Page 24 of Callous Shot

Except it wasn’t unimaginable now, was it? I had real, physical proof, and it made me unreasonably angry.

My gaze slid to him, taking in the way he was practically vibrating out of his skin with rage. Yeah, he was probably pissed off about the rumour I’d sweet-talked Maisie into spreading, but I had just as much reason to be pissed off as he was. And I was nowhere near murder-rage levels. Not even on irreversibly maim levels. More like mess-him-up-and-make-him-bleed levels. Which told me Kimberly meant a lot more to him than I’d originally realised.

Bile rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down.

Instead of doing his bidding and facing him in the centre of the fight zone—because the day I did his bidding would be a cold day in hell—I jogged around the edge of the ring, high-fiving and fist-bumping Cranham students. When I’d completed a circuit, I knew I couldn’t stall any longer, so I sauntered into the marked area, coming to a stop opposite my enemy.

His hazel eyes were dark and thunderous, flashing with fire. Or maybe lightning was a more appropriate analogy. His lip was curled, and his fists were clenching and unclenching at his sides. Hate radiated from his pores.

I mustered up every bit of my confidence, aware of all the eyes on us, and I smiled. He bared his teeth at me.

“Hmm.” I stepped closer, the crackle of murderous rage emanating from him making goosebumps pop all over my skin. Making a show of rubbing my hands together, I flicked my gaze up and down his shifting muscles. “Looks like you’re ready to unleash the beast. This should be fun.”

“You are the most pathetic fucking excuse for a human being I have ever met,” he snarled, hate dripping from every word. “I’m gonna make you regret ever being born.”

Like a switch flipped, familiar rage swelled inside me, and I got right up in his face, shoving my chest into his. “You’ll regret ever fucking crossing me.”

He pushed back against me, his body vibrating with tension.

The second Neo gave the signal, we lunged for each other. I hit him with a punch in his unprotected left side, then followed it straight up with an uppercut, my fist striking the underside of his jaw. He swore at me, countering with a savage jab to my ribs that I wasn’t quick enough to evade.

After that, we exchanged glancing blows and kicks, neither of us managing to get in a serious hit. He came for me, and we grappled with each other, raining blows on each other’s sides and backs, until I managed to get my legs tangled with his, almost toppling us both to the ground.

We righted ourselves, both panting for breath, and I immediately switched it up, hitting him with a double jab-kick combo. He staggered backwards, and I went with him, smashing my fist into his face.

Two things happened in quick succession.

His lip started bleeding, and I realised he wasn’t wearing a mouthguard. My brain was still processing that when his own fist came straight for my face. Stars exploded across my vision, my head snapping back with the force of the blow.

“You fucking wanker!” I shouted, swiping at the blood pouring from my nose. “You’re gonna pay for that!”

“Wrong.” His hand rose, metal gleaming in his palm, and all of a sudden, a loud whistle sounded, and Neo was pushing between us.

He snatched the pathetically small knife out of Lincoln’s hand and then passed me a bunch of wadded-up tissues.

“For your nose,” he muttered before turning back to Lincoln. “You broke the rules. Weapons are only allowed if both opponents agree beforehand. The fight is forfeit.” Stepping back, he pocketed the knife. “You can have this back when you learn how to play by the rules.”

Lincoln bared his teeth at Neo, but he seemed to remember where he was because he didn’t attempt to argue. Good. He thought he could play dirty and get away with it? Not here. Not with me. And not with that toothpick masquerading as a weapon, either.

Holding the wad of tissue to my nose, I reached up with my free hand, yanking my mouthguard out and throwing it to the ground. “This isn’t over,” I snarled, my chest heaving. We were both sweating and breathing heavily, but I knew he was about as ready to back down as I was. “I’m not fucking done with you.”

His eyes darkened even further. “I’m not fucking done with you, either.”

“You’re both done for tonight,” Neo said. He took the tissues from me, gently prodding my nose. “The bleeding’s stopped, and nothing’s broken. Go and get some rest.”

I nodded, but when he’d returned to the edge of the ring of spectators, out of earshot, I met Lincoln’s hard gaze. “We finish this tonight.” Turning my back on him, I stalked out of the fight area, the crowds parting for me. I knew he would follow, and I had to trust that he had enough honour to hold off attacking me until we were out of sight.

The problem was that we were too conspicuous here. There were too many people around. That only left one place. The hockey house. All my housemates were here at the fight, which meant we’d have privacy.

As I walked, I unwrapped my hands, letting the tape fall to the ground, and then discreetly slipped my brass knuckles on.

“Where are we going?”

I ignored Lincoln’s question, picking up the pace. Something immediately caught my eye as the hockey house came into view, and I stopped dead in the middle of the deserted country road next to the exterior prison wall. Bellingham must’ve forgotten about the concept of personal space because he ran straight into my back with a grunt, his hands flying out to land on my arms as he steadied himself.

I stumbled, twisting away from him. “Watch where you’re fucking going.” Before he could aggravate me with more pointless words, I slapped my palm over his mouth. “I wanted to finish this at the house, because I thought everyone was at the fight. But the kitchen light’s on, which means someone’s home, so we can’t fight there.”

Ripping my palm away, he shoved at my chest, hard, sending me flying into the wall. “Fine. Here’s good.”