Deeply Destructive (Addicted To You, Book Four) Read Online Free

you anything about horse racing that you don’t already know. But what do you know about greyhounds?”
    “Not much. My dad hated going to the dog track. He said there was no skill in betting on dogs.”
    “Maybe he was right,” Jansen said. “And maybe that has to do with how they treat the animals.”
    “Maybe. I don’t know.”
    “Greyhounds are treated terribly and they race them into the ground. Within a few years or less, they become financially worthless and the owners put them down.”
    “That’s awful.”
    “Yeah, it is. And you know, in MMA right now, there are a lot of organizations and training teams that treat their fighters like greyhounds. Or worse.”
    I looked at him, still unsure of his point. “And?”
    “And,” he said, finally looking me in the eye, “I won’t do that to you.”
    “Thanks. I mean, I appreciate that, but I don’t know why we came here—”
    “I’m not giving you the fight next month.” He said it so fast that I almost couldn’t process it.
    The crowd erupted as the horses came down the stretch, with Happy Wanderer coming in sixth. People around us threw tickets on the ground, cursing luck and fate as they dispersed to bet on the next race.
    I shut my eyes and tried to calm my suddenly fast beating heart. “You’re not giving me the fight?” I opened my eyes and looked at him again. “Because of that little scuffle between me and Uriah?”
    “No,” he said. “At least, that’s not the main reason. I just don’t think you’re ready yet to go to the UFF. Physically, you’re great, but you need more time to get emotionally ready.”
    “You’re taking away my shot?” I frowned, as if not believing the words when they left my mouth.
    “I can’t do something that I think would harm your career in the long run. I’ve given it a lot of thought, JB.”
    “Drew Ellis wants me to sign the deal. He told me so himself.”
    “But after meeting you, he was worried. He told me you seemed like a loose cannon.”
    “Like there aren’t any loose cannons in the UFF right now?” I scoffed. “It’s not the chess club. We get in a cage and beat the shit out of each other.”
    “I know that,” Coach said, his voice rising to match mine. “But you could be great—a champion—if you’re developed and coached properly. Not every fighter has your potential, JB. If you were just some average kid who would be lucky to squeak out a couple of wins as a pro, I’d walk you over to Drew’s office right now and have you sign on the dotted line. But you’re not average. You’ve got special talent.”
    “So special that you’re taking something away from me that means everything.” I stood up. “You brought me here to try and prove a point, but you’ve got no point.”
    “I’m your coach,” he said, his eyes growing intense, as he stood up to face me.
    “And I’m trying to protect you, but you’re too goddamn stubborn and stupid to realize it.”
    “I’m stupid?” I spit the words out, wanting to slap him hard, just to show him I could. Then the feeling passed and I relaxed a tiny bit. “That’s funny. I thought you said I was too smart for my own good.” I turned and started to walk away.
    “Get back here, JB. I’m not done talking to you.”
    I turned around, smiling a little, but my stomach was burning with hate. “I have nothing left to say. Oh, yeah, except this. I quit.”
    I never looked back after that.

    ***
    I’m not sure how long I wandered the streets near the racetrack, my mind a blank.
    I walked and walked, feeling numb and shocked and then a dull anger started to pulse in my stomach, like I’d swallowed a hot coal that was just sitting and burning inside me.
    Eventually, I found myself in front of the AMC Movie Theatre. I wasn’t even sure how I ended up there, but I suddenly realized that I wanted to go inside. I wanted to sit in the darkness with the flickering light from the projector and the big screen and nothing to do.
    And then