Right Hook (Gaslight series) COMPLETE

62| Bloodlust

Alyssa ♔
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My stomach churns at his twisted expression, his eyes meeting mine with a flash of regret. I suddenly push forward, ready to scream at him to watch out, but it's already too late.

The sickening crunch of flesh against flesh reverberates through cheers, leaving me nauseous. I peek through my fingers, spotting glimpses of Max's bloody nose and wishing I hadn't.

Max steadies himself before Alexis can swing. He plans to wear him down, I'm sure, but spotting us in the crowd had distracted him enough to force him off course. I'm just hoping, praying, that we haven't put him in any more danger.

With his fists closed tight against his face, Max dances around on the balls of his feet, only for Alexis to feign a right hook before sucker-punching him straight in the stomach. I feel the impact all the way in my gut and fight to keep myself steady. I'm not an idiot – I know that underground fight clubs aren't renowned for their rules, but even bare-knuckle boxing has guidelines. Why isn't the ref doing anything?

Kino tightens his hand around my arm, a desperate attempt to keep me grounded, but it does little to help. The crowd around us surges forward, shoving us back and forth in the current and making me feel the overwhelming urge to be sick.

Still hunched over, Max manages to dodge Alexis' jab at the last second. I lean forward, clenching my fists as the pair begin to circle one another. Right now, nothing else matters anymore. Not Max leaving or my heartache or how angry I am – all that matters is he gets through this.

"We need to do something," I say, but Kino doesn't look at me. Like everyone else in this basement tonight, he can't take his eyes off the cage.

"It's too late."

I look around at the bloodthirsty faces and realize he's right. Max leaving the fight before it's even started would likely result in a brawl. Tonight, These people came here for blood and are not leaving without it.

When Kino called to tell me he needed my help, I had no idea what to expect, but it wasn't finding him outside of my house holding a business card.

"I found it in his bedroom," he'd said when I asked what it was. "It's a card to this underground fight club he used to go to after Dad left. The last time he fought there, he came back half dead, and my mom had to take care of him for weeks." He paused and said with a shaking breath, "I think that's where he is right now, but if I show up alone, he won't listen to me. I'm hoping if you come too, he'll have no choice."

Guilt – that was the first thing I felt, as if maybe Max fighting was my fault. I'd told him he did me a favor by leaving, and now there he was at some underground fight club trying to get himself killed. Despite the fact I shouldn't have cared, walking away – no matter how angry I felt – was never an option. Not with him.

"Okay, I'll come," I said and pulled out my phone to call an Uber. "If we get there early, we can stop him before he does something stupid." Turning to Tiana, who'd already changed into her pajamas for our sleepover, I bit my lip. "I'm so sorry, Tee, but I have to go. Do you want to come, or do you want us to drop you home?" 

Her mouth parted, and she looked between us with uncertainty. For the first time, her world and Max's world were colliding, and I didn't blame her for being scared. "You go," she said, squeezing my arm. "My parents would kill me if they found out." 

I nodded and hugged her before turning to Kino, noting the underlying fear in his expression. "He'll be fine, Kino. I promise."

Now, staring at the cage, I'm not so sure, but I swallow the bile in my throat and try to stay calm. Max is one of the best boxers I know, which means if anyone can make it through a fight like this, it's him. I hold onto that feeling, refusing to think of the worst possible scenario, but it creeps into my thoughts anyway. It's strange – all I'd wanted last week was for Max to hurt as much as possible, and now all I want is for him to be safe.