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  When he finally broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers, holding her tight, he muttered, “God, I missed you. Do you know the hell I’ve been living with since you walked out that door Monday?”

  “Yes.” She knew. She’d lived with the same hell. “Wait. You haven’t been with Missy?”

  “What?” He reared back a step, not releasing her biceps. His brow was drawn tight.

  Sabrina cleared her throat and shook her head. “Of course. How stupid.”

  “What made you think I was with that crazy woman?”

  “I saw her last night.”

  “Where?”

  Sabrina bit her lip. “At the arena,” she whispered.

  “You were at my fight?”

  “Yes.”

  He grinned. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I just wanted to see you. Needed to. I didn’t want you to know.”

  “Missy was there?”

  She nodded. “I ran into her, literally, on my way out. She told me she was there with you.”

  “She was not.”

  “I gather.”

  Conner pulled her into his embrace again, wrapping his arms around her.

  It felt amazing having him so close. She breathed in his scent, wishing her heart would stop racing. She still had a thousand questions.

  “We need to go to the police station.”

  “Yeah,” she muttered into his chest. What she really wanted to do was go back to his place and strip him of his clothes so she could trace his tattoo with her tongue.

  Later.

  He let her go long enough to grab his things and then took her hand and led her to the parking lot and straight to his car.

  “I have my car here.”

  “Leave it. We’ll get it later. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  She smiled as she relaxed into his Mustang. Somehow it was all going to work out.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Four hours later, Sabrina sat in the back of the squad car with Conner beside her still holding her hand. She chewed on her lower lip and then took a deep breath. “I hate this idea.”

  “I know, baby.” He turned to face her and lifted her chin with a finger. “It won’t take long, and then we can go back to my place and put this all behind us.”

  She nodded. “Don’t get dead, please. I like my boyfriends living and breathing.”

  “Got it.” He chuckled.

  The door opened on his side, and Conner slid out. “Be back as fast as I can. Don’t you dare move from this car, or I’ll spank your ass so hard you won’t be able to sit for a week.”

  A chill raced up her spine as she grinned at him.

  Of course he knew her well enough to realize his threat would only encourage her to jump from the safety of the vehicle just to goad him.

  And then the door closed, leaving her in silence.

  So many things had happened over the afternoon. She stared at the strange metal building where intelligence suggested Anton Yenin was located this afternoon. They still didn’t have all the pieces together to finish the puzzle, but they were getting close.

  Conner had told her everything—finally. He’d been keeping so many things from her under the guise of protecting her from the possible vultures that her head was spinning. He’d even lied about his feelings for her to get her to leave Rafe’s house on Monday so she wouldn’t be in harm’s way.

  She’d nearly buckled over as though sucker punched when she realized the entire scene had been staged. He did care for her. He’d been protecting her the only way he knew how—by cutting things off.

  “This isn’t going to work between us. All we do is fight. It’s how we started out.” His words rang in her head. She should have realized they made no sense. He loved fighting with her. But she’d been so angry at the time, she believed him. She’d even tossed her own angry four-letter words his way.

  The damage could have been irreparable.

  It looked like neither Missy nor the esteemed Dr. Chang had been involved in the allegations. That trophy went to Anton Yenin. It made sense once Conner explained it to Sabrina.

  The mafia guy wanted Conner to fight for him. And he’d decided to stop at nothing to attain that goal. Probably thought if he got Conner fired, he would have no choice but to fight for money.

  He lost the battle. And now Sabrina sat in the back of a squad car while Conner went inside to face Yenin and put an end to this shit story.

  •●•

  Conner walked into the makeshift arena and headed straight for the offices with Rider by his side. They’d both been there before and knew the layout. It was well known as a hot spot for underground fighting. Though more often than not, the police had more important things to worry about than trying to catch the side betting of the crowded arena on a fight night.

  Lucky for Conner, Rider was on the police force and more than knowledgeable about both the Russian mobster and his dealings. Conner didn’t expect any trouble this afternoon. He just wanted to exchange a nice tit for tat with Yenin. And of course, he had plenty of backup sitting out front in the event things went south.

  There weren’t many people inside. It obviously wasn’t a fight night.

  Two men stood just inside the building as Conner and Rider entered. They didn’t have to introduce themselves. Everyone knew them in the MMA circuit. “We’re here to see Yenin.”

  “He’s not available,” the shorter guy said with a smirk.

  Conner leaned forward. “I wasn’t asking, mother fucker. Make him available.”

  The guy’s face fell, and he stood with a growl and stomped slowly toward some stairs to the left. He didn’t make it far before Yenin’s voice could be heard from upstairs. “It’s okay, Boris. Let them in.” Yenin turned around and entered through a door without greeting Conner and Rider.

  Conner took the stairs at a fast clip, Rider on his heels. When he reached the top, he opened the door he’d seen Anton enter through and was shocked to find a woman sprawled half-naked on Anton’s couch.

  Even more surprising was that he knew the woman. “Angelica?” What the hell was his lit student doing in this arena looking half wasted?

  Anton stepped from behind his desk and came around to the couch with a smirk on his face. “Oh, that’s right. You two know each other.” He leaned down and stuck his tongue in Angelica’s mouth before she could protest.

  She squirmed away from him, but he held her tight.

  On second glance, Conner realized she was completely naked. There was a ratty throw blanket covering her vital parts, but as Anton ruthlessly mauled her mouth, the cover slipped down her body, exposing her ample tits.

  When Anton finally released her with a chuckle, she scrambled backward on the couch, tugging the throw up to cover her body. Her eyes were bloodshot. She wasn’t just drunk. She was strung out on something.

  Conner had never seen her like that. In fact, she was usually prompt and ready to learn in his class. He was beyond surprised to see her in this environment. It couldn’t be a coincidence. This saga kept getting weirder.

  His gaze jerked to Anton. He had more pressing matters to attend to first. Then he would consider what to do with Angelica. Stepping forward, he narrowed his gaze.

  “How do I rate a visit from the good professor today? Have you decided to come to your senses and fight for me?” Anton stood in front of Angelica, crossing his arms over his chest and spreading his legs in a defensive stance.

  “Not a fucking chance, Yenin. Not even if you manage to get me fired. Which you failed at today.” Conner stepped closer. How the hell was he going to get Angelica out of this? He was more confused than he’d been all day. Something wasn’t right.

  A dozen lightbulbs went off, none of them bright enough to clue him in. He glanced at Angelica again as Anton rounded behind his desk. “What are you doing here, Angelica,” he asked.

  She suddenly perked up and plastered a smile on her face, batting her eyes. She stood and saunt
ered over to Conner. When she reached his side, she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his middle and setting her head on his chest. “Did you come to rescue me, Conner?”

  Conner? Since when did she call him by his first name?

  She gazed up at him, her bloodshot eyes blinking.

  “Are you responsible for all this?”

  “All what?” she asked, her gaze wandering aimlessly to Rider at his other side. Her smile widened. “My oh my, are all your friends as fucking hot and sexy as you?”

  “Angelica,” Conner demanded. “Did you try to get me fired?”

  Anton tipped his head back and roared with laughter.

  Conner stared at the man, shrugging Angelica off him and leaving her in Rider’s hands. “What, may I ask, is so funny?”

  “You.” Anton held his gut as though he were unable to stop chuckling at the funniest joke he’d ever heard. “Good God, man, you think this whiney piece of ass is capable of pulling off such a scheme?” His face immediately went serious. “I assumed you were here to take me up on my offer.”

  “Not a chance in hell, Yenin. I’ve already said that. Though I do need to thank you for leading me to realize who was fucking with me. I hadn’t expected you to stoop so low. I underestimated you.”

  Anton slammed his hand on his desk, making everyone flinch. “And you’ll still be underestimating me if you don’t wise up and get on board.”

  “I’ve told you repeatedly I won’t fight for you, and I mean it.”

  “Not even if you need the money?” He smirked.

  “How did you do it?”

  “Do what?” Anton tapped his fingers on his desk. The man was short enough his hands touched the desk while he was standing.

  “Frame me.” He still hadn’t told Anton there was a flaw in his framing. It seemed the man might truly believe Conner was screwing a student. He jerked his gaze to Angelica again where she now leaned on Rider, swaying, her ass hanging out for everyone to see. The blanket was tucked against her front, but she seemed oblivious to the fact her ass hung out. “I suppose you used Angelica to get to me?” A lucky and easy addition to the puzzle.

  Anton chuckled again. “She was most helpful filling in the blanks, and so forthcoming with information. It was almost too easy.”

  “She told you I was dating a student?”

  “She even gave me the name of your sweet piece of ass. Sabrina Duluth. How is she in bed anyway? A tiny waif like her? What did you see in her? Can’t be much to write home about, as you Americans like to say.”

  Conner fought the urge to haul off and punch Anton in the nose. It wouldn’t do any good, and ten of his private mafia would be on Conner so fast, he wouldn’t know what hit him. “You miscalculated, asshole.”

  Anton tipped his head to one side. “How so?”

  “Sabrina isn’t a student.”

  Anton flinched. His gaze went to Angelica. “You bitch.”

  Angelica’s eyes widened. Her mouth fell open. “I never told you any such thing. I have no idea if that skinny bitch is a student or not.”

  Anton reached down and swiped an arm across his desk, sending the contents flying into the air to land on the floor.

  Conner glanced at Angelica. He actually felt sorry for her. She was probably set up. “How did you get messed up with these people, Angelica?”

  “Oh, she was easy to reel in,” Anton responded. He leaned over his now-clean desk and growled. “This sexy piece of ass was following you everywhere. My men kept seeing her as they trailed you. I sent one of my men to her favorite haunting place, and she was eating out of his hand in no time. Crazy bitches are way too easy these days.” He glanced in her direction again, his gaze wandering up and down her naked backside. “Lucky for me, she turned out to be a fine piece of ass too.”

  “So you lured her into your web and then pumped her for information to get me fired?”

  “It wasn’t difficult. The bitch was drunk. She told me everything without much inquiry.”

  “Why, Angelica?”

  The girl pouted and dipped her head. She was more sober than she had been when Conner first entered. Maybe she wasn’t as strung out as he thought. “I wanted you to notice me. But you only had eyes for that skinny waif Sabrina.”

  “So you set me up to get me fired? You thought that would help your cause?” He was angry.

  She shook her head. “I didn’t know anything about getting you fired. I just wanted you to see me.”

  Conner ran a hand through his hair and took a breath.

  “Let’s get out of here, Conner. We’re done here.” Rider’s voice broke the lull when he spoke for the first time.

  Conner ignored Rider and narrowed his gaze at Anton. “Let’s get this clear. You made a mistake when you told Sabrina I was getting fired this morning.”

  “How? Everyone knew it.”

  “Nope. Just you.”

  “You can’t prove that.”

  Conner chuckled this time. “Anton. You’re a smart guy. Surely you can tell we outsmarted you this time.”

  “The e-mail.”

  “Yep.” Conner nodded while Anton realized his mistake. The university had replied to his last e-mail. Thanking him for letting them know about the unethical behavior of their staff member and assuring him action would be taken quickly. They made up a pile of lies about verifying that the woman in the photo was indeed a student and would be firing Dr. Bascott that very morning.

  In reality, no meeting had been taking place at all. It was staged. The group was simply gathered in that conference room in hopes to lure in the culprit by making him think Conner had been fired.

  Anton played into their hands faster than expected by waiting for Conner at the gym during the meeting. Sabrina’s involvement was unexpected.

  Conner cringed to think she had endured a conversation that morning with Yenin.

  The dean and the fake group meeting in the conference room had done so in hopes of flushing out the culprit, assuming it might take a while for the accuser to slip up and rat himself out with information only he or she was privy to—that Conner had been fired.

  They hadn’t expected Sabrina to storm in. They hadn’t expected a lot of things. They for sure hadn’t expected to put the matter to rest so swiftly. That was just luck.

  Anton Yenin had opened his mouth too quickly and stuffed his entire shoe down his throat.

  The Russian opened his mouth again now, but no sound came out.

  “Ah. So finally you have nothing to say. Listen, asshole. You’ve been tailing my ass for months. Obviously you’ve had enough spies to know my every move, including when I took a shit and who I spoke to. You’ve terrorized my girlfriend. I want this to stop. I am not coming to fight for you. I want every copy of the pictures you took right now, and I don’t want to see your face again.”

  “Why would I do that?” Anton hedged.

  “Because this place is surrounded with SWAT as we speak. So, unless you want me to give the word and arrest everyone inside, including you, for conspiracy, you’ll do as I say.”

  Anton hesitated for several seconds and then turned toward a safe on the wall behind him and twisted the dial several times until it opened.

  Conner ignored the piles of money inside and concentrated on the jump drive the man handed him as he turned back around. “That’s all of it? There are no other copies?”

  Anton shook his head. “I’m a man of my word.”

  Conner chuckled. “Right.” He leaned forward, putting his own hands on Anton’s desk. Conner was almost a foot taller than the man. “Do not piss me off again. Do you understand?”

  Anton nodded, his gaze angry.

  Conner turned around and left the office, pocketing the jump drive.

  Rider held the door open, Angelica now covered in the blanket at his side.

  They didn’t say a word as they left the makeshift arena and stepped out into the fresh air of the Vegas afternoon sun.

  Conner turned toward Rider. “T
hanks, man. You got this?” He nodded at Angelica. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with her. The police could handle her. They would want to question her extensively. Hopefully they would shake her up and scare her straight. Conner doubted she’d ever been in as much trouble as she was today.

  “Yep,” Rider confirmed.

  Conner hesitated and turned back to Angelica. “How long have you been following me?”

  She shrugged.

  “Why?”

  “I wanted you to ask me out,” she mumbled, lowering her gaze.

  “You’re a student.” He ran a hand through his hair. Obviously she wasn’t playing with a full deck. “Did you key Sabrina’s car?”

  She ducked her head farther. That was all the answer he needed.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Sabrina turned onto her back and stared up at the ceiling with a sigh. She still couldn’t believe Conner had gone to such lengths to keep her name out of his problems with the university. She wanted to throttle him, even though he explained his reasoning—that once someone is accused of something, it never goes away. Some people would always believe she’d broken the rules.

  Never mind he was willing to lose his job over it. Stupid man.

  Nope. All he cared about was salvaging her reputation. And the only way he knew to ensure that was to refuse to tell the dean who was in the pictures. There had been no guarantee her coming forward would exonerate him anyway. It could just as easily have been too suspicious for the dean to believe. In which case, Sabrina would be tainted as the evil student who fucked the professor, and Conner still would have been fired.

  She thought he was crazy.

  The water shut off in the bathroom, and she turned her face to watch Conner saunter in with a towel wrapped around his body.

  Sabrina had already showered before him. She’d headed straight for the bathroom and stripped out of her clothes the second they returned to his house while Conner had returned several phone calls to The Fight Club and Joe.

  When he’d finally entered the bedroom, she was resting naked on his bed, staring at him coyly on her side, her head propped on one hand.

  Conner’s eyes had gone wide, and a genuine smile had spread across his face for the first time that day. He held up one finger and padded into the bathroom.