Avenging Angel (Pounding Hearts Book 5)

by Izzy Sweet

  In floods everyone, all the training staff and doctors.

  Dale and Chase rush in to calm me down, but I’m fucking pissed as can be.

  It’s not until I turn to stalk over to Jamey, who’s now sitting up and looking fucking pissed he lost, that I feel the humor of it all.

  Right now, as Dale and Chase are getting ready to literally hold me back, I remember Tommy.

  He would have laughed his ass off at me for being mad that I won a fight.

  It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t the knock-down, drag-out fight I was looking for. But looking at Jamey’s bloodied face, I can find some peace in knowing the fucker is going to need a lot work to fix the shit I did to his eyebrow and nose.

  Looking up at Chase’s big, hulking ass, I start smiling and point to my chest. “I put the donuts on your desk.”

  “I’ll fucking kill you,” he growls at me, and to the world I bet it looks like he’s going to do just that

  “Can’t, bitch,” I say with an even bigger laugh. “I’m going to be your brother-in-law.”

  Chase’s wide, gaping mouth gives me all the happiness I need, and I charge over to the ringside and jump onto the rim.

  Sitting with my legs on the fence, I raise my arms into the air and feel the thunderous cheers filling the arena.

  This one was for Tommy.

  It was short, ugly, and didn’t go nearly as planned, but I won it for him and that means everything to me.

  I glance over at Dale and Chase. They’re pissed but forcing smiles.

  And I gather from the way Dale keeps grinning at me that tomorrow I’m going to regret letting the cat out of the bag about the donuts. But if I’ve got Bree on my side, I don’t think any punishment will take the smile off my face.

  I can see her out there in the crowd, and right next to her is Casey and his grandparents.

  Tommy would have made this whole thing complete, but I know I have to accept that he’s gone, and those times are not coming back. The sadness doesn’t have to engulf me.

  I’ve got Tommy still looking over my shoulder.

  He’s watching over us all and laughing at the absurdity of me being pissed that I won.

  Bree, I don’t know what the fuck she’s gone through to get back to my side, but the fact is she’s at my side now. She’s here to stay, I can feel it.

  Our fucking souls came together during our first kiss and this last one cemented that.

  Hopping back down into the ring, I go over to the referee and stand beside him.

  It’s time for this shit to be official.

  “By knockout in the second round, the new Welterweight Champion of the world! Emmett, The Angel, Bailey!” the announcer yells into the microphone.

  Jim raises my right arm up in the air, and I can’t believe just how recently the same damn arm was almost completely destroyed.

  I do a quick interview where I agree that if Jamey wants a rematch, he’s got one chance and that’s it, then I head for the cage door.

  Dale and Chase surround me so that everyone has to give me space as I walk out. They know exactly where I’m headed as I march my way to the front row of the arena, heading straight for Bree and Casey.

  Helping first Bree and then Casey over the barricade, I wrap my bloody, sweaty arms around them as we make our way back to the private fighter areas.

  Bree clings to my side, giving me a strange look as she looks up at my face.

  “What’s wrong, baby girl?” I ask her.

  “I’ve just… I’ve never seen someone fight like that,” she stammers and then I feel her arm tightening around me. “It was scary as hell.”

  “Ah, that was an easy one. I bet the rematch will be much worse,” I say.

  Looking up at me with wide eyes, she blurts out, “What? I barely survived watching that one!”

  “Yeah, he’s not going to be happy he lost his belt. I won’t be giving it back to him, but it’s probably going to be a war next time.”

  “Oh god, what did I get myself into…” she mutters with a laugh.

  I lean down and whisper in her ear, “A family.”

  “Oh,” she says and stares up into my eyes.

  Finally able to stop and catch my breath, I pull her into the dressing room and quickly shut the door so that it’s only her and me.

  “Bree…” I say and for a moment my throat catches.

  So many emotions have filled me today that I feel like I’m raw flesh being scraped by sandpaper.

  “Emmett, I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you and Casey,” she says quietly and motions at the door. “All of this is just so crazy and scary… But…”

  My heart is breaking watching her voice those fears, but I have to hear them. I have to know where she stands. “But what, Bree?”

  Eyes watery, her smile starts small and fearful, but grows into something more. “But I’m here. I’m here for the long haul. No more holding back, no more worrying about other people. All I want in this world, all I need, is you and Casey.”

  Gently butting my really gross forehead up against hers, I look into her eyes. “You were mine the moment I laid eyes on you, Bree. You just didn’t know it.”

  “Did you really mean it when you said you love me?” she asks.

  “With all my fucking heart,” I say as I lean down to kiss the lips I’ve been dreaming about.

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  At all the damn places I’ve shopped, and at all the different times of day, despite my best fucking efforts, I always end up with a squeaky cart. The one with the wheel that pulls the shopping cart one way or the other. I’ve tried everything, every-fucking-thing, to get one of those nice, smooth rides that lets me shop through the store without every single person looking over at the asshole.

  But I always get stuck with the shit one like this one.

  Sighing as quietly as I can, I pull my baseball hat down, hoping no one notices the dickhead with the cart. Not that me being incognito is going to help much, each screech of the wheel alerts everyone to my exact position.

  Goddammit.

  I keep pushing on, bypassing all the junk food aisles, my cart already heavy with meats and vegetables. Now that I’ve been working even harder at the gym, my gut is gone.

  And Bree has been reaping all the rewards.

  I’ve been spending long days at the gym and long blissful nights with her.

  She enjoys my hard work, and she’s slowly adapting to the fighter lifestyle.

  I fucking love it.

  After the fight, we spent the night in the hospital getting me checked out. And I think Bree was doubting her sanity a few times for sticking with me. She’s never actually seen someone get stitches or endure a cracked rib.

  I didn’t notice it during the fight, but that fucker cracked a rib on me, so I had to go through an entire fucking ordeal before I could get her home.

  It was worth it though to see the shocked look on her face when I started grinning like an asshole as the doc went through the list of my injuries.

  I know it’s probably fucked, but a lot of us fighters keep a tally of all the shit that’s happened to our bodies over the years. When I started telling her about some of my more interesting injuries, like the time I broke two knuckles, she just groaned and turned away from me.

  She didn’t have any complaints though when I got her home and showed her that I wasn’t going to let any of that shit slow me down.

  Yeah, that was a good fucking night. She came home with me and I haven’t let her out of my sight since.

  Fuck, these past few months have been amazing. Casey has been working hard at the gym with me. He’s also been working as hard as he can at school. He knows that he won’t catch a break with me and Dale riding his ass.

  Bree picked up her old job at the gym, and her father is no longer in the picture. Fucking prick has been going through some shit. From the reaction I got out of Chase and Bree’s mom, nobody knew exactly how bad things were for her or what w
as happening to her. We threw around the idea of pressing charges against him but dropped it after all the shit about him started hitting the press.

  His wife divorced his ass and he was forced to resign from his position as governor. According to Bree’s stepmom, Valerie, the divorce was a long time in coming too. She was starting to catch on to all his shady crap. After talking about it with Bree, we figure that’s why he pushed her so hard to marry Tristan. Dickhead knew he was going to lose all his money, so he was trying to use Bree to get more.

  I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t see some new scandalous shit he was involved in printed in the paper.

  Fucker deserves all the hell he’s getting.

  And he ever tries to mess with Bree again, I’ll give him more.

  I turn my cart into the alcohol and party supply aisle. I’ve been in this aisle so many damn times, I could probably find it in my sleep.

  I’m just minding my own business when some jackass bumps their cart into mine. “Yo, what the fuck are doing in this aisle, man?”

  I turn and hold up the happy birthday banner I picked out up to Brett. “Trying to get some stuff for Casey’s birthday.”

  “Oh…” he frowns at me like he’s trying to catch me in a lie.

  I’d be suspicious of me too if I were him. I was a fucking bad drunk when he caught me in the store all those months ago.

  “You, uh, need any help?” he asks as he peers into my cart.

  Rolling my eyes, I shove his shoulder away. “Yeah, dickhead, you just volunteered to bring the soda.”

  “Wait, what?” he asks as he looks back at me.

  “You and Mandy can bring the kids over and show us newlyweds how to throw a kid’s birthday party,” I say with a grin.

  Brett starts to slowly back up. “Uh, we might be busy…”

  Fucking pussy doesn’t do kid parties… Well, we’ll see about that.

  Grabbing my phone out of my pocket, I make a show of pulling up my list of contacts of for him.

  Before he can snatch the phone out of my hand, I push the call through.

  “Hey Mandy, this is Emmett… Hey, did Brett remember to tell you about Casey’s birthday party this weekend?” I say into the phone and smirk at his stupid ass.

  “No, he must have forgot! What do you guys need us to bring?” Mandy asks cheerfully.

  “If you could bring some soda, that would be great!” I say with a smile.

  “Sounds good, we’ll be there!” Mandy says before hanging up.

  Brett’s phone dings twice before he can even start to give me shit.

  “See ya Saturday!” I say before I turn my cart away from him.

  Even the fucking squeak of the wheel makes me smile.

  “Fuckin’ dick,” Brett grumbles at me before he catches up to me.

  He sticks by my side for a couple of minutes before he bumps his cart into my again.

  “Dude, you got anymore college douchebags we need to fuck up?” he asks.

  For fuck’s sake! I can’t believe he’s bringing this shit up here.

  Yeah, the guys and I may have paid Tristan a little visit. And I may have broken his nose and gave him a concussion for fucking with my kid and girl.

  “Could you at least keep your fucking voice down when you talk about felonies?” I whisper harshly.

  Shrugging his shoulders, Brett looks around the empty aisle we’re standing in. “Ain’t nobody around.”

  “You know what Dale will do to us if we get him busted for beating up college boys with us?” I point out, but I’m not truly worried about getting caught.

  No, I’m pretty sure Tristan got the message, after I pounded it into him a little, that if he tries to retaliate or pull any new shit, the surveillance video of what he did will get out.

  Eyes widening, Brett laughs. “I’m too pretty for jail.”

  “God help me,” I groan and then wave at him. “See you Saturday, pretty boy.”

  I’m done looking at his ass, and I’m done being in this store. I need to get home to my swelling bride and boy.

  It’s been so long since I’ve hugged them, I think I’m starting go through withdrawal.

  The End

  Playlists

  Emmett’s Playlist: https://spoti.fi/37ahEIF

  The Jester - Badflower

  Carry the Weight - We Came As Romans

  Crooked Soul - Dayseeker

  Low - Wage War

  Public Service Announcement - Of Mice & Men

  Hurricane - I Prevail

  Hereafter - Architects

  When Everything Means Nothing - Fit For A King

  My Love (Justin Timberlake cover) - We Came As Romans

  Wishing Wells - Parkway Drive

  Bow Down - I Prevail

  Bree’s Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2TMJ7fA

  Be Like You (feat. Broods) - Whethan, Broods

  The Moments I'm Missing (Stripped Version) - Nina Nesbitt

  What's Left Inside - Conquer Divide

  In Your Eyes - ASTR

  Drift - So Below

  You and I - PVRIS

  Fade to Blue - Roniit

  New Fears - Lights

  Overgrown - machineheart

  Wolves - Selena Gomez

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  About Us

  Izzy Sweet & Sara Page – The one and same brain.

  Sean Moriarty — The real life alpha bad boy that Izzy tamed.

  Residing in Cincinnati, Ohio, Izzy and Sean are high school sweethearts that have celebrated 14 wedding anniversaries, though they’ve been together since they were teenagers – over nineteen years.

  Both avid and voracious readers, they share a great love and appreciation for a great story, and attribute their early role-playing days as the fledgling beginnings of their joint writing career.

  You can see more of our works at our website - www.dirtynothings.com

  Also by Izzy and Sean

  Disciples

  Keeping Lily (Lucifer & Lily)

  Stealing Amy (Andrew & Amy)

  Buying Beth (Johnathan & Beth)

  Breaking Meredith (Simon & Meredith)

  Taking Meghan (Gabriel & Meghan)

  The Pounding Hearts Series

  Banging Reaper (Chase & Avery)

  Slamming Demon (Brett & Mandy)

  Bucking Bear (Max & Grace)

  Breaking Beast (Alexander and Christy)

  The Pounding Hearts Bundle

  Avenging Angel (Emmett & Bree)

  Propositioning Love (Zoe & Bryce)

  By Sean Moriarty

  Gettin’ Lucky

  Gettin’ Dirty

  Star Joined Series

  Craving Maul

  Taming Ryock

  By Izzy Sweet

  Letting Him In

  Stepbrother Catfish

  Bucking Bear: Pounding Hearts Three Preview

  Grace

  Oh god, what did I do last night? I wonder as I slowly wake up and start putting together the pieces.

  There’s an ache building behind
my eyes and my mouth is dry, my tongue sandpapery. My muscles feel like they’re starting to cramp like I’ve been lying in one position for too long.

  I try to roll over, but there’s this incredibly heavy weight across my stomach preventing me from moving.

  What the hell?

  I try to roll over again and the soft snoring beside me turns into a deep grunt. The heavy weight lifts and the bed beneath me shifts.

  I peek my eyes open and jerk back. There’s a giant of a man sleeping beside me, and he just rolled over onto his back.

  My heart races behind my ribs. What did I do? How did I get here?

  I glance around the room, trying to get my bearings. I can tell from a glance it’s definitely not my room, it’s too big, too clean, and this bed is gigantic. It must be his. Though there’s a poster of Britney Spears tacked on the wall which is just confusing as hell.

  Did I do him?

  I look down at myself. There’s a white sheet tangled around my knees, but otherwise I’m uncovered. I’m wearing the shirt I wore to the club last night and my panties.

  That’s it.

  The club. Now it’s coming back to me. I went to the club last night with my childhood best friend, Mandy, and the ring girls she works with. I haven’t had a night out in like six months or so, and Mandy just recently moved back from California. Maybe I had just a little too much to drink last night.

  I glance over at the guy snoring peacefully next to me.

  Yeah, I definitely overdid it. He’s so big, he’s like the very definition of overdid.