by E. M. Moore
“What’s wrong?” I ask discreetly as soon as we enter the halls of Rawley Heights High. It’s as normal as it ever is. At least there isn’t a detective in the hallway ready to ambush me this morning. Not that I think that’s the last I’ll see of Detective Reynolds. He just has to be cleverer about how he approaches me. What he doesn’t realize is that I’ll never be his friend or helper when it comes to taking down the Crew. The Crew is none of my concern. Big Daddy K is. And since I’m planning on murdering him, me and cops won’t mesh well.
Go figure.
Oscar pulls me into the boys’ locker room. There’s no one in here at this hour, but I barely notice that fact before he turns his dark gaze on me. “What the fuck were you thinking?”
I let my bag slip off my shoulder and drop to the floor. “I’m sorry. Fuck.”
“As much as I want to be all over you, Princess, we can’t be that friendly in school. Or anywhere for that matter. Johnny’s a psycho when it comes to his things,” he says dismissively. “No one ever touched Cherry, and she was nothing compared to what you are to him.” He eyes me, questions glaring back at me.
“What?”
“I hear you moved out of his suite. Things getting too hot and heavy between you two?”
He must already know the reason behind it. The higher you are in the Crew, the more you know. “How did you hear that?”
“I heard them discussing it before the meeting last night.” Well, that explains why Johnny didn’t respond to my text this morning and why Oscar looks like shit warmed over.
“Well, it’s none of your business.”
“None of my business? Oh, I’m sorry. I thought there was something going on between us. It was you pressed all up on me when I first came back, right?”
“Don’t be an asshole.”
“Then don’t be dumb. Johnny is not your friend. He never will be. He uses things to get where he wants, and I don’t care if you think he’s in love with you, the fucker isn’t capable of it, so stop being naïve.”
I place my hands on Oscar’s chest and shove him back. All these alphas are driving me fucking insane. “What I do is not up to a panel of judges. If you don’t like it, walk away, Drego. I think you understand what it’s like to live in a shithole of your own. Physically and mentally. Family-wise or otherwise.”
“Alright, alright!” he growls, ceding the point. “I think about his hands on you, and I want to rip them off because here I am, and I can’t even touch you.”
The frantic beating of my heart calms a little. “Well, I have my own suite now.”
“In the tower,” he says. “It’s not like you’re living back at the other place. You’re still under his thumb. Their thumb.”
He’s right, and it’s one of the reasons why I didn’t push Johnny too far last night. Yes, I hate the fact that his father is pulling the strings, but ultimately, my own place works in my favor even if it is still in the tower. I have a little more freedom, yet I’m still in close proximity. Johnny won’t be breathing down my neck anymore, which allows me to think. To make plans. And hell, maybe even possibly open my life up some to explore things with Oscar and Brawler. There is no security on the floor I’m on. No metal detectors or bodyguards waiting just outside the elevator. The security is on the perimeter before you even make it into the building and then they have the extra security to protect Big Daddy K and Rocket.
“But I am safe there though,” I tell him. If there is anyone left in Fonz’s crew, which is information I’m not privy to, they won’t be getting to me. Magnum’s across the hall, and he escorts me around all day. Then when I’m here, I have Oscar and Brawler.
“Fonz’s crew have gone into hiding,” Oscar tells me, eyes finally softening. “They don’t have enough numbers to fight against us right now. It’s business as usual.”
“Then what was the meeting about last night?”
Oscar eyes me warily. I still haven’t told him why I’m here, but he knows something is up. I’m sure the fact that I’m asking about the Crew is a red flag. “K ordered all his guys over last night, talking about business in the future. There’s talk of adding some, expanding others. It’s the usual stuff now that the underground fighting isn’t a threat anymore. There’s even talk about expanding the fighting ring with heavy emphasis on you. You better win the fight this weekend, Kyla. K doesn’t like it when people fuck with his plans, and right now, you’re number one on his assets to exploit. If you let him down, consider yourself done. Consider whatever arrangement you have with Johnny over. Consider whatever you’re trying to accomplish here in the Heights over.”
My stomach twists. I don’t have any worries over the upcoming fight, but this just adds another layer of tension over everything. This is what I wanted though. I wanted Big Daddy K to count on me. To let me in, so I’d have better access to him. For as long as I’ve been staying in Johnny’s suite, I’ve only seen him a couple of times. He’s a difficult man to get an audience with, that’s for sure. When I have seen him, he’s never alone. I will not risk my freedom to take him out. I just have to bide my time.
It’s not as if being here is a difficult task. Not as hard as I thought it was going to be, anyway, befriending the depraved members of society.
“I don’t want to fight,” Oscar says, coming closer. “You’re right. We should all be able to find peace and enjoyment wherever we can in this fucked up place. I know I’ve desperately tried to figure out a way.”
The bell rings overhead, and my phone buzzes in my pocket. I take it out to find a message from Brawler. Where are you?
I’m okay. With Oscar.
We all have to be careful about what we say in case Johnny checks my phone. Those messages shouldn’t alert anyone. Johnny wants me with Oscar at school because he’s the one tasked with protecting me here.
“Big Man upset because I’m with you?”
I laugh at his attempt to start a rift between Brawler and me. That’s not happening. “Jealous much?”
He cups my ass. “More than you would fucking believe.” He nuzzles my neck. “You know those movies where the quarterback always gets the girls? The ones where they’re always on the sidelines cheering for them in tight ass little skirts and tops where their cleavage pops out?”
“Are you saying you want me to be a cheerleader? Because that’s dead last on my list of things to do.”
“I’m saying I want something normal,” he growls.
My heart breaks a little. These guys—me—we’ve never had anything akin to normal. “TV isn’t normal, and besides, you picked the wrong girl if you wanted a cheerleader.”
“Aww,” he sighs dejectedly.
“How about this? I’ll dedicate me beating the shit out of this girl this weekend to you. You’ll just have to pretend I’m wearing a cheerleading uniform.”
He nips at my neck. “Maybe normal isn’t better. The sound of that just made me perk up.”
“You’re depraved.”
“You started it.”
I think I’m already getting a feel for how Oscar will be in bed. Flirty. Fun. Not half as serious as Brawler is, and that’s okay. Apparently, I like variety.
18
Friday rolls around. It’s the night of my fight. I attend school like normal, though half the student body is studying me like they can see through me. Those who haven’t seen me fight before are probably wondering if I’m worth all this hype. Those who have, are looking me up and down wondering if I can keep this up.
Crude posters adorn the walls at school announcing UPPERCUT PRINCESS vs. THE ROSE. Apparently, every fighter has a nickname. I’m pretty sure my name would even kick her ass, but we’ll see tonight.
Like usual, the butterflies that started this morning stay with me throughout the day. At the gym after school, we don’t do anything too heavy, just some light sparring and some core moves that I might need, mainly jabs. Jax found some amateur footage of The Rose on YouTube or something, so we watch that a little. She’s oka
y, but as I’ve said before, I’m not worried about her. They can put anyone in front of me, and unless I’m standing opposite a fucking titled UFC fighter, I’m not going to shit my pants over it.
At least, that’s what I tell myself to hype myself up. I don’t care who you are, the moment you get close to a fight, even if you know by all intents and purposes the fight should be one-sided, you’re scared as fuck. My stomach rolls. I’m super confident in my skills, but I need fighting to keep my spot in the Crew. With what Oscar told me the other day, I wouldn’t be surprised if Big Daddy K is holding back on Johnny and me just because he wants to make sure I’m going to continue to be an asset for him. If I end up losing, he has no use for me, and that also means, he can’t have his son with me either. They need to be strong on all fronts.
Fuck it. It doesn’t matter. I’m kicking this girl’s ass.
I’m in the back of the warehouse in the same room Brawler brought me back to that first night after Johnny claimed me in front of everyone. I still remember how he walked over Cherry’s body to get to me, which should tell me everything I need to know about Big Daddy K and his family. There’s always something shinier that might catch their attention. I have to make sure I keep being shiny to them.
The only people in the back with me are other fighters. Brawler comes by every once in a while to grab the next fighter. Each time he comes in, he watches me. If I’m feeling up for it, I glance over at the same time to reassure him I’m okay, but if I’m not, I shadowbox the air, pretending it’s Big Daddy K’s face. He’s been all my opponents since the day I started fighting. It helps to keep it consistent. It helps fuel my fire.
I’m the last fighter in the room because my fight is the most important. As the night wore on, the buzz in the main room has entered earplug worthy territory. It’s ten times what my fight with Cherry was. The warehouse is huge, but the area around the ring isn’t big at all. I can only imagine how far back the people are standing. Some of them probably can’t even see the fighting area.
The fight in front of mine is a long one, which makes my stomach twist even more in anticipation. The Rose is my bitch, I keep repeating. I’m not surprised they gave me a better opponent this time. I agree with Johnny on one thing. His dad knows what he’s doing. He’s got an angle on everything, and maybe he’s truly trying to test me. Just like moving me out of Johnny’s suite was a test, too.
After a few more minutes, the door to the room swings open. Instead of spying Brawler creeping in, it’s Johnny. A huge grin pulls his lips apart. He’s dressed in a dapper suit, like usual. A dark gray coat offsets his dark hair. “God, you’re sexy as fuck,” he breathes. “Maybe if you said you needed a good fuck to win, Dad would let up on the rule.”
“Actually,” I say, “there are more than a few fighters who forego any sexual activities before big fights. The Gracies are known for it.”
He makes a face. “That’s terrible.”
“I haven’t bought into it yet,” I tell him, winking.
His face darkens in lust. He pulls his hand out from behind his back and a royal purple robe unfurls between us. “Purple for royalty.” He turns it over. On the back is my fighting nickname with a wrapped hand making the uppercut movement. “May I?” he asks, gesturing with the robe.
I nod, turning around so he can slip it over my shoulders. He puts one arm through and then the next, then moves his hands up to my shoulders to massage me there. Leaning down, he captures my earlobe and sucks it into his hot mouth. “Take her down, babe.” He pulls me against his hard body, hand slipping noticeably low over my abs and toward the front of my skin-tight shorts.
My body melds into him. It doesn’t take much to get me excited when I’ve started and stopped with him so many times. He lets out a breath and backs away from me. I’m relieved because whenever he’s near, I’m caught up in him, just as I am when I’m with Brawler or Oscar. Hell, even Magnum can sweep me away into another time and place. I lose a little of myself to them as soon as I’m in their presence. It’s unnerving, scary, but satisfying at the same time. It’s nice that I don’t have to bear the brunt of all the pressure myself. Finally. It’s just too bad I only trust two out of those four people fully. Magnum and Johnny bringing up the rear.
“Is it time?” I ask, to make myself focus.
Johnny holds his arm out to me. “I think you’ll find a few things have changed.”
“Like?”
He grins before opening the door. We step out into the room. There’s a clear path from the door to the fighting area this time. I don’t have to push past people. People hold out their hands to touch me as I walk toward the ring. There’s a girl already standing in the center, and I completely zone everything else out. A golden yellow bra and pant set completes her fighting outfit. It’s completely different from my black on black. I’m not trying to be subtle about anything. I’m trying to tell everyone that I will fuck them up if I have the chance.
The roar of the audience is deafening, but it doesn’t stop me from sizing my opponent up. She grins at me like she knows something I don’t. Her mouth too wide and lips too thin to be anything but intimidation. I wonder how long she’s been near the top of this ring. At least the female card. Brawler’s at the very top of the male card, and he’d blow this girl away. Not that I think he’d actually fight her. Brawler’s not the type.
This time, it’s not Brawler in the center of the fighting area announcing the fights. It’s a guy in his thirties, looking like he’s trying to take a page out of Bruce Buffer’s playbook. When he speaks, his voice comes out of speakers. I glance up, noticing the new large speakers circling the room. Not only that, but there’s also huge TV’s in different corners of the room. I look down and straight into the lens of a camera. From my peripheral, I see myself on the screen, and the crowd explodes again.
The guy in the center of the ring announces The Rose first. She has a decent following. The yells and claps for her are genuine. Hell, I am the newbie. No one knows what could go down here. Most of these guys have just heard of me and not seen me yet.
When the guy gives me my introduction, Johnny slips the new robe off my shoulders. I bounce on my feet and shake off the tremendous uproar of the crowd that pierces through my focus. Johnny says something to me, but I can’t even fucking hear him. He backs away, and that’s the last time I feel his presence before the fight starts.
However, he’s replaced with another presence I recognize. Brawler walks into the center of the room. He eyes us both coldly, like he doesn’t have any sort of connection with either of the fighters. I lick my lips, and he holds his hand in the air, bringing it down in a swinging motion to call the fight to a start.
The Rose comes right for me. She doesn’t circle or try to get a feel for how I fight. She’s on the offensive from the get-go. I sidestep her, a little perplexed by her tactic. She’s got some lady balls for sure. She probably wants to take me out as soon as she can to prove a point, but little does she know, I’m not going to let her get away with that. No fucking way.
When I duck under her attack, I throw a backfist into the back of her head. She whirls in an instant, coming for me again. I lift my guard to save me from her two crosses, and then retaliate, giving her a solid three count that ends in an uppercut instead of a cross.
The crowd fucking loved that one. Especially because I staggered her a bit.
With how many people are in this space, which must be double what it normally is or even more, the Crew—or should I say Big Daddy K—is making bank tonight. That’s just on attendance. That doesn’t even count bets where they skim a little off the top for allowing people to even place money on a fighter.
The Rose slows down now. She steps back, circling me after finally learning her lesson. If she comes straight at me, I will make her pay. So, I return the favor. I step inside, cracking my foot off her calf. She winces, and I move in, sending three good body shots to her midsection. When her guard lowers, I take it to her. I batter her fa
ce with punch after punch until she pushes me off.
That won’t work though. She’s scared now. She’s circling but instead of looking for ways to get in on me, she’s only focused on staying away. I have this fight. Now, I only have to finish it. The thing is, will the crowd want a beatdown of epic proportions? Or will they want me to carry this out a little?
Fuck it. I just want to kick her ass and get it over with. I want to prove my dominance. I can play with the next person if I think that’s what they want.
I throw a stomp kick to her gut. As soon as her hands lower, I throw a right uppercut, rocking her. Her eyes roll back in her head, and I throw some quick jabs until she staggers, falling to her ass. I jump on her, backfisting her in the face. Blood spurts from her nose, staining my wraps. Then, two strong arms engulf me, pulling me away. Brawler’s sweet scent surrounds me as he hauls me to my feet, but he lets go just as soon.
I move my stare up, watching the crowd go bananas. I catch sight of Jax and Finn in the crowd, and I smile. I had no idea they’d be coming tonight. I figured since they “unofficially” were fans of underground fighting and they have a very real business promoting real fighting, I didn’t think they’d risk it. Instead, they’re both clapping and shouting for me. Jax nods, but Finn looks like he’s going to jump over the line between the ring and the crowd to celebrate with me until his brother holds him back.
Soon after, a silky robe covers my shoulders again, and Johnny squeezes me from behind. He raises my hand and walks me into the center of the fighting area. The announcer walks up, but Johnny gestures for the mic. “If you want to celebrate my girl’s win, we’ll be at Candy’s.”
I sneak a glance at Brawler who’s helping The Rose to her feet. I shrug out of Johnny’s grasp and move toward my opponent. She lifts her steady gaze to mine, and I’m relieved to find that she’s not that injured. I hold out my hand, and she takes it. “Good fight,” she says.