Not paying him any attention, I head for the exit.
"What the fuck were you thinking?" I snap at Sophie when we finally leave the building.
She doesn’t say a word. Instead, she stumbles after me, almost falling. Only my grip around her upper arm keeps her on her feet.
"You should’ve waited in the truck, dammit! We do speak the same language, don’t we? Why won’t you listen to me?"
I talk myself into a rage until we arrive at the pickup and I turn to her. Sophie’s eyes are still wide with shock, and I feel her shiver, but I don’t care. She shouldn’t have followed me. That’s what she gets for it now.
Boiling with anger, I let go of her and hold my hand out. "Give me the key."
As soon as she hands it to me, I unlock the truck, throw open her door, and avert my gaze. I can no longer bear to look into her terrified eyes. The sight does things to me that I don’t want to feel.
After Sophie gets in, I slam the door with all my might, walk around the hood, and get behind the steering wheel. I don’t care that I’m soaking everything with my bloody hands. I also don’t care that my jacket and shirt are still in the basement. We should get out of here before Steve changes his mind and sends his pit bulls after us. Not that they’re actually pit bulls, but with their muscles and the brass knuckles on their fists, his henchmen are just as dangerous. I don’t feel like using my?—
"Fuck!" I slam my fist against the steering wheel, making Sophie wince and Buster let out a soft whimper.
I left not only my clothes behind, but also my Desert Eagle. But I’m not going to drive back now. All I can think about is putting as much distance as I can between Sophie and Steve. Because he’s angry. Fuckingfurious.
Since I forfeited the fight by leaving the ring, my opponent won. That, in turn, means that Steve lost every cent he bet on me today. And because I’mhis best asset, that was quite a sum.
The only reason I win every time is because I don’t give a fuck if I get killed or what damage I do. I don’t care if I come out of the ring with broken bones or busted lips.
Quite the opposite.
I welcome the pain because Ideserveit. All these punches and kicks are nothing less than the rightful punishment for my actions. If I die miserably in the process, I deserve that too. And that makes me an invincible rival in these illegal fights.
At least that’s what I thought the whole time.
Still, I don’t have any obligations to Steve. He might be one of the most important people in Mississippi’s fight club business, but he’s also a grade A asshole. The only reason I stick with him is because his fights are always well attended and the prize money is correspondingly high. I just have to take a beating once or twice a week, but at the same time, I can blow off some steam and collect a lot of money while he organizes everything.
Humanly, however, he is scum, which is why I had to get Sophie away from there as quickly as possible. I can handle one opponent. I’d manage three, too, if I had to. But when Steve calls, plenty of men come running. And as soon as they were done with me, they would undoubtedly go after Sophie. Just the thought of it…
Her voice breaks the silence, scattering the horrific images in my mind. "I’m sorry. I just wanted to know where you were and what you were doing."
"What I’m doing…" A joyless laugh creeps up my throat as I shoot her a glance. "Well, now you know. Are you happy?"
She sits, hunched and withdrawn, staring at her hands, but says nothing more.
Once home, I lock the heavy steel door before heading straight upstairs and to the kitchen. I don’t bother to grab a glass. Instead, I put the bottle of Jack Daniel’s to my lips and drink until my throat burns.
When I finally turn to Sophie, she stands there like a heap of misery in the middle of the room, while Buster hides under the bed. At least he seems to understand that pushing me isn’t a good idea. It’s a different story with Sophie, though, and I stare at her for endless seconds before slowly walking toward her.
"What was that about?" I want to know again when I reach her.
She doesn’t look up as she answers in a whisper. "I was curious."
"Your curiosity is only getting you into trouble. Do you realize that?"
I take another gulp of whiskey to wash this feeling that tastes like worry out of my mouth. While doing so, I don’t take my eyes off Sophie, but try to focus only on my anger.
"Do you have any idea what kind of guys these are, for fuck’s sake? They don’t give a shit who you are, where you’re from, or what you want. They don’t care if you were justcurious.You stuck your nose into things that were none of your damn business when you walked into that fucking warehouse. And you’ll be lucky if Steve and his asshole friends turn a blind eye and pretend it just didn’t happen."
Adrenaline is still rushing through my veins because I was so fucking afraid of not getting her away from there. Tears break loose from Sophie’s lashes and run down her cheeks while her chin quivers, but I’m too furious to stop myself. She needs to understand that her actions have consequences. And while showing her this, I can’t afford to care if I frighten her even though the sight of her nearly tears me apart.
Finally, she lifts her head and looks at me with tear-soaked, bloodshot eyes. "I’m sorry."
Shaking my head, I turn away because I’ve made up my mind. "That doesn’t undo it. But you know what? It doesn’t matter anymore."
