I don’t know what I’d expected. A six foot Amazonian, maybe, like some barbarian queen minus the broadsword and armor. Or maybe an Asian kung fu expert all dressed in black. But she was nothing like either of those.
She was about the same height as me. In places, she looked thinner. In others, she was carrying more muscle. She had long brown hair in dreadlocks and skin as pale as mine. I frowned, trying to figure it out. Rick would have wanted to find someone to destroy me. Had he gone to the semi-pro circuit? She looked ripped, but not in an athletic, glowing-with-health way. Or was she the girlfriend or even sister of someone else who owed him a debt—my counterpart? What if she had some powerful reason to win, too? What if one ofherloved ones’ lives depended on it?
“Sylvie,” said Rick with a cat-like grin. “Meet Jacki.”
I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. Shake her hand? I gave her a tentative smile. She scowled at me.
I looked down at what I was wearing—sweatpants, sneakers and a tank top. I looked as if I was ready to get in the ring. Jacki wore jeans and a t-shirt. She didn’t look like a trained fighter. What was going on?
“I had some trouble, finding someone for you to fight,” said Rick, as if he’d done us a huge favor. “Had to really dig around. But then someone suggested Jacki and all my problems were solved. Jacki was happy to come down here and hand your ass to you for cash, and a shot at the winner’s bonus. Weren’t you, Jacki?”
Jacki spat on the floor. “Bitch, you better not start crying the first time that pretty face hits the floor. We gotta give people a show.”
And then I saw the gang tattoos on her neck and I understood.
Aedan stepped forward out of the shadows. “This is supposed to be boxing,” he growled. “Bare knuckle boxing. Not feckin’ street fighting.”
Rick turned.“Aedan?”His face went through a complex series of emotions. Fear. Anger. Suspicion. It was the first time I’d ever seen him really shaken. His bodyguards stepped forward protectively.What the hell’s going on?I knew that Aedan used to be a fighter and I’d figured out that Rick used to manage him, just like he managed Alec. But this was something else—the relationship between them was a lot more complex.
And then Aedan said something that made me forget everything else.
“I’ll fight,” he said. “I’ll fight instead of Sylvie.”
28
SYLVIE
For once,Rick and I both had the same reaction. “What?!”we both said at the same time.
“I’ll fight.” Aedan pointed at me. “Instead of her. Call off the girl fight. It’ll be me against whatever guy Alec was going to fight.”
Rick seemed to relax a little. He’d looked scared, before, but the balance of power had subtly shifted, now. “You’re fucking her,” he muttered, glancing at me. “Interesting.”
I saw Aedan tense up. I realized Rick now had leverage over him. But why was Rick so scared of him in the first place? What had happened between these two?
“I’ll fight!” Aedan snapped. “Me instead of her!”
Rick glanced between us, considering it. My heart jumped into my mouth. Had Aedan been planning this, without telling me? Was it possible Rick would accept? The idea of Aedan in the pit, with some thug pounding at his face, made me sick. This was my problem—I couldn’t let someone else take it on for me. But I’d be lying if I said that there wasn’t a small part of me that prayed for Rick to sayyes.This whole nightmare could be over for me in a heartbeat.
“No,” said Rick. “Tempting, but I don’t have anyone I could put up against you. You’d beat the hell out of anyone I could get.” Then hegrinned. All his usual confidence had returned. “Besides, it’s good to try new things. You’ve had your day. It’s time to try women. The crowd seems pretty excited.”
Aedan glared at him. “Youfecker!It’s not right!”
Rick shrugged. “Wasn’t my idea. It was Sylvie’s. Anyway, times change. Women are always saying they want equality. Well, here it is.” He grinned a crocodile’s grin at Jacki and me. From her sneer, I suspected she felt much the same way about him that I did.
He stalked out into the pit, brandishing his cane, and the crowd roared. Aedan pulled me away from Jacki and into a corner. His whole body was rigid with tension.
“What wasthat?”I demanded. “You were going to take my place? When were you going to tell me?”
He stared at me angrily. “I don’t want to see you get hurt!”
We glared at each other for a moment and then I softened, seeing the worry in his eyes. His plan hadn’t worked, anyway, so it was irrelevant. And I loved him for trying. I put my arms around him and hugged him close.
He squeezed me back. Then I felt the tension return to his body and he whispered in my ear. “This is bad,” he said. “I’ve been teaching you boxing. She’s used to handing out beat downs in the street. It’s going to be dirty.”
He sounded worried and that scared the crap out of me. “OK, so...what do I do?” I looked up into his eyes, ready to absorb as much as I could as fast as I could.
“...I have no idea,” he said at last.
