Read Online Open Wounds by Camille Taylor - Free Book Online Page A

Nothing. I was left wondering what the hell I did wrong, thinking you blamed me for being hurt.”
    “Mia, I’m so sorry. I had no idea you felt that way.”
    “It doesn’t matter now.”
    “Of course it does,” Kellie said as she tapped her fingers against the thick plastic coating underneath her hand. “We’re going to be working together. We need to resolve our issues.”
    “Just like that, huh?” Her mouth twitched into a smile.
    “It’s only you, Mia, who makes it difficult, you know.”
    She shrugged and didn’t deny it. Denying it would be futile since it was the truth, but it wasn’t something she could easily get over. Hell, it had been twelve years but that night still haunted her. Kellie wasn’t the only one who had lost something. She had also lost a good friend.
    “I accept my actions have caused irreparable damage but I want to make it right. Or at least near enough to. Come on, Mia, let’s go hash this out Donovan Style. Don’t look so surprised. I read your file. Plus I know you. If there was anything that you couldn’t fix, you’d fester until an opportunity came along to cut loose and let it all out.”
    She moved to the boxing ring in the centre of the room before turning around. She raised an eyebrow and motioned with her hand towards the ring. Amelia frowned before following her.
    “Cut the crap, Kel, you know I’ll wipe the floor with you in a matter of minutes.”
    Kellie climbed through the ropes into the ring and turned back to face her.
    “That confident, are we? My, you have an ego. I bet you’ve been dreaming of kicking my arse for years,” she teased. “Well here am I. Come on, take your anger out on me. Let me take away your demons.”
    “Don’t push me. I might take you up on that offer,” Amelia warned, noticing they’d caught the attention of some of the officers working out. Some were even inching closer in hopes of overhearing. There was nothing more interesting than Amelia Donovan being challenged by a perky blonde. She didn’t plan on being anyone’s entertainment.
    Kellie shook her head, donning on a pair of gloves.
    “Are you afraid you’ll hurt me? You can’t, no one can…not anymore. You need this. Hell, I need this. Relax, it’ll be a fair fight. I’ve been practicing. What have you got to lose except maybe their respect?” She motioned to the flock of men moving towards them, eagerly exchanging bets. “Let’s work off some of that aggression of yours. It’s not healthy to keep it bottled up. Believe me, you’ll feel better once we’re done.”
    “She wouldn’t be Donovan if she wasn’t aggressive, that’s what we love about her,” someone said from the crowd. It was followed by male laughter.
    “You’re just pissed she wouldn’t sleep with you, Kurt,” another said.
    Amelia rolled her eyes and climbed into the ring. “You always knew how to make a spectacle of yourself,” she said. “Well, there’s no backing down now. Not if you want to save face.”
    Kellie appeared unconcerned. “I was never planning on backing down.”
    “I’ve got twenty on Donovan,” Officer Kovak shouted to no one in particular.
    “I wouldn’t be so quick to make that assessment, Kovak,” a familiar voice called out. Nick Doyle appeared ringside. “The blonde packs a punch.”
    Amelia huffed out a deep breath. Could this get any worse? She was never going to hear the end of this.
    “Don’t cry to me, Kel, if you break a nail.”
    “So long as you don’t cry to me if you break something else.”
    They faced off, the sounds of the men surrounding them dying off as she centred herself. As far as she was concerned, they were alone.
    Kellie parted her stance, making it wider as she moved at an angle to improve her chances of staying on her feet. Amelia mimicked her action, having spent time in the ring and out of one herself. She knew how to fight — fairly and unfairly — and knew all the dirty tricks to use against her opponent should it come