Page 180 of The Villain We Tempt

Damiano’s brow furrows as he watches her and drains his beer. Then the organizer blows an airhorn, yanking everyone’s attention back to the ring.

“It’s time, people!” the guy yells over the crowd. “Fighters! Are you ready?!”

On the far side of the ring, Adrik grins viciously as he pulls off his t-shirt, revealing a chiseled, hard body covered in Bratva tattoos.

Ari is still looking at him with that weird frown on her face.

On our side of the ring, Damiano pulls off his own t-shirt, revealing a physique equally as impressive and as tattooed as Adrik’s. They both nod at the organizer, who jumps out of the ring.

A loud airhorn blasts through the air, and the first round begins.

Holyshit. The fight that unfolds in front of us issheer brutality.

Their hands are taped up. But it’s not like they’re wearing boxing gloves, or any other sort of protection. I tense, wincing when Damiano’s fist crashes across Adrik’s mouth, sending a mist of blood, spit, and sweat through the air.

“This isreally hardcore!” I yell to Bella over the roar of the cheering crowd and the wet sounds of fists hitting sweating muscles.

Bella just nods, her eyes locked on the fight.

I don’t know a thing about boxing, but after the bell rings to end the first round, it’s pretty clear Damiano is in total control of the fight. Adrik doesn’t look like he’s planning on tapping out anytime soon, but there’s a wariness in his eyes as he dances back to his corner and takes a big slug from the bottle of vodka Kirill hands him.

Damiano’s face, meanwhile, is utterly neutral, even though he obviously dominated that first round.

The bell rings again, starting the second round. This time, Adrik comes outswinging, and it’s almost like Damiano is slowing down.

In the third round, it looks like he’s forgotten how to avoid getting punched.

By the fourth, I’m starting to worry that something is seriously wrong.

Damiano is barely standing upright, his body jerking and his head snapping back and to the side as Adrik savages him with blow after blow. Blood pours from his nose and mouth as he turns to spit crimson on the ground, his purpled, half-shut eyes unfocused.

“Isn't someone going to stop this??” I blurt, turning to Bella.

She just shrugs, her eyes still trained on the fight. “They’re supposed to tap out when they’ve had enough.”

“Okay, but Damiano's getting the shit kicked out of him,” I say nervously.

Bella’s brow cocks. “He sure is.”

The bellfinallyrings, ending the round. Adrik looks pissed as he walks back to his corner and glares at Damiano. Dame, meanwhile, turns and stumbles back to his side of the ring, right where we’re standing.

Suddenly, his swollen eyes laser focusrighton Bella. A shiver ripples down my spine as he grins a bloodied smile at her and lurches over right to us, slamming against the waist-high plywood wall.

Bella smiles widely. “You know,Dame,” she sighs in a bored tone, “it’s usually customary to fightbackwhen someone punches you in the face? I mean, I’m no boxer, but?—”

I gasp sharply when Damiano’s bloody hand shoots out and abruptly wraps around Bella’s throat. Her eyes widen as he yanks her close to his snarling, bloodied face.

“There’s going to be hell to pay for this, little nightmare,” he drawls in a mumbling, muffled voice as blood drips from his mouth.

What thefuck?

I step forward to push him away from my friend. But Bella’s hand raises between us, warding me off.

When I stop, she just smiles at Damiano as she reaches up and pats his swollen cheek, winking.

“Fight’s about to start, handsome. Try not to get hit so much this time?” She pats his face again before she extricates herself from his grip on her throat.

Damiano glares at her just as the bell rings, announcing the fifth round.