“Let me hold that. I’m not fighting tonight.”
I shrugged, handing it over. I trusted him, and this was a fairly big step in proving that.
The four of us walked in silence to a hallway I hadn’t been in before. The panel in this wall was harder to open and took two of them. “That’s why you all picked me up,” I noted as we stepped through.
Rafe nodded like he was impressed I’d managed to put two and two together to get four. “The location moves every time, and with the new threat level of the resistance being raised to a three, we’re being extra cautious.” He shrugged. “In truth there are so many different passages that it’s nearly impossible for anyone to track this without inside knowledge.”
“And yet it was tracked last time by the Swiss guards.”
Rafe made an annoyed sound, sending chills across my skin. He could be scary with the way his chest rumbled and his aura darkened. I’d never met anyone who contained so much dark energy before, and I couldn’t help but think of the way I’d left him in that secret alcove.
The way he’d brought me to orgasm with barely any effort.
He hadn’t retaliated, not yet anyway, but I knew he was biding his time. I would pay for what I did, and part of me couldn’t fucking wait to find out what he’d choose to do.
Yeah, I had issues.
“Think your guard will give us any trouble tonight?” Jordan asked him, and I forced myself to stop thinking about punishment and focus on the now. I needed to get my head in the game if I wanted to fight.
“No,” Rafe said shortly. And that was it. He didn’t elaborate and apparently no one else had questions.
“How do you know?” I snapped back because I wasn’t as good at holding my tongue.
His steps slowed, and he took a deep breath before facing me. Our gazes held.
“Because usually when I tell someone to do something, they fucking do it. You’re about the only person who seems to take my orders as suggestions.”
I stepped into him, and I had no idea why I did that— my feet were moving before my brain caught up. “There was one place I took your orders,” I reminded him, my voice husky.
The blue of his eyes went midnight dark, and I flinched as his hand bit into my hip. Not in a violent way, nope, it was all sex, and I was so fucking here for it.
He leaned down into me. “I remember,” he drawled by my ear. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about your little episode, Violence. You and I will be sorting that out later.”
Thighs clenching, pussy spasming, heart fluttering.
I was so fucked.
Swallowing hard, I forced myself to step away from him, laughing lightly. “Do your best,” I taunted before I started along the path again.
Focus. Focus on the fight.
Rafe could not distract me, especially not if I was fighting Brandon tonight. I knew it wasn’t locked in yet, but I was holding out hope that someone would make it happen.
I needed to end that fucker.
Chapter 19
It was as crowded in the newly set up fight area as it had been last time. Hundreds of faceless, nameless, black-clad individuals. The four of us had split up before entering, and now I wandered through the crowd, drawing lots of attention and ignoring most of it.
Being the only purple-clad person in a sea of black pretty much guaranteed I’d stand out. Not to mention I’d near killed my last opponent. And I was a chick.
The perfect trifecta to give me all the stares.
“All fighters to the designated area behind the rings,” a voice called over the loudspeakers.
Pushing through the crowd, I headed in the direction of the multiple fight rings that had been set up. On the way here, the guys had told me that tonight there would be three fights happening simultaneously, followed by the main event—the one that got all the attention.
No doubt it’d be Fallen Angel again, and I wasn’t even angry about it since he was, without any doubts, the most skilled opponent I’d ever fought against.
