AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Briana’s words reverberated through me like a whip’s lash. What had I expected? For her to fall into my arms after I’d tried my damnedest to send her back on a plane? I raked a hand through my hair. Being shut up in this prep room didn’t help. The fluorescent light buzzed, and the cloying scent of must, sweat, and chemical cleaners only added to the claustrophobia.
The fight club organizer was a close associate of our family friend, James Black, and he always found the best dumps or abandoned buildings for the events. In hours, he could turn a spot from a dilapidated hellhole into a luxury arena, where big players came to spend their money to see the fights and bet on the warriors. It was a highly prized skill, and the organizer was loyal to Black only. What his story was or even his name, we didn’t know.
Money was rarely spared to ensure the fighter’s quarters had more than the basics. That was fine by me. As long as I had a bench to sit on while my hands were wrapped, some space to jump about, and a sink to clean up in after, I needed nothing else. What more was necessary for a killer to get ready to brawl?
I’d been avoiding my reflection in the chipped mirror. I didn’t need to be reminded of what I was—a monster who couldn’t stop pursuing what he could never have. I could take the pain and would thrive in the despair. But what it did to Bri? Fuck.... Things had been so much easier when she was just some girl back in Boston who never knew the truth about the world we lived in.
“I’m done, Viktor.”
But she wasn’t, though. The scar was still there, and in this game of push and pull, I’d ended up hurting her. For that, I needed to pay.
Nikolai tapped the hand he’d just finished wrapping for me. I flexed the muscles. “You do good, cuz,” I muttered.
Standing, I bounced on my toes.
“You’re quiet tonight, ace. That’s not normal.”
I cut Nikolai a look. “Do you want to have a heart to heart or you going to loosen me up?”
My cousin snorted. “There’s no working the tension out of you. A cable on the Golden Gate Bridge has more slack than you do.”
“What’s the time?” I snapped.
Nikolai pulled up his fancy smart watch—the device he didn’t know Sophia watched him through when she was bored or wanted dirt to screw him with. I let them have their little cat and mouse game. They were blood, after all. No real harm would be done.
“1:53,” my cousin clipped out. “And Pakhan is on his way, probably already has his seats in the front row.”
That was neither here nor there. Uncle Igor enjoyed the fights, especially mine.
I went through a few shadow hits, ducking and weaving to block my face. I needed my brain, but the rest of me was fair game.
There was a rap on the door.
Nikolai answered it, then came back to where I stood. “That was the five-minute warning.”
I grunted.
“Don’t you want to know who you’re fighting tonight?” Nikolai asked carefully.
He could see the beast was coming out to play. Having known me long enough, he recognized my black mood and didn’t approach. While we were normally easy-going, we each had our inner demons that needed to be exorcised. Nikolai worked his out with carefully selected bedroom companions in safe spaces where nothing was off the table, whereas I preferred to beat the shit out of an opponent.
“Does it matter? I’m doing MMA, so as long as they don’t throw up boxing gloves as a last-minute entertainment change, we’re good.”
“It’s Kole.”
I took the name with a measured breath. What my cousin couldn’t see was the deranged delight that simmered through my veins.
“He damn near snapped your neck last fall,” Nikolai bit out.
“That’s not happening again.” A calm fell over me. Focus and clarity. While my cousin fidgeted with his knife, I turned to face the mirror. Staring hard into my dark blue eyes, I let all thoughts slip away.
A second knock came, and the door opened. The muted clamor of the crowd spilled into the room. The tendrils of noise wrapped around me, invisible ropes tugging me forward. We left the dressing room. The hall floor was pockmarked with puddles of brackish moisture. Careful not to ruin his expensive athletic shoes, Nikolai avoided the mess. The motion caught my attention, and a silent laugh breathed out of me, loosening the tension holding me stiff.
Emerging from the chute, I focused on a point on the back of my cousin’s skull. The announcer was railing about my attributes. The crowd cheered wildly. But all I could think was that Nikolai’s barber didn’t cut his fade right as it failed to hide a scar from a brawl. I couldn’t lose this fucker.And he can’t lose you.
Kicking off my own sneakers, I climbed the stairs. Nikolai parted the ropes, letting me into the ring. He then passed me my mouth guard. Standing tall on the mat, I drew in a cleansing breath. Everything else faded away, as if an otherworldly barrier blocked out the crowd and their ruckus. There was only me and the brute at the other end.
It wasn’t that Kole was a big man. On the contrary, he was shorter and leaner than me. It was the eyes. There was something in his eyes that portrayed him as inhuman—and just plain mean. I relished the promise of his downfall.
