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Now he was back up on his feet, and his eyes grew predatory when he focused on Reagan. “She’s very beautiful … and shewillbelong to me.”
Something clicked the moment I heard those words come out of his mouth. The thought of losing and knowing he could touch Reagan threw me over the edge. I wanted him to suffer, to pay for trying to have me killed. Barreling toward him, I slammed him against the ropes. He pounded his fist against the back of my head, but I countered with deadly force. Blood sprayed everywhere and I knew it was mine mixed with his.
Shouts from the crowd echoed in my ears, but I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to. At that moment, nothing else mattered other than winning. My body was on fire, burning and ripping away at my flesh, yet I was numb at the same time. In my mind, I made myself believe that every hit that fucker landed on my body just rolled off me and didn’t connect. I tasted sweat and blood on my tongue, and I could smell it as it dripped down my face. Unfortunately, a drop of it fell in my eyes, obscuring my vision, and that was all it took for Finn to get an advantage.
The pain exploded from my face all the way down to my feet and my legs gave out. I couldn’t see from all the blood, but I’d fought blind before. My father was the one who taught me how to fight blindfolded.
Finn pounced as soon as I hit the ground and dug his knee into my side, the same side with the broken rib.
“I don’t need to cheat to beat you, Emerson,” he seethed. “I’m strong enough on my own.”
Growling, I elbowed him on the cheek, making his head snap back, and it was his turn to fall over. Pinning him with my weight, I grabbed his neck and squeezed until his face turned as red as the blood dripping down onto the mat from my wounds.
“Tap out,” I hissed.
Finn clawed at my hands and gasped for air. He choked and coughed, and instead of tapping out, he tried to get free from my hold. Switching positions, I wrapped my forearm around his neck, tucking him into my side so I could squeeze and apply pressure—a neck crank submission hold. If I applied more pressure, I could do some severe damage.
Finn kept his lips firmly shut, even though his face was turning blue.Stubborn prick.
“Tap out!” I shouted, implementing more pressure on his neck.
With my heart pounding against my chest and the adrenaline coursing through my veins, my body shook as I waited for those two words to slip out of his mouth. I was so close to snapping his neck. I have never been so consumed with hate or rage that I thought I’d enjoy killing someone. There would be no remorse, no sadness … just the knowledge that I made him suffer by my hands. But if I killed Finn, it would seal my fate. Death in the ring was not part of the contract. His family would have a bullet in my head before I could take another step.
As much as I hated to let him go, I did.
Finn sucked in a breath and started to get to his feet, but I powerhouse kicked him in the face, his body falling limp with a loud thud as he landed on the mat. I waited for him to move, but all was still. Finn’s father and Tanner jumped into the ring to check on him while Seth joined me.
“It’s over,” Seth said.
Not if Finn was dead.
Tanner felt for a pulse, and he nodded over at Paul. “He’s good.”
Tanner and one of Finn’s other guys picked him up and out of the ring, and they disappeared down the back hallway. With a stony expression, Paul came over and shook Seth’s hand. “It’s over. There’ll be no more trouble.”
Nodding, Seth released Paul’s hand. “Glad to hear it.”
Paul looked at me and nodded once before turning away and climbing out of the ring. Seth chuckled under his breath and clasped my shoulder. “You’re free now. Let’s get you the hell out of here.”
Now that everything had come to a close, I could feel the pain throughout my body. I peered over at Reagan, who had tears streaming down her face. She smiled and it was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.
“Yes,” I agreed, turning to Seth. “I never want to see this place again.”
CHAPTER38
REAGAN
FOUR WEEKS LATER
Trying to hide both mine and Braden’s injuries from our families was easier than I thought. We took a page out of Emma and Carter’s book. They’d left town after Carter’s big fight so he could heal, and that was exactly what we did.
It was crazy to think that mine and Braden’s fights were almost a month ago. It was now September, and we’d just closed on our house. I was glad to leave August behind.
Braden and I spent a week at my family’s cabin in Sierra Nevada. It was good to get away without worrying about someone trying to hunt us down. About a week after the fight, I got word that Annika did indeed move back to New York with no plans of ever coming back to California. Finn was still going to stay in town, and I hoped and prayed we never saw him again. Sadly, I had a feeling our paths would cross at some point. Nikolai still had a vendetta against my brother, Ripp, and our friends in Vegas. Their time would come, and it made me sick to think about it. After everything Braden and I went through, I could only imagine what kind of horrors awaited them.
“Hey girl,” Peyton called out. “Are you trying to slack off?”
I glanced at her over my shoulder and lifted my brows. In her arms was a massive box with the word “kitchen” written on it. “Seriously?” I fired back teasingly. “I’ve brought in ten boxes to your one. I think I’m allowed to have a few minutes to rest.” Plus, I couldn’t get away from looking out of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room to Santa Monica Bay. Every time I’d go out to the moving truck to grab a box, I’d have to take a few minutes to enjoy the view.
