“Don’t stress, by the time I’m through with Xander, he won’t even remember what he’s pissed about,” I inform him. “And yes, consider Beast my Guard dog. Where I go, he goes.”
I watch with a grin as Aaron shakes his head and murmurs to himself. “Yeah, I’m fucked.”
Chapter 24
Xander
The place is packed as I make my way out to the ring with Cole heavy on my heels. He has just finished putting me through the warm-up of my life while Luke sputters out every detail about ‘Pitt Bull’ he could think of, though, I think it’s pretty damn clear that we know his fighting style by now.
I have never been more pumped for a fight. The adrenaline pumps through my veins, making me desperate to get in the ring and feel my fist pounding into his flesh. Though, for the first time in my life, I’m not fighting for myself. This is all for Charli and defending her honour, well, nailing this fucker in the face again is a little bit for me too.
I stand at the entrance of the ring and there is still no sight of ‘Pitt Bull’, he wasn’t in the Fighter’s room out back warming up but I know with every ounce of my being that he isn’t missing this match, especially after everything he has done, this fucker will want to go out with a bang and I bet he is hoping the rush you get from the audience is what will help him over the line.
But I’ve got a scorned girlfriend on my side and just like I said to Charli, I will not come out of this ring without getting payback.
“You ready for this, Kid?” Cole asks from behind me as the announcer starts his spiel about me.
I turn to face him and look him in the eye. “Yeah, I’m ready,” I tell him.
“Alright,” he says. “Remember, he would have regrouped after the other night, he will try anything to win this. You need to be prepared for whatever he throws at you.”
I nod my head, acknowledging what he’s saying. I don’t need to respond as he has already told me this twenty times over the past few days. I’ve got this.
My name is called and I slip through the ropes of the ring and strut into the centre. The crowd is wild tonight, there isn’t even standing room. I raise my hands as I make it into the centre, acknowledging the crowd who are here to support me.
I begin disrobing when I feel that familiar piercing stare right before a deep bark is echoed over the crowd.
No. She wouldn’t.
My eyes snap up into the audience, searching for those familiar baby blues. It doesn’t take long to point her out, after all, she is standing amongst the rowdiest bunch in the whole place with a dog right beside her. My eyes narrow on her and she instantly understands the meaning. She is in deep shit.
She cringes and bites down on her lip before smirking at me and shrugging her shoulders. She is in deep shit and she doesn’t care. I should have known she would pull something like this. My eyes instantly flick towards Aaron, knowing he was the pussy whipped boyfriend who allowed my girl to pull this off.
“Sorry man,” he mouths but I realise that even without Aarons help, she would have found another way to get here.
The announcer starts calling out the stats for ‘Pit Bull’ when I finally put faces on the rowdy people surrounding my girl. The whole freaking hockey team has shown up again and seeing as though after tonight’s game, they still remain undefeated, it’s no wonder they are so freaking rowdy.
Knowing they are here and looking out for Charli makes me feel a little better about her being here but don’t get me wrong. We’re still having words tonight.
The announcer finally calls ‘Pitt Bull’ to the ring and I look over to the opposite side of the ring, where the opposition would usually come from, only he doesn’t appear from there. My eyes snap to a commotion in the crowd and notice ‘Pit Bull’ literally pushing his way through the crowd to get to the ring.
I suddenly feel sorry for the pricks in his way as judging by the look on his face, he wouldn’t be pushing them gently. He is here to cause as much harm as possible. Though, I hope he enjoys this little show he is putting on because it’s the only harm he will be causing tonight.
My eyes quickly flick up to Charli, making sure she’s ok after seeing him again but all I see is that angry little line between her eyebrows giving her away. Her eyes move from ‘Pitt Bull’ to me and that line smooths out. ‘I love you’ she murmurs.
I nod my head. I don’t say it back but she sees it in my eyes, hell, everyone who witnessed the exchange would see it in my eyes.
‘Pit Bull’ makes it to the centre of the ring and faces me with an ugly scowl and a face full of cuts and bruises. I can’t help but smirk at the fuck wit, knowing those marks are a sign of what he did to my girl. Those marks stand as a reminder for me which unlucky for him, only spurs me on. A growl is heard over the crowd and has me smirking at the bastard.
“Thought you were too ‘chicken shit’ to show,” I say, using the exact phrase Charli had used on him to get a reaction.
His eyes narrow, “You better fucking watch it,” he growls before cracking his knuckles, in some sort of show of testosterone.
“I better watch it?” I question. “You took my girl off the street and beat her. You’ll be fucking lucky if I let you out of this ring alive.”
I’m usually the silent, broody type before a match but I know, the more and more I frustrate him, the deeper inside his head I become and the easier his takedown will be. And right now, by the way his eyes are shooting daggers at me, I’m right there, right inside his head. I smirk at the bastard once more just to piss him off a little more.
The ref calls a start to the match before he has a chance to reply. I jump straight into action, moving as fast as lightning but the fucker is too wound up in his own anger he doesn’t see me coming. My fist comes down hard on his temple, right where I got him the other night.
The hit knocks him off balance but not enough to do any damage. The crowd roar but he quickly shakes it off and comes right for me. He throws his arm around my body, attempting to hold me while his other arm comes around in a quick short arc straight to my ribs. The blow is devastating but not enough to take me down. He forces me back into the ropes of the ring to try and keep me contained.
We scramble around as he attempts to land a blow while I try to reclaim the upper hand. I manage to duck under his arm and lean back into the ropes. I quickly push myself back before letting myself fly forward with the momentum of the ropes. I come at him with fist flying and a kick combination.
His boxing skills can hardly keep up and it doesn’t take long until he is fumbling around, looking like a damn fool. Blood drips from his lip while the rest of his body is covered in red marks. My knuckles are bleeding but most of it is held back by the tape Cole had applied.
My fist comes up and I nail him in the jaw. The crowd roars while the sound of Beasts bark is heard over the top as ‘Pit Bull’s’ head is thrown backward. He quickly shuffles back giving himself a moment to right himself and spits a mouthful of blood to the concrete floor.
He lets out a growl as he rushes me and tries to get me to the ground but the move is predictable, it’s the same one he has used in each and every match he has been in. He overpowers his opponent, gets them to the ground and beats them senseless.
But I’m ready for him. I watch his movements closely and duck out of the way while grabbing his left wrist and giving it a twist, landing myself directly behind him with his wrist firmly in my grasp but come to think of it, it’s the same wrist he crushed of Charli’s…
He howls out in pain and I pull on my hold tighter. I push him forward into the ropes and hold him there while I take a leaf from his book and nail him in the back of the ribs before getting a good kick to the back of his knees. I push him to the side at the same time and he goes down to the ground with the weight of my body coming down on top of him.
He struggles beneath me but now that he is down, I want this shit over. Charli’s voice carries over the top of the crowd or maybe I’m just listening out for it. “Finis
h him,” she screams.
There is one thing I know for sure. What my woman wants, she gets.
I release his wrist and grab him by the scuff of his hair. I raise him up off the ground before slamming his head back into the concrete ground, hating the feeling of being so brutal but in the end, he touched Charli. He slammed her head into the side of a van, twice. Consider it karma.
He manages to shuffle himself underneath me but all that does is put him on his back. Bad move, dickhead. He puts his hand down on the ground, trying to find purchase on the concrete to buck me off. I consider how easily I could get up and shatter his wrist, the same way he had done to Charli, but I just don’t have that nature within me, no matter how badly I want to do it.
Instead, I finish it.
Before he has a chance to get me off him, my fists come down to his ribs and chest in rapid movements. My knuckles protest in pain but I will them to hold on for one second more.
As his hands move down to protect his ribs from my blows, I shift myself forward and deliver my final blow. With everything I’ve got, I let the fucker have it. I nail him in the temple and this time, it’s lights out.
The crowd cheer and an announcement is called over the speakers as some guy comes into the ring and holds my aching hand up into the sky. “Winner by KO, “The Widow-Maker.”
The crowd continues roaring but I only have eyes for Charli.
I hate that she has witnessed how I nearly just lost myself during that fight but in the end, I know she will find some sort of peace with seeing him go down.
The guy has hardly let go of my hand before Cole and Luke are busting into the ring and tackling me to the ground. Jace and Caden come in close behind them and land right on top of the pile of muscle. “Two hundred fucking grand,” Cole shouts in excitement.
“Hell yeah, mother fucker,” Jace exclaims.
In all the time since Charli’s attack the money never once entered my mind but now it’s over, I can’t help the grin that comes tearing over my face.
“Get off me, fuckers,” I demand. “I have a girl to see.”
“Fuck, you’re pussy whipped,” Cole murmurs.
“You would be too if you had a girl like Charli to go home to every night, except all you have is your hand and a stack of old porno’s,” I say as the boys start getting off me. Luke holds out his hand and helps me to my feet before we start making our way out of the ring.
“Get stuffed,” Cole laughs as he knocks my shoulder.
“Dude, he’s fucking right,” Jace scoffs, making the rest of us crack into laughter.
I notice some big guy come into the ring and check on ‘Pitt Bull’ with a massive scowl and realise this must be his trainer but I don’t give it a second thought as he hauls the dickhead over his shoulder and struggles to make his way out of the ring. That’s not my problem.
We head out to the fighter’s room and Cole instantly jumps on the first aid. It hurts as he peels the tape off my bloodied hands and then slathers them in antiseptic cream. He is almost done when a guy in a suit comes in and delivers me with a few envelopes filled with my winnings, clearly just one wasn’t going to do the trick
“Hopefully we’ll see you in the next round,” he says.
I give him a nod but there is no way I’m putting myself through this shit again, besides now that the Underground is over, I’ll start training for the professional circuit.
We finish up in the fighter’s room and I head back out to the main warehouse. The majority of the crowd have disappeared though, all my boys are still here but more importantly, Charli stands front and centre with the dog glued to her side, waiting anxiously to get her hands on me.
The moment I come through the door she is flying towards me. Before I know it, she is airborne and I throw my hands out just in time to catch her. Her arms come flying around me and I must admit, her cast kind of smacks me in the back of the head but I honestly don’t give a shit.
Her lips come crashing down on mine and I welcome the intrusion. Fuck, she tastes good. The boys start crowding around all ready to give their congratulations but I’m not finished with my girl yet. She pulls back with a massive grin. “You were amazing,” she tells me.
“Were you expecting anything different?” I question with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh yeah,” she teases. “I knew you could do it but honestly, I could have fallen asleep waiting for the big finale.”
I can’t help but crack a grin at her quick wit. “Yeah, well I was kind of expecting you to be at home fast asleep.”
“You seriously thought I was going to stay home?”
“I was hoping,” I tell her.
She scrunches up her face and shakes her head before, pressing her lips into a straight line and getting a look of complete seriousness over her face. She leans forward into me and murmurs into my ear. “Thank you,” she says before pressing a gentle kiss to the side of my face.
I turn my face into hers and catch her soft lips in mine. “Always,” I promise.
Aaron grows tired of our display and steps forward. His arms come around Charli’s waist and he literally pulls her off me while she bursts into laughter with Zara. The second I am free, the boys start up with their own versions of congratulations which generally consists of black slaps and fist bumps, though, I try to avoid those for the next little while.
The warehouse starts locking up and we take our cue to get out of here. We all pile into different trucks and eventually end up back at Micky’s for a night of wild celebrations.
Chapter 25
Charli
My life is ah-mazing. I swear I have it all.
I stand at Micky’s bar, finally a customer rather than the bartender, enjoying my night. Zara stands by my side as Micky cooks us up a cocktail, though that was well and truly after he questioned why the hell I am out partying rather than asleep in bed, taking care of myself but he eventually let me off the hook.
We lean back against the bar, watching the boys getting smashed and I can’t stop thinking about how my life has completely turned around. Only a few short months ago, I was beaten and torn down, an empty version of myself but here I am, now strong and confident with the most amazing man who I can honestly say is the love of my life. Hell, I even own a freaking house now and apparently, we’re going car shopping tomorrow.
I’m working towards my dream job and can happily say I now even have a friend, well, I guess I now have to include all the hockey boys in that equation somewhere as the moment they found out I’m with Xander, I was instantly welcomed into the Dragons family, despite Xander’s current status with them. I guess once a Dragon, always a Dragon.
That Dragon’s family also includes Cassie and Brianna who are here tonight and by the way they are taking over the dance floor, they are definitely letting loose.
Never in a million years would I have thought my life would turn out this way. I have everything I could ever have dreamed of and it’s all thanks to Xander. I honestly have no idea how I will ever repay him for the way he has managed to turn me into this new person, or at least, the person I used to be, back when my daddy was still alive.
Micky hands us our drinks and we’re halfway back to our table when a girl bumps in front of me with a nasty scowl. “Well, if it isn’t the little prude,” she says with a smirk.
“Oh, Lex, how great it is to see you,” I comment, though the sarcasm lacing my voice is pretty damn thick. I don’t need someone like her ruining my night.
“Heard your boyfriend got kicked off the team,” she says with a knowing grin. “It’s a real shame the Coach was let in on his little secret,” she adds, letting me know that it was her who came forward and spilled the Underground secret.
“Yeah,” I say. “It was a shame but you know what, leaving the Dragon’s was the best damn thing to ever happen to him,” I smile as I look over her shoulder. “I mean, can’t you see how freaking happy we are.”
Her face drops and an anger takes over. She lets out a h
uff, throws her drink all over me and storms off. I let out a gasp as the cold liquid drips all over my body.
Zara grabs her by the back of her head, yanking her back by a fistful of oily hair. “What the fuck is your problem, bitch?” Zara demands, releasing her hair.
“My fucking problem is that this whore goes around acting like she is too fucking good for the rest us. She needed to be brought down a few notches,” she spits.
“Are you serious?” I ask, getting in her face. “You have the shits with me because I didn’t want to waste my time hanging out with you and getting raped by your lowlife friends? Get a fucking life, Lex,” I say. “And while you’re at it, you may as well pull your shit together, too.”
She lets out a growl but she’s got nothing. The other girls crowd around and it doesn’t take her long to realise she should leave this one alone before she storms off again, though, in a different direction to avoid getting her hair pulled out by Zara.
“What was that about?” Cassie asks as she grabs a few napkins off the closest table and starts trying to clean up the mess.
“Not really sure but my guess is she is upset that I don’t want to be her BFF.”
“Are you serious?” Brianna scoffs.
“Apparently,” I smirk before the girls and I steal the keys to Micky’s apartment and head up so I can get rid of the now sticky liquid covering my body.
I quickly rinse off in the shower while the girls attempt to salvage my dress but before we know it, we’re back down in the bar and I’m sitting in my man’s lap, feasting on the soft skin of his neck while his hand begins travelling up my skirt.
“Hey man,” Jaxon says, dropping into the seat beside us and putting a stop to any funny business as Coach Harris falls into the next seat.
“Hey,” Xander says, slightly surprised to see Coach Harris, after all, he wasn’t at the fight but I hardly expected him to be, I mean, it’s not like it’s really his scene, he would risk his career just being seen at a place like that.
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