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“I understand perfectly,” Monk sneers, delight lighting his eyes. He thinks he’s going to win. The motherfucker is deluded.
Or, perhaps that’s me?
“Asia?” Camden turns to face me, his face blank, unreadable.
“Got it,” I retort, straightening my shoulders and nodding tightly.
Camden raises his arms out to the side, indicating for the crown to give us room. They move back so that just Monk and I remain in the centre of the circle.
“Give them space to fight. Those who fail to listen, who try and intervene, will be chucked out of the Tower,” Camden shouts over the growing chatter, though his gaze lands firmly on Ford and Sonny standing just behind me now. “If there are any last-minute conversations to be had, I suggest you have them now.”
Low bass music begins to play in the background, fuelling the already tense air as Monk and I glare at each other. One of his cronies steps in to whisper something in his ear, and he grins slowly. His resulting laughter grating on my last nerve.
Ford appears in front of me, blocking my view. Sonny beside him. Both look at me grimly.
“Monk is strong, Asia. He has a powerful punch, but he’s slow, heavy on his feet. You have the advantage of speed and stamina. Tire him out as much as possible,” Ford says, resting his hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “When he’s run out of steam, aim for his weak spots. His face, kidneys, groin. Don’t waste your time on his torso. If you can take out his legs, get him on the ground then hit him until you can’t anymore.” Ford grabs something from his back pocket. It’s a roll of masking tape. “This will keep your fingers from breaking,” he explains, wrapping it around both my knuckles. It’s tight but it gives me some form of comfort. It’s naïve to think it won’t really hurt hitting Monk, but at least this will help to lessen the damage.
“I know you want to do this, Asia. I get it. But you can walk away. We’ll protect you from him. I promise,” Sonny adds vehemently. He grabs my hand willing me to listen to him. I shake my head, pulling it free from his grasp.
“You can’t. You know that, right? It will never end if I don’t stand up to him. It doesn’t matter what you promise. He will keep coming for me.”
“Fuck!” Sonny swears before bending down and kissing me roughly. It’s a quick kiss; bruising, brutal, and the complete opposite to how he kissed me before. When he pulls back, Ford is staring at us both, fire blazing in his eyes.
“Take your lip and nose ring out. Do it quickly,” Ford says, holding his hand out. I do as he asks, dropping them into his palm. He pockets them. “Don’t lose focus. You’vegotthis.”
I nod tightly.I’ve got this.
“Enough!” Camden snaps. When I look over at him, that same fire burns brightly in his gaze. I wonder if he can see it in me too. For a moment I see something flicker within the fire. Respect, definitely. Regret, perhaps that too. It doesn’t matter now anyway, this is happening.
“Begin,” he adds abruptly. Then I lose sight of him in the crowd.
A hush descends. The tension rises alongside the heat rolling off the onlookers. As I step forward, my body hums with repressed rage. It’s welcoming, an old friend. Something I’ve come to rely on over the years, but rather than letting it take me over like I usually do, I force the storm within me to coil tight. I funnel it into something useful, something deadly, just like Ford has taught me.
Monk is the first to make his move, rushing forward and throwing a punch that I avoid with ease. He sprawls into a few of the onlookers behind me, knocking them over with the force. Twisting to face him, I bounce lightly on my feet.
“Slippery bitch!” he snarls, his face red with anger as he runs at me again. I dodge him.
He spins on his feet, charging at me like a bull would a red rag. I dodge him once more, barking out a laugh as he tumbles into the crowd showing himself up.
“You gonna fight, bitch, or are we just playing here?” He scrambles to his feet, pushed forward by a few of the onlookers behind him.
“That’s what I thought we were doing, only you keep ending up on your arse,” I retort, beginning to enjoy myself. Icando this.
Monk lets out a roar and this time when he goes for me, he doesn’t miss. I manage to get out of his way just enough to feel his fist meet my shoulder and not my face. Butdamndoes it hurt. I stumble back a little, but right myself quickly enough. Out of the corner of my eye I see Pink draw in a breath and Sonny start to step forward. Ford grabs him back, shaking his head. One thought flies through my head right at that moment. If Monk does manage to punch me in the face, I’m gonna be out. Game over. The force behind his punch will win.
Shaking out the pain, I duck his next punch and then throw two of my own. My uppercut manages to find his jaw whilst I twist beneath him and punch him in the kidneys as hard as I can. That makes him grunt with pain, but it isn’t enough to end him. The guy’s a beast.
The crowd fucking roars.
The next five minutes is a blur of me trying to avoid Monk’s punches and attempting to gain the upper hand. I manage to get a few more punches in, and some kicks too, but more often than not I’m the one avoiding his attempts at knocking me out. He responds with a few hard punches as well, and a couple of times I’m left reeling as his fist meets my chest and my chin, even my fucking tit. But somehow, I manage to avoid the worst of it, and am able to keep him on his toes without being nearly as exhausted as he is. Ten minutes into our fight and Monk is already on the verge of buckling. I can see that in the heaviness of his steps and the shortness of his breath. He runs hot and fast, no doubt winning fights with brute strength and one punch knockouts, whereas I’m more of a slow burn building to an inferno thanks to Ford and all his training.
“Bitch, I’m done playing. This is over,” Monk shouts after stumbling into the crowdagain.The guy fights without a lick of sense. A worthy opponent would have figured out my tactics by now and used them to their advantage. Not Monk; he’s thick as shit, thank fuck.
Taking one last charge at me, I see my opportunity and take it. This time when I dodge him, I swing down low and sweep my leg out, taking his out from beneath him. He goes down with a crash and the whole room erupts.
The crowd lets out a frenzied roar.
Some of them are baying for my blood, whilst others are finally backing me. Either way, I take Ford’s advice and leap on top of him, raining blows on his face with all the strength I can muster. My clenched fists land punches to his cheeks, his chin, his nose, his temple, his forehead. I hit hard and fast knowing this is my only opportunity to have a chance at winning.
I don’t let up.
I don’t stop.
All the rage I’ve been holding back pours from inside me and like a storm that cannot be contained, I wreak havoc. He attempts to throw me off him at one point, but I clench a hold of his torso and arms between my thighs, refusing to let go, knowing that if he were to flip me on my back like Ford had on the field that day all those weeks ago, he’d win. If I’m honest, I’m not entirely sure where my strength comes from. Looking at us both, the winner should be obvious. He’s three times the width of me. He’s strong, built, muscular. Yet, here I am beating him. Like David and Goliath.
“FUCK HIM UP!” someone screams, the crowd now roaring with frenetic energy fuelling the bloodlust in me. It takes me over until I become someone I don’t recognise. Someone who could kill given half the chance. By the time I’m finished, Monk’s face is a bloody mess and I can no longer feel my hands. When I know he’s finally beat, I stand up on wobbly legs, glaring at the crowd. They’re going wild. My chest heaves as I look around the room as my body begins to shake uncontrollably. Pain starts to register beneath the adrenaline. Before me, faces mingle with one another. I pant, my focus blurring.
“Monk tried to fuck with me.” I yell, pointing to his prone body on the floor. “Let this be a warning to you all, this is what happens when you do!” I make sure to look specifically at Camden then. He doesn’t look away, accepting the gauntlet I’ve just laid down.
Kate and Pink step forward, and I stumble towards them, my body giving way. But it isn’t either of them that catches me when I fall, but Ford. I’m vaguely aware of him lifting me up and striding out of the Tower. Once the cool air hits me, I finally lose consciousness.
