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When we walked in, the only people in the underground lair besides the men working the drink bars were: eight members of the Sellinger family, Seth and six of his men, Nikolai and three of his guys, and Valentin with five of his people. The number was almost equal for both sides.
Seth led Braden and me to the dressing rooms, and we changed out of our clothes into our fighting gear. I braided my hair to the side and ensured my hand wraps were on tightly. My fight with Annika was first and I was ready, my muscles warm.
I looked at myself in the mirror and Braden came up behind me, his eyes on mine as he slid his wrapped hands across my bare stomach; he was also dressed and ready for his fight in his signature red and black shorts with red hand wraps. It was the same colors his father was known for wearing in the ring.
“Usually, it turns me on to watch you fight, but I’m not looking forward to it tonight,” he confessed, his voice low. “It states no weapons in the contract, but that doesn’t mean they won’t fight dirty.”
I slid my hands over his arms as he held me. “I know. We can already assume that’s how they’re going to play.”
A knock rapped on the door and Seth stuck his head in. “It’s almost time, Reagan. I’m going to take Braden to sit with my guys, and then I’ll be right back.”
Braden let me go and I turned around to face him. “I’m going to win this for you.”
“I know you will,” he said, kissing me. “Give Annika hell.” That made me smile. “I love you, Reagan.”
“I love you, too.”
He turned and left with Seth, leaving me alone in the opulent dressing room. It wasn’t long ago when I was in the same room after my fight with Daria. Now I was back and about to fight for Braden’s freedom. It was crazy to think how one stupid decision could change your life. Would this have happened if I refused to work with Annika and Finn? Something tells me they would’ve found a way to get to us even if I didn’t get involved. It might’ve taken a little longer, but I had no doubt we’d be in the same predicament we were in now.
Closing my eyes, I pictured Annika in my mind, welcoming the outrage that coursed through my body. If Nikolai had been training her, there was no telling what dirty tricks she had up her sleeve. What they both failed to realize, though, was that I’d been taught my entire life by men who fought dirtier than they could ever have imagined. My dad wanted to make sure I was prepared.
The doorknob rustled and I opened my eyes, thinking it would be Seth coming back through the door, only it wasn’t him. Finn slipped in, bare-chested and in a pair of black and red athletic shorts with his hands wrapped in red. He shut the door behind him and leaned against it, his expression was not smug like last night, but dark and dangerous.
“What do you want?” I demanded.
He moved away from the door toward me. “I wanted to see you.”
I stood my ground. “You can go to hell. I want nothing to do with you.”
Finn’s jaw tensed as he stared down at me. “That’s going to be kind of hard when you belong to me. I meant what I said; I don’t want to hurt you.” He backed me up against the wall, his gaze falling to my lips. “I’m going to win, Reagan. You need to get used to being with me.”
“Never,” I growled. Pushing hard against Finn’s chest, I reared back to punch him, but he caught my fist and whirled me around, his arms holding me tight from behind. Heart racing, I tried to get out of his grasp, but he was too strong.
His breath brushed across my neck as he held me against his bare chest. “You can’t fight me, Reagan. One way or another, youwilllet me have you.”
With all my strength, I tried to jerk away, but he only clutched me tighter. His lips touched my neck and he moaned, making the rage inside me intensify. The second he let me go, I jerked away and swung so quickly I didn’t even know if my fist would connect with his face. When it did, I fell against the wall and took a ragged breath.
Licking the blood off his lips, Finn smiled. “I knew you had it in you. Good luck with my sister.”
“She’s fucked, just like you,” I snarled.
Finn stepped back toward the door and opened it. “We’ll see about that.”
He hurried out and a few moments later, Seth appeared. The second he saw me, his eyes widened. “Reagan, what’s wrong?”
“Finn paid me a visit,” I said.
Seth stiffened. “I was only gone a couple of minutes.”
“And that was all he needed.”
“Did he touch you?” he asked, storming over.
I held up a hand. “It’s nothing I couldn’t handle. If anything, Finn’s lit a fire under my ass. I’m ready.”
There was doubt on his face, but he stepped back and nodded. “All right, let’s go.”
We walked down the hallway to the main room, and I had a feeling of déjà vu. When we stepped around the corner, everything was illuminated in red. It was seriously a version of hell. After tonight, I never wanted to see this place again.
