Kings of Denver - COMPLETE BOX SET 1-4

by Sheridan Anne

  I don’t know but either way… I like it.

  Chapter 5

  Xander

  It’s my first fight in the Underground and I have to admit, my nerves are starting to get the best of me. I know I’m prepared, but I’ve never seen the opponent before. How do I know what to expect? Is he good? Is he a clean fighter or a dirty one?

  Who the hell knows?

  “You’ve got this,” Cole says to me as he takes both my shoulders and gives them a tight squeeze. Luke and Jace stand next to him, both giving me encouraging nods.

  “Don’t let him get you off your feet,” Jace reminds me.

  I nod along, taking in any last minute advice they’ve got for me. After all, I don’t want to screw up my first fight of the season and tarnish my reputation before I’ve even got one. Besides, there’s five grand on the line for tonight. Compared to my trust fund, that’s just spare change, but it’s going to make a difference when I need to get my own place and live on my own two feet.

  The announcer is heard over the speaker and is suddenly calling me ‘The Widow Maker’, like who the fuck comes up with this shit? I don’t have a chance to dwell on it as Cole pushes me out into the ring with my robe and all.

  The crowd’s going nuts as they try to get a good look at the new blood, trying to figure out what kind of competition I’m going to be. Little do they know, this competition is mine. I’m just that good.

  I slowly pull off my robe, giving the chicks in the audience a good show before flicking it over to Cole who snatches it out of the air with a smirk. I hear the chicks in the crowd screaming out dirty comments, wanting to get me in bed while the guys are rushing around trying to get their bets down.

  Even with every eye in the room on me, I feel a familiar piercing stare that has my heart rate picking up. What the hell? She couldn’t be here. There’s no way.

  My eyes snap up to the crowd, right to the area I feel her stare. My eyes lock on hers in an instant to find her gawking at me, and I have to admit, I am completely shocked. What the hell is Charli doing here? Sweet, innocent Charli at a place like this.

  A strange need pulses through me to get out of the ring and rush up to her, just so I can drag her ass out of this shit hole and take her home. She doesn’t belong in a place like this. But honestly, what do I know? Apart from telling her to keep my change, I’ve never actually spoken to the chick. What do I know if she is an innocent, sweet girl? Hell, she works in a bar for fuck's sake and now she’s at an underground fight. Maybe she isn’t the kind of girl I thought she was, maybe she’s the kind of girl I could bend over and… no. I need to concentrate

  Either way, she’s here now and there’s no way I’m leaving this ring without my first win under my belt. I keep my eyes trained on her and watch as some loser flings his arm over her then leans his whole drunken body against hers, making her stumble forward. It infuriates me to see, but I must admit, I get a slight satisfaction out of the way she cringes in distaste and pushes the loser off.

  He wobbles behind her, but she clearly doesn’t give a shit about the guy. A smirk comes ripping across my face and I watch in amusement as the corners of her lips begin to rise.

  Whoever this girl is, I’ll be finding her after the fight.

  The announcer starts to introduce my opponent and I know it’s time to stop staring at Charli and get my head in the game. I send a wink in her direction and grin as her face instantly flames.

  I turn away and face the opposite side of the ring, mainly to give Charli a moment to get herself sorted, but also to check out who this twat is that I’ll be competing against.

  The guy is introduced as ‘Hell Raiser’ and I scoff at the pathetic excuse of a fight this is going to be. The guy is small and has barely any muscle mass. Though, I have to be smart about this, he’s here for a reason and wouldn’t be here if he couldn’t fight, which means the guy must be fast, but so far, I have never come across anyone that’s faster than me.

  I watch him as he strips himself of his robe and makes his way into the centre of the ring, looking up at the crowd with both hands raised as if he’s already the undefeated champion. Yeah right. I need to teach this loser a lesson.

  Before long he focuses his attention on me and the fight gets started. He lashes out immediately and I jump back out of the way, narrowly missing my jaw. Wow, this bastard really is quick. He smirks at me as if his little deadly secret has been revealed and I should suddenly be shaking in my boots.

  He pushes forward, but I won’t let this kid make a fool of me. I match his advance and go right for him. He seems put off, so I use that to my advantage and nail the guy in the gut then follow it up with a quick combination. Jab, jab, kick and repeat.

  It’s almost like a game. The adrenaline pulsing through my veins has me feeling almost on cloud nine, add that to the feeling that I’ve got this fight in the bag and knowing that Charli can’t take her eyes off me. Amazing.

  I’ve barely broken a sweat. ‘Hell Raiser’ attempts to fight back, but he’s worn down way too quickly. Total rookie error.

  “Quit playing with him,” I hear Cole scolding from the side, his voice roaring over the sound of the enthusiastic crowd.

  I smirk down at the kid, who has sweat dripping through the centre of his eyebrows, a busted lip, and a scowl that could go on for days. I almost feel bad finishing it so quickly, that the kid hardly got a chance to impress anyone which will not benefit the rest of his competition, but I came here to do a job and build a reputation. From this point on, no one in this competition will doubt my skill, no one will enter the ring with me as cocky has this idiot had.

  A slight cringe comes over me, but I hide it immediately as my fist comes up and I clock him in the temple.

  ‘Hell Raiser’ goes down like a sack of shit.

  A guy comes rushing into the centre of the ring and grabs my wrist, holding it high above my head then speaks into a microphone. “Winner by ‘KO’ – ‘The Widow Maker’.” The crowd starts cheering and I look up into the stands.

  My eyes land on Charli instantly and what I see there has me thinking all sorts dangerous things. Her blue eyes flame as she takes me in, her bottom lip is pulled in between her teeth and without seeing those delectable thighs, I know they’re pressing together, desperately trying to relieve the ache that she’s hoping I can fix.

  Her need has me wanting to do all sorts of things to her, especially when the blush creeps over her cheeks when she realizes she’s been caught.

  I smirk up at her, but I don’t get to watch her long before Cole, Luke, and Jace are tackling me to the sweat and blood soaked ground.

  “I knew you could fucking do it,” Luke exclaims as he grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me in his own excitement.

  Cole claps me on the back with a massive grin that takes over his whole face. He doesn’t say a word but he doesn’t need to, the words ‘fuck yeah’ is practically written across his forehead.

  The boys drag me out of the ring while Jace reminds me of the five grand I’ve just won.

  I look back over my shoulder just in time to see the dude Charli was with throw his arm over her shoulder and wrap the rest of his arm back around the front of her neck, not allowing her any freedom. He starts dragging her towards the exit and I see the worry in her eyes as she tries to pull his arm off her. She doesn’t want to leave with those people, that much is clear.

  “Hey,” I call to Cole, trying to get his attention back from his friends. He turns with a raised questioning eyebrow. “I gotta go, can you grab the money?” I ask as my eyes flick back toward Charli.

  He looks confused, probably wondering why I’m suddenly desperate to get out of here. “Um, yeah, sure, whatever, man. I’ll see you at Rebels tomorrow.”

  “Thanks,” I say before taking off like a bat out of hell.

  I head towards the exit, but can’t find her anywhere. I dash up the stairs and into the old abandon building, but still can’t find her through the mass of people who are al
l trying to leave the building.

  I head out the front and look up and down the car lined street.

  “Let me go,” I hear a girl’s voice growling. I turn in the direction the sound came, but can’t see anything in the dark night. Something inside me screams that it’s Charli and I head in that direction, hoping I’m not wrong.

  “Chill, babe. We’re having fun,” a man’s voice responds. “Don’t start acting like a little bitch now.”

  “This is your idea of fun?” the girl scoffs. “Get your dirty as fuck arm off me.”

  I pick up my pace and follow the sound of her voice. I turn down an alleyway and spot them immediately. Charli is there, standing next to the guy and two other people who are already sitting in their car.

  A girl hangs her head out the window and gives Charli an annoyed look. “Come on, hurry up already. We’ll head back to Eddie’s and Chris can show you a good time,” the girl slurs as she tries multiple of times to light up a joint.

  The guy beside her, who I’m assuming is Chris grins down at her and takes her by the wrist before trying to pull her into the car. “Don’t,” Charli shouts out.

  “Hey,” I call as I finally catch up to them and focus my attention on Charli, “You ok?”

  The guy reluctantly lets go of her wrist as all eyes turn to me. Some in suspicion, some with curiosity and one in relief which is mixed with a strange confusion.

  “Um, yeah, I’m ok,” Charli says as she takes a step away from the guy.

  “Cool. Wanna get out of here?” I ask.

  She gives me a funny look and I know she’s hesitant about me too, though, the relief in her eyes is evident. She’d rather risk it with me than this guy. “Uh…” she cringes.

  “Dude, she’s with me,” the guy says, stepping forward into my face. Then turns towards Charli. “Let’s go. Get in the car already.”

  “Dude,” I say, mimicking him. “It’s clear she doesn’t want to go with you.”

  “Come on. Let’s go,” the chick in the passenger’s seat whines as she blows a cloud of smoke out into Charli’s face.

  “Um,” Charli says, finally speaking up. “I’m going to go with this guy,” she announces, hooking her thumb in my direction.

  “Whatever,” the guy grunts getting into the car. “She’s fucking frigid anyway.” He slams the door behind him and the car takes off up the alley.

  “Thanks,” Charli murmurs, looking up at me. “That guy was a bit… much.”

  “No shit,” I scoff, before looking her over, though not in a creepy way. “You’re really ok?”

  “Yeah, thanks,” she says with a shy smile as her blue eyes meet mine. The move has that same blush creeping over her cheeks and I have to admit, I’m really digging it.

  “Come on,” I say, indicating with a flick of my head for her to follow me. “Let me drop you home.”

  Chapter 6

  Charli

  What the hell is going on?

  This night is seriously fucked up. All I wanted was to finish my shift at Micky’s, go upstairs, and crash. Yet, here I am, at 2:30 in the fucking morning, in a dark alley with the hot as fuck guy from the bar, who just happened to save me from a really bad situation.

  Though, I must remember to never trust Lex again. What a stupid move that was. I should have trusted my gut feeling that she was no good. Of course, the only girl I meet just happens to be a crazy, skank whore.

  Go me, I’m really winning tonight.

  I don’t know what I would have done if Mr. ‘Widow Maker’ wasn’t here. He completely came in like my knight in shining leather. Though, who knows what kind of situation I’ve got myself in now. I mean, I met this guy once. He could be a serial killer for all I know. Maybe a rapist like apparently every other guy in this goddamn city.

  I stand motionless as he starts to make his way back up the alley. Should I go with him? Or maybe I should wait until I find a taxi, but then I would have to spend what little money I’ve managed to save over the last few weeks.

  Sexy guy turns back around when he realizes I’m not following him. “You coming?” he asks over his shoulder then gives me a panty dropping smile which has me right back in that abandoned building, remembering exactly what this man is made of. Not to mention, the wink he gave me before his fight. I swear, my panties just disintegrated, I probably would have jumped him right then and there if I didn’t have such good self control.

  Crap. Now is not the time to be thinking about screwing this guy. I just need to get myself home where I’ll be safe and sound, then I can go right ahead and forget that tonight ever happened.

  I realize he’s still waiting for my answer and I reluctantly agree. I mean, how else am I going to get home? It’s not like I have a phone to call someone. “Yeah,” I murmur. “I’m coming.” I’ll have to remember to pick up some pepper spray for the next time I get myself in a fucked up situation like this.

  I see something settle in his eyes, almost as if he was scared I would say no. I catch up with him and we walk side by side. He leads me back past the door where I entered the building and right around the back where I can sort of make out a car park. He seems to be leading me towards a black truck and if I have to be honest, I’m pretty damn impressed.

  There are a few other people lingering around and I jump when I hear someone calling out. “Hey, kid.”

  My head snaps in the direction of the voice and Mr. ‘Widow Maker’ takes off at a quick jog. I stand motionless, unsure if I should follow, but turns out there’s no point. The guy hands him something, they do that guy clap on the back thing, and he heads straight back over.

  Great. The guy is probably buying drugs. Am I a magnet for trouble or something?

  “Sorry about that,” he says as he ushers me towards the black truck which I am assuming is his.

  “No problem,” I say, climbing into the passenger’s seat.

  He gets in beside me and starts up the truck. “Where to, Charli?”

  The way he says my name sounds almost like a caress and has shivers taking over my body, though, I’m pretty damn impressed he’s remembered my name. “Oh, you can just drop me back at Micky’s,” I tell him.

  “Uh, no offence, but no,” he says. My head snaps towards him in alarm which has him holding up both hands. “I just mean, it’s after 2:30 in the morning. The bar’s not exactly somewhere you should be going at this time of night, and besides, I’m pretty sure it would be closed by now.”

  I let out a small breath which turns into a chuckle. “I didn’t mean that I wanted to go and party,” I clarify. “I live in the apartment above Micky’s.”

  “Oh,” he grunts. “Well, I guess I can drop you there.”

  “Shit,” I laugh. “What kind of a girl do you think I am?”

  “Honestly, I’ve got no fucking idea,” he tells me. Yeah, I guess I kind of deserve that. Showing up at a place like an illegal underground fighting ring really doesn’t give the impression that I’m a good girl. “Though,” he continues, “I kind of get the impression that wasn’t really your scene?”

  “No,” I scoff before realizing that this place is his scene. “Shit, I, ah, don’t mean any offence by that. It’s just, I’m more of a ‘hang out at places that won’t get me thrown in jail’ kind of girl.”

  He laughs as he peels out of the parking lot and into the streets. “Don’t stress, I get it,” he tells me. “So, why did you come?”

  I let out a sigh. “That girl I was with, Lex,” I explain. “She’s sort of the only girl I’ve met since I’ve been here and she insisted I get out and have a good time. You know, meet new people,” I say with a shrug. “I kind of figured that meant we were going to a club or a party, I don’t know, something like that. How the hell was I supposed to know she was taking me to an illegal fight to set me up with a sleaze ball?”

  “Shit,” he laughs. “It’s really not your night.”

  “You can say that again,” I murmur before looking up at him and studying his face. “I guess
it was a good night for you, though,” I state.

  “Yep,” he declares with a cocky grin then pulls an envelope out of his pocket. “Won myself five grand,” he says, holding what must be an envelope of cash between his fingers.

  “WHAT?” I practically shout. “Five grand? Holy shit. No wonder you can afford a car like this,” I exclaim, forgetting to filter the words that stumble out of my mouth. Crap. My eyes widen in shock. What the hell possessed me to say that. “Shit, sorry, that’s really none of my business.”

  “Nah,” he laughs with a shake of his head. “Don’t worry about it. That was actually my first fight which makes this my first payday,” he declares proudly as he stuffs the envelopes back in his pocket. His tone changes as he continues. “The car was a gift from my parents, just another way they bought me off,” he grunts under his breath.

  “Oh,” I murmur, suddenly seeing the truck through new eyes and realizing this guy has some ghosts of his own. I desperately want to pry and find out as much information about this guy as I can, but who am I to ask?

  “So, you’re a student at Denver?” he asks, moving right along.

  “No, not exactly,” I cringe, not wanting to explain my life story right now. “But as of next week, I’ll be a sort of student,” I tell him.

  My comment gains some sort of interest as he turns his dark, intriguing eyes on me. “What do you mean?”

  Despite already being in a great mood from just being around this guy, talking about my future career has my mood now skyrocketing. A massive smile comes across my face as I tell him all about it. “I got a job at a hair salon and the senior stylist is going to teach me everything I need to know so one day I can have my own salon.”

  “Wow, so that’s like getting paid to learn?” he asks.

  “Yeah, pretty much,” I grin.