The Bad Boy Arrangement
Page 33
Huxton.
Me.
“They want me to fight all of these guys?” I laughed, not believing it.
Gripping my hand fiercely, Zoe let me go. Her absent touch left a hollow itch. “No way. This is impossible, no one could handle this!”
My smile was sharp. “That's exactly it.” Covering my mouth, I laughed without any humor. “Fucking Nehro. He wants me to fail.”
“Huck, you're not doing this. That many guys...” Lifting her eyes, the blue depths glimmered with fear. “You wouldn't live through it. You'll be killed.”
A cold, angry sweat rippled down the back of my neck. She was right. This was an impossible task. A gauntlet designed to ruin us both.
Nehro was a true monster.
I studied Zoe. She saw the heat in my eyes, recognized my thoughts. “Don't you dare.”
“If I don't fight, you'll owe your body to Nehro.” Grimacing, I rolled my shoulders, loosening my tightening muscles. “I'd gladly die before I let that happen.”
She was going to slap me. Her hand whipped back, poised in the air and wavering. It never came forward. It fell down, limp and weak—helpless. That was how she felt.
I understood.
Sensing him, like a part of my brain had become attuned to the man, I saw Nehro before he opened his mouth. “Ah. You're still here, Huxton.”
“Of course I'm still here,” I snapped.
Showing his teeth, Nehro jerked his head at the board. “How does the lineup look?”
Eyeing his throat, I imagined myself choking him. “Looks fucking perfect. Thanks for having so much confidence in me.”
Ice spread over his eyes. He looked around me, nodding at Zoe. “He does know that he isn't obligated to fight in this gauntlet, right?”
“Of course he knows!” she shouted. “What the hell is wrong with you, Nehro? If you want me to fail in your little game so badly, why are you even doing this?” She gestured wildly, her tone rising with distress. “Just threaten my Gram! You know you can! You know it'd be enough!”
“Zoe, stop it,” I said.
She ignored me, screaming so loud people were staring. “Force me to be your whore, isn't that your fucking goal? Stop making me torture myself and everyone else! You're a fucking monster!”
Narrowing my eyes at Nehro, I reached for Zoe. No part of her was steady, I coiled her against my side.
Nehro watched us both, not flinching under her verbal attack. He spoke without any emotion. “Think of me what you will. I still believe in the sanctity of contracts. If you're so keen to free this man, it's fine with me. Tell him not to fight, and it's all over with.” His greasy stare rolled to me. “Your dear savior can walk away and go back to his life, before you dragged him into your troubles.”
Zoe shuddered in my embrace. I squeezed her, and when I heard her inhale, like she planned to speak out and 'save' me from all of this, I cut her off. “No need, I'll be fighting tonight.”
“Huck, no!”
Ignoring her, I held my head high and smiled down on Nehro.
He asked in cold disbelief, “You're really going to do this, let yourself suffer for her?”
“Sure am.” Gently, I disengaged from Zoe. Her eyes were big and wet, ruining her claim that she never cried. “Call me crazy, but I guess I happen to like trouble.”
Covering her mouth, she choked out a small sound.
Nehro looked at the clock, every bit of his humor replaced by a foul mood. He hated that I was going to take his challenge. Good.
That just fueled me more.
“Get ready,” he snapped, whirling away. “You begin in five minutes.”
Watching him go, I started to hand Zoe my jacket. “Please, Huck,” she whispered. “You're going to get murdered.”
“I'll win, babe.” I wished I could grin bigger, but it wasn't happening. “Have some confidence in me.”
I'd worn my gym gear under my street clothes this time, and stripping down to it, I shoved everything else into the bag I'd brought.
Wrapping my hands, I glanced at the crowd. They were milling around, exchanging money and slips of paper. Betting was on, and I realized, it was the first time I'd been at the Dog House so early. I'd never been the first match before. Or the last.
Now, I would get to be all of them.
“Huck.”
Tying off the bandages, I faced Zoe. It was as difficult as standing in that ring. She knew what I knew; tonight, I might not come out alive. “Listen,” I said, curling my fingers into her silk hair. I wanted to rub it all over me... and I couldn't. Not now, and perhaps never again. “Under my bed, there's a box. It isn't even locked, because I figured if someone was going to rob me, they'd get it open anyway.”
She stared at me, shaking her head slowly. “Huck...”
“Take my apartment key.” I shoved it into her palm, closed her fingers. “If this goes bad, you can have my savings. Use them to get another guy to do this for you. That way, even if I'm gone, you'll—”
She silenced me with her mouth, a kiss so rough it awoke the adrenaline in my veins. Zoe clawed at me, demanding more, trying to will me away with her very existence.
Except... it was her existence that I was fighting for.
Firmly, I grabbed her by the forearms. “Get yourself together, sugar.” Lifting my hands, I brushed her tears from her cheeks. My smile was tight. “When I'm standing out there, beating my way to a win...” I winked at her. “I want to hear you cheering your fucking lungs out for your dog.”
I backed away, there was nothing else to do but head to my fate. I'd put myself here, I wasn't going to run. Where would I—we—even go? It was impossible to escape, we couldn't scoop up her Gram; the poor woman wasn't fit for travel. Nehro would hunt us all down. This was all I could do for her.
For us.
Zoe stared at me, dead on and never flinching. Her lips moved, but I didn't hear her. The bell had rung, the crowd drowning her out. Everyone was ready. They were excited to watch me get shredded by fists and teeth.
As I walked with heavy feet to the chalk ring, I repeated the vision of Zoe in my mind. I watched her again and again, seeing her lips curl, reading the shape of them.
She'd mouthed three words.
Words I'd heard before...
But had never believed.
My ears burned, people shoving to get a better view. And in my mind, I thought of that star-child who had captured my heart in ways no woman ever should have.
I love you, too, Zoe.
The bell dinged.
Perching on the edge of the ring, I held my fists high and eyeballed the first man who dared to face me.
It was time.
- Chapter Fifteen -
Zoe
I was screaming, and I didn't think I'd ever stop.
Huck's skin was gleaming from sweat, the muscles highlighted along his ribcage. In jungle-green shorts and handwraps, he finally fit the scene perfectly. Except, to me... the clothes made no difference.
Huxton was a fighter, straight down to his core. I knew that now. If he'd strut into the ring naked, he would have been just as imposing—just as natural. This was his world.
It blew my mind that a man like this could have transitioned into something less violent. With blood now staining his hands, his hair ruffled and damp, I glimpsed hints of the side of him that was so determined to protect me. The shadow in his eyes, the way he could bend me in his arms and make me moan.
With each new opponent, the human aura in him was fading.
He was becoming nothing but a savage beast.
Huck had taken the first guy down easy. The second had gotten a jab or two in, made him grunt, but no more. But by the third... he was struggling.
He faced down a hulk of a man, a guy by the name of Dice. His teeth were black and white, spattered with cavities. He'd been hit in the face so much he didn't bother to keep up with them.
Now, that rotting grimace fixed on Huck, another fist pounding into his side.
It was good that Dice didn't care about his teeth.
Panting heavily, Huxton got to his feet. His chin hung low, hair and sweat in his eyes. Clutching his jacket, I recalled the first night we'd done this. How proud he'd been then, how fast he had come to my aid and won for me.
Even from the beginning, Huck had tried to save me.
His desire was what would get him killed.
“Huck!” I shouted, desperate to be heard over the people roaring. He looked my way, finding me in the mess. Instantly, he perked up—gave me a smile. He was faking the energy.
Huxton was growing tired.
“Next fight,” Nehro crowed, holding his megaphone high. He looked ridiculous, I wanted to slam the device down his cruel mouth. “Rematch, Shrapnel versus Huxton!”
God, everyone went wild.
Massive as ever, Shrapnel moved to his end of the ring. Huck's smile fidgeted at the corner. I didn't know if he was amused or pissed.
Licking his lips, Shrapnel put his giant, meaty fists in the air. “Been waiting to go at you again,” he called out.
Pushing his hair off of his forehead, Huxton adjusted his stance. Some of his smooth confidence had returned, but I wondered if it was real or fake. He said, “You missed me that much, huh? That's sweet of you.”
Shrapnel flared his nostrils, hunching into a ball of sinew and thick neck. That damn bell rang out, and the giant man didn't wait. He flew at Huck, his bare feet making the ground shake—or maybe that was just from the cheering crowd.
Huck was clearly tired. He dodged, but barely. I clutched his jacket so hard, I could have torn it in two.
I wanted to help, but there was no way. I had no options. Not for the last time, I hated that he was in this position. I was falling in love with the man, and it was painful. The tragedy of loving someone that was required to kill themselves wasn't lost on me.
Shuddering, I screamed louder; I was losing my voice.
Ducking out of the way of another swing, Huck tried to take Shrapnel down by the ankles. It had worked in their first fight.
Not this time.
Growling, teeth bared on pink gums, the bigger man gripped Huck by the throat. In one wrench of his arms, he threw Huck into the cement. He bounced, skidding to a halt on his side. The scrape along his upper chest was like raw hamburger.
Unable to make anymore sounds, I just bit into his leather jacket. Was he going to die out there, die for real?
Shrapnel stalked towards him, ready to smother Huck into the floor. But my fighter, he wasn't done. Not by a long shot.
Huxton's eyes snapped open, and his feet snapped even faster. Kicking out, his heel exploded into the side of Shrapnel's knee. The crack was a gunshot, the huge beast howling as he went down.
Panting viciously, Huck crawled on top of the mountain of flesh. It wasn't needed; Shrapnel slapped his palm into the floor, tapping out. He was done, his injury too grave.
The bell announced that it was over. People rushed into the ring, dragging Shrapnel away to get him assistance. He'd end up under the care of Jean, one of the men who got paid good money to fix up the fighters on the down-low.
I'd stopped breathing; painful oxygen flowed into my lungs, restarting my heart, my hope. There was only one man left to face Huck. He could do it.
He had to do it.
Nehro stood at the end of the ring. The disgust living in his glare wouldn't show to the crowd, but I recognized it. He hated that we were winning. I think Huck saw it, too, because he stood taller and managed a proud grin.
His energy gave me new vigor. Pumping a fist, I shouted, “Huck! Huck! Huck!”
The patrons took up the call. They were blown away by this combatant, for not only was he new, but he was an anomaly. Nehro had organized the gauntlet to destroy him, but it couldn't be done.
Huck was invincible.
“Huxton versus Magnus,” Nehro called into the mic. “Rematch number two.”
Looking up, I saw the lean man step into the ring. Huck saw him, too, and he looked relieved. He'd taken Magnus down quickly the first time.
Smoothing his blonde hair, Magnus nodded once. It was a sign of respect. He knew that Huck was on his last legs.
Holding his fists high, Huck returned the nod. The bell rang, and the moment of peace was gone. It was all about the violence, the win.
Magnus moved like lightning. He was smaller than Huck, deceivingly so. In a blur, his knuckles smashed into his opponent's cheek, then an elbow sliced right above his eyebrow.
Huxton stumbled back, grasping at his face. The blood started in a slow drip, soon pouring into his vision, that eye closing tight.
“Oh god,” I gasped out loud.
Considering his soaked palm, Huck wiped it on his shirt and took up his stance again. I couldn't hear what he said, the noise was too much.
Lowering his chin, Magnus came at him again. Huck was prepared, blocking the hits, his knee sending the other man to the ground. Jumping down, they wrestled, a knot of arms and legs.
Red stained the floor, marks that imitated fingerprints. Most of it was a shapeless smear.
Magnus was winning, he was too fresh. Choking Huxton, he held him down, face to the floor. I saw Huck's grimace, the color of his skin; purple as a plum. I had the awful image of his head popping clean off, or his eyes exploding.
It wasn't likely, but severe injury was. Something as bad as Shrapnel's knee.
And then it hit me.
He doesn't need to win! Lifting my hands, I formed a megaphone and screamed, “Tap out! Tap out! It still counts!”
Across the ring, Nehro's eyes flashed to me. I ignored him, shouting louder, my voice turning into gravel from the strain.
Huxton must have heard my demands. His palm wavered, pounding the cement. It left wet, sticky imprints with each slap.
The bell went off, and Magnus let go. Wheezing, Huck bent over, holding his ribs. Ignoring the cheers and boos, I stormed over the chalk line. “Are you okay?” I asked, bending down to lift his chin.
Blinking, he gave me a small smile. His voice was gritty. “Please tell me I didn't hallucinate that. I didn't win, and that's alright?”
Nodding rapidly, I hugged him tight. “It's less money for me, but so what? Fuck, I should have suggested it earlier.” In the glory of Huck's constant successes, I'd taken for granted that he knew the rules. Had Nehro not told him?
As long as the fight went on for five minutes, to help avoid people cheating the system and betting without risk, it was still a fight.
It didn't count as a default.
I aided him to his feet, blood getting on my shirt. “Your face,” I said, frowning at the cut above his eye.
“Is it bad?”
“No, it's just bleeding like crazy. Let's clean you up.”
Before I had him out of the ring, the bell rang. The two of us jerked, hearts dipping into our stomachs. We turned back, staring in disbelief at Nehro.
Next to him, grinning and looking proud as punch, was Reese.
Nehro lifted the mic. “Final fight, Huxton versus Reese.”
“No,” I spat, pointing a finger. “No! He can't, this isn't happening!”
A massive wall of shouts took over, everyone so fucking happy at this turn of events. I hated this place more than ever. I wanted to burn it, to crush the ashes under my heel.
Huxton gently forced himself out of my arms. His long legs took him to the other men; I followed, still shaking my head and scowling.
Nehro watched us both, calm and smug and deserving of a kick to the mouth. “What are you doing?” he asked. “The fight starts, get in the ring.”
With his lips in a fierce line, Huck said flatly, “You really expect me to fight Reese, right now, after everything?”
Reese stepped forward, callous in his amusement. “
Yeah. It's time for us to finally do this. I'm going to get you back for breaking my nose.”
Huck didn't acknowledge the man. He hadn't looked away from Nehro.
Lowering his eyebrows, Nehro said, “Will you refuse to do it?”
“Is this it?” Huck growled. “Just him, then we're done here?”
Nehro nodded. “Beat him, and I won't call on you for a few weeks.”
“How kind of you,” Huck laughed bitterly.
Tugging at his elbow, I whispered, “If you're doing this, just tap out like before. Okay? Reese won't go easy in there.”
Taking me by the jaw, he kissed me right in front of everyone. I spotted the glimmer of rage in Reese and Nehro. But I didn't care. Huck tasted like adrenaline, like a man on a mission. I wished that was comforting. I wanted him to go in there, endure five minutes, then give up.
I had a dreadful premonition that he would never concede to Reese.
Huck said into my ear, “I'm not going to go easy on him, either.”
Stunned, I looked on from my little world as we split apart. Huck went back to his position in the ring, and Reese to the opposite side.
Nehro put a hand on my shoulder; I shrugged it off violently, stomping backwards. “Don't touch me, you're not even human.”
His smile was thin as a razor. “I look forward to when you can no longer deny me.”
“I'll always deny you,” I hissed. Fury wriggled in my guts, controlling me so that I shook helplessly. “I hate you. Don't you get that?”
“Of course, it's part of what draws me to you.” Leaning close, Nehro thumped the mic into his other palm. “There's something thrilling about a girl who hates you, but has no choice in having to obey.” Straightening, he gazed over the crowd, lifted his arms; they saw him do it, took it as a sign to cheer louder. My skin crawled. “I love control. If you had given yourself up to me from the start, who knows? Maybe I wouldn't have wanted you at all.”
Pushing vomit back down, I turned away and paced into the thrumming bodies. They muted him, even as he shouted over the megaphone. I didn't want to think about Nehro. I wanted to get away from all of this.
Perching on the edge of the chalk, I clung to Huck's jacket and absorbed the determination in his eyes. Any belief that I had that he would back down and bow to Reese, just to save himself some pain, was erased.