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CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Him & I
I’m wearing the dress Beast picked out for me. It hugs my body in all the right places and makes me feel beautifulanddeadly. I feel like one of those knockout nineteen fifties actresses like Ava Gardner or Grace Kelly, ready to take on the world. Who knew that an item of clothing could make you feel so powerful?
I smile at the memory of Beast sliding up the zipper of my dress, recalling the hunger in his eyes and the way his fingers lingered on my skin as he stared at my reflection in the mirror just like I’m doing now. Thinking about him makes me wonder if it’s possible to miss someone who is still a part of your life?
Because I do. I miss the man who could relax enough to kiss me. Who could cup my cheeks in his huge palms, fuck my mouth with his tongue and make me wonder what having sex with him would be like.
Since we kissed, he’s gone back to being less handsy and more gruff. Over the past couple days that we’ve been in each other’s orbit, it’s been tense, to say the least. I’m not sure if it’s all that pent-up sexual tension or the fact that Carter has asked Beast to fight again tonight, this time with a man called Derby, brought in by the King no less. I’ve never heard of him before, not on the fight scene and not as a name to be familiar with in the criminal underworld.
Still, that doesn’t mean anything.
Just because I’ve never heard of him doesn’t mean he isn’t a threat. It’s more likely that he is one tonight because Beast will be going in cold to the cage with nothing to go on. Not that I’m afraid for him. On the contrary, Beast is the best fighter out there. Hands down.
He’ll win. He always does.
He won me, didn't he?
I grin at that, my bright cherry-red lips complimenting my smoky grey eyes. I’ve purposefully gone for the glam but sexy look. Instead of wearing my hair down like I usually do, with the help of Nadia, I’ve got it pinned up in a low bun that sits at the nape of my neck with tendrils of hair hanging loose at my temples, adding a softness to my features. In all honesty, I feel like a knockout, and I’m more than ready to floor Beast.
Satisfied with my reflection, I slide my feet into my favourite Louboutin heels, the same ones I wore that night I met the King. Who, despite my reservations, is attending tonight. Just like all of Carter’s business associates and acquaintances are. It stings a little that this night isn’t about me, or my eighteenth birthday, but about my dad and his business…
Ourbusiness?
I’m still not certain whether he wants me as his partner anymore. He’s barely spoken to me these past few weeks, and has certainly avoided even being in a room with me since the night I didn’t shoot Saxon.
Which is why I have to prove myself tonight.
I will be the perfect Davidson. Strong, beautiful, and not to be fucked with. Whatever goes down tonight I will take it all in my stride, because like I said to Hudson, it’s not a Davidson party without a little—a lot—of bloodshed.
* * *
“Who the fuck is that?”Hudson asks as a man not dissimilar in size to Beast steps into the cage.
Around us the chat quietens as everyone focuses on the new guy who is as bulky as Beast but maybe a couple inches shorter. He’s so pale, he’s almost translucent, except for his face where he has a skull tattooed into his skin. If he’s going for the intimidation look, it looks good on him.
Beast isn’t easily scared. I’ve never seen him look even remotely concerned in the cage, but there’s an edge of apprehension in the way he carries himself, and that in and of itself is cause for concern.
“Is that who I think it is?” Tony, a small-time gangster who I’ve been talking to for the past ten minutes, mutters under his breath. He’s actually one of the few men I recognise here tonight. There are a lot of new faces, most of them brought in by the King according to my father, including Beast’s opponent.
“His name’s Derby, right?” I ask, repeating the only thing I know about the new fighter and hoping Tony can fill in more details.
“Yeah, it is. He’s to the King what Beast is to Carter,” Tony explains, the excitement in his eyes sparking concern in mine.
“He’s an enforcer?”
“Yeah, he worked for the King once upon a time. Rumour has it Derby banged his ex-missus and that’s why they’re getting a divorce.”
“And he’s still alive?” I ask. The King doesn’t strike me as a man who’d let anyone get away with sleeping with his wife.
“Looks that way. All I know is that this fella is fucking hardcore. I heard he once ripped a man’s throat out with his bare hands.”
“Fucking hell,” Hudson mutters.
A nervous laugh bubbles out of my throat and I make a kind of choking noise trying to cover it up. “He ripped out someone’s throat, with hishands?” I repeat, hoping my voice doesn’t give away the panic expanding in my chest.
“Put it this way, Beast might be undefeated in this cage, but Derby…” Tony smirks, “He’s the Grim fucking Reaper. Know what I’m saying?”
