Shiori entered the room first and Maddox followed.
Although Knox had seen Maddox on TV, in MMA magazines, and they’d had a Skype conversation, the man’s size surprised him. He was an inch shorter than Knox, and he had the build of a boxer, not the doughy physique of a trainer who’d let himself go—which was the norm in the world of sports training. It was hard to tell whether his ancestry was Latin, Italian, or Native American. Dark hair in a buzz cut, a goatee, no visible tattoos. As Knox assessed him, Maddox’s dark gray eyes met his, and he realized Maddox had been assessing him also.
Then he stepped forward and offered his hand. “Knox? Maddox Byerly.”
Knox shook his hand. “Great to finally meet you in person.” Then he hung back when Deacon moved in.
“Deacon McConnell. It’s an honor to have you here, sir.”
“I’m glad to be here. And no need for formality . . .” He looked between the three of them. “Unless that’s a requirement since this is a martial-arts studio?”
“We use formal titles during class hours. Makes it easier for the students to show respect to us if we show respect to one another.”
“Understood.”
“What would you like to do first?”
“Since I’ve been sitting in the car the better part of the last two days, I’d like to stretch my legs and see the training areas.”
So Knox took him through the dojo from the first floor up to the third floor. Deacon and Shiori tagged along, but neither had jumped into the conversation, which left Knox feeling like he’d been droning on for forty-five minutes by the time they returned to the conference room.
Shiori passed out bottles of water and they settled in.
“This is a great facility. I know the jujitsu program here is top-notch.”
That was a nice . . . platitude. Some awkwardness was to be expected, but this meeting needed to set the tone for their working relationship, so Knox barreled ahead.
“Look, Maddox, we are thrilled that you chose to join us. With your reputation I imagine you had dozens of other offers, so we figured we’d better jump while we had the chance. Since Ronin is training in Japan with his longtime sensei and out of contact, we—Shiori and I—brought you on board without discussing it with him because we feel that you are the best person to reinvent our MMA training program.”
His face remained blank. “Why are you telling me this now?”
“I wanted full disclosure. You’re contracted for a year, so even if Ronin comes back and disagrees with our decision, you’ll retain the full salary you were guaranteed. But I’d like to think Ronin would be more pissed off that we had a chance to hire you and didn’t than that we’ve secured you for Black Arts.”
Maddox crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t go into any situation with blinders on. I quizzed Gil about this situation and he admitted Ronin Black wasn’t in the picture. I could’ve taken that two ways—that Ronin’s second-in-command and his sister were trying to overthrow his leadership and take over his business. Or Ronin’s second-in-command and sister were trying to expand the business for the benefit of all. Obviously, I banked on option number two.”
Knox nodded.
“I’ll be honest. Taking the owner out of the decision-making process has made it easier all around. It’ll allow me do my job rebuilding the training program while Ronin does his job running a respected dojo.”
“Gil is shit for keeping secrets. But I’m relieved he clued you in. We didn’t want you to think we got you here under false pretenses.”
“Leaving the familiar for the unknown is always a crapshoot. You leveled with me, so I’ll level with you.” Maddox sighed and laced his hands behind his neck. “This last year has been utter shit. I finally got the psycho woman I was married to, to agree to a divorce. It only cost me everything I had, and that seems like a damn bargain. I couldn’t leave my former employer until the divorce was finalized because she would’ve demanded a chunk of my future earnings too.”
“And you were married to Gil’s sister?” Shiori said.
“To say they’re nothing alike is putting it mildly.” Then Maddox went on to explain his dissatisfaction with the company he worked for. The change in philosophy that affected the attitudes of the fighters. MMA had become big business, but at the same time he was training less because even the biggest fighters were lucky to get one bout in a year. “So the bottom line is, they wanted me to train a fighter at a time. They didn’t believe that a strong training program with diversity builds strong fighters.”
“You’ll essentially be starting from scratch here. We’ve retained two fighters for you to gauge.”
Maddox’s gaze zoomed to Deacon. “You one of the two?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tell me your weak spot.”
“Takedowns. Being a former wrestler and a third-degree black belt in jujitsu hasn’t benefited my fighting style, and it’s frustrating. That weak spot is keeping me from advancing like I should.”
Knox withheld his surprise that Deacon had analyzed the situation with such precision.
Maddox looked at Knox. “I’m keeping him on the roster.”
“Without testing him?” Shiori said.
“I just did. A fighter who’s honest about his weak points is a better bet than a fighter who doesn’t think he has any weak points or makes excuses for them.”
Deacon grinned. “Now I could really use that shot of Jäeger.”
Knox said, “We weren’t sure if you had dinner plans. We could order food in and just relax here.”
“I appreciate the invite and I’ll take a rain check, if you don’t mind. It’s been a long haul, and I’m ready to call it a day.”
“Not a problem.”
They all stood.
Shiori asked, “Where are you staying?”
“With Gil just for tonight. I’ll need tomorrow to get my bearings, so I’ll keep in touch about when we can get things going this week. Will that work?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Deacon said, “I’ll walk you out since I’m headed home.”
Knox didn’t breathe again until he heard the elevator doors close.
Shiori wrapped her arms around him.
He loved that she was so attuned to what he needed without him even having to ask.
After a bit he said, “That went better than I expected.”
“I was glad to see he wasn’t an asshole prima donna. Guys like him with that much raw masculine energy can have serious ego problems.”
“Raw masculine energy?” he repeated. “Should I be jealous?”
“No, because you have it too. Maybe it just comes with the territory with big, good-looking guys.”
Knox had a momentary flare of jealousy. “Now you’re saying he’s good-looking too?”
“Yes. He’d be at the top of my list of if I were attracted to tall, dark, and handsome. But tall, blond, and gorgeous is my type.”
He snorted.
“What?”
“I thought you’d say tall, blond, and submissive.”
“Well, that goes without saying.” Shiori pulled him in closer to her. “So now that we’re alone . . .”
“Got some plans for me, Mistress?”
“Let’s grapple. Or spar. Or break out the katanas.”
“Seriously? Why?”
“I’m feeling out of sorts. I can’t put my finger on why.”
Knox brushed his mouth over hers. “Have you talked to your mother?”
She shook her head.
He had a feeling that was part of it. Shiori missed her mom. He suspected she also missed her grandfather. Maybe even Ronin. Since he couldn’t commandeer the Okada jet to whisk them off to Tokyo so she could visit her family, he’d do the next best thing. “How about we work out for an hour, and then we’ll clean up and drive to Golden. You can meet my mom and her husband, Rick. We’ll see what the wonder brats are up to on a Su
nday night. I’ll even spring for sushi since I know Vivie and Zara love it as much as you do.”
The smile she beamed at him made him feel like a fucking king.
“I’d love that. Really love that.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. “You’re so good to me. Thank you.”
* * *
THE closer they got to Golden, the more nervous Shiori acted. Unlike her brother, she didn’t fidget from nerves. She became unnaturally still.
Knox picked up her hand and kissed her palm. “Relax. My mom is gonna love you. Vivie and Zara have been singing your praises to her for weeks.”
A small smile curled her lips. “That’s sweet. Can you tell me about your mother before we get there so I don’t say something stupid?”
“Don’t ask her about my biological father, because she doesn’t know who he is.”
Shiori turned and looked at him. “Can I ask you how that’s possible?”
Few people knew the truth about his parentage. It wasn’t something he was ashamed of; he just figured it wasn’t anyone’s business. “Freshman year in college my mom went to a Halloween party. Alcohol was involved and she slept with a guy dressed up like Mr. Universe. Free love and all that crap in the seventies meant she didn’t get his name. Hell, she had no idea what he looked like without a costume and the party hadn’t been on her campus. Anyway, she wound up pregnant. Her family cut her off, and she moved away from Washington and raised me alone. We lived in government housing and we were on public assistance until she earned her teaching degree when I was eight. But I never felt like I went without because I had her. She might’ve been young, but she was always a great mom.”
She squeezed his hand. “She sounds wonderful.”
“She is. She married Rick Christensen when I was sixteen. The year I graduated from high school they had Vivie. Then Zara a year and a half later. It would’ve been easy for them to be their own little family since I’d joined the army, but Mom and Rick have made sure I’m part of their lives.”
“Vivie and Zara are lucky to have you.”
Knox parked in front of the two-story Colonial that’d been the only home his sisters had ever known. He climbed out of his truck and came around to help Shiori out just as the two wild girls barreled out of the house.
Vivie threw herself at him, nearly knocking him down. “God, how slow did you drive? We thought you’d never get here.”
He pecked her on the forehead. “Nice to see you too.” He watched as his sisters tried to maintain decorum with Shiori rather than bowling her over.
That lasted like fifteen seconds.
Then Zara gave him a one-armed hug. “We’re starving, so get the introductions over with so we can go eat.”
His mom and Rick came down the sidewalk. He kept his hand in the small of Shiori’s back, hoping to relax her tense posture, even as he leaned forward and kissed his mom’s cheek. “Mom, this is Shiori.”
Shiori offered her hand. “Nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Christensen.”
“Please call me Lisa. The girls have been talking nonstop about you.”
Rick set his hands on his wife’s shoulders. “I’m Rick, Lisa’s husband. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Same here.”
Zara moved in and addressed Shiori. “I know what you’re thinking.”
Shiori lifted a brow. “Really? What?”
“That when we’re all together we look like a band of Vikings. I heard you say something like that to Knox. We can’t help it that we’re all tall, blond haired, and blue eyed.”
She laughed. “I’d never complain about that.” She looked up at Knox. “I’m rather fond of my Viking.”
Knox couldn’t help but kiss her. When he raised his head, he saw his mom smiling at him. And why were there tears in her eyes?
Rick squeezed Lisa’s shoulders. Then he said, “Girls, didn’t you have something to show Shiori before we head to the restaurant?”
Vivie tugged on Shiori’s free hand. “Remember that dress I tried on? Knox bought it for me! Isn’t that the sweetest thing ever?”
“The absolute sweetest,” Shiori agreed.
He fidgeted under Vivie’s look of adoration.
“Anyway, Mom found the perfect shoes for it. They’re like glass slippers! You’ve gotta check them out. I totally look like a princess.”
His sisters led her away, chattering a mile a minute.
Rick grinned at him. “Way to go, Knox. She is a beautiful woman.”
“That she is.”
“I’ll make sure the girls don’t get sidetracked. They’ll riot if we don’t feed them soon.” Rick kissed his wife on the back of the head before he walked away.
While Knox appreciated Rick giving him time alone with his mother, he wasn’t sure he wanted it. He studied her as thoroughly as she’d studied Shiori.
Tall and thin, Lisa Lofgren Christensen was a striking woman. Her shoulder-length blond hair framed her angular face. He’d inherited her big blue eyes, and if anyone’s eyes could smile, it would be hers. Happiness radiated from her, and he could hardly remember her as the overworked single parent she’d been to him. She’d aged well, looking more like forty-four than her current age of fifty-four. “Am I in trouble?”
“Can’t a mother be happy that her boy has finally found the one woman meant for him?”
“Mom.”
She moved forward. The metallic lettering PROUD ARMY MOM on her T-shirt glittered in the fading sunlight. “Thank you for bringing her here. It eases my mind.”
“Why would you have doubts about her?”
“Any doubts I had are gone after seeing you two together.”
He sighed. “You know you’re not making any sense, right?”
She laughed and hugged him. “Or I’m making perfect sense and you’re playing it cool.”
How did his mother always know?
“Talk to me, son.”
“I’m so crazy about her it’s kind of scary,” he admitted.
“I imagine it is.”
“So you got any motherly advice for me?”
“Yeah. Don’t be a jackass and screw this up.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep.” Then she stepped back. “Let’s round up the troops and head out. I’m starved.”
“Like mother, like daughters,” he joked.
She poked him in the chest. “Just for that, I’m sitting by Shiori at dinner and telling her embarrassing stories from your childhood.”
The front door opened and his sisters raced down the steps with Shiori strolling behind them.
“I thought by now they would’ve outgrown their need to run everywhere,” Knox said to his mom.
“You didn’t outgrow that until you left the service, smarty.”
Zara elbowed Vivie aside to speak first. “Can Shiori show us how she got you to submit to her?”
His gaze narrowed on his girlfriend. What had she been talking about with his sisters?
When Shiori reached him, she slipped her arm around his waist. “I tried to tell them the techniques I used on you that first day we met at the dojo are jujitsu black belt secrets, but they didn’t believe me.”
He pushed her hair behind her ear. “Well, I can’t have you