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“Watch them. See how they want his death.”
“Whose? There are two of them.”
“It doesn’t matter who they want. They only crave and wish to see someone fall.”
She looked toward him. Now her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she saw the happiness in them.
“You like this.”
“Like this, it brings the real heart of a person out. This here, is where real pain truly begins.”
“Do you like pain?”
“No one likes pain, Ava. We all deal with it differently. Pain helped me when I didn’t think I could handle it myself.”
“Down there, they’re all champions. Some just take a few more hits than others.”
She gasped as the one who looked like he’d taken on the buses and won, lifted the other man and slammed him to the ground.
This wasn’t like on television. When the man was on the ground, the guy started to pummel him even more, not giving him a second to come around. This was brutal.
The other man tried to crawl away, but the other put his booted foot on his back and started to slam it down.
Once.
Twice.
The male scream had her covering her ears.
The violence, it was all too much.
Without waiting for Hunter or Logan, she rushed outside, bent over, and very unladylike, threw up.
She tucked her hair behind her ears and vomited. She couldn’t stop.
During the process, someone had come out and was touching the base of her back, rubbing, offering her comfort.
When she wasn’t going to be sick anymore, she swatted at their hand, stood up, and shook her head.
“No,” she said.
“Ava?” Logan held his hands up. “Come back inside.”
Tears filled her eyes. “Do you know what we just witnessed?”
“A victory.”
“That guy may have just had his back broken, and you don’t care.”
“They know the risks when they come here.”
“Do they? Or are you just so consumed with making money and being this big bad man, that you can’t even see the truth of what the hell is going on! This was something you had to do as well?” She screamed the words, unable to contain her pain or guilt even though she had nothing to feel guilty for.
Her entire body shook. She felt disgusted, sickened, and in need of something to calm her turning stomach.
“Why did you bring me here? Is that going to be my end? Fighting?” She pointed toward the door.
“What is your sudden fascination with the end?”
“Why not? I don’t know the point in all of this, Logan. You come back to Crow Valley to do what? Make my life miserable? You think I haven’t had a pretty bad life the past twelve years?”
“No, I don’t.”
She burst out laughing.
“You’ve had it rather cushy. A nice little life. A house. The dream come true, right?”
She shook her head. “I was raped in the school locker room after I finished swimming. Not long after our little episode in the classroom. No one believed me. Sure, you and Luke, and the others left. I figured you’d all done something bad. I didn’t pursue it. I thought Luke had gone to jail.” She pressed her lips together, the tears falling down her face. At least she didn’t wear any makeup. “No one in town believed me. They all … they all thought I was lying. Look at me, Logan. I didn’t know why they blamed me for you, but for Luke, I’d hear the whispers and I thought it was about him. Why would he rape her? Why would he even touch her? Clearly, she’s a slut and doesn’t know how to handle herself. I worked at the library. I couldn’t go away to college. My parents died. Relationships were a no because no one wanted me, and I struggled. I couldn’t afford therapy so I handed everything as best as I could, and at times, it still wasn’t enough. I’m not even comparing my life to yours. I’m just saying, it hasn’t been easy, but I can’t go back in there. I can’t see any more of that. It’s too much, Logan. I can’t.”
“Hunter, take her home.”
Logan spun on his heel, and it broke her heart to see him walk away from her.
Hunter grabbed her arm and moved her toward the car. She climbed inside without putting up a fight. There was no reason to fight him or anyone else.
The car door slammed, but Logan was nowhere to be seen.
“Does he enjoy it?” she asked.
Hunter started up the limo, pulling out of the parking lot. “This is his world. It’s what he knows, and he takes care of it.”
“It’s so … bloodthirsty.”
“Logan had his way of dealing with his past, and so do you.”
She curled up against the window, watching the city go by.
“I’m sorry. When you go back to him, tell him I’m sorry.”
“You can tell him yourself.”
****
The fight brought in a lot of money. The warehouse was empty, and Hunter waited for him outside. He had nowhere else to go for the time being, so he sat in a chair in the center of the ring.
