Mikhail noticed that Hector dropped his guard, so he took full advantage, pressing in on him with shot after shot to the face. Hector ducked out of the way and got him in the ribs. Mikhail exhaled sharply as the air was pushed out of his lungs, realizing that Hector added the same little twist to the end of his punches that Gennifer did. For some reason, the knowledge made him even angrier. He pushed into Hector's face, jabbing him in the side twice, the last harder than the first. Hector shoved him off and backed away, shaking off the punches.
“You like to hit her?” Hector asked. “You like knocking her around?” Mikhail felt his muscles tighten at the accusation. “You like seeing your bruises on her face?”
“Hector,” Tate said from the sidelines, his voice a warning. “Keep your hands up.” Mikhail swiped his glove across his nose, his anger exploding out of the carefully controlled path he'd created for it. He got in Hector's face again, nose to nose.
“Shut your fucking mouth,” he said, his voice low.
“Why don't you leave her the fuck alone,” Hector said, trying to shove him back, but Mikhail stood his ground.
“I give her what she wants,” Mikhail said, feeling a ticking in his eye, signaling his blood pressure was heightened. Then he swung hard, his glove connecting with Hector's jaw. Hector's face snapped to the left and he grunted in pain. “You do not trust her and I do.” He jabbed Hector's ribs again, knowing his right flank was weakening. The skin there was already inflamed. “That is why she is mine.” He jabbed the same spot, harder this time, and Hector stumbled back against the ropes, clutching his side.
“Cabron,” Hector mumbled, spitting over the side of the ring.
“What did he do to her?” Mikhail asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
“She didn't tell you, did she?” Hector snorted out a laugh, shaking his head.
“What did he do to her?” Mikhail repeated, impatiently.
“Smacked her around. Treated her like shit,” Hector said, pushing himself off the ropes. “When he sent her to the hospital, she wised up and kicked his ass to the curb. She'll do the same to you, pendejo. Eventually.”
“Fuck,” Mikhail hissed, wishing he'd beat the zhopa's ass when he had the chance. Mikhail punched Hector in the face for the insinuation that he was anything like Donny and Hector repaid him with a shot to the kidneys.
“I do not hit women,” Mikhail said through gritted teeth.
“Could have fooled me,” Hector said and Mikhail punched him again, for good measure.
“Christ!” Gennifer's voice cut through Mikhail's haze of pain and anger and he couldn't help but smile. “I leave you alone for two hours and this is what happens.” Mikhail cut a look her way. She was standing beside the ring, Erica beside her, looking at him with a mixture of both humor and exasperation. His loss of concentration earned him a jab to the ribs and he barked out a laugh as the pain coursed through him. “And what are you doing Tate? Just standing there while they beat the shit out of each other?” she asked and Tate shrugged his big shoulders. “Well, who's winning?”
“Can't tell,” Tate said.
“I am winning,” Mikhail said, throwing another punch to Hector's weak side. Hector growled in anger, hunching over. Gennifer went to the side of the ring and pulled herself up on the ropes, leaning in.
“Are you done yet?” she asked Mikhail.
“Almost.”
“What about you?” she turned to Hector.
“No, G,” he said, straightening up with a wince.
“Me and Erica are just going to chill over here then, until you're done.” Gennifer said, hopping down off of the ropes.
“Erica?” Hector asked, glancing over at the redhead, finally noticing that she was there.
“We bought a bottle of vodka and a bottle of tequila,” Erica said, holding up one brown paper bag in one hand and another bag in the other. “Figured we would cover all the bases.”
Mikhail chuckled and blew out a deep breath, his ribs aching. His anger flowed out of him as well, and he realized he had made his point. He caught Hector's eye. “Do we have an understanding?” he asked, not yet dropping his guard. Hector didn't reply, his gaze shifting back to the redhead on the sidelines. Understanding immediately, Mikhail took a step back and dropped his hands.
The fight was over.
***
“You didn't have to beat his ass,” Gennifer whispered in Mikhail's ear as she stood over him and pressed a bit of clean gauze to his nose.
“He deserved it,” Mikhail said, staring up at her with humor dancing behind his eyes. One was going to be swollen shut by morning, she was sure.
“Yeah,” Gennifer murmured as she glanced back at Hector, who was leaning on the ropes and talking to Erica. “He did deserve it. Hopefully you beat some sense into him.”
“He has a hard-on for the redhead,” Mikhail observed, pressing his chin to the side and cracking the bones in his neck.
“I know,” she said.
“As long as he does not have a hard-on for you,” Mikhail said, pulling her close and pressing his nose to her belly. “I do not care.”
“Fair enough,” she said with a smile, running her hands down the back of his neck.
“Where is the vodka?” he asked, his lips brushing the cotton of her T-shirt.
“If you ask really nice, maybe I'll bring you some.” She took a step back and frowned. “You got blood on my shirt,” she admonished him. He grinned and pulled her back to him, rubbing his nose all over the front of her.
“There. Now it is properly stained.”
“Jerk,” she said with a laugh, pushing him away. She strolled across the ring, keeping a bit of distance from Hector and Erica. They were whispering to each other as Erica stroked Hector's cheek, staring into his eyes. Gennifer rolled her eyes. Erica wasn't going to be kicking Hector to the curb any time soon, from the look of things. Hopefully, Hector had learned his lesson. She knew she had.
“Genny thinks we should all do shots, don't you Genny?” Erica said, glancing up at her with a mischievous smile.
“Sure. Why not?” Gennifer shrugged and ducked out of the ring. She hopped down and jogged up to the office, in search of cups. She found a stack of red plastic cups from a long ago party under Big J's desk, and hurried back downstairs. She grabbed the bottles and carried everything back to the ring. “Tate, you get over here, too,” she called out. Tate didn't argue. He dropped his weights and sauntered over to the ring.
“What are we going to toast?” Erica asked, opening the tequila. Mikhail reached for the vodka.
“Tequila for me,” Gennifer said, giving Mikhail a look, daring him to challenge her choice. He simply smiled and pinched her ass.
“Tequila,” Hector said, stepping closer to them, although still keeping space between him and Mikhail.
“Tate? Tequila or vodka?” Gennifer asked, glancing up at her other brother.
“Vodka.”
“Are you Russian?” Mikhail asked Tate.
“I don't know.” Tate shrugged. “Could be.”
“I think Genny has a little Russian in her,” Erica said, taking a sip from her cup. Gennifer narrowed her eyes at her, but laughed along.
“I do not understand,” Mikhail said, pouring a healthy amount of vodka into Tate's cup. “You are Dominican.” His eyes glittered in amusement, though, and Gennifer didn't buy his confusion for one second.
“I'll explain later,” Gennifer said, shaking her head. “Now let's toast.”
“Toast to what?” Hector asked, swiping at his bloody nose.
“To Bout It,” Gennifer offered.
“No,” Hector said, shaking his head. “To House of Pain.”
“To the end of summer?” Erica piped up.
“Thank Christ,” Tate said. “I can't stand this fucking heat.”
“To health. To friendship.” Mikhail said, lifting his cup. “To women.” Gennifer raised her cup and the others followed, repeating Mikhail's toast. Over her cup she ca
ught Hector's eyes and she hoped that he knew that they were okay. Despite all the shit, they were going to be fine.
Then they drank.
Chapter 15
The third Saturday in August meant only one thing to the fighters at Big Jimmy's House of Pain—Bout It. The annual charity competition was what Gennifer waited for all year long, and now it was here.
And for the first time ever, she was actually fighting.
“She doesn't look so tough,” Gennifer announced as she studied the tall, bulky girl across the ring. Mikhail chuckled as his big hands worked her shoulders.
“Do not get cocky, solnyshka,” he said, his breath tickling her ear.
“Why not?” she turned around to face him, leaning on the ropes. “It works for you.” She smiled and glanced around the room. House of Pain was completely filled to capacity with people who'd come for Bout It. They sold out every year. Bout It was a popular event in the neighborhood, with old-timers and newcomers alike. Big J rented a second ring to have multiple matches going on at once, and it was set up in the back of the massive space. Tate was already stretching out shirtless in the second ring, prepping for his match with Austin. Hector and Erica stood along the wall. Erica waved at her and Gennifer smiled at her as her eyes continued around the room. Big Jimmy and Maria were somewhere amongst the throng, but she couldn't find them.
“Do not let her get the first shot in,” Mikhail was saying, and she gave him her full attention. “Do not stop moving.”
“Can I kiss you?” she asked, dropping her gaze to his lips. “For good luck? And to say thank you for training me?”
“You will thank me by kicking her ass,” he said with a slow smile.
“So you don't want me to kiss you?” She raised her eyebrows.
“After you win,” he murmured, holding up her mouth guard. Obediently, she opened her mouth and he slid it in. She moved the bulky plastic piece around with her tongue until it felt comfortable. “Gennifer,” he continued, “touch your glove to your nose.” Brow furrowed, wondering what he was getting at, she lifted her glove and swiped it across the edge of her nose. “Good. That way I will know you are doing okay.”
She nodded and smiled, not bothering to try and speak around the mouth guard. Instead, she scratched her nose again. He ran his eyes down the length of her, and she could feel his gaze as if he had run his hands all over her. Her nipples tightened under her sports bra as adrenaline and lust crashed together in the pit of her stomach.
“Make me proud, solnyshka,” he said, his eyes as wild and as bloodthirsty as she felt. Rolling her shoulders, she turned to face the other girl. The referee waited for them both to meet in the center of the ring.
“In the right corner—Rodriguez from the Bronx, New York,” The ref announced and the crowd cheered. She held up a hand and waved at the crowd. She heard Hector's high pitched wolf whistle above the din. “In the left corner—Benevento from Staten Island, New York.” As the crowd cheered again, Gennifer caught the other woman's eyes and nodded. Benevento was younger than Gennifer and stockier. Her brown eyes were hard, but Gennifer could see a flicker of fear below the surface. Good. She could exploit fear. Gennifer held out her gloves and Benevento tapped in.
The ref hopped out of the way and the fight was on.
The girl immediately swung high, and Gennifer countered with a low jab to the chin. She twisted her glove at the last moment, snapping the girl's head back. Benevento stumbled backward, but recovered quickly. She got two quick shots into Gennifer's ribs, but Gennifer held her core tight and kept her hands up. She noticed that the girl was holding her breath and she took advantage. She countered with two cross punches, in rabid succession and Benevento threw her hands up to guard her face. Gennifer immediately pushed in and hooked her in the sides, under her ribs. She then countered with an uppercut as Benevento's hands fell as she tried to catch her breath. The sound of the glove hitting flesh echoed in Gennifer's ears and she gritted her teeth, loving every second of it.
The ref rang the bell, signaling the end of the first round. Gennifer exhaled slowly and the sounds of the gym flooded her ears. She retreated to her corner, looking to Mikhail immediately. He had a slight smile on his face and she knew she was doing well. She spit out her mouth guard and swished some water in her mouth.
“She will get tired soon. Keep aiming for her chin,” Mikhail said, pressing his lips to her ear. “Her lower back will give out.” Gennifer nodded, glancing over to Benevento's corner. The other girl was breathing heavy, bent over with her hands on her knees. “She is not in as good of shape as you are.”
“I guess the swimming was worth it,” Gennifer said, wryly.
“Swarm her. Push in. She will fall.” Mikhail gave a curt nod, all business. Gennifer blew him a kiss then stuck her mouth guard back in. She stepped back to the center of the ring, ready for the next round. She glanced back at him over her shoulder and shivered when she saw his intense gaze was trained right on her. She lifted her glove to her nose and his face softened a bit.
How lucky was she to have such a sexy ass man in her corner?
Gennifer let out an involuntary sigh, wishing he was in the ring sparring with her. Alas, he wasn't. Snapping back to attention, she squared her shoulders, readying herself for the next round. Benevento was tired already. Gennifer could see it all over her face. Gennifer wasted no time. As soon as the ref was out of the way, she pushed in, jabbing Benevento twice in the chin. The girl threw a sloppy high jab, and Gennifer ducked and nailed her with a cross, right in the nose. Benevento tried to retreat, but Gennifer wouldn't let her. She swung again and again, getting her in the chin over and over.
Benevento tried for another cross, but she leaned right into Gennifer's left hook. Her head snapped back and she stumbled and fell on her ass. Blood gushed from her nose and her eyes were glazed over. When the ref began to count, Benevento didn't bother getting up.
It took her Gennifer a minute to realize that she won. The referee held up her hand and for a moment, it felt like her chest was going to explode with happiness. As her eyes skimmed the cheering faces in the crowd, her mind was on one thing and one thing only.
Mikhail owed her a kiss. And it was going to be a doozy.
***
Mikhail had a bad feeling as he stood on the edge of the ring. The sun was low in the sky 0utside and the heat inside was oppressive. Industrial sized fans roared in every corner, but Mikhail didn't think they made any difference. He rolled his head on his neck, feeling a drop of sweat slowly rolling between his shoulder blades. Gennifer glanced at him from the center of the ring. Perspiration shone on her face, but her eyes were bright and lively. She was excited.
He gave her a slow nod and she pressed her glove to the side of her nose. Then the referee rang the bell and she turned to focus on Javier Domingues, her opponent in her second fight of the day. After she won against the girl from Staten Island, Gennifer had been worried that the man wouldn't agree to fight her. Mikhail had seen the worry in her eyes. But Javier, at five feet six and not much bigger than Gennifer, had agreed. Her face had lit up and Mikhail had felt her excitement deep in his own soul.
This moment was what she had worked for. She was a born fighter, Mikhail could see it in every movement she made. Her eyes were always working, finding the opening for her punches like a pro. When she missed, she didn't get distracted. She just focused on her next shot.
But he couldn't stop his stomach from clenching when she and Javier started to box. She kept her stance and kept her guard up. She kept her feet moving. She got in a good jab to his chin and then fell back. She didn't swarm him; she took her time and felt him out. Javier was fast, though. As she reached in for a jab, he cross punched and hit her in the jaw. Mikhail felt his fists flex.
It only went downhill from there.
She fought hard and didn't quit, but Javier was a counter fighter. He danced around and took advantage of any mistakes she made. Mikhail could only watch as Gennifer took hits and Javier too
k the win for the round. When the three minutes were blessedly up, she came back to her corner and looked at him with wide eyes.
“Shit,” she mumbled through her mouth guard. He got a clean towel and swiped it softly across her forehead, trying not to let his misgivings show. She spit out her mouth guard, sniffling hard. “Should I try and wait him out?” she asked, leaning in close.
“No. You can not take another round of hits,” he said. “You will have to brawl. Get in the hard punches and get out of the way.”
“You think I can get that much power?” she asked.
“Do not forget to lead with your hips. Aim for his chin,” Mikhail said. “Try to find room for that left hook.” She nodded and flashed him a smile. Without thinking, he pulled her in close, wrapping his big arm around her neck. He pressed his mouth to hers, kissing her like they weren't in the midst of a crowd. His kiss promised that he would take care of her later. He would tend her wounds and ice her bruises and kiss her until she felt better.
Because she deserved it.
“Knock his ass out,” he said, when he finally let her go. She smiled, then put her hand to her jaw and winced.
“Ow,” she whimpered.
“Protect your face, solnyshka,” Mikhail said, handing her the mouth guard. “It is too beautiful to be black and blue.”
“You're so sweet,” she said sarcastically, then shoved her mouth guard back in and headed back to the fight.
The second round was better. Gennifer followed Mikhail's advice and hit Javier hard when she could. She lasted the round and stayed on her feet. Javier was showing signs of slowing down. Mikhail knew if she could stay on her feet for another round, she might have a shot.
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