Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
I had to get the fuck out of here.
I wiggled harder, praying luck was on my fucking side. Another one snapped. I yanked harder, shoved even harder, until eventually, the fucking thing broke off and clattered loudly to the ground.
I climbed out the window in bare feet, not even caring. I had to get the fuck out of that room. I couldn’t believe John had trapped me in there. He knew I was claustrophobic. I couldn’t stand not having an exit.
I landed painfully on my bad leg and barely bit back a tortured scream of pain. I leaned against the wall, panting, trying to remember to breathe through the pain. People made it seem so easy—just breathe.
They were fucking idiots.
I scanned the area around me once the throbbing dulled a bit. I vaguely recognized the neighborhood. It was for middle-class workers and their families. Crime was extremely low here. Didn’t really seem like the kind of place John would settle down at.
How much had my older brother changed in the time we hadn’t talked?
I didn’t like the feeling of not knowing him as I once had.
Blowing out a soft breath and determined to get the fuck away from this prison, I limped my ass back around the house. John’s car was gone, and the lights were off, only the porch light on. Blowing out a breath of relief, I made my way out of the neighborhood and about a mile over the tracks until I got home.
Mom was gone as well, thank fuck.
I changed my clothes into a pair of sweats and a hoodie, pulling on a pair of sneakers after. I snorted a line of coke and popped a couple of pills, washing them down with a beer. Then, I prayed the shit kicked in fast because I needed fucking relief.
I knew a fight was happening tonight, but I wasn’t sure where. I was hoping like fuck I didn’t come into contact with Blaze again, but I needed the money. My supply was running low, and trying sobriety on for size wasn’t on my list of things to do.
My addiction didn’t pay for itself. And if I was going to survive the pain I was about to inflict upon my thigh after tonight, I needed a hell of a lot more.
* * *
It was easy enough to find the location of tonight’s fights. The crowd was loud. Giving the location away. Guards protected the area, most likely there to deter cops from investigating the situation. This way, it looked as if what was happening was legal.
“You lost, sweetheart?”
I froze at the sound of that voice. Swallowing thickly, I slowly turned around, favoring my good leg. Blaze stepped out into the light. He ran his eyes over me, stopping on my thigh for a moment before they snapped back up to my face.
“I’ll admit that I’m surprised to see you up and walking.”
I defiantly tilted my chin up. A smirk twitched at his lips. “You don’t know a thing about me.”
He reached out and gripped my chin. I bit back a whimper when he yanked me against him, forcing me to put too much pressure on my bad leg. On instinct, I gripped his toned waist, trying to steady myself. The sides of his abs flexed beneath my touch.
“Doesn’t take much internal will and strength when you’re high as a kite, Montana.”
“Kites didn’t fly that high when I was a kid,” I retorted before I could stop myself.
That time, he grinned. The corners of his eyes crinkled with it, and my heart skipped a beat in my chest.
It’s official, Montana. You’re fifty shades of fucked up.
“You make sure you keep that fire in your soul, sweetheart, but keep it away from my shit, you hear me?” He looked over my shoulder, nodding once at someone before looking back down at me. “You here to fight?”
I nodded my head. He cocked his head to the side. “You’re not fighting.”
I gritted my teeth. “And why the fuck not?” I snarled.
“Because you’re injured,” CJ spoke up from behind me. He was in charge of all of this shit. He set up the fights. He handled the bets. He paid us the money we earned.
I spun around, losing my balance. Blaze’s hands gripped my hips, holding me steady. I knocked his hands away. “I don’t think that’s any of your fucking concern.”
“Also boss’s orders,” CJ said, nodding behind me. “His property. And what he says, goes.”
I glanced over CJ’s shoulder, spotting my brother’s car coming up the street. “Ah, fuck,” I swore. I glared at Blaze over my shoulder. “You win this one, and fuck you for it.”
That grin appeared on his face again. I quickly marched away, hoping my brother didn’t see me.
Turns out, it wasn’t John I had to be worried about. It was Jonah.