Captain didn’t sound happy at all. “There’s been a change to the roster. You two are in the ring.Now!”
For a moment, I couldn’t think. I couldn’t move. I realized this was a punishment, to get back at me for not figuring out who was rigging the fights. Captain expected answers by now, and because I didn’t have them, he was making me fight myfriend— as if that was supposed to motivate me. The asshole was going to punish me in every possible way until I caught this guy.
“Charlie, come on,” Chancey prodded. He grabbed my arm and tried dragging me to my feet, but my legs felt like noodles.
“I’mnotfighting you,” I protested, jerking my arm away.
Chancey leaned down and hissed, “Would you rather he put Sharptooth and Steele in the ring to beat you two-to-one? Because you know he will.”
Aw, fuck. I knew he was right. If I refused to fight Chancey, Captain would put me in a worse fight, where I’d be outnumbered. I’d be beaten to a pulp for sure— that is, if I made it out of the fight alive.
And yet that almost sounded like a better option than punching my buddy.
“Get your asses out here now, or you’ll be cleaning blood off the ring with your tongue at the end of the night!” Captain threatened.
Chancey yanked on my arm and dragged me toward the door. He spoke in rushed whispers. “Don’t hold back on me, all right? Captain will punish you if you take it easy on me.”
“I don’t want to do this,” I hissed.
“Doesn’t matter. You have to,” Chancey insisted. “And you have to win! If you don’t, Captain will put you up against someone that’llkillyou next time! He’s not fucking around anymore. This proves it. And I ain’t letting a good friend die.”
“I’m not—” I started to say, but Chancey shoved me out of the locker room. The screams from the crowd drowned everything else out.
“Chancey! Chancey!” the crowd shouted. He was a real fan favorite. Chancey wasn’t allowed to take bets on his own fights, but I knew where I’d put my money on this fight.
An announcement boomed through the room, but I barely heard what it said because my ears were ringing. I could handle a scuffle with my friends, but these people weren’t here for that. They wanted blood. One of us had to give it to them.
Someone’s hands landed on me— I didn’t know whose— and they shoved me into the ring. I fumbled over the ropes, but found my footing a second before the bell rang. Chancey bounced from foot to foot, circling me in the ring. His footsteps were loud, and his heavy breaths even louder. It was like he was deliberately making it easy to track his movements.
“You’re going down, Bandit!”
“Kick him in the head!”
“He’s blind, for crying out loud!”
This wasn’t fun anymore. I didn’t feel the rush of adrenaline or the excitement of the crowd. I hadn’t in weeks. This was pure torture.
Chancey threw a punch, but it was sloppy. I instinctually blocked it. I realized why he’d gone for the sloppy approach. He was warming me up, trying to get my instincts to kick in.
“Come on, Bandit!” Chancey yelled. “Fight me!”
“Don’t talk to me like we’re enemies,” I snapped.
“We need to be right now,” he growled. “Fight back.”
“Make me,” I said. It wasn’t a threat. It was a request.
Chancey knew how to make hard decisions. It was one of the reasons I liked him. Even though we were friends, he had to hit me where it hurt.
“Fuck you! You’re nothing!” Chancey shouted. “You’re only in this prison because no one else wanted you. Your parents abandoned your orphan ass because they didn’t want you.”
I swung my fist and caught his jaw, but the strength needed to do any damage wasn’t behind it. He barely staggered.
“Your punch is weak, just like your magic,” Chancey accused.
I held my fists up and circled him. “You’re gonna have to try harder than that.”
Chancey’s foot connected with my ribs, and I grunted as the air whooshed from my chest. It was a good kick, but I recovered quickly. He could’ve caused a lot more damage if he wanted to, which meant Chancey was trying hard not to hurt me.
