“It’s not like I do this a lot, little vixen. And it doesn’t have to be me, no one other than the Mundays know I’m the supposed heir. Any Azul would do. And Dex may be deadly, but he’s better with weapons and tech,” he said, reaching behind me to squeeze Dex’s shoulder. “No offense, brother.”
“None taken,” Dex said, his breath hitting my hair from how close he was.
I sighed deeply, not wanting to see my boyfriend get injured, but whenever we’re faced with something that has to do with the underworld, I just bite my tongue, hoping for the best and thinking that they’ll get out of this soon enough.
The four of us made our way to the barn, Dex and Siege flanking Nero and me, as if they were making sure our sides were covered since we’re the odd ones out.
I was just hoping that no one could tell that we’re not used to these crowds. It would be great if we as a group came out of this unharmed.
We reached two huge doors, and Dex knocked on them in a certain pattern, resulting in a slot on the door to slide open, revealing a pair of eyes on the other side.
“Azul. Four,” Dex said, and the slot closed again. The metallic clicks of the locks echoed as they were opened, and after a moment, the person on the other side finally pulled the door open.
A booming sound erupted from the gap, but the unassuming barn’s walls, with their remarkable soundproofing, swallowed the noise of cheers from within. People were screaming profanities, all of their eyes and heads turned towards the big square platform in the center where two guys were going at it, throwing punch after punch, adding in some kicks and hooks for their opponent.
And did I mention it was bloody?
I took subtle deep breaths, trying not to panic as I could almost imagine Siege going in there and ending up with a broken nose like the redhead currently fighting for his life to get out of a headlock. Blood was streaming down his nostrils, dripping to his chin, until it hit the mat underneath both of them.
I reached for Siege’s hand beside me, my fingers brushing against his as I looked up at him with a silent plea, hoping he would understand my fear for him.
Could I say no? Surely, I had the right as his girlfriend to tell him not to fight, right?
I watched the redhead finally pass out after he tried to break free from the chokehold, and that’s the only time that the other guy let go of him, an announcer going into the ring and declaring him as the winner.
Oddly, the winner smirked as his gaze landed on us, and our eyes met. I couldn’t tell if he really winked, or he was just getting the mixture of blood and sweat away from his eyes.
Yeah, screw this. I don’t care if I seem controlling. I’m not letting my boyfriend fight that lunatic.
“You can’t fight,” I whispered to Siege.
“She’s right. You’re not fighting that sick son of a bitch,” Nero said in a low rumble from my other side, and my taut shoulders dropped from his support.
Having been mostly quiet during the trip here, he decided to speak up at just the right time. I was happy that he joined us because I assumed he was thinking rationally, just like me, and didn’t want to see Siege get injured either.
His next words, however, tightened my chest, and I wondered if he’s gone absolutely batshit crazy.
“I’ll fight him.”
13
NERO
That fucker from Saint Thomas.
Their star player.
Fucking Gio.
The sore loser, who had almost gotten into a fistfight with me after the away game.
He approached me, having seen me wave to my mother and Cosette from the bleachers, and since I wanted to ask him if he was alright after my tackling him, I offered him a handshake. Instead of taking my hand, he acted like a complete asshole, talking about how I must have been able to knock him down because I was practicing on ‘that thick chick’.
I should have known he would be into shit like this. While his opponent remained unconscious on the mat, he celebrated amidst the audience’s cheers on that ring, exhibiting behavior that made him seem like an absolute fucking psychopath. I don’t even need to look at the DSM-V for that diagnosis.
“What are you talking about?” Cosette asked me, and that’s the only time I tore my eyes from the sick fuck. My gaze didn’t land on her, though. I’m scared of what I’ll see on her face.
“I’m fighting him,” I said, looking at Dex and Siege. “You can just tell them I’m an Azul, right?”
