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Chapter 14
Astrid
I let go of the door and step into the dimly lit room. “I guess I should say that you don’t have to. But I want to hear this.” The desk is really the only thing illuminated and a corner of the couch. My eyes adjust as I take another step closer to him.
“I’m not good at it.” Pierce approaches but stops in the middle of the room. “But I want to thank you for saving my ass from being beaten up. You didn’t have to. You probably didn’t want to, and a lot of people were probably pissed that you did it.”
“They were,” I reply, uneasy with him being kind. “But, well, it wouldn’t have happened. They would have roughed you up, but not more than that.”
Grimacing, Pierce shakes his head in disbelief. “No, they’d have sent me to the hospital. If they’d even bothered to call for an ambulance,” he replies. “Thanks. I owe you.”
Perfect. It’s the opening I need. “I do need a favor. I need my name on the roster for the Pit.”
Pierce pushes the toe of his shoe into the rug, avoiding my gaze. He’s turning shy now? Why is he waiting? He’s getting what he wants. He wanted to see me naked in the flesh. I’m surprised his nasty tongue isn’t lolling out of his head.
“Is this because you need money?” he asks quietly.
I can’t say anything as heat rises to my cheeks. Fuck. I’d rather show him my tits than talk about being poor. I’m not ashamed of being poor, but I don’t want to discuss it with a rich boy, especially when the rich boy is Pierce. I look around the room for something else to focus on other than his staring eyes. I settle on my shoes.
“My friend’s in jail,” I reply evenly. “And I need cash for her bail.” With a deep sigh, the attitude leaves my body as I confess what I need.
Pierce frowns. “Howland won’t give it to you?”
I hold up my hand and stare at my ragged nails. “He emptied my bank account when he found out what I had done. He’s really pissed at me. Some days I wish he’d just disown me and make both our lives easier.”
There, now he knows. Pierce knows that I seriously need help, and how desperate I am—desperate enough to go back to the Pit. He watches me with his hands in his pockets. Waiting to hear more details, I guess. I walk over to a straight-back chair, away from the light, and sit down.
“The cops busted my club.” I glance at him. He doesn’t look surprised. No doubt Wyatt told them. Maybe it was even on the news. I can probably Google it later. Parasites. “They arrested my friends and went to Howland’s mansion looking for me. He was so mad I thought I’d have to call the cops on him to save my ass.”
Pierce laughs, sitting on the chair next to me. “Not laughing at you, but I’ve met your father. He’s a cold one, Astrid.”
“Don’t call him my father,” I seethe. “To me, he’s Howland. Elliot, if I’m feeling generous. And a fucking cruel jerk no matter what.”
“Howland is a tight ass,” adds Pierce. “He could carry a stick up his ass from here to Florida without dropping it.”
The laugh bursts out of me in a loud snort, but I don’t care. I sound like a nerd as I sniff and rub my nose on my sleeve. I’m not interested in impressing Pierce, and I relax my attitude, sharing a smile with him.
“No more second chances,” I continue, “He said I’ll be forty-five before I get my trust fund. I didn’t know I had one until this year, so I won’t miss it much.”
“Don’t be dumb.” Pierce scoffs when I glare. “Take the money, Astrid. That man owes you.”
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t have the money to take anymore.”
Pierce shakes his head and leans back in his chair. “You haven’t learned a goddamn thing while being here.” He watches me. “No, you’re not going back to the Pit.”
I narrow my eyes. “I know what goes on in there. How it’s changed. Why do you think the Monarchs left? There’s at least some dignity in a clean fight. Listen, I need money for my friend, so don’t be a jerk off, and put me on the roster.”
“No.” He folds his arms and refuses to look at me. “Your name will never be on that roster.”
“You have to be joking.” My voice hardens. “Why don’t you want me now? You’ve been plotting to see my tits out and my ass in the air since forever. You objectify and humiliate, so I’m giving you an easy chance. I’m sucking up, so why are you turning me down?”
“No, Astrid,” he replies, unmoved. “It’s too dangerous.”
“What does that even mean?” I ask. “It’s degrading, not dangerous, unless you’re hiring girls that can actually fight.”
Pierce turns his gaze on me, and I grip the seat, shocked by his intensity. “The crowd’s different. The school kids are gone. You don’t belong there, so don’t go there again.” He sighs and sits back. “Go talk to Justin. Ask him about his old man. Your father might be cold, but he’ll never ruin your life like Ted Leister.”
The room is stuffy as we take a breather and listen to the silence in the room. A room is never completely silent as we listen to a tapping off in the hallway and a tree limb brushing up against a window farther down the hall. I never expected this—me begging Pierce to turn me into a slut in the ring. And him turning me down.
