Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76365 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76365 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“Thanks, Lotto.”
“Always.”
Bones fixed himself back in his boxing shorts as I cleaned up the mess we’d made. Not that I really needed to. This place was filthy as it was, and I was sure some teenage jocks called each other gay then sucked each other off way before we stepped foot in here. Bones was punching his bruise when I was finally done, his face screwed up in pain.
“Imagining it’s Troy’s face?” I asked with a raise of my eyebrow.
“If only,” Bones said. When he’d finally gotten used to the pain, he stopped and shook out his hands. “That asshole doesn’t dirty his own hands. Just makes suckers do it for him.”
I snorted. It was dead on. Too bad Smiley’s was about to be those idiotic suckers.
After Bones was all good, I smacked his shoulders a few times and gestured outside with my chin. The crowd around the cage roared to life the instant I threw open the locker room doors. Bones was next on deck, and with how bad that scrawny kid in the middle of the ring was getting his shit rocked, due up decently soon. He weaved through the crowd to find the organizers while I went to find Frankie and Ari in the crowd. They were watching the competition to see if there was anyone we needed to be worried about.
Three steps to the left, I saw that worry in the flesh.
The Perk siblings and River stood by the ring, filming something on their phones. From the yelling and cheering they did as soon as the fight ended, the brute who won the match was one of theirs. I was sure the video would be on their socials soon. Another stupid threat against us. I pulled my phone from my back pocket, ready to watch whatever bullshit they threw our way now.
River’s gaze turned from the ring and landed straight on me.
He smirked as soon as we locked gazes, lifting a hand in a friendly greeting. I didn’t return the favor. River wasn’t a friend. He was like herpes, flaring and showing up whenever he felt like it, especially when he wasn’t wanted. If he wasn’t so damn handsome, he probably wouldn’t get away with it either. But River was as thick and sharp as his fighting skills and had the smirk to prove it. I wanted to fuck that smirk right off his face.
Smiley’s needed to watch our backs. Right on cue, Perk’s uploaded a new video of the fight. From the angle, it didn’t look like a cage fight at least. It was only a few seconds long and was mostly filled with Misty’s shrill screams. But the caption was what really caught my eye.
This is what happens to assholes with big heads. Perk’s will show ’em who’s boss!
I highly fucking doubted that, but I couldn’t deny the little itch of worry wiggling at the back of my head.
This was growing into a problem we couldn’t ignore.
Chapter 8
Ari
The place looked almost decent.
Well, except for the gaping holes in the ceiling and walls.
We managed to move the entire gym into the one section that still stood strong. We’d at least have enough to train on the bags and with some equipment. On nice days, we could head to the back parking lot and use a temporary boxing ring Frankie managed to swing from an old friend. It was falling apart and the size of a kiddie pool, but at least it wasn’t half smashed by a centuries-old oak tree.
The problem was that fucking Pen Guy.
Like the sexist prick he was, he must have taken issue with a woman bossing him around. Our insurance money still hadn’t come through, and we’d had to dip into our own pockets and Bones’ winnings to replace the smashed equipment and borrow the ring. Frankie was on the phone with the asshole, and I could hear him yelling from halfway across the parking lot. I hoped it made Mr. Pen Clicker piss his pants and bring a check personally for the trouble. I’d give anything to see the look on his face with the boys by my side.
That would teach him to mess with Smiley’s.
Bones swung at one of our two punching bags, while Lotto sat at the front desk. Probably looking up different fights he could get for Bones. We were already stretching him thin. The poor guy looked like he hadn’t slept for days, and I couldn’t miss the bruises blooming all over his chest. We needed to figure something out soon before he ran himself into the ground, one punch at a time.
I could only handle one crisis at a time, and Smiley’s and Troy Godwin were taking my full attention.
The others weren’t fans of the deal Troy offered. I wasn’t either. It had been radio silence for the week which unsettled me. I hated being at the mercy of that asshole. It felt like everywhere I went, Troy Godwin made a damn appearance. Next thing I knew, he’d pop out of the broken pipes next to the toilet and ask me if I wanted a fucking balloon.