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17
Damien
Hades and I walked side by side into the casino. Suits meant nothing in a place like this, full of demonic billionaires who didn’t need fancy clothes to show off the cash in their wallets. I was in a long-sleeved shirt, while Hades wore a gray blazer.
Hades passed a topless woman as she tried to take his drink order. He ignored her as if she didn’t exist.
Annabella and I hadn’t spoken since that moment in the pizza parlor. I lost my mind and did something stupid…holding her hand and saying a bunch of romantic bullshit. I never told Hades because I knew he would give me a black eye for being a dumbass. I knew I would see her tonight because Liam was fighting, and I dreaded that interaction.
It was the first time I didn’t want to see her.
We headed into the industrial elevator and descended to the basement where the underground arena was located. It was far away from everything else, so the sound of moving chips and flipping cards wouldn’t be overpowered by the loud screams from the audience.
Hades glanced at me. “What’s with the bad mood?”
“What bad mood?”
He turned to me, his eyebrow cocked.
“I’m always in a bad mood.”
He let the conversation die.
We stepped into the room, surrounded by hungry men who wanted to see blood spilled. The crowd would double in size once the death fights began. The earlier fights were basically the opening act.
“You see Liam?” Hades glanced around the room, searching for our client.
I didn’t bother to look. “No.”
When we didn’t see him, we entered his changing room.
He sat at the desk and took a shot of booze. He swallowed it then wiped his mouth with the back of his forearm. “About time you showed up.”
My eyes immediately searched for Annabella—but she wasn’t there.
“Should you be drinking like that before a match?” Hades grabbed the bottle and tightened the cap before he returned it to the cabinet.
“Takes the edge off.” He got to his feet and pulled his shirt over his head. “Helps with the pain too.”
My curiosity got the best of me. “Where’s Annabella?” She wasn’t sitting in the stands alone, right?
He turned to me, his eyebrow slightly raised, probably because I used her full name when no one else ever did. But he was too stupid to be suspicious, to notice that another man stared at his wife the way he did. “She didn’t want to come.”
That explained his foul mood. But I was glad she wasn’t here because it was no place for a woman. She was gorgeous, so most of the men there fantasized about pinning her to the mattress, choking her around the neck, and fucking her like they bought her. But he was too stupid to see the world around him.
The door opened, and the ring announcer poked his head in. “You’re up, Liam.”
“Alright.” He hopped in place and shook out his wrists to warm up. “Wish me luck, boys.”
Hades clapped him on the shoulder. “You don’t need any luck.”
I didn’t say a word to him.
We followed him to the ring and took our seats. The buzzer went off, and the fighters began the battle.
Hades looked straight ahead as he spoke to me. “You could at least pretend you like the guy.”
I shook my head. “Not possible.”
“What happened?”
I decided not to tell him the full story. “Annabella told me Liam thinks I’m a lucky bastard for having Charlotte…”
“And?” Hades watched the blows come from left and right, even though he knew how this fight was gonna end.
“Why does he care about the woman in my bed when Anna is in his?”
He leaned forward, and his arms rested on his thighs. “I guess I should never leave the two of you alone…”
“Probably not.” Anytime we were alone together, it just got worse and worse.
He gave me an incredulous look when I answered honestly.
I didn’t apologize for it.
We stopped talking and watched the rest of the match. It was over in twenty minutes, with Liam emerging as the victor. The crowd cheered, money changed hands, and he stepped out of the arena.
We met him at the perimeter. Hades clapped him on the back. “Good fight.”
I was quiet.
Liam wiped the sweat from his face with the towel that was handed to him. “Too easy.” The sound of the next match was loud, the buzzer going off before the fighters lunged at each other.
“Easy, huh?” A large man blocked our path, shirtless and in his black shorts. He was muscular, matching Liam’s size. The grimace on his face showed his hatred for Liam, like he already knew him. “Maybe it wouldn’t be so easy if you didn’t take pussy matches.”
Liam must have known exactly who he was because he didn’t ask for identification. After he’d stepped out of the ring, he’d relaxed because his fight was over, but now, he immediately dropped the towel and adopted his aggressive posture, ready to have another match right on the spot. “You want me to kill you so you don’t have to lose your next fight. Pathetic.” He walked up to his opponent, his shoulders squared and the muscles of his arms flexed.
