Taking the Fight Read online

  TAKING THE FIGHT

  GLOVES OFF - NEXT GENERATION

  BOOK 2

  L.P. DOVER

  CONTENTS

  Gloves Off Series

  Gloves Off - Next Generation series

  Gloves Off Family Tree

  1. Reagan

  2. Braden

  3. Reagan

  4. Braden

  5. Reagan

  6. Reagan

  7. Braden

  8. Reagan

  9. Braden

  10. Reagan

  11. Braden

  12. Reagan

  13. Reagan

  14. Braden

  15. Reagan

  16. Braden

  17. Reagan

  18. Braden

  19. Reagan

  20. Reagan

  21. Braden

  22. Reagan

  23. Braden

  24. Reagan

  25. Braden

  26. Reagan

  27. Reagan

  28. Braden

  29. Reagan

  30. Reagan

  31. Braden

  32. Reagan

  33. Braden

  34. Reagan

  35. Braden

  36. Reagan

  37. Braden

  38. Reagan

  39. Reagan

  40. Braden

  41. Reagan

  About the Author

  Also by L.P. Dover

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written consent from the author.

  * * *

  Taking the Fight (Gloves Off – Next Generation)

  By: L.P. Dover

  Copyright @ L.P. Dover

  Edited by: Yvette Rebello

  Cover Designed by: Letitia Hasser at RBA Designs

  Cover Photo taken by: Sara Eirew

  Illustrated by: Furious Fotog

  * * *

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Created with Vellum

  GLOVES OFF SERIES

  A Fighter’s Desire - Part One

  A Fighter’s Desire - Part Two

  Tyler’s Undoing

  Ryley’s Revenge

  Winter Kiss: Ryley and Ash

  Paxton’s Promise

  Camden’s Redemption

  Kyle’s Return

  GLOVES OFF - NEXT GENERATION SERIES

  Craving the Fight

  Taking the Fight

  Wanting the Fight

  Desiring the Fight

  Longing for the Fight

  Loving the Fight

  Needing the Fight

  Ending the Fight

  GLOVES OFF FAMILY TREE

  CHAPTER 1

  REAGAN

  My alarm clock blared in my ear over an hour ago, but I didn’t have anywhere I had to be. It was nice. That was what I loved about the off-season. I was given a break from the mandatory workouts and sparring sessions. Then again, I earned the time off. But still, I had to keep in shape, which was why I was getting ready to head to the gym. Standing in my closet, I slid my long, ruby-colored bridesmaid gown to the side and grabbed a pink tank top to wear and a T-shirt to put in my gym bag. I stepped back and stared at the dress, loving how beautiful it was. In two months, my sister was getting married, a small ceremony in Oak Island, North Carolina. I, of course, was the maid of honor.

  After putting on my tank top and shorts, I grabbed my gym bag and hurried out into the hall. My phone started to ring, so I rummaged around in my bag until I found it. I smiled when I saw who it was.

  “Hey, girl. How’s Charleston?”

  Peyton sighed. “I’m enjoying every minute of it. South Carolina is growing on me.”

  Peyton Emerson is my best friend and roommate. She’s twenty-three years old, two years younger than me, and a Hollywood starlet. She was currently in Charleston, filming a romantic comedy that I knew would be a box office hit when it was released.

  “When will you be done there?” I asked.

  “In another month or so. I’ll definitely be home in time for Carter and Emma’s wedding.”

  Carrying my gym bag into the living room, I tossed it on the couch and sat down, resting my feet on the coffee table. “How is it working with the other actors and actresses? Is it much better than your last movie?”

  In her last film, she had to work with a few A-list celebrities who were horrible to be around. Very diva-ish. When Peyton decided to become an actress, I had hoped she wouldn’t change. So far, she was still the same down-to-earth girl who loved her succulent plants.

  Peyton huffed out a laugh. “Um, this one is amazing.”

  “Have you had to do any hot and heavy scenes?”

  She giggled. “Oh yeah. No nudity, though. Lots of kissing.” She blew out a sigh. “And let me tell you, Josh is a mighty fine kisser. I’m jealous of his boyfriend.”

  “Oh wow,” I laughed, “you never told me your costar was gay.”

  “I didn’t know at first, not until Aaron visited the set. He came on one of the days Josh and I had to do a bedroom scene.”

  I burst out laughing. “Yikes. How did that go?”

  “Very good,” she informed me. “It was so good that Josh got a little too happy. He said he envisioned Aaron. Still, even if he was picturing his boyfriend, I enjoyed it. The director thought it was hot.”

  “You are so bad.”

  We both laughed, and I leaned my head on the back of the couch, trying to picture it all in my head. I couldn’t wait to see the film. Once the laughing settled down, Peyton’s voice turned serious.

  “Have you and the guys had any issues since Emma and Carter?” she wondered.

  “No. Have you?”

  “No, thank God,” she replied.

  Luckily, Peyton was already in Charleston when everything went to shit. My sister had received a threatening letter a couple of months back from Scar, a man who hated both my family and Peyton’s. The note said that the sins of our family had gone unanswered for far too long. Scar wanted his revenge, and Emma was his first target.

  Many years ago, my father, uncle, and several of their fighter friends had worked together with the FBI to shut down Scar’s underground fighting ring, which was then called the Dark Side. If it weren’t for my dad and his friends, Scar wouldn’t have gone to prison and would be a multimillionaire. But, unfortunately, it wasn’t just Scar that was affected. There were more players in the game—influential players. Scar was in deep with several mafia families, mainly the Michelsons.

  They lost out on a lot of money when Scar got busted, and there was one man who wanted to bring back what the Dark Side offered. Nikolai Michelson used Scar’s association with my family to lure us into his dangerous game of illegal fights—fights where people fought to the death. He put his hooks into my sister and threatened my parents’ lives if she didn’t comply with his demands. It turned out that Nikolai wanted to use Emma to ensnare our brother, Ethan, our cousin, Ripp, along with Peyton’s brother, Braden, and two of our friends from Vegas, Kase and Hunter, to fight for his family. In the end, Nikolai got what he wanted. Ethan, Ripp, Braden, Kase, and Hunter all bore the dragon tattoo of the Michelson family on their backs. It was their contract sayi
ng they’d fight for him. None of us knew what that entailed. The only person who had fought so far was Carter, and that was a whole other story.

  What Nikolai didn’t expect was for his brother, Seth, to step in and save the day. Seth used to date my sister, and when he found out what Nikolai had done to her, it almost brought about a war. After Seth stepped in and thwarted Nikolai’s plans, the guys ended up having to fight for him instead.

  I put the phone on speaker and set it down on the coffee table so I could put on my sneakers. “I just hope things don’t get crazy like they did for Carter and Emma.”

  Peyton sighed. “Did this Nikolai guy ever mention me or was it just my brother?”

  Thinking back, I couldn’t recall anyone ever saying her name. “I think just Braden,” I guessed. “Granted, I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting the douche. Hopefully, you and I never will, but I doubt we’ll be that lucky. Nikolai’s last words to the group were that he was coming for every one of us. It doesn’t exactly give me warm and fuzzy feelings.”

  “Ugh,” Peyton scoffed, “what a nightmare.” I could hear Gabriella in the background saying it was time to go. Gabriella was her mother and one of my training coaches. Guess you could say she was Peyton’s bodyguard. Gabby was a fierce UFC fighter back in the day; she still is. “All right, Ray, I gotta go. Make sure to water my plants for me.”

  I smiled. “I always do.”

  We hung up, and I slung my gym bag over my shoulder as I made my way over to the key rack attached to my kitchen cabinets. With my car keys in hand, I was ready to go. I locked the door behind me, checking my social media as I slowly trudged down the two flights of stairs to the parking lot where my little silver Mini Cooper convertible waited for me. Ever since I won the featherweight title, my followers have skyrocketed. I loved the attention, but I liked being a role model more. There were so many young girls who wanted to be like me: to be strong. Coaching was what I wanted to do after my fighting days were over. I’d take over my share of Fightanium and train women to fight.

  “You have a beautiful smile.”

  The voice came out of nowhere, and it startled me. My heart lurched in my chest, and my phone slipped out of my hands, the screen cracking the second my cell hit the ground.

  “Motherfucker!” I shouted, bending down to grab my phone. Thankfully, it was only the screen protector that had cracked. I looked at the man who spoke, and I froze. It was Nikolai.

  Nikolai chuckled, his body relaxed as he leaned against the door of his black SUV, dressed to perfection in what had to be a several thousand-dollar suit. I’d never seen him in person, but I knew who he was from the family resemblance. He had the same sandy blond hair as Seth, only Nikolai’s eyes were an icy blue and not the golden hazel of his brother’s.

  My pulse shot to the sky, and I didn’t know whether to be pissed or scared. “What do you want?”

  Nikolai gave me a slow smile. “I take it you know who I am.”

  I scoffed. “Yeah, unfortunately. None of the guys are here if that’s who you’re looking for.”

  “Actually, I’m here for you,” he claimed.

  My heart beat so hard I could feel it in my throat. I had to play it smart. Never let him see your fear. “What for? Want to use me for blackmail like you tried with my sister? Sorry, buddy, but your threats won’t work on me.”

  “Ah, yes,” he said, pushing off his car and stepping toward me, “you have my brother’s protection.” He held up his hands. “I’m not here to hurt or threaten you, Reagan. I wanted to ask for your help with something. That is, if you’re open to listening.”

  I stormed past him to my car, which happened to be right next to his. “Not gonna happen,” I snapped, glaring at him over the hood of my car. “It’s best you stay away from me.”

  Nikolai shrugged, grinning devilishly. “I don’t give up so easily. I’ll try again another day.”

  “You’re wasting your time.”

  Jerking my car door open, I hopped in and started my car, desperate to get away from him. Once out of the parking lot, I looked in my rearview mirror and breathed a sigh of relief when Nikolai didn’t follow me. He hadn’t bothered me or any of the guys for two months.

  With him appearing again, it could only mean one thing. A new game had started.

  CHAPTER 2

  BRADEN

  The before-work crowd had already been in for the morning, and now it was quiet at Fightanium. Closer to lunch, we’d be slammed again. I’d already run five miles, and it was time for my barbell reps. Since I’d recently won the cruiserweight title, my dad decided to take time off from coaching to join my mom and sister in Charleston while my sister finished filming. They were supposed to be back in another month or so. I was told to take a break and rest my body, but that wasn’t going to happen. I had to stay prepared for whatever came my way.

  The front door opened, and Carter—who also happened to be my cousin—walked in and tossed his bag on the floor. We both had the same dark hair and build, but I had more tattoos. “You taking it easy today?” he goaded.

  Covered in sweat, I glared at him, and he tried his best not to smile. “Does it look like I’ve been taking it easy, assbreath?” I fired back. “While you were riding the bony express this morning, I was here.”

  Carter shook his head and laughed. “Wow. Someone needs to get laid.” He jumped on the treadmill and cranked up the speed. “How long has it been anyway?”

  Grumbling, I set the barbell down and grabbed my towel to wipe the sweat off my face. “Too fucking long.”

  He glanced back at me, his expression skeptical. “I find that hard to believe. You have women throwing themselves at you every day.”

  It was true, I did, but none of them were what I wanted. Ever since we got involved with Nikolai and the shit with Scar, things had changed. My focus wasn’t on partying and fucking around anymore; it was on being as strong as possible. Nikolai had threatened to come after my friends and me, and I would make damn sure I was ready.

  Carter’s brows furrowed. “What’s going on with you? You’re not acting right.”

  Tossing the towel on my weight bench, I blew out a sigh. “Too much shit on my mind.”

  He picked up his pace on the treadmill. “Why didn’t you go to Vegas with everyone else?”

  Just as he asked the question, Reagan walked in through the front door, dressed in a pink tank top, dark gray sports bra, and black shorts with her caramel-blonde hair braided to the side. She went straight to the reception desk and started talking to Natalie, who was about to head off to college in a couple of weeks. My eyes instantly locked on Reagan, and I couldn’t look away. I’ve always been protective of her, and it’d gotten worse since Nikola threatened to come after us all. She was why I stayed behind instead of flying off to Vegas with her brother and Ripp. Someone needed to watch over her, and that someone was me.

  Carter chuckled under his breath, catching my attention. He hopped off the treadmill and glanced back and forth from me to Reagan. “I know, I know, it’s hard to resist. I am marrying her sister, after all.

  “Lucky bastard,” I scoffed.

  Emma was Reagan’s sister, and I’d always suspected Emma and Carter had a secret relationship going on over the years. It turned out I was right. They were getting married in two months, and I was to be the best man, and Reagan, the maid of honor. But, of course, she wasn’t impressed about having to walk down the aisle with me. At least, that was what she wanted people to think.

  Reagan walked over, and I could see the tenseness in her shoulders. Even her bright blue eyes didn’t seem as vibrant. Something was wrong. I’ve known her my entire life and had memorized her tells, just like I knew she fought the urge to follow through with my advances when I’d tell her we should sneak into the back room together. Would I rip off her clothes and fuck her senseless? You better believe it. I was just waiting on the day she’d finally give in.

  “Getting started a little late, aren’t you?” Carter said t
o her.

  Reagan tossed her bag on the floor and hung her head, a frustrated breath puffing from her lips. “I got a little sidetracked this morning and dropped my phone. The screen protector cracked, so I stopped by the store to get another one.” When she faced us, I could tell she was pissed, but there was also fear in her eyes. “And you’ll never believe who visited me this morning.”

  Reagan was never afraid of anyone. She didn’t have to say his name for me to know who she was talking about. Hands coiled into tight fists, I could feel the anger surge in my chest.

  “Son of a bitch,” I growled. “It was Nikolai, wasn’t it?”

  Carter ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck.”

  “What did he want?” I demanded.

  Reagan shrugged. “I don’t know. He said he wanted to talk, but I wasn’t having any of it. I know he’ll come back; he said so himself.” Grabbing my phone off the weight bench, I found Seth’s number. Reagan stepped over to me. “Who are you calling?”

  Once I pressed the call button, I turned to her. “Seth,” I answered. As Nikolai’s brother, he was the only one who could help us.

  The line rang for a few seconds, and then he picked up. “What can I do for you, Emerson?”