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“No, I only see Sebastian like that when he is wary of people, and he was certainly wary of you for some reason,” Benji says, looking at me seriously. “Don’t worry. Carter will sort him out.” He gives me a small smile that does absolutely nothing to reassure me.
Before I can ask any more questions, the lights dim, some music comes on, and I hear a man with a microphone introduce Carter’s opponent. Fear creeps up my throat, and I shiver as the man they call Big Dom walks in with his team. He is huge and, like Carter, extremely fit. I watch him for a moment but get slightly distracted as I see Sebastian and Dante walk down the aisle at the same time Big Dom is jumping into the ring, obviously timing it so they don’t have as many eyes on them. They are fully clothed and not as broad as Big Dom, yet I find Sebastian more frightening. A thought that is cemented when Sebastian turns and looks at me again, his eyes finding mine immediately with a hard, penetrating gaze. It makes me still, before he takes a seat in the front row.
The music stops then, and another tune starts, the bass thumping heavily, the beats vibrating up my shins and through my body, and the crowd begins to cheer.
“He’s coming,” Benji says, before he stands and starts clapping. I jump up too, trying to see Carter between the heads and bodies in front of me, and I do. If I didn’t know him, I would be fearing for my life because he looks extremely dangerous, angry, his eyes laser-focused as they stay on his opponent. Nico is walking with him, as is his training partner, and I am sure Benji would be too if he wasn’t babysitting me.
“Wow, he looks so intense,” I say to Benji, my eyes not leaving Carter for a second.
“I know, right. Who would think that he is such a cute teddy bear around you?” Benji teases with a grin, his pleasure at seeing his friend obvious.
I smile then, happy that I get to have a side of Carter that no one else does. The music dies down and we all take our seats as the referee in the ring yells out instructions. My heart rate rises again, wanting this fight to be over. I clench my hands and my knee bobs up and down at a rapid rate as Benji cheers next to me.
Grown men all around us yell and scream at Carter and Big Dom as they begin to dance around each other in the ring. I thank God I am with Benji because I am so far out of my comfort zone, I don’t even know what to do.
My hands are clenched so tight, I feel my nails digging into my palms, and as Big Dom makes a few small punches in Carter’s direction, my head ducks and weaves to see through the crowd to follow their movements.
Big Dom lashes out, but Carter is quick, and before too long, they get in a tussle. I have to cover my face with my hands. Benji doesn’t even notice me as he sits on the edge of his seat, screaming at the top of his lungs, and I peek through my fingers to get a glimpse of what is happening.
My heart rate is so elevated that I think I might pass out. I force myself to watch again, my eyes glued to Carter as he remains light on his feet, moving around the cage. But something changes. Big Dom says something, and Carter’s face completely morphs with a rage unlike anything I’ve ever seen on him before. He looks murderous, and my stomach drops.
It is then all hell breaks loose.
34
Carter
The lights are bright and Big Dom and I are only minutes into the first round, when he drops his hands and leans in. He is known for talking smack, so I entertain him and listen.
“Nice piece of ass you are seeing at the moment,” he says to rile me up. Obviously talking about Cat. Given that I have been open with her at the gym, I’m not surprised he has heard about her.
“You watch your fucking mouth,” I spit at him, my hackles rising because I want to end him for even mentioning her name in this cage.
“I look forward to fucking her once I beat your ass to the floor tonight. She looks like the type I can hold down easily; take what I want and give you the leftovers.” And then, it’s like a match has been lit. Fire wells in my chest. I stare at him for a beat and see his face change, because he knows he went one step too far.
And then, I lose it.
Before he even realizes, my fist comes up and connects with his chin, and I hit him so hard I am sure I heard his jaw crack over the roar of the crowd. The referee jumps in between us for a moment, but I can’t stop.
I step even closer to Big Dom, pushing the referee out of the way, and hit him a second time, this time with my left hand, across the other side of the head, watching as his jaw wobbles right off his face. He falls to one knee and screams in pain, his hands rushing to support his chin. The referee steps in again, putting his hands on my shoulders, and trying to push me back. But I push him to the side, seeing only red.
I kick Big Dom in the ribs, the noise in the warehouse so loud it is going to lift the roof, but it is not loud enough to drown out the words in my head of him insulting Cat. So I keep going.
Big Dom doubles over, his hands wrap around his torso as his head hangs low, trying to limit the damage I am inflicting. I heave air into my lungs and see people entering the cage from the corner of my eye to stop me. But I can’t stop. I kick him again, straight across his head, which bounces around on his shoulders like a newborn baby before and he falls back with a loud thud.
Out cold and in dire need of an ambulance.
Dante and Nico are next to me in an instant, everyone else too scared to get close to me. I am breathing heavy like a raging bull as I wait for Big Dom to get up so I can keep going. But he isn’t moving. He isn’t getting back up. The boys pull me away, and I shake my head, trying to center myself. The crowd in the warehouse is going nuts. Everyone is screaming, the music pumping, and the crowd starts to chant my name, pleased they got their money’s worth tonight.
I try to look in the crowd for Cat, but the lights are too bright, and I can see only darkness. A team of medics steps into the ring and surrounds Big Dom, and I shrug off the boys, now eager to leave.
As I walk out of the cage, I am immediately surrounded by grown men back slapping me, cheering and hollering. But I don’t want any of it. I put my head down and walk, Dante and Nico on either side, keeping everyone at a distance.
I want to grab Cat, see if she is okay, and get the fuck out of here.
***
Sitting in the backseat of the car next to Sebastian, I can’t help but feel like something is off. Not with the fight, though that was crazy, but at least it went my way.
