“Just don’t do it, dumbass,” I bite back and swing forward. The moment I do, I realize my mistake. I’m not controlled, I’m not thinking clearly. This fight…the one that I was meant to win and protect Ty and his whole world, to pay off my debtwith Mickey so we can actually start living like I thought we both wanted… This fight has me stumbling and making dumb mistakes.
Like this one.
Ty grabs my hand, and uses my forward momentum to deliver the punch that Iknowis going to win him the fight.
And you know what? I don’t even fight it. I don’t care…
Ty doesn’t want me anymore, it was all a lie… So why should I care if I have to go back to fighting to pay off the neverending debt to Mickey? Why should I care about anything?
I close my eyes and let it happen.
The pain is intense, but it doesn’t touch the emotional pain I’m feeling. The realization that the family I thought I’d found…was never real. I fall to the ground, my body not responding anymore. I see Ty’s eyes line with tears, but that can’t be right. It has to be a trick of my broken brain. Because he wouldn’t be crying, not over a nothing like me. He inhales sharply.
“It’s okay, Ty,” I whisper and let the pain take me under.
CHAPTER 32
What have I done?
My whole world goes crashing down at the final blow and immediately I regret every single action that’s ever brought me to this point. Nothing, and I mean,nothing, has been worth this.
Worth hurting Roxie. But it was worth saving her life. She might hate me forever, but at least she’ll be alive. That brings me just a sliver of hope.
My eyes dart up toward the idiot in the rafters and back to Mickey.
“It’s done, call him off!” I scream, wanting to rush off and grab Mickey by the shirt, but not willing to walk away from Roxie’s crumpled body. “Do it!” I roar and Mickey nods, signaling for the gunman to get down.
The crowd is all cheering or booing, but I couldn’t give a fuck less.
“What have I done?” I whisper and hold myself back from grabbing her and getting her to safety.
“Hermano,” Mario comes up next to me and speaks softly. “What can I do?”
Get the fuck away from us and never talk to me again. That’s what you can do, but no, your idiocy brought us to this point!!I’m screaming at him in my mind, but shake my head.
“Call Asher and tell him to get here now. That Roxie’s been hurt and he needs to get here as soon as possible. I won’t be here, but you stay here with her until you physically hand her off to him,”I speak in Spanish so quickly that there’s no way anyone around us can hear with all the commotion going on. “You’ve fucked up so much, Mario. You owe me this. You owe her this. Keep her safe.”
I lean down and grab my shirt out of Mario’s hands, propping it under her head for any little bit of comfort.
“And where are you going?”
“I’m going to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“Come on, Hernandez, time to go discuss next steps!” Mickey walks toward me with a briefcase stuffed to the brim with money that should be mine. Should be Roxie’s. But I don’t care about that right now.
An eye for an eye.
I follow him like a diligent little boy and clock it the moment he smiles triumphantly, leading me out of the arena. It’s all a fucking show. He’s trying to show everyone watching that I’m the champion,hischampion, even when I swore publicly I’dnever work with him. He’s having me walk on a humiliation tour. Showing me off to everyone just how much I’ve fallen. And trying to prove that he’s the king now. The king who has collared the dragon and will use him to do his bidding.
Let him think that. For now. It won’t be for long.
I hear the people laughing around me, the whispers and the snickers. But, I keep my head held high and follow him out like a good puppy.
I can’t let this go on.
We start walking through the tunnel and Mickey runs his mouth, like he usually does.
“It felt so fucking good to watch that bitch fall to the ground. I kind of wish I’d taken her pulse just to see if she was still alive. Feeling her heart stop would’ve made my fucking year!” Mickey’s words are loud and obnoxious, and he’s talking like he doesn’t think I’ll react, like I’ll be a quiet little pet.
