“Tell me what do you think will happen to her debt and your brother’s if you don’t?” Mickey cocks his head to the side. “Here, let me tell you.” He crosses his arms over his chest in effort to look bigger, but all it does is make him look like he’s trying too hard.
The jealous little shit.
“If you don’t fight, andactuallyfucking fight to win, then her debt doubles. And your poor little brother… He’ll be my bitch for the rest of his life.” Mickey’s eyes widen like he’s excited for the possibility.
“And if she doesn’t fight?” My heart jumps at the idea that maybe I can take on her fight too, maybe I can keep her out of this all together. A loophole, a workaround.Something.“I’ll fight in her place. Give me all that she’s working for and when I win, she’s free.”
Mickey gives me the biggest condescending look and pouts mockingly. The crowd around us is so loud; getting antsy about the fight that’s now late. My eyes dart over to Roxie, my girl, the love of my life.
She looks so worried. So trapped. So angry. I can see the way her fight is still there. The fire blazing in her eyes, but she’s hiding it. Those gorgeous brown eyes lock onto mine and she shakes her head.
There’s no way around this, is there?
“What you’re not understanding is either way, I win. One of you is down, hurt and broken, and the other makes me my money. Either way, your family is going to belong to me. Either way,” he steps in closer and speaks as close to my ear as he can get because he’s a short fuck, “neither of you is surviving tonight.I might keep her around longer, just for one last fuck for old times sake, but by sun up, you’ll both be worm food.”
I swallow, hard.
Think, Ty, think. There’s always a way.
My hand drifts to my wrist, thumbing the leather cord here softly, like I always do when I’m needing her. Needing centered.
“I’m not fucking doing it,” I growl. “The moment I get close to her I’m telling her exactly what you’re up to.”
Mickey’s eyes narrow. “No, I don’t think you will.” His eyes dart over to the corner behind me, and there, in the rafters, I see the slight shifting of metal. I wouldn’t have noticed it had it not been pointed out to me, but there, right in the shadows, someone is crouched and pointing a gun right at Roxie.
“You’re a fucking psychopath,” I say softly, all the fight leaving my body.
“Aww, thank you.” He tilts his head and smiles like I just gave him a complement. “Now get out there and make sure she actually fucking fights you, or I’ll tell him to shoot.”
Why didn’t I call Asher? I grit my teeth and nod.
“Fine.”
Mickey’s eyebrows raise as a dark smile grows slowly on his face.
“That’s a good pet.”
CHAPTER 31
“This wasn’tpart of the fucking deal,” I snarl at the babysitter, who’s arms are wrapped around my shoulders keeping me in place.
“Deals change.” The roar of the crowd is deafening around me and it doesn’t help that all the blood in my body has rushed to my ears. I knew the big money fight was coming, I knew Mickey was using my name as a draw to bring people in… But I didn’t think that Ty would be in on it. I didn’t know it would betoday.
From the angry, desperate looks he’s throwing my way, he didn’t know I’d be here either.
“It’s okay,” I mouth to him, right as I’m yanked back against the meathead. Ty’s eyes narrow as if he’s just planned the babysitter’s murder. He turns back to Mickey and grips his shirt tighter.
The crowd is fucking massive, filling in all around us. I don’t know how Mickey pulled this off but he did and now… Now we’re stuck.
What the fuck am I doing?
“I won’t fight him.”
“You think you have a choice anymore? If you don’t–”
“If I don’t, then he dies?” I cut him off with a huff. “The whole reason I’m fighting is to keep him safe.”
“Is that the only reason though? Or are you protecting some other people as well?”
