Cassius Read online

  Kendra’s arm ached. That was a good thing. It distracted her from the pain in her fingers as she desperately clutched the handholds on the climbing wall. A fall into the water below wouldn’t hurt her, but it’d mean she would fail to complete the obstacle course. She hadn’t busted her ass to get this far to fail on the last obstacle.

  Sweat dripped from her forehead into her eyes, stinging. She regretted not wearing a headband, but there was a difference between fierce competition and an exhibition in front of the camera. Graham, her partner/cameraman/producer/director, trailed beneath her doing his best to document her trip through the course.

  He was the one who recommended tighter orange metallic Lycra pants and the bright orange sports bra to highlight her toned body for the latest video. The colors went well with her light chestnut brown skin.

  For that matter, Graham was the one who’d convinced her a little sex appeal would help her land more views, both aspirational and appreciative. He told her a beautiful athletic woman showing off her body a little would increase the hits to her obstacle challenge videos, and it did, despite some of her initial shyness, which had resulted in baggier outfits that snagged during events.

  She knew she needed something more functional for her show and had never been ashamed of her body before in any of her twenty-three years, but there was something different when she knew she was being filmed. If it’d been anyone else, she would have thought he was just using the show as an excuse to be a perv, but it was easy to trust and not suspect your friend when he was gayer than Elton John.

  Kendra took a couple of deep breaths and fought past the pain, grabbing the hold to swing herself up to the next. She didn’t have any shame in people admiring her body. She would never deny that she’d drawn some good cards when she was born, but she also had spent a good chunk of her life molding herself into a toned, athletic instrument through constant exercise, sports, and training. True, she’d started in those activities because she enjoyed the challenge, but there was no reason to complain about the benefits it brought as well.

  She jumped from the wall onto widely spaced bars. After swinging back and forth, momentum aided her jump to the next bar. She lacked the arm span to reach all the way.

  Kendra settled into a rhythm, quickly clearing the bars and jumping down. Her body and lungs screamed for her to stop, but she was almost done. She pushed past the pain and fatigue jogging over a narrow bridge toward the final obstacle, an open jump into an inflated landing pad. If she went too fast, she risked falling into the water below, but if she didn’t hit the jump with decent speed, there was no way she’d clear the obstacle.

  With a shout of challenge, she accelerated, trusting in her careful footwork and a couple of years of gymnastics from her teenage years. She’d not stuck with it, but the benefits to her balance hadn’t vanished.

  Kendra made her final leap, not one of faith, but one born of training and discipline. She flew over the final safety pool and landed in the bright red inflatable crash pad, utterly exhausted. A course official helped her sit up and guided her to the ladder. Once at the bottom, another man handed her a water bottle. The crowd gathered around clapped and cheered.

  She looked up at the scoreboard, smiling to herself. She’d come in first by two seconds. It was a smaller, regional competition, and the prize money wasn’t great compared to what she made from her Roving Champion video channel, but that wasn’t the point. There was nothing like the satisfaction that came with defeating a course and knowing all her training and hard work paid off.

  Kendra wiped sweat from her brow and downed half the water, keeping a smile as Graham circled her slowly. Her fans loved the post-event glow. She made a V-for-victory gesture while she continued drinking her water.

  She lowered the bottle and smiled warmly into the camera. “There you have it, folks. This is Kendra Champion, your Roving Champion, coming to you from today’s challenge in Norman, Oklahoma. There were a lot of great competitors here today, and I’m happy to have my chance to compete against everyone. Until next time, remember to always challenge yourself. Also remember to click on that like button and subscribe if you want to see more of me and hit up some of my sponsor links listed below.”

  “And we’re clear,” Graham announced, lowering the camera.

  Kendra collapsed to her knees and groaned. “Ugh. Every part of me hurts.”

  “Want to take some footage for another ‘The Cost of Training’ video?”

  “No. I think it’s important to have one every once in a while, so people know it’s not all fun and cheering, but I don’t want to be too much of a bummer for my fans.”

  Graham nodded toward an official waving her over. They needed to do the awards ceremony. The only reason they weren’t filming it was the race officials only granted Graham full access to the course if he agreed to not film certain key portions, including the opening and ending ceremonies. Kendra wanted the Roving Champion web show to be on good terms with all obstacle course gyms and obstacle course races in the country, so she did her best to comply with all such requests.

  “I think you’ve earned a good dinner.” Graham smiled. “Let’s finish up here and hit that steak joint I was talking about.”

  * * *

  Kendra sliced into her filet mignon eagerly, her mouth watering. She always needed a protein infusion after a big event, and she knew to trust her body at this point and its needs.

  Graham sipped on a beer across from her, some of his blond hair dipping into his eyes. He was cute enough, but even if he weren’t playing for the other team, he wouldn’t have been her type. He was tall and slender, but she liked her men, big, burly, and primal.

  Her focus primarily on the obstacle course scene in recent years worked against her in that a lot of people were modeling their gyms and competitions after some of the more popular shows and events, and those events tended to advantage men with a lot of functional strength but lither, more compact builds rather than the massive mountains of muscle she preferred. That might have been why she hadn’t dated anyone in a year, and her last boyfriend was a linebacker, and the guy before that, a bodybuilder.

  It’d been harder in the last couple of years, as she’d been traveling a lot farther from her home in LA. Wandering the country constantly didn’t make for stable relationships, and most men she’d met didn’t seem to like the idea of a girlfriend more famous than they were.

  Graham sighed. “The sports drink people sent an email yesterday. They’re threatening to pull their sponsorship.”

  Kendra set her fork down. “Because we’re getting fewer views?”

  “I assume so, but they were cagey about the exact reason other than corporate babble about concerns about effective brand synergy.” Graham snickered. “But we do have to face the reality that we’re doing twice as many videos these days, and we haven’t gotten anywhere near the views and engagement we had for the Hawaii series. We peaked.”

  “That’s because it was Hawaii!” Kendra slumped down in her chair. “Of course more people are going to watch something about Hawaii. Sometimes I hate having to worry about that kind of thing. Views, engagement, sponsors.” She rolled her eyes. “It was supposed to be about the challenge, me versus the course. And now I’m having to worry about phrases like corporate synergy. That sounds so nasty.”

  “I know, Kendra.” Graham gave her an apologetic smile. “But the sponsors and advertising pay the bills. We’re doing decently with the direct subscription stuff and extras, too, but the reality is everyone keeps saying the same thing. They want you at one of the big shows, and they’re wondering why you haven’t tried. You don’t want people to think you’re afraid, do you?”

  “Like American Samurai Training Challenge?” Kendra sank lower in her chair. “Or Face The Angry Dragon?”

  Graham nodded slowly. “I’m not saying you have to win them, but participation alone would do a lot to raise your profile.”

  “But it becomes all-consuming,” Kendra complained. �
��I’m not afraid of the course. I’m afraid of what it’ll do to me. I don’t want to be the ASTC girl. People expect you to focus on ASTC, and then it ends up being a deal where you’re hyper-focused on that exact style of competition, or even the exact obstacles they use, and that’ll lower my flexibility for other courses, and it’ll restrict my freedom if I want to stay on the good side of the networks running them.”

  “There’s another thing to consider, even if it’d put me out of a job.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Graham leaned back with a coy smile. “Girl, even in that current gray hoodie with messy hair, you’re stunning. You’ve got a good personality and a nice body. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while. You could pivot to being a pure fitness model. Then you don’t have to worry about intense training either way, just focusing on keeping that body tight.”

  Kendra’s breath caught. “You know it’s not like that.”

  “I know, Kendra, but you can’t do this forever. You need to consider your long-term career path.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m only twenty-three, Graham. I might not be able to do this forever, but I’ll be able to do it for a few more years at least, and…” She shook her head. “I’m never going to complain if people find me pretty, but I didn’t start Roving Champion to be a fitness model. It was about accountability in challenging myself. I don’t want to just be another pretty face with a nice body.” She smiled. “I’m greedy. I want to be that and a champion.” She pointed to her chest with a thumb. “I must have my last name for a reason.”

  Graham let out a soft laugh. “I know you want to keep challenging yourself, but I’m trying to think of what’s best for you long-term. I feel some responsibility because I got you into all of this.”

  “And I have absolutely no regrets. I’m living a charmed life, and I’ll never forget that, but what about you?” Kendra asked.

  “I’ve gotten so much experience running things for you, way more than I had before starting with you, I could rent myself out to a lot of people or start my own show. But I’m more than willing to keep doing this for you until you’re ready to call it quits.”

  “You’re a good friend, Graham.” Kendra smiled. “Better than I deserve. I know I’m too selfish. I never imagined a few years ago that I’d be able to make a living traveling the US and challenging myself athletically like this. I thought I’d have to settle down and finish my degree like my parents kept saying, but now I have this great life, this fun life… and I don’t want it to end.”

  “It doesn’t have to end necessarily, but all things change.” Graham shrugged.

  Kendra picked up her knife and sliced off another piece of her meat. “I wonder if that’s why I’ve been feeling so weird lately.”

  “Weird?” Graham’s brow wrinkled in concern.

  She gobbled down some more steak, imagining the protein flowing to every muscle in her body to fill in whatever small cracks she’d made during her race earlier that day. Doubt poked at her, making her not want to admit what she was feeling. It felt so petty and greedy. She’d been blessed, but still wanted more. Her mom had always warned her about being that kind of woman.

  “Something’s missing,” Kendra explained, her voice quiet. “That’s what it feels like.”

  Graham nodded slowly, understanding in his eyes. “Maybe it’s because you know you’re holding back and not taking on challenges like ASTC?”

  She shook her head. “No, I don’t feel like that’s it. I enjoy what I’m doing, and I can’t complain. I’m not getting rich, but I’m making a decent living. Besides, I don’t care about money. I just…” She wrinkled her nose as she thought it through. “It’s like there’s a hole in me somewhere, in my soul, even, and I don’t know how to fill it, and I can’t even figure out how to fill it because I like my life.”

  Graham laughed. “Oh? Is that all?”

  “What? You’ve got it all figured out?”

  “Yes, girl, I do.” Graham shook a fork at her. “You’ve got friends. You’ve got a loving family. You’ve got a job that you enjoy, and we both know you’ll find a way forward regardless of what happens with the Roving Champion. You’re missing one important thing though.”

  “What?” Kendra leaned forward, gripping the table with anticipation.

  “Someone to share it with.” Graham winked. “Or at least you could get laid. It’s a shame a nice, good-looking woman like you is alone and has been for so long.”

  Kendra groaned and let her head fall back. “It’s hard getting out there and dating, you know? Even if I loosen my standards a little, it’s not always helpful. I don’t mind guys liking me for what they see, but I get a little intense during training, and it scares them off, even the athletic ones a lot of the time. And a lot of guys are too intimidated to even talk to me, and I become a doofus a lot of time when I find a guy I do like.”

  “If I spontaneously turn straight, I’ll date you.” Graham winked.

  “Gee, thanks. That does me a lot of good.”

  “Until then, as your friend, and as the man who otherwise keeps your professional life going, I think you should just try and get out there.” Graham had a merry look of mischief in his eyes. “You can’t win a race you don’t start.”

  “I know! I know.” Kendra scrubbed a hand down her face. “But I don’t just want to scratch an itch. It’d be easy to have a one-night stand. I want something more meaningful.”

  “Meaningful starts out with drinks and a date for most people,” Graham replied. “That’s how it was for me and Kevin. It wasn’t like I was running around looking for my destined soulmate.”

  “Is it so weird?” Kendra chuckled. “Maybe that’s my problem. My soulmate is out there.”

  “Your soulmate could be in some tiny town in Wyoming you’ve never heard of.” Graham wagged a finger. “He’s probably perfectly content to work on some ranch. Why wait for your soulmate when you can get something almost as good?”

  “A date or two wouldn’t kill me.” Kendra licked her lips. “But that can wait until after I finish up the Knickerbocker OCR Assault.”

  Graham gave her a questioning look. “You’re telling me you’re going to get a man after we’re done in New York?” He tapped his watch. “You do realize we’re going there next week, and we’ll be done in a week.”

  Kendra gave him an indignant look. “Yes. So?”

  “And you’re not going to come up with a new excuse after it? This isn’t the first time I’ve heard you say you were ready to date and then suddenly you can’t for some reason.”

  “I’ve been busy with training.”

  Graham waved a hand. “You’re always training. I don’t want your life to pass you by because you’re too busy convincing yourself that you can’t have it all.” He smiled warmly at her. “You’re Kendra Champion. It’s like you always say. It’s right there in the name. Go out, and get it all.”

  “I will. After New York.” Kendra nodded firmly. “I promise.”

  “Okay.” Graham gave her a long, meaningful look. “There are some new sponsorship opportunities that might arise from this. I’m not guaranteeing anything, but if you do well in this event, it might not matter if the sports drink people take a walk.”

  Kendra rubbed her hands together. “All the more reason for me to concentrate and not worry about men the next couple of weeks.”

  “Okay, that makes sense. Just promise me one thing.”

  “Sure, what?”

  “If a great man drops into your lap, that you won’t pass him up. Don’t convince yourself the situation or the show means you can’t date.”

  Kendra rolled her eyes. “Sure, if the perfect man happens to fall into my lap, I won’t let him go.”

  Chapter Three

  CJ patted his mouth as he yawned. It was far too early in the morning to get called in to talk to Maximus. Hybrids could operate with minimal sleep, but that wasn’t the same thing as not needing any, and they’d been training r
elentlessly lately. It wasn’t a good start to the day.

  He stepped into their leader’s office, surprised to find another hybrid there, one of the few in their group to have red hair, Julius. Maximus waited behind his desk and offered a curt nod to CJ.

  Whatever this was, it wasn’t a reprimand. CJ had participated in training with Julius recently, but the only person he’d come close to clashing with was Cornelius, and Maximus considered anything that didn’t end with fists flying nothing worse than the men blowing off steam.

  “Good morning,” Maximus said. “I know it’s early, but we’ve received some potentially actionable intel that won’t stay fresh. We’ve got hits from all over, so we’ll be dispatching three teams to different locations and keeping everyone else in reserve in case one of these turns into something big and worth pursuing.”

  Julius’s brow lifted in interest. “I see. I don’t know if that means we’ve drawn the short straw.”

  “It’ll be nice to get off the island for a while,” CJ said with a shrug, trying to find the positive in the situation. “And if it gets us closer to Ouroboros, fine by me.” He looked over at Maximus. “It is Ouroboros intel?”

  Maximus nodded. “Yes. Every indication is that the Phoenix Corps died with Quinen. As for this new info, we’ve got some leads from the government, some from Luna Lodge, and some from our own sources. The fact that they’re all pointing to something being up at the same time makes me suspicious, enough I’m sending you and the others out.”

  “We might have to bring in the Lodge or the government on this,” Julius said with a slight frown.

  “No.” Maximus shook his head firmly. “The Luna hybrids don’t need more trouble, and we can’t risk them doing anything that might expose Isla Luna’s location to Ouroboros. As for the feds…” He growled. “…we can’t even be sure we can trust them completely. The Horatius Group had government contacts, so there is no reason to think that Ouroboros doesn’t. It’ll be a long time before we can completely trust the government, if ever.”