Untamed: Bad Boy Fighter Romance (Fighting for Gisele #2) by Emily Jane Trent Page A

shimmering in the growing heat of the day. One of the staff escorted Abby to the pool, where Gisele was lounging under an umbrella in one of her colorful bikinis. “Hi, Abby.” She stood up to give her friend a hug. “It’s good to see you.”
    “You too.” Abby removed her shirt and shorts, leaving her fuchsia swimsuit, then got comfortable in one of the other lounge chairs. She stretched out her long, well-toned legs and reached for the glass on the side table.
    “I ordered mimosas for us.”
    Abby sipped hers. “Great. It’s delicious.”
    Gisele texted with Abby all the time, but still there was always stuff to catch up on. “What’s new?”
    “Well, the show is going great,” Abby said.
    Gisele had attended one of her friend’s first performances, because she was so excited about the show. Zarkana was a huge production, with a set that constantly moved, providing a unique backdrop for the performers. The visual effects included images projected onto LED screens, creating remarkable illusions of fire and snakes, upstaged only by the performers’ acrobatic talent.
    “I’m not surprised. That show is a stunner.”
    “It still amazes me how magical the circus acts are, and I’m in the show,” Abby said. “I mean, who would think of turning acrobatics into fairy tales? I hope I can stay with the dance troupe for a while. I was lucky to get in.”
    “All those years of gymnastics paid off,” Gisele said.
    “Yes, and my ballet training too.” Abby stirred her drink with the straw. “It’s exhausting, though, so many performances.”
    “Did you talk to your mom the other day?”
    “They’re having thunderstorms this week,” Abby said.
    “That’s not unusual for Indianapolis, is it?”
    “Not for May. But even so, we’re sitting here in ninety-degree weather.” Abby ran her hand through her silvery blond hair. “I don’t miss it. I’d much rather be out west.”
    “Are you still seeing your costar…Gareth, wasn’t it?”
    Abby shook her head. “We just went out a few times. He’s a nice guy, but we didn’t really hit it off.”
    “You’ll find the right man.”
    “Eventually,” Abby said. “I’m in no hurry. There are lots of cute guys in Vegas.” She giggled. “Who wants to be tied down?”
    Without preface, Gisele blurted out, “I’m still with Micah.”
    “I sure hope so. He’s not a guy you let go.”
    “I didn’t want to text anything alarming, but there was an incident when we went away.” Gisele proceeded to tell her friend the sordid details of Micah slugging Vik.
    “I would have liked to see that,” Abby said.
    “You wouldn’t. It was a mess.”
    “Dare I ask—is Vik okay?”
    “It certainly didn’t damage his annoying self-assurance,” Gisele said. “Would you believe that after all that, he still had the nerve to ask me to marry him. He had his jaw wired shut, so he wrote it on a chalkboard.”
    “Some guys just can’t take a hint.” Abby grinned. “I take it you said no?”
    Gisele laughed. “But get this…the charges against Micah were dropped.”
    Abby shrugged. “Your brother doesn’t want to appear in court for any reason .”
    Her friend knew all about how Alek looked out for her, and Gisele didn’t hold back any secrets, if she had any. Abby was the only person she had to talk to, so she knew about the nature of her brother’s business. Her friend wasn’t intimidated, and came by the condo whenever she liked. Of course, even the mob wasn’t in the habit of harming a woman without reason. Abby’s lack of fear was justified.
    “My birthday is coming up,” Gisele said.
    “I’m not likely to forget that. It’s a big deal. Are you still going to move out?”
    “I’ve planned to all along, and I’ve been saving up.”
    Abby listened attentively.
    “But now that it is so close, I’m kind of nervous,” Gisele said. She waved her glass toward the condo. “This is all I know. I have no experience meeting people, much less running