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Another knock sounded on the door, and Marcus peeked his head inside. “It’s time.”
Annika let me go, and Finn stayed by my side as we walked down the hallway and out into the crowd. Gasps erupted all around us as we made our way to the ring. Daria was already there, bouncing on her feet while Nikolai stood in the center. Her eyes widened when she saw me, and an evil grin spread slowly across her face.
Before I could climb into the ring, a guy with slicked-back black hair and piercing gray eyes came to us. He looked to be in his early thirties and didn’t appear to like Finn by the scowl on his face.
Finn leaned in close. “Anthony Porcello.”
Anthony raked his gaze down my body and then focused on Finn. “Very nice, Sellinger. She’s a beauty. I’ve seen her in the ring, but she doesn’t stand a chance against Daria.”
“That’s enough chitchat,” Finn snapped. “The terms are still the same. Now get out of our way.” Smiling, Anthony backed up and joined the other Porcellos, who were already seated on their side of the ring. Finn blew out a sigh. “I’ll be right here, Reagan.”
I nodded. “I got this.”
The second I climbed into the ring, Nikolai chuckled with delight. “I never would’ve thought I’d be announcing this fight. Imagine what your father would say if he knew what you were up to.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a grown-ass woman. I can do what I want.”
I had never hated anyone as much as I despised Nikolai. With Braden knowing it was almost certainly Nikolai who was responsible for the explosion, I feared what he’d do. Would he go after Nikolai and try to kill him? The thought petrified me. I could’ve lost Braden, and if he went after Nikolai for revenge, I’d surely lose him. We were no match against Nikolai and his people; they had too many connections and power.
Nikolai’s eyes roamed over my body, and he smiled. “That you are,” he said before turning his attention to the crowd. “All right, everyone, things are slightly different with the fights tonight. I decided it would be fun to bring the women into the madness, and you all agreed. The Porcellos challenged the Sellingers to a dominance fight, and they accepted. So, fighting for the Porcellos is Daria Eller.” He swung his arm out wide toward Daria and the people cheered. “And fighting for the Sellingers is the Featherweight champion, Reagan Jameson.” The shouts boomed so loud I could feel the room tremble around me. Daria snarled in disgust at how loud everyone hollered for me. I had to admit, it pumped me up. Nikolai glanced back and forth between Daria and me. “May the best woman win. There are no rules. Tap out or knockout wins the fight.” He winked at me. “Have fun.”
Looking over at the crowd, I met Seth’s disapproving glare. I was going to be in so much trouble after this. But at least it would be worth it in my eyes.
Nikolai left the ring, and Daria bounced on her feet a few more times. “Reagan Jameson. Do you know how long I’ve waited for this moment?”
I cracked my neck to the side. “Not as long as I have.”
Daria laughed. “Ah, I see. Angry at me for poking out your friend’s eye?”
Teeth clenched, I slammed my fists together. “You’re such a pathetic cunt. What are you even doing here?”
She smirked. “I could ask you the same thing.”
Stupidity.That was why I was there.
“Stop talking and let’s get this shit started,” I spat out.
Daria snarled. “Gladly.”
She lunged straight for me, and I knew she would strike even before her body moved; I could see it and feel the tension in the air. When her fist swung, I ducked underneath it and swiftly lifted my arm up, landing an uppercut to her jaw. Eyes wide, she fell back on her ass, speechless … at least for a few seconds. Daria always let her anger cloud her judgment; I was going to use that to my advantage. She charged again and tried to psych me out with a left hook but ended up going for my middle. Darting out of the way, I lowered my body and swept my leg across the mat, tripping her. She recovered by rolling and getting right back to her feet.
“Classic Jameson move,” she chided. “You’re so predictable.”
“Oh yeah? Did you forget I had you on your ass within two seconds?”
Snarling, she landed a hard kick to my shin, which I immediately reciprocated with a right hook to her face. Her head snapped to the side, and blood spewed over the mat from her broken nose—I felt the bones crunch when I hit her.
Daria backed off and held a hand over her nose, her eyes glaring at me with contempt. “Fucking bitch! You broke my goddamned nose.”
Beaming, I grinned wide and beckoned her closer. “I plan on breaking more than that.”
Charging again, Daria grabbed my waist and took me down to the mat. She succeeded in landing a punch on my my right cheek, and the pain exploded through my skull. Then, I tasted blood. In return, I elbowed her in the side and shoved her away with my foot. I could feel the swelling take hold around my eye. Hiding it from Braden would be impossible, but I couldn’t think about that now. What I couldn’t allow was Daria getting another hit in.
Not wasting any more time, I went straight on the offensive, jabbing left and right, not stopping. My muscles burned like fire, but I kept going, ignoring the pain exploding through every inch of my body as my fists connected with Daria. All the hate and anger I had for Nikolai, and his threats poured out of me, and I didn’t hold anything back. I felt blood splatter on my face and chest, but I didn’t let that stop me.
The next thing I knew, I was on the mat with Daria’s arm locked in an armbar. I wanted to keep pulling, to break it in two before she could tap out … but that wasn’t going to happen. Daria was too stubborn.
“Tap out,” I growled.
