. I saw a light on next door and figured that one was yours." His brows furrowed and he glanced around again. I believed him.

"Well," I interrupted, backing up to my room with a smile. "Just because you broke into my apartment instead of your own doesn't mean I have to deal with you yet." I gave him a teasing smile before slipping behind the door. On another thought I popped my head out with serious expression. "If you leave wake me up so I can keep the door locked...and don't do anything stupid."

I crawled in bed as Josh's light chuckle died off. It wasn't until his shuffling for comfort stopped did I finally feel free to close my eyes.