Path To Retaliation (Fighter's Den, #2)

Chapter 27 - Cameron

I take a seat beside Avery on one of the love seats as I look around the room. Turns out that lone door on the top floor belongs to the boss — the boss being Nate.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. Nate owns a fucking nightclub? And he's one of the strippers too? I mean, who the hell is this guy? I've known him for three years and always thought of him as one of my boxing friends, one that I've become more dependant on as of late. I don't know anything about this Nate but luckily he brought us all up here to offer an explanation.

"I think the suspense is going to kill me." Avery hisses at me under her breath.

"Don't die." I whisper back. "I have a surprise waiting for you at home."

"You do?" She turns her head toward me, looking perplexed.

"Of course I do. You don't think I'd do a little something for my girlfriend on her birthday?"

"You didn't have to, Hermoso."

"I know." I kiss her softly and she returns it with a smile. "But I wanted to."

"Well, I already love it."

"And I love you."

The grin she gives me makes my heart fucking burst. I'm still basking in the fact that I don't have to hold the words back anymore — that I can just say it whenever I feel like saying it because I can. Because she's mine.

God, how in the hell did I get to lucky?

"You guys want anything to eat? I can have the chef whip something for us." Nate calls over to one of the security guards standing by the door who makes his way toward him. "Ask one of the bartenders to bring up the menus and let Bruce know I'll be paying him overtime if he can stick around to cook for my guests. Thank you, man."

The security guard fist-bumps Nate, clearly tight with his boss, and exits the room on order.

Nate turns back to us and blows out a breath. "I guess I should just start from the beginning?"

"Just tell us what you're comfortable with." Jax interjects. "It's your life, man. You don't really owe us anything."

"Thanks but I want you guys to know. I'll be going pro soon and my life will be out in the tabloids anyways. This part of my life is something I don't plan on hiding because I'm proud of it. I just figured you should hear it from me first."

"So, this isn't a secret then?" I can't help but ask.

"Not really." He shakes his head. "I just didn't know how to approach it. It's not like I could just up and say 'hey, I'm a stripper.' Plus, that would account for some questions — rightfully so — and the story behind why I do what I do is the part I wasn't ready to share."

"I get that." I nod and we share a knowing look.

The security guard returns with the menus and he hands one to each of us. We thank him and quickly decide on what to eat while he writes down our orders in his phone. When he leaves again, Nate turns to us a little nervously. I notice his gaze shooting towards Delilah every few minutes but she continues to avoid it like she's been doing all night. She hasn't spoken a word since Nate's performance and her mood turned even more sour when Chris got an emergency call that he had to leave to tend to. I wonder if he just made it up to get out of here. I think Del's trying to figure out the same thing since she's checking her phone like clockwork.

"My twin sister's name is Aria." Nate starts. "This club is a tribute to her because of she went through and what million of women go through. When Aria and I were in college, she was dating one of the guys from the football team. He was a classic douche; quarterback, most popular guy in school, good grades. Aria was always a carefree girl but she began changing when her relationship with that dick got serious. Over time she went from being the loudest one in the room to the quietest, started ditching all her classes, stopped eating, and isolating herself from everyone. Even me. I knew something was up from the beginning, you know? I just knew her that way. I tried asking her a million times but she would always yell at me or tell me to back off if I accused her boyfriend of anything. She didn't think I'd put the pieces together but I did. It became obvious around the time I noticed all these unexplained bruises and marks all over her body."