Page 103 of Lust and Honor

I pull on that stupid outfit and step into that godawful room. My opponent’s not on the stage yet, so I stand there under their hungry stares. A few minutes tick by, and then the door swings open. The second I see who’s being dragged toward the stage in the guards’ grip, terror rips through me.

“No, not her!” I scream, leaping off the stage.

Leonardo grabs me tight, and Maria bursts into tears, trembling like a scared little fawn in the iron hold of those two bastards. Roberto saunters over with this filthy grin.

“You animal, she’s just fourteen. Only fourteen!” I yell at him after spitting right into his face.

He calmly wipes his cheek with a handkerchief. “If you don’t fight,” he says coldly, “you’ll both be counted as losers.”

“She’s just a kid!” I shout again.

He glances at the crowd and shrugs. “We’re waiting. What’s it going to be?”

I look at Maria, so small, so terrified, and my throat locks with grief. I know exactly what this sick bastard is doing. He chose her on purpose. She’s still just a child, she’d never survive what’s waiting for the loser.

I squeeze my eyes shut. “I’ll fight.” My voice comes out as a grief-choked whisper.

He cups his ear mockingly. “What was that? I didn’t hear you.”

I open my eyes and glare at him with pure hate. “I said I’ll fight.”

Not just his lips, his eyes are laughing too. They march both of us onto the stage. Maria glances around, tears streaming. I step up and cup her face in my hands.

“Look at me, Maria.”

Her lips tremble. “Ava, I’m scared.”

“Do you trust me?”

She just nods through her tears.

“When the bell rings, come at me. Pull my hair, hit me—just fight, okay?”

“I... I can’t.”

“You can. You have to. Your life depends on it.”

The pudgy announcer steps between us, separating our bodies, and calls out our names just like the night before.

When the bell clangs, Maria stays frozen, staring at me. I step forward and slap her hard across the face.

“Hit me. Come on, now,” I urge.

She bursts into tears again. “I can’t, Ava. I can’t!”

I strike her again, harder, and she collapses to the ground. I grab her by the collar, drag her back up, and whisper so only she can hear,

“It’s just a game, sweetheart. Just a game.”

But she’s too terrified to hear me.

“Hit her, or you both lose!” Roberto’s voice booms across the room.

I shove Maria aside and scream in his filthy face, “You want me, you bastard. Let the girl go!”

His grin widens. “We all want you.”

The crowd erupts—cheers, whistles, drunken laughter.