CHAPTER3
SETH
The second Kali walked out with Wren by her side, the men in the club went crazy. Kali was in a skintight emerald dress, showing off every curve of her body, but my focus was on Wren. She wore a black sports bra and shorts, focusing solely on her opponent in the ring. There was a fire in her eyes that made me smile. She was a fighter through and through.
Valentin tensed beside me and growled under his breath. “I fucking hate this.”
It was getting harder for him not to claim what was his, but that was the choice he made when he decided to get involved with a woman who was supposed to be off limits. The truth was, we didn’t take orders from anyone. If we wanted something, we took it. If anyone stood in our way, we’d deal with them. However, in this case, it wasn’t that simple.
“Are you meeting her again tonight?” I asked.
I looked over at him and he never once took his eyes off Kali. “She’s supposed to meet me at the hotel later if she can get away. Like always, she doesn’t want to risk her brother and the others finding out about us.”
Hearing that made me shake my head and laugh. “I think you’re safe from that. Ripp’s been on my ass about staying away from Kali. He seems to think I’m the one who wants her.”
Valentin sighed. “Yeah, I know. Not that he can do a fucking thing about keeping either of us away from her. The problem is . . .”
I knew what the problem was. It lingered in the back of my mind whenever I got involved with a woman who wasn’t part of our inner circle. Kali had friends and family who could physically keep her safe, but they were no match for mine and Valentin’s people or our enemies.
I placed a hand on Valentin’s shoulder. I’d never seen him look at a woman the way he did Kali. It was clear he was in love with her. Unfortunately, that made her his weakness; it also made her a target. If our enemies were to find out about them, there was no telling what they’d do to Kali in retaliation.
“I promise to look after her, too,” I told him. “She has my protection.”
Valentin nodded but kept his eyes on Kali, who snuck a glance his way, giving him a small smile. “Thanks, brother. I promise to do the same if you’re ever in the same situation.”
I had plenty of enemies and knew they would come after me one day, but that didn’t scare me. My time was coming, and I knew who would lead the attack. But I was ready.
Valentin nudged me with his elbow and pointed at the ring where Wren and her opponent circled each other; the fight was about to start. The electricity in the air surged all around us, fueling the anticipation of the fight. I was sure everyone around us could feel it— it was apparent who the winner was going to be without a single punch being thrown.
Wren wasn’t your stereotypical MMA fighter. She hadn’t been born into the sport like many of her opponents, nor had the same privilege as Kali or most other women fighting here at the Labyrinth. There was a toughness to her that could only be seen in people who had experienced life at its hardest—it made her lethal . . . and more than anything, it fascinated me.
“Have you met Wren?” Valentin asked.
I shook my head. “I’m sure she knows of me, but we’ve never met face-to-face.”
A scoff escaped his lips. “I have no doubt Ripp and the others have warned her to stay away.”
Wren bounced on her feet with a sly smile as she stared down her opponent. The muscles in her legs tensed as she sprang from foot to foot; I knew she was about to attack. All my attention was focused on her, how powerful and confident she looked as she moved forward.
In a single movement, she sent her opponent flying through the air and crashing onto the mat, making it clear that this fight was over. The crowd cheered so loud it thundered through the club.
Valentin clapped and blew out an exasperated breath. “Wow. She’s amazing.”
“That she is,” I agreed, watching Kali and Ripp jump into the ring and lift Wren’s arms victoriously in the air. I looked forward to watching her again.
Wren hopped out of the ring, where she was met by James Callahan, who I knew was a scout for the UFC. He shook her hand, and I watched her eyes light up the more they spoke. If she started fighting professionally, she was going to dominate the circuit.
Valentin clapped a hand on my shoulder. “I’m heading out. If you speak to Kali, tell her I’ll be waiting for her at the hotel.”
I turned to him and nodded. “Will do. I’m about to leave myself. I’ll grab our share of the fight money.”
We’d bet on several of the fights before Wren’s and won all of them. The night had proven to be quite lucrative; we were going to pocket a quarter million each.
He disappeared through the crowd, and I made my way to the back, where the secret hallway of the club was guarded by Reggie, one of the bouncers of the Labyrinth. He was over three hundred and fifty pounds of pure muscle.
As I approached, he nodded and stepped out of the way. The hallway was dark, but a light came from the last door on the left. I knew Kase Rushing, the owner of the Labyrinth, would be in his office, counting out all the earnings.
I stopped in the doorway, and he knew it was me without looking up. There were piles of money spread out over his desk.
