by Dawn Doyle
“Looks like a Tulip to me,” one guy said from across the room, and I whirled my head in his direction, but then turned to another when he suggested, “Flower Fists.”
I ground my jaw. “Luscious,” I said between my teeth. “People called me Luscious.”
The guy swallowed as his face drained and took a step back while the other two looked at each other with the same expression.
“That’s not a name we recognize,” he said quickly, then gestured toward the open space as though showing me around. He moved closer to me placed his hand on my upper back, and spoke quietly. “We have more rules than you’re used to, and some bad habits you need to kick.”
I whipped my head to him. “Okay.”
He fucking know’s who I am and he’s not showing me the exit?
He took a deep breath and smiled, raising his voice. “But, if you want to sign up with our gym, then Sharon can set you up.” He held out his hand and I accepted. He shook vigorously. “What do we call you?” he asked, looking back and forth between us.
“Lucian. Lucian Moretz. This is my brother and manager, Brady.”
“Well, Moretz, welcome to the team.”
Luca
One year later
My nails were chewed to death and I was on the edge of my seat as I waited for Lucian to come out of his area. The lights beamed in different directions, landing on the man already in the cage, his name, Jonas, illuminated over his corner.
“He’ll be fine,” Blaine said from the seat beside me. “That guy’s an ant compared to what Lucian’s fought against in the past.”
“Don’t remind me,” I said, already fighting the urge to vomit over the row in front of me. I still had nightmares about that night where instead of Lucian fighting back, Titan had succeeded in what he’d set out to do.
“Don’t worry, he’s got this,” Charlie said on my other side, tapping away on his laptop.
“How are you working right now?” I placed my hand on my rolling stomach as Lucian’s fight song played. The chorus of White Knuckles by Five Finger Death Punch played, sending my already soaring heart rate higher than was safe.
He shrugged. “Pays the bills. Got a missing person’s case right now, but he won’t stay missing for long.” He turned the screen to me, and I was grateful for his attempt to distract me. I couldn’t see anything beyond lines of numbers. “Stupid fuck drew cash out three days ago. And…” he tapped more keys. “Bam. ATM Camera.” He chuckled to himself while shaking his head and mumbling incoherently.
“Fucking idiots,” Nate said from beside Charlie. “They fuck up eventually.”
“He’s here!” I shrieked, my voice barely carrying over the sudden screams of the paying crowd while butterflies attacked my insides, fluttering furiously as though encouraging my last meal to come up.
A white hood appeared, bobbing up and down the walkway, moving closer to me. The red striped edge crossed over at the front, another tying around the middle. Brady stood next to him, his eyes fixed firmly on the massive cage set up in the center.
Lucian stopped and turned to me, pushing his hood back. He looked up, and smiled. “Hey, gorgeous.”
“Lucian,” I choked.
He reached up and took my hand, the screens around the auditorium lighting up with our faces. “I’ll be back soon, babe,” he assured me, and I nodded. He gestured for me to come closer, and when I leaned in, he kissed me hard. “All this is because of you,” he said. “I love you, Luca.”
“God, I love you, too.”
Brady nodded to me and tapped Lucian’s shoulder, making him continue his walk to the steps leading into the cage.
The door closed, trapping him inside, panic welling up inside of me at the flashbacks of the pit.
“Lucian!” The commentator roared, and fireworks exploded around a magnificent sign. He was literally in lights, at least a hundred bulbs spelling out his name.
I rocked back and forth as he and the other fighter removed their gowns. Lucian in white, and the other guy in blue. My heart was in my mouth as they took their places, Brady speaking to Lucian. He turned to look at me over his shoulder, and winked.
Charlie was right, Lucian had this, and I just had to keep reminding myself of that.
“Let’s go!” the ref yelled and the pair bounced around.
Jonas was fast, but Lucian was faster. He was a blur as he moved effortlessly, punching, kicking, and grabbing the other guy in ways that made my bones hurt from just looking.
The first round went by, and as soon as the bell rang a second time, it started again the same way. Lucian spun and fell back, taking Jonas with him. He lay on his back, his arms and legs wrapped around Jonas as though hugging him tight.
“Yes!” Blaine cheered, jumping out of his seat. “Mother fucker went night night!”
“What? What happened?”
“Lucian Moretz, winner!”
He won! I placed my hands to the sides of my face, my eyes open so long they began to sting from dryness.
Blaine turned me to him. “See, Luca? I told you he’d win. Lucian sent him to sleep in less than two rounds.”
Space was made for me to walk down from my seat, and I rushed to the cage, banging on it when they didn’t open it right away.
“Open the fucking gate,” Lucian spat at the guards.
The second it was open, I ran onto the canvas and into Lucian’s arms. “They wouldn’t open the gate,” I said shakily against his barely damp chest.
“Look at me, Luca,” he said, pulling back and cupping my face. “I know this fight brought back those memories, but I swear on the lives of our future kids, that what happened in the pit, is never going to happen again.”
My lips trembled as I smiled. “Future kids?” I was nineteen, and not ready for a family, but I definitely wanted one.
“Yeah.” He grinned. “And they better have dimples, because I can’t be the only one with that damn nickname.”
I laughed, knowing Blaine still called him that at any chance he got. I still got the ‘punishment’ for that, though, so I encouraged him, but I was never going to tell Lucian that.
“Luca, here,” Brady said guiding me away, but not before Lucian kissed me once more. “Watch your man on the road to becoming the champ he is.”
I gripped his hand tight, and I felt myself relaxing when Lucian took his place beside the ref, and Jonas the other side.
“Winner by knockout, Lucian…Moretz…!” he said, drawing out his name to the cheers of the crowd.
His hand was raised high in the air, and in that moment, seeing his smiling face and his dimples on show for everyone to see, I was proud.
It was going to take a long time to get used to seeing Lucian getting in that cage, but I knew I could do it… For him.
He was a fighter, he was a star, and he was all mine.
The End.
Acknowledgments
For this book, I want to say a massive Thank You to Pavan Kaur, for pushing me to keep going.
Lisa Seleska for being an absolutely fabulous beta reader.
Nikki Merchant for editing my brain vomit, and Kim Villemaire for being such an amazing friend.
Without all of you, I think I would lose motivation.
Thank you so much!
Dawn.
