Turning my head, I took a shallow breath to clear everything away and pulled open the gym door. “And maybe it’s not. We won’t know unless we try.” I quickly stepped inside, shutting down the argument before it could drag on anymore.
A ball of shadow surged toward me. “B-boss Rossey, what a pleasant surprise!” Her high pitch almost had me shaking out my ears, but I suppressed it.
“Hey, Lucy. How’re they all doing? Gideon in yet?”
The ball stretched, forming into the shape of a person before the smoke dissipated, leaving a cute blonde woman with green eyes and muscles that rivaled my own in its place.
“H-he’s here somewhere. L-let me go check.” The way she scurried off told me she was probably calling him and telling him to get his ass down here.
Gideon, a werewolf, had been part of my dad Ax’s old guard. I’d grown up climbing all over him, hanging on his arms and kicking his shins, which was probably why he liked to sleep in on weekends and only gave me reports once a week. He was the best of the best, an elite fighter with the talent to judge what kind of supe would thrive in the organization, and, like me, he was a potential seeker. He and I usually agreed on a fighter, whereas Hime and I rarely did. There was a good balance between the three of us, even if he was on the lazy side now that he had a mate and daughter.
Lucy was Gideon’s daughter with his mate, Shera, a demon he’d met once, then chased all over Hell until he convinced her to cross over and build a life with him. A cute love story, one he’d retell to anyone who would listen.
It didn’t take long for the fighters to notice I was there and start circling around me like a pack of hyenas.
“Boss Rossey, thank you so much for this opportunity. I won’t let you down!”
“Boss Rossey, I’ve been working on my form just like you told me last time. Want to see?”
“Boss Rossey, what are you looking for in your next fighter? I want to fight Domino next! We’ll make you lots of money.”
Zeth quickly moved in front of me, barking at them to back off, but I placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. When he looked back, I nodded, and he eased off.
“So, you all think you’re ready, huh?” Looking around, they nodded, their eyes hungry for the opportunity I could give them. Little did they know, I had come here for just that reason. They needed to prove themselves before I gave them their shot…and I needed to work off a little aggression from my earlier conversation with Zeth.
Shucking off my jacket, I held out my arms. “All right, fighters!” I hopped up on a bench and let my voice carry throughout the gym so all could hear. “Who wants to take me on, huh?”
Some of the more seasoned fighters’ brows pinched as they weighed whether it was worth getting their asses beat, but the young guns, the ones with something to prove, yelled out, “Me! Me! I will! Pick me!”
I could feel Zeth’s glare searing my back, probably still pissed at me for not consulting him about bringing Conrad in on this job, but I couldn’t take it back now. He just needed to get used to the idea. It wasn’t like he had to like the guy to work with him. We just needed as much help as we could get. I could hear the clock ticking in my head and just knew Ezra was waiting by the phone for an update.
Well, probably not her. It would most likely be Arion, but he would stop whatever she was in the middle of to answer me. He was the best of the best when it came to right-hand men. A secretary, bodyguard, accountant, and lawyer all rolled into one. It was hard to catch Ezra without him by her side. I admired their relationship, but at the same time, I craved more of an equal partner, and I didn’t know if Ezra was… built that way.
Shaking all that off, I hauled myself up and jumped over the cage before pointing to a vampire with blond hair and bright blue eyes that sparkled with confidence and the thirst to prove himself. It was the look you had when you’d never tasted a loss, and, for some reason, I really enjoyed breaking those young ones’ spirits.
“You,” I said. “Come on up.”
His eyes went wide with hunger as he sliced his way through the crowd, using his speed to get into the cage. The rest circled around, trying to get the best seat in the house.
?*“What’s your name?” I cracked my knuckles as I circled the ring, studying him for any weaknesses.
Mimicking my movements, he made sure to stay across from me, eyeing me up and down like he couldn’t wait to show the rest of them how good he was.
“Benson.” He took a second to bow. “And I would just like to say this first. Taking you out will do me no pleasure, Miss Rossey.”
I stopped and gave a full-belly laugh that rang throughout the whole gym, pretending to wipe my eyes at the thought. “Oh, Benson, I’ll remember you, but not how you’re hoping.”
His brows furrowed, his mouth stuttering as he searched for words, which only made the moment all the sweeter.
“Don’t beat the poor kid too much. He still has drills to do today!”
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Gideon next to Zeth and Lucy, yawning. “Glad you could get up and grace us with your presence, princess.”
Lucy looked up at him then back at me, wringing her hands. She was always nervous whenever Gideon and I were in the same room. While Gideon and I viewed fighters the same way, we always ended up arguing about something or another and unintentionally broke something… usually something expensive. Last time we fought, we accidentally started a fire ina restaurant a couple streets over. The fight had been over the proper way to kick for maximum damage.
That night, I had been scolded by his mate Shera. I’d never been so afraid in my life. Gideon had a fierce mate, and I could see why he always just did what she said. It was safer that way.
“What can I tell you?” His smug voice carried over all the bodies around me as he adjusted his pants. “Shera’s insatiable on the weekends.”
