by Amity Cross
Viper grimaced and ran his hand over his face. “Ah, I lied…just a little. I wanted a good opener.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly but couldn’t keep the smile off my lips.
“I saw you guys talking the other week, but I didn’t see you again,” he explained. “When I saw you over there just now, I had to take a chance just in case it was a fluke.”
“You can take a chance somewhere else, Viper,” a deep voice rumbled.
A hand grasped my shoulder, and I turned, only to find Liam behind me. He did not look happy. Not one bit.
“What’s the matter Blade?” Viper asked, his lip curling. “We’re just having a drink.”
“It’s never just a drink with you,” Liam shot back, his grip tightening on me. “Leave her alone.”
“Liam,” I said through clenched teeth, picking up on the animosity between the two fighters. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Fuck off, Viper,” he spat, completely ignoring me.
“Liam.” I wriggled out of his grasp.
“Yeah, Liam. What’s wrong with you?” Viper drawled, pushing away from the bar. “We’re just having a friendly drink. No need to get hostile in front of the lady.”
Jerking me behind him, Liam strode forward, getting up in Viper’s face. There was an inch between the two men, their hands curled into fists at their sides and their jaws tense. People were looking, whispering among themselves.
They’re gonna fight.
Isn’t that against the rules?
Who’s the girl?
Are they fighting over her?
“Start walking,” Liam growled.
“Or what?” Viper said. “You going to throw down right here?”
“You would love that, wouldn’t you?”
“Liam,” I cried, grasping his arm and pulling with all my strength. I hardly budged him, he was that strong, but he came alive at my touch. He moved away slightly, and the air lost some of its charge.
Viper backed up a step, raising his hands in mock defense. “Last thing I want to do is start a fight outside the cage. Be careful, Blade.”
“Start walking, Viper.”
My hands shook with anger as Viper walked away, leaving me with Liam.
What the hell was that all about? It had all the hallmarks of a jealous boyfriend, but we weren’t like that. It was another painful reminder of what I wanted but couldn’t have.
“What do you think you’re playing at?” I asked, thumping my fist against Liam’s chest.
“Stay away from him,” he demanded, trapping my wrist.
“Why?” I asked, pouting. “You don’t own me.”
The foul look on his face deepened. “He’s bad news, Ali.”
“Probably,” I shot back, pulling free.
“You know it, and you still shove your tits in his face?”
My mouth fell open. “I didn’t shove my tits in his face! You obviously sleep around, but when a woman wants to have an innocent conversation with another man, she’s a slut. I would hate to think what I’d be branded if I actually slept with the guy. Thanks, Liam. Thanks a lot.”
“Bloody hell,” he cursed. “I didn’t call you a slut, Ali.”
“He’s a bad guy, so what? I’m not taking him home, and I’m not going to his place,” I went on. “Maybe we’ll do it out back, and I’ll be the one who gets up and leaves afterward.”
“Are you listening to yourself right now?” he asked darkly, closing the space between us.
“I can hear myself loud and clear. It’s you who isn’t listening.” He was standing so near I could smell the scent that clung to his skin. I would never forget it. Never. I shivered and turned away.
“Ali, just be careful, okay?”
And there it was. Ali, be careful, not Ali, forget about all those other guys, and be with me. I tried not to let the disappointment reach my tear ducts, but it was too quick.
“You didn’t want me,” I said. “So you don’t get to frighten off anyone who does. You don’t have any right.”
If he heard me, he didn’t say anything. He just let me walk away, and as I put distance between us, I was sucked deeper into a heartache I thought I would never feel again. That was how I knew all of it was real. It was a harsh reminder of the moment I was told my parents had died. The exact same feeling of loss I never wanted to experience again threatened to overwhelm me.
I was fast learning it was a part of life I couldn’t avoid if I wanted to live. Going to The Underground was a risk, and I knew what the consequences might’ve been.
I just didn’t expect to fall head over heels for the first guy I saw.
13
Liam
I slammed my fist down onto the bar and cursed, causing a few people around me to scatter.
Ali had disappeared through the crowd, leaving me reeling.
You didn’t want me.
I was letting her believe a lie, and it hurt more than copping a right hook right in the teeth.
Hissing, I turned and strode through The Underground, making my way out back. I still had to fight tonight, no matter what mood I was in. Championship points didn’t award themselves.
Pushing into the male change room, I immediately spied Viper, and my hackles rose. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, and smiled the moment he saw me.
I could see it in his eyes. The triumph. That whole show with Ali was just that. A show. Viper didn’t give one shit about her. All he wanted was to get a rise out of me, and I’d played right into his hands. Imagine what I would’ve done if I’d caught his tongue down her throat. If I found out he’d slept with her… Murder, that was what.
Rebel was right. Viper was looking for my weakness, and he’d found it.
Striding over to him, I snarled, my vision blurring with pure anger. “You want to fuck with me, then fine, fuck with me.” I pointed to myself to emphasize the point. “Leave her out of it.”
“See, here’s the thing,” he said, his voice remaining calm and steady. “I can do whatever I want, Blade. Who are you going to call? The cops?” He snorted.
“Are you threatening me?”
“I could ask the same thing,” he replied, pushing off the wall.
Facing off with him for the second time that night, I curled my lip, wanting nothing more than to pound his face into a bloody pulp, but both he and I knew we couldn’t. The moment we fought outside the cage, we were both disqualified from the Championship and banned. No fights meant no money. No Championship meant I would kiss a couple of million dollars and a chance at making a real go of life goodbye.
I could smell Viper’s game a mile off. A win against me in the cage wasn’t a sure bet. It was a risk he obviously thought was too much to handle, which was why he was going for Ali. He was trying to split my focus.
“I’m not going to fight you out here,” I said. “If you want to settle shit with me, I’ll fight you in the cage.”
Viper laughed, glancing at his friends who’d materialized behind me. “You so sure about that?”
“Hey!”
I hissed as Rebel appeared and pushed between us. Here he was with his white knight routine yet again. The guy who had it all together with his girl, his money, his good looks, and his upstanding morals.
“Lay off, Viper,” Rebel said, snarling. “You’re walking on dangerous ground.”
“I think you’re forgetting where we are, Kane,” he said, smiling like the snake he was. “The whole place is built on dangerous ground.”
“You know what’s at stake here,” Rebel went on. “Don’t be stupid.”
I waited, watching Viper closely while his attention was focused elsewhere. He was getting desperate, blinded by his desire to win at any cost. It was almost like he felt he was worthless until he was standing on a podium with a trophy in his hands. Money, women, fame… Those material things validated him.
It was exactly the way I was living my life, and realizing I had more in common with Vipe
r than I did a guy like Rebel, I hated myself. It was yet another reason why I was not good for a woman like Ali. An honest, kind, thoughtful, and deep woman who deserved a fucking break.
“What’s stopping us from having a little chat outside?” Viper asked, shoving my shoulder.
“Careful…” I snarled.
“Are you crazy?” Rebel exclaimed, edging between us. “You start shit outside the warehouse, you’re going to get more than banned, mate. You and your buddies? Your last resting place will be in the gutter.”
“Like hell,” he said, jutting out his jaw like the arrogant prick he was.
“Max had a partner once,” Rebel went on, referring to the man who ran the entire Underground. “The guy tried to take control of this place, and Max…” He pointed to his head, the shape of his hand mimicking a gun.
Viper’s eyes widened slightly, then he curled his lip, turning his gaze back to me. “Then we fight in the cage.”
I nodded, knowing this wouldn’t go away until we hashed it out. The moment I toed the line before him was the moment The Underground would turn into a bloodbath. Winner takes all. Loser…who knew, but it wasn’t going to be sunshine and rainbows.
“Take a walk, Viper,” Rebel said, nudging the fighter with his palm. “I’ll make sure the fight gets scheduled.”
“You’d better.” He gave me one more foul look, then strode off, his posse of fighters following.
“Great,” I said. “A death match. Hasn’t been one of those since—”
“It was either that or have you beaten to death in the street by him and his gang,” Rebel interrupted. “In here, you’ve got a chance.”
“Doesn’t sound much better,” I drawled.
“It is what it is,” he replied with a frown. “When you get good here, you become a target. Just how it is.”
He slapped me on the shoulder and walked off, leaving me to seethe alone in silence. The entire change room was beginning to come back to life after stopping to watch the drama unfold. Give it a minute, and the whole Underground would be talking about the fact the rivalry between Blade and Viper was heating up. By the end of the night, I was sure Rebel would seek me out to let me know when the fight was going down. Probably next week, going by the schedule.
Opening my locker, I pulled out my hand wraps. Ripping the Velcro free, I let the material unravel until the end hit the floor, numbing my emotions to the downward spiral that was my life.
It was just how it was.
14
Alison
I opened my front door and smiled as Faye came into view.
“Hey!” she said cheerfully. “Ready for girls’ night?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I replied, letting her in.
When Faye had called me that afternoon and asked to hang out, I was ecstatic. It was just the thing I needed to help take my mind off the events of the night before—when Liam almost punched on with Viper—and let loose a little. Alcohol, movies, and girl talk. I’d never been part of a friendship group before, and even though it was just the two of us, it felt amazing to have someone who actually wanted to spend time with me.
I closed the door behind her as she looked around my little home, taking in the sights, which weren’t many. My apartment consisted of a separate little kitchenette, a tiny bathroom, a small bedroom—only large enough for my bed, a little side table, and a built-in robe—and the living area, which wasn’t much bigger.
“Nice place, A,” Faye said after a moment.
“It’s a shoebox,” I said with a groan. “A two hundred and seventy dollar a week coffin.”
“It’s a great area, though. Close to the city, the water, great pubs…”
“I moved here so I could be closer to my fantastic new job and not have to train back and forth across the city every day. Turned out it was a money pit and my job…” I widened my eyes and sighed, sinking down onto the couch.
She offered me a reassuring smile, the space feeling even more confined now there were two of us in it. It had gone from cozy to cramped in T-minus three seconds.
“C’mon, look at the positives!”
“I suppose you’re right,” I said. “I just wish I made a little more money. Being single sucks, especially when you hear the prices on things are based on twin share.”
“I know, right?” Faye laughed and flicked her hair. “Listen, I know you like cider, so I brought us over a couple.” She set the bag she was carrying onto my little coffee table, the bottles clinking inside.
“Thanks,” I said, fishing out one. “I could really use one of these right now.”
Faye flopped down on the couch. “How’s the job hunting going?”
“I could wallpaper my entire apartment with the rejection letters,” I said with a sigh, offering her a drink.
“That good, huh?”
“Maybe I should sue my old boss for damages after all.”
“Mightn’t be such a bad idea, you know. He was a pig, asking you what he did. Makes you wonder if he did it to anyone else and got away with it.”
I thought about Susan for some unknown reason and contemplated Matt propositioning her. It would explain a great deal, which was pretty awful of me to assume, but she got away with a lot of bitchiness in that place. Maybe she did suck him off to have an easier time at work. I shivered, shoving away the revolting image of her on her knees.
“Have you got anyone to help you?” Faye asked. “Family?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have any.”
Faye hesitated, her brow creasing. “You don’t have any family?”
I sighed, not really wanting to get into it, but she was my friend, right? I’d ever really sat down and told anyone about my parents and what happened to them. Honestly, no one had ever asked.
“My parents died with I was fifteen,” I explained. “Car accident. A truck veered into their lane on the highway and hit them head on. They died on impact. The cops said the truck driver had been driving over twenty-four hours straight and was off his face on drugs to stay awake. He hit them, they died, and he went to prison.”
“Holy shit. Ali… I’m so sorry.”
“Thirteen years this August,” I said. Faye reached out to pull me into a hug, but I shrugged away. “It was a long time ago. I’ve learned to cope on my own.”
“You don’t have any other family? No brothers or sisters?”
“Nope. I was an only child, and we never really spoke to the extended family, so it was like I never existed to them. Mum and Dad said they were all batshit crazy, so they cut them off not long after they got married.”
“So… You really were alone when you came to The Underground?”
“I guess so. I was just tired of floating. Being pushed down. Walked over.” I shrugged. “I wanted something else.”
The whole tone of our girls’ night had soured with talk about my parents. We didn’t speak for a few minutes, and I began to feel awkward. I didn’t like to talk about my past for this very reason. It made other people uncomfortable, not me.
“I think you should look into suing for sexual harassment,” Faye declared. “You can’t let that jerk get away with it.”
“He’s probably lost his job by now, anyway,” I said, thankful for the topic change. “I opened the door, and he still had his filthy little worm hanging out. Half the office saw.”
Faye snorted, laughing. “Oh, my God! Epic! You should still rake those morons across the coals. Workplace bullying, sexual harassment, years of unpaid overtime… I’m sure you would be able to get a big wad of cash off them.”
“I’ll look into it,” I said after a moment. “I hate confrontation, so…”
“Speaking about confrontation,” Faye began, turning to face me.
She was giving me a look that said spill, and I just knew she was all over what had happened with Liam and me last night. Word spread fast in that warehouse, just like it did around a certain water cooler.
“I was just talking to a guy,” I said with
a groan. “Just talking. He was being nice, bought me a drink. Then five seconds later, Liam comes up and pisses all over it. No one’s ever come up to me like that before, let alone a guy. It felt good, you know? It didn’t mean I was going to let it go further than that.”
“There are different rules at The Underground,” Faye said. “Guys there expect they’re going to get laid no matter what. It’s bullshit. Who were you talking to?”
“A fighter,” I replied absently.
“Named?”
“Viper.”
Her mouth dropped open, and she started shaking her head, her blonde hair swishing back and forth. “Nooooooo!” she cried.
I made a face.
“Viper is a complete asshole, Ali,” she explained. “If he’s talking to you, then he’s got an ulterior motive. There’s a reason he’s named after a snake.”
I scowled, not liking what she was getting at. Was he bad news like Liam claimed? I hoped not because it meant I’d been duped, and no one wanted to talk to me at all. It stunk.
“Listen,” she went on. “Viper’s got a bad reputation. Fights dirty, treats women like shit, and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants.”
“And what does he want?”
“The Championship at all costs. Liam is in his way, and I would say he’s been watching you two hanging out and seen an opportunity. Remember when Liam chased off that guy who was talking to you during one of his fights?”
How could I forget? He’d stormed right out of the cage post-fight, dripping sweat and blood everywhere, and sent the guy running for his life with the force of a single death stare.
“Viper pegged a weakness.”
“You’re saying I’m Liam’s weakness?” I snorted. “Unlikely.”
“You need to stay far, far away from him, Ali. It could get nasty.”
“You sound exactly like Liam,” I exclaimed.
“He was right, you know.”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. I didn’t want to listen even though I knew she might be right. I had no reason to doubt Faye. She’d done nothing to make me think otherwise, even though we hadn’t known each other long.