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)
And both of them were laughing at me.
Shit. I wasn’t going to win like this. I was barely more than a bruised sack of potatoes on a bloody, slick floor.
So I did the one thing Frankie trained me to do when the chips were down: play dead.
It was one of his last lessons before we’d stepped onto the yacht that had brought us to Heathens Hollow. This cage was about more than just bloody battles. It was about showmanship. Bets. Being on top. People like Misty Perk reveled in the crowd’s screams and the chants of their name. And the poor loser? Left bleeding out on the mat until the last KO hit. Because those kind of fuckers would give you one last kick when you were down.
And when Misty made that mistake, I would make her pay.
Her shrieking laugh was even louder than the screaming crowd.
“Really, Ari? For all that shit talking, that’s all you got?” She turned to the crowd and threw her hands up. “Pathetic!”
The crowd chanted her name. She laughed again.
“Let me teach her some manners!”
I lay perfectly still as she ran closer. One second, then two. Misty threw her foot back and went straight for my head. Just before it could make contact, I shifted toward her and grabbed her ankle with both of my hands. Her toe jammed into my cheek, but I ignored the pain and threw her down. Misty screamed when she hit the mat and tried to roll away, but I was right there next to her.
I grabbed her hair and got to my feet, dragging her to the side of the cage. Then I returned her earlier favor and slammed her cheek into the metal side. She tried to pull away, but I kicked her stomach and pulled her hair harder. Over and over, I slammed her face into the chains until the silver was coated in her red blood. I didn’t realize I was screaming until someone grabbed onto my arms and pulled me away. I flailed in the referee’s arms trying to get back to Misty. She lay in a heap on the mat, grabbing her bloody nose and struggling to stand.
She barely got to one knee before she fell over and tapped the mat three times.
The crowd went quiet for a split second before it surged like a tidal wave.
ARI! ARI! ARI!
The chants of my name pounded into my ears. The announcer yelled into the mic so loud I winced. “And the winner is…”
The referee held up my arm.
“Ari!”
The crowd swam in front of me as I drank in my victory. My body hurt but the elation of victory masked any pain I felt. A smile broke out across my face as I searched for my good luck charms. There, standing between a few scantily clad women and men in sharp suits, were my three boys. Bones, Lotto, and Frankie cheered for me, looking more relieved than I had seen them in months.
I ripped my hand from the referee’s and nearly tumbled out of the cage with how fast I moved. I pushed through person after person, swearing at them to get the fuck out of my way. When I eventually reached Frankie, I practically threw myself into his arms and pressed my lips against his.
Our kiss was as violent and rough as my fight in the ring. I clung to him as we ravaged each other’s mouths. When I pulled away, I turned and grabbed onto Bones’ shirt, pulling him in for the next kiss. The crowd around me hollered at the scene, but I didn’t give a shit. I lost myself in the rough slips of Bones’ tongue and teeth. And when Bones pulled back with a grunt, I leaned into the last piece of my family, claiming Lotto’s lips in a quick, needy make-out.
I stepped away to breathe, but it wasn’t enough. My body was still flying. I needed something to keep me tethered here before I exploded.
“Give me my prize,” I breathed and motioned them all closer.
The three of them leaned into me and met in a four-way kiss. My body throbbed as tongues and lips swiped against each other. Bones groped at me; Lotto ran his hands over Frankie. Someone nipped at my lips and the side of my mouth. I moaned and pressed myself into them further, satisfaction filling every single part of me.
When I finally pulled away, I was breathing harder than I had during my fight with Misty.
Frankie ran his hand over my cheek. “You good?”
“Never better,” I sighed happily. “I fucking won.”
“And kicked her ass,” Lotto said.
Bones ran his eyes over the length of my banged-up body before nodding. “My turn.” His grin lit up his face. “Kiss for good luck?”
“Pucker up, big boy,” Lotto teased and leaned forward. “You’ll need all the luck you can get.”