Taking the Fight, page 12
A knock sounded on the door, and Annika rushed to open it. Finn stepped in and came straight to me. “I don’t know what to say other than thank you.”
“I wouldn’t say that until I win,” I advised.
Finn cupped my cheeks. “Oh, you’re going to win. There’s no doubt about that.” He slid his hands down to my shoulders and squeezed them before moving away.
I shrugged. “I just have to throw the rule book out the window.”
He nodded. “Exactly. Daria’s not going to play by the rules. All you have to do is knock her out or get her to tap out and it’s over.”
Annika threw her arms around my neck, her voice just above a whisper. “Thank you, Reagan. I owe you everything.”
Hugging her back, I smiled. “Don’t forget it either.”
Another knock sounded on the door, and Marcus peeked his head inside. “It’s time.”
Annika let me go, and Finn stayed by my side as we walked down the hallway and out into the crowd. Gasps erupted all around us as we made our way to the ring. Daria was already there, bouncing on her feet while Nikolai stood in the center. Her eyes widened when she saw me, and an evil grin spread slowly across her face.
Before I could climb into the ring, a guy with slicked-back black hair and piercing gray eyes came to us. He looked to be in his early thirties and didn’t appear to like Finn by the scowl on his face.
Finn leaned in close. “Anthony Porcello.”
Anthony raked his gaze down my body and then focused on Finn. “Very nice, Sellinger. She’s a beauty. I’ve seen her in the ring, but she doesn’t stand a chance against Daria.”
“That’s enough chitchat,” Finn snapped. “The terms are still the same. Now get out of our way.” Smiling, Anthony backed up and joined the other Porcellos, who were already seated on their side of the ring. Finn blew out a sigh. “I’ll be right here, Reagan.”
I nodded. “I got this.”
The second I climbed into the ring, Nikolai chuckled with delight. “I never would’ve thought I’d be announcing this fight. Imagine what your father would say if he knew what you were up to.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a grown-ass woman. I can do what I want.”
I had never hated anyone as much as I despised Nikolai. With Braden knowing it was almost certainly Nikolai who was responsible for the explosion, I feared what he’d do. Would he go after Nikolai and try to kill him? The thought petrified me. I could’ve lost Braden, and if he went after Nikolai for revenge, I’d surely lose him. We were no match against Nikolai and his people; they had too many connections and power.
Nikolai’s eyes roamed over my body, and he smiled. “That you are,” he said before turning his attention to the crowd. “All right, everyone, things are slightly different with the fights tonight. I decided it would be fun to bring the women into the madness, and you all agreed. The Porcellos challenged the Sellingers to a dominance fight, and they accepted. So, fighting for the Porcellos is Daria Eller.” He swung his arm out wide toward Daria and the people cheered. “And fighting for the Sellingers is the Featherweight champion, Reagan Jameson.” The shouts boomed so loud I could feel the room tremble around me. Daria snarled in disgust at how loud everyone hollered for me. I had to admit, it pumped me up. Nikolai glanced back and forth between Daria and me. “May the best woman win. There are no rules. Tap out or knockout wins the fight.” He winked at me. “Have fun.”
Looking over at the crowd, I met Seth’s disapproving glare. I was going to be in so much trouble after this. But at least it would be worth it in my eyes.
Nikolai left the ring, and Daria bounced on her feet a few more times. “Reagan Jameson. Do you know how long I’ve waited for this moment?”
I cracked my neck to the side. “Not as long as I have.”
Daria laughed. “Ah, I see. Angry at me for poking out your friend’s eye?”
Teeth clenched, I slammed my fists together. “You’re such a pathetic cunt. What are you even doing here?”
She smirked. “I could ask you the same thing.”
Stupidity. That was why I was there.
“Stop talking and let’s get this shit started,” I spat out.
Daria snarled. “Gladly.”
She lunged straight for me, and I knew she would strike even before her body moved; I could see it and feel the tension in the air. When her fist swung, I ducked underneath it and swiftly lifted my arm up, landing an uppercut to her jaw. Eyes wide, she fell back on her ass, speechless … at least for a few seconds. Daria always let her anger cloud her judgment; I was going to use that to my advantage. She charged again and tried to psych me out with a left hook but ended up going for my middle. Darting out of the way, I lowered my body and swept my leg across the mat, tripping her. She recovered by rolling and getting right back to her feet.
“Classic Jameson move,” she chided. “You’re so predictable.”
“Oh yeah? Did you forget I had you on your ass within two seconds?”
Snarling, she landed a hard kick to my shin, which I immediately reciprocated with a right hook to her face. Her head snapped to the side, and blood spewed over the mat from her broken nose—I felt the bones crunch when I hit her.
Daria backed off and held a hand over her nose, her eyes glaring at me with contempt. “Fucking bitch! You broke my goddamned nose.”
Beaming, I grinned wide and beckoned her closer. “I plan on breaking more than that.”
Charging again, Daria grabbed my waist and took me down to the mat. She succeeded in landing a punch on my my right cheek, and the pain exploded through my skull. Then, I tasted blood. In return, I elbowed her in the side and shoved her away with my foot. I could feel the swelling take hold around my eye. Hiding it from Braden would be impossible, but I couldn’t think about that now. What I couldn’t allow was Daria getting another hit in.
Not wasting any more time, I went straight on the offensive, jabbing left and right, not stopping. My muscles burned like fire, but I kept going, ignoring the pain exploding through every inch of my body as my fists connected with Daria. All the hate and anger I had for Nikolai, and his threats poured out of me, and I didn’t hold anything back. I felt blood splatter on my face and chest, but I didn’t let that stop me.
The next thing I knew, I was on the mat with Daria’s arm locked in an armbar. I wanted to keep pulling, to break it in two before she could tap out … but that wasn’t going to happen. Daria was too stubborn.
“Tap out,” I growled.
Daria spat and continued to fight me off with no effect because I had her locked down. I gripped her arm tighter and she hissed, sweat breaking out over her skin. I pulled a little more, and she let out a guttural scream. As much as I wanted to think I could snap her arm, I couldn’t. I was an honorable fighter, unlike her.
Letting her go, I pushed her away and kicked her in the face. Daria scrambled to her feet, looking terrifying with blood all over her face. Her features darkened and she rushed me, anger and desperation consuming her. She moved so fast and I reacted, but it was like our bodies moved in slow motion before slamming down on the mat. I landed on top of her and punched her over and over again until her body went limp beneath mine.
It was over.
After the fight, Daria was taken away but not before I saw she was alive and okay. Finn escorted me to the private dressing room, and I went straight into the shower. Daria’s blood was all over me, and I wanted it off.
Closing my eyes, I let the hot water rain over me. I could hear people talking outside the bathroom door, but it was muffled.
“Reagan?” I could see Annika’s silhouette through the smoky shower door.
“Yeah?” I replied.
She opened the shower door and handed me a small bottle of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. “I got these for you.”
After taking them from her, I washed my hair and body. “Thanks.”
Annika tapped on the shower door. “Oh, and I have my makeup bag and a hair dryer. My cousin Mary is going to help me get you ready.”
I didn’t care about how I looked, but I could use the help to hide the black eye I knew was forming on my face. “Thanks again,” I said. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
While I cleaned up, my thoughts strayed to Daria. She deserved what she got, and I had no remorse for the beating I put on her. Would it make her change her ways? Definitely not, but hopefully, it brought her down a notch. She might’ve been able to get away with fighting dirty with other people, but not with me.
Once I was done, I hopped out and there was a large black towel hanging on the rack; I wrapped it around my body. The bathroom was larger than my apartment bedroom and much nicer with its elegant fixtures and black and white marble floors. Nikolai and his family went all out in their underground fighting arena.
I listened at the door to see who was in the room, but all I could hear was Annika and another woman. Slowly, I opened the door and Annika raced over to me, pulling me out of the bathroom.
“Come on,” Annika squealed excitedly. “I have to get you ready. Everyone’s dying to see you.”
The high from the fight had left me. What I dreaded was what awaited me when I got home. It might not be tonight, but as sure as the sun rose in the morning, I’d have to face Braden. I had no doubt there would be a gazillion missed calls on my phone. Braden was going to have many questions, and I had no clue how I would answer them.
The other woman Annika said was her cousin Mary smiled at me and held out my red dress, bra and underwear. She appeared to be around my age, probably late twenties, with caramel brown hair and wide brown eyes, and was dressed in an emerald-green cocktail dress.
“As soon as you get dressed, I’ll work on your hair,” she said.
Letting the towel fall to the floor, I didn’t care that I was naked in front of them. I slipped on my underwear and bra before putting on my dress. Annika guided me to the couch, where she had all her makeup on a small table. Before sitting down, I grabbed my phone out of my bag, and she got to work on my face while Mary dried my hair. I glanced down at my phone, and I was correct; there were so many missed calls and texts from Braden.
He was worried about me. I wanted to call him, but I couldn’t yet.
“You were fantastic tonight,” Annika praised. “The whole room fell silent when you knocked Daria out.” She smiled over at Mary. “I think some of the men pissed themselves out of fear.”
Mary laughed above the noise of the hair dryer. “You got that right.”
It took them about twenty minutes to get me ready, and when I looked in the mirror, my eye was a little swollen, but the makeup hid the redness. It didn’t matter how much makeup I had on, though; I wouldn’t be able to hide the black eye entirely.
Annika opened the door and Finn was right there, waiting for me. His eyes widened when he took me in. “As beautiful as ever.” He held out his arm, waiting for me to take it. “My father’s waiting for you.”
Heart racing, I linked my arm with his, wondering what awaited me when I turned the corner into the main room. Seth was angry at me for what I did. Yes, it was careless and reckless. But there was no way I would’ve been able to watch Annika in the ring with Daria; it would’ve made me sick.
Finn escorted me through the crowd and people came up to me, saying how amazing I was. Their words went in one ear and out the other. I just wanted to leave. Finn led me to the main door, and we went through it and down the long hallway to the second door.
“I thought you said your dad wanted to see me,” I queried.
Finn smiled. “He does. He’s in the parking lot. You had a busy night, so I figured you were ready to leave.”
I snorted. “That’s an understatement.”
Squeezing my arm, Finn drew me in closer to him. “I’m sorry for tonight. You were a force to be reckoned with. But, on the bright side, I think you scared a lot of people.”
“Good,” I said, sliding my arm away from his and stopping in front of him, “because I’m not doing it again. Even if I wanted to, Seth wouldn’t allow it.”
Finn’s gaze darkened. “Seth doesn’t own you.”
“Nobody does. That’s why I’m saying I’m done.”
“I understand and respect that,” he conceded, “but can I ask one more favor, please?”
“What?” I could feel my patience running thin.
Finn blew out a sigh. “Annika fights on Wednesday. The Rinellas challenged us and made it clear they didn’t want you; they wanted Annika. They agreed not to switch fighters.” I looked away and closed my eyes. It wouldn’t be easy to get away after Braden and my sister found out what I’d done. “Please, Reagan,” Finn murmured, grasping my chin to face him. I opened my eyes, and he pleaded with me. “Annika could use your support. She'll be fine on her own once she gets this first fight done.”
I held up a finger, not wanting to hear anymore. “Only one more time. That’s it, Finn. I want away from all of this. I’m terrified for the people I care about. Nikolai already put a hit on Braden. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he’d died in that explosion. I don’t understand why Nikolai even ordered it in the first place. Braden hasn’t done anything to him.”
“From what I hear,” Finn explained, “your brother and the rest of the guys are on Seth’s side now. That was a low blow, and Nikolai’s very vindictive. That’s what makes him so dangerous.”
“As I said, I need to get away from all of this,” I reiterated.
Finn averted his gaze. “And from me.”
“Yes,” I confessed. “I don’t belong in your world. I’ve told you that.”
His jaw clenched. “It’s not always like this, Reagan. You’ve only seen the bad parts. That’s why I’m not giving up yet.”
That was not what I wanted to hear. What would it take for Finn to give up on me? He walked past me to the next door and opened it. There was only one door left before we arrived inside the parking garage. When we exited the final entry, his father was standing beside a silver sports car that had to be worth a million dollars. I’d never seen anything like it.
Paul came up to me and kissed both my cheeks. “You were amazing tonight, my dear. Thank you for taking my daughter’s place.”
“You’re welcome.” What else could I say?
His eyes twinkled. “And to show you my appreciation, I’m giving you this.” He gestured toward the car, and my mouth dropped.
“Uh, I don’t think so.”
Paul reached for my hand and gave me the keys. “It’s already done. The registration papers with your name on them will be sent to you in about two weeks. You earned it.” He patted Finn on the shoulder and headed for the door that led back inside. “I’ll see you both in a few days.”
Still in shock, I watched him disappear behind the door. “This can’t be real.” I held the keys out to Finn. “You have to take it. I can’t be seen driving that. It’s probably worth a million dollars.”
Finn smiled. “Try one and a half. It’s a Bentley Bacalar. There are only twelve in existence.”
“Which makes it even more ridiculous for me to be seen with it,” I fired back, shaking the keys at him. “Take them.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he completely ignored the keys. “My father will see it as an insult if you return it.”
“I don’t care.”
His smirk widened. “All right, here’s the deal. Either you take the Bentley, or you go home with me.”
Groaning, I turned to the car. “Fine. I’ll take the damn car.”
Disappointment passed across Finn’s face. “Ouch. Guess I can’t blame you.”
“It is worth a million dollars,” I reiterated. I was way past ready to get home. Walking over to the driver’s side, I opened the door and peered in. “Let’s just hope I don’t wreck it.” All I had to do was drop the car off at my apartment and get my Mini Cooper so I could head over to Braden’s. I’d have to figure out what to do with the Bentley at another time.
“You won’t wreck it,” Finn called out. “Just get in and go.”
It was a bad idea; I could feel it in my blood. But I’d have to go home with Finn if I didn't take the car and that definitely wasn’t going to happen. Not wasting time, I hopped in the car and looked at myself in the rearview mirror, cringing at my swollen eye. There was no way in hell I could hide it. I had no choice but to tell Braden the truth before he found out from someone else.
CHAPTER 21
BRADEN
For the fiftieth fucking time, Reagan’s phone went straight to voice mail. It was closing in on midnight, and she was nowhere to be found. All I wanted was to make sure she was okay. Nikolai was a sick piece of shit, and I didn’t trust him not to go after her, even if Seth did say she was protected.
Before heading to Reagan’s apartment, I grabbed my Smith & Wesson M&P out of my safe and put it in the center console of my car. If Nikolai wanted to come after me again, I’d be ready.
I pulled into the parking lot and raced up the two flights of stairs to her door. Her Mini Cooper was in the spot she always left it, but I remembered Annika saying she would pick Reagan up.
“Reagan,” I shouted, banging on the door. There was no sign of her and I couldn’t see any lights on through the windows. I knocked again and nothing. Dammit.
My phone vibrated in my back pocket, and I blew out a relieved sigh, thinking it’d be Reagan. Only it wasn’t; it was Seth. Storming down the stairs, I accepted the call. “Yeah,” I grumbled.
“You’re not going to have any more issues from my brother,” he replied.
I marched over to my car and slammed the door when I got in. “You expect me to believe that shit?”
Seth sighed. “Of course not, but the situation has been handled. But unfortunately, we have a bigger issue. Where are you?”
I was already on edge, and that made it worse. My thoughts went to Reagan, hoping like hell nothing had happened to her.
