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Lazor is tiring, his swings becoming lazy. He doesn’t have a potent kick. If he can’t win with fist jabs then he’s in trouble.
He lands a blow to my right cheek and I feel a trickle of blood when my skin splits open. It was a lucky shot, the last one he’ll get.
Next he attempts a takedown move, trying to wrestle me down. I see this for what it is; an act of desperation. Still, he’s probably surprised when it backfires.
I allow Lazor to think he’s got a chance to take me to the mat. Then I swing my arm around, crack the hell out of his head and slam him to the ground.
Buzzer.
Fight over.
Lights and howls from the crowd.
Everyone knows that ending scene from the old movieRocky,where the guy is snorting out his blood, too fucked up to even see straight, while microphones get shoved in his face. All he does is roar out the name of the girl he loves, over and over.
I feel a serious kinship with that dude right now.
Whether in victory or defeat, all I want is Tess.
Elijah, always ringside for local fights, wades through the action and smacks my back in appreciation while I rub the blood from my face with a towel.
“Good show,” says a man in black suit who I’ve never laid eyes on before. His shock of blonde, almost white, hair is startling and he jerks a thumb. “You’ll need to hang around for a couple of interviews.”
“Yeah, who the fuck says?” My ears are ringing and I’m more than ready to find Tess and leave this scene behind.
The man shrugs off my attitude. “The contract you signed for this fight. You get paid when all obligations are squared away.”
Elijah steps in to smooth things over, his tone laced with urgency. “Micah, you haven’t met Estes Marchenko.”
Marchenko. Shit.
Not at all excited to cap off the night by dealing with a member of Haven’s demented crime lord family.
The man scratches at his jaw, showing off inked fingers loaded with silver rings. “The press interviews are required. Part of our agreement with the streaming platform.” He notes my lack of interest, becomes amused. “I’ll tell you a secret. As of midnight, we own this place. Got to turn a profit. You understand. Be more talkative for the cameras.”
He walks away without a second glance.
Elijah watches to ensure he’s gone before leaning in. “You might want to consider staying off his bad side.”
He doesn’t issue such warnings lightly. But I’m not enough of a fool to collect enemies like the Marchenkos. I’ll play along with their interviews or whatever if that gets me out of here and off their nutty radar.
“Micah!”
Even surrounded by noise I can instantly pick out her voice. I jump to my feet, searching the sea of heads, most of them moving toward the exits.
Conner is easy to spot. He stands taller than most other men, his light hair a crown under the harsh light. Fans shout his name and he waves to them with a smile.
Gage is also visible, though unsmiling and tensely alert to his surroundings.
Finally, the crowd thins enough so I can see Tess safely being escorted between my two cousins.
She stops walking and gives me one of her radiant smiles, lighting up my heart.
Hopping out of the ring in a blink, I sprint over and grab her in my arms, even though I’m all sweaty and gross.
Tess doesn’t mind. She kisses me, examines my face with care and then presses her cheek to my chest.
“You were magnificent.” She clings to me tightly.
