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Icould still smell Braden on my sheets; it made me not want to get out of bed. Last night had been a whirlwind of craziness. I’ve never had sex in a public place, nor did I ever think it would be with Braden. What scared me more than anything was how much I enjoyed it.
It was a rush.
Even now, I wanted to experience it again like I was an adrenaline junkie craving the next fix. Sadly, I couldn’t tonight. I was about to be surrounded by Nikolai and his people; I dreaded it. What concerned me was Annika. I haven’t had much time to train her, and tonight was her turn to fight. Honestly, I didn’t know if she was ready. It all depended on her opponent.
My phone beeped, and it was a text from Annika.
Annika: Be there in an hour. Pack a nice dress for tonight. You can get ready here.
Groaning, I closed my eyes and tossed my phone across the bed. I was way past ready for tonight to be over with.
Jumping out of bed, I rushed into the bathroom and took a quick shower, dressing in shorts and a tank top. Since I didn’t have much time, I ran a towel through my wet hair and braided it to the side. Unfortunately, there weren’t many fancy dresses in my closet, so I went to Peyton’s room and borrowed one of hers; it was a form-fitting red dress with heels to match.
I packed it all in an overnight bag along with my makeup, toiletries, and a change of clothes. When I was done with everything, a car horn blew from the parking lot just as a text dinged on my phone. I quickly grabbed my cell and read the text from Annika, saying she was outside.
Taking a deep breath, I fetched my overnight bag off the bed and headed for the door. Once outside, I hopped in Annika’s little red sports car and noticed she was dressed in only a dark gray sports bra and athletic shorts with her chocolate-colored hair pulled high in a ponytail. She smiled at me, but there was something off with her.
“What are the plans for the day?” I questioned.
Annika sighed. “Well, I thought you could spar with me a bit. Then, we’ll get ready this afternoon and go to the hotel.” I assumed it was the same hotel Carter had to fight at when he was under Nikolai’s control. It was a high-end resort in downtown LA with a secret club underground. The Michelsons owned all of it.
“That works,” I ended up saying. “I don’t want you overdoing it, though. You need your strength for tonight.”
She nodded. “I know. I’ll be fine.”
We rode silently for a few minutes, but then she cleared her throat. “My brother’s into you, Reagan. You can see that, right?”
My stomach clenched. “And?”
Annika’s head snapped my way. “And I think you should give him a chance.”
“No,” I stated adamantly. “I don’t belong in your world.”
She scoffed. “Please. You fit in perfectly. You have the look and the wealth, even though you don’t like to show it off. Everyone will treat you like a queen when you’re walking around with Finn tonight, including my dad. He’s very eager to meet you.”
The thought made me dread the night even more. Finn was the last person I wanted to talk about. I knew he wanted me, and I prayed like hell that he'd back off once I was done helping Annika. Having two men want me was more than I could handle, especially with both being hard-core alpha males.
Lifting her brows, Annika glanced over at me. “Anything to say about that?”
There were tons, but I didn’t want to get into with her. “Actually, I’d like to talk about you right now.”
“Fine,” she huffed, concentrating on the road.
“Are you nervous?”
Her lips pursed. “A little.”
“And what exactly are you trying to prove tonight? What are the stakes?”
“As I told you before,” Annika explained, “it’s a dominance thing. I’m representing all of the Sellinger women.” Thatwasa lot of pressure.
“What happens to the losing family?”
She let out a quick laugh, but there was no humor to it. “They go home losers but can always request another fight for a second chance. There’s always a constant battle in my world. Those on top don’t stay there forever.”
“Where does your family rank?” I asked.
Annika scoffed. “That’s open to interpretation. The Michelsons have been at the top for as long as I can remember, but many families are equal as far as power goes. Everyone brings something different to the table. For instance, my family owns three of the top construction companies in the country.”
