"We need to talk," Antonio said.
And that didn't sound ominous at all.
My heart rate spiked. What could possibly be wrong?
Hunter squeezed my hand. I went ahead to the car, my heart in my throat. Shamelessly, I rolled down the window just a smidge to hear what they were saying. No luck. They were out of earshot.
Whatever, I'd just grill Hunter when he was done.
I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. The conversation grew more heated as minutes went by. Even Hunter grew more agitated.
He ran his hand roughly through his hair, face thunderous, pointing and waving his hand around. What the hell was going on?
Finally, he threw his hands up and marched to the car. He got in and slammed the door shut with a bang. Antonio walked away to the elevator.
I looked at Hunter. He looked pissed off. I wanted to ask, but I felt he needed some space, so I just drove off despite my curiosity. It wasn't until we got into the driveway of our place and the gate closed behind us that he spoke.
"Don't be mad," he said.
I glanced at him. He looked completely serious. My heart dropped to my stomach. "Okay. You're scaring me."
Unstrapping his seat belt, he turned to face me fully. "I'm going to have to fight in the bare-knuckle tournament."
I blinked. Then laughed. "What? What are you talking about? Why would you-"
He reached over and took my hand. "Breathe."
I gasped in a breath, only realizing I was a second away from hyperventilating. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing, on Hunter's firm pressure on my hand.
"Better?" Hunter asked. I opened my eyes to see his worried gaze.
I nodded. "Tell me."
"Antonio made a bet," Hunter said. "In the tournament's venue, there's a casino there where you can bet on practically anything. Antonio likes gambling, but since he always bet his own money and never went overboard with it, I didn't worry about it too much."
"What's that has to do with you?"
"He made a bet that I'll take a fight with Cullen next week," Hunter said.
"Can he do that?" I asked. "It's not like he can force you to fight? Would they even accept the bet?"
"They did." Hunter sighed, rubbing his eyes. "The guy he lost to is one of the tournament's big shot organizers. He's been trying to get me and Cullen in another fight. A lot of people want to see it, and it's going to bring in a lot of money."
"What happens if you don't fight?" I asked.
"Then they make an example out of Antonio," Hunter said, his brows heavy.
I looked out the windshield. I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all.
What if Cullen did something underhanded like he had last time? What if Hunter was seriously hurt? What if-
Air thinned out. My vision blackened around the edges. A sense of doom twisted my guts and filled them with lead. I clawed at the door, opening it and stumbling out. My breathing was too loud to my own ears. Hunter's deep timbre faded into unintelligible mumbles.
I sat down on the ground, shutting my eyes tightly.
"Look at me. Focus on me." I looked up. Hunter was crouched in front of me, his dark eyes calm and reassuring. "That's it. In and out. You're okay. Everything is okay. Breathe. In and out."
He squeezed my hand with every breath, and it helped ground me. After a few minutes, I was finally able to calm down enough to talk.
"Don't fight there," I said. "Please don't."
He paused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I won't."
I gulped. "Promise?"
He nodded. "I promise."
The knot of worry didn't disappear, but I was no longer on the verge of a break down. Hunter wiped my cheeks. I'd been crying. He helped me up and we went into the house.
Brownie and Stevie were waiting right inside the door. Tux stood at the kitchen archway.
I went straight to the couch and called the dogs to me. Petting them and seeing their excited faces and wagging tails calmed me further. Hunter brought our bags back from the car and joined me on the couch, hugging me to him tightly.
I melted into him, breathing past my dark thoughts. Stevie climbed up and wedged himself between us, as he always did. Brownie sat on the ground, her head on my lap and her big eyes soulful.
Tux strutted over to the couch. He'd been more brave lately, even playing as long as Hunter and I stayed six feet away from him. This time, however, he kept going until he stood next to Brownie, then he jumped on the couch, turned and curled around himself, settling down in his usual spot.
Hunter and I shared a giddy look. Tux was sitting right next to me. That was a huge milestone.
Hunter kissed my forehead. "Better?"
I nodded. Yet, there was still a tightness in my chest.
"What about Antonio?" I asked. I might not like the man, but that didn't mean I wanted him to be in trouble.
"You're my priority, Sapphire," Hunter said. "Antonio is an adult. He put himself in that situation. He should deal with the consequences."
I leaned my head back and looked at him. "Be honest. You're worried about him."
Hunter sighed. "Yeah. A little worried. But more than that, I guess I feel like I owe him for everything he'd done for me ten years ago."
"He made an investment in you, and it paid off," I said. I sounded bitter, and I didn't like it.
Hunter chuckled and kissed my temple. "You really don't like him."
I pursed my lips. He was going to feel guilty if he didn't step in. I just knew it. But he was willing to let it go for my sake.
Living was about taking risks. Was this a risk I was willing to take? Or was I going to stop Hunter from doing what he believed was right every time it made me drown in anxiety?
Ugh. I hated being an adult.
I sighed. "You should do it."
He raised one eyebrow. "You sure?"
"Yes," I grumbled. "You're going to feel guilty if you don't."
Hunter looked at me for a long time. "I'm proud of you."
I frowned, feeling oddly embarrassed. "Why? You were about to not do something you thought was right because of me."
"Not anymore," he said, squeezing me tightly. "I love you."
"I love you too," I said. "And if you get hurt, I'm going to save Cullen the trouble and kill you myself."
*** **** ***
Prepping for another fight in only two weeks after his comeback in two years was draining. Hunter had a couple of days of rest, then he was back in the gym.
Fortunately, the illegal tournament didn't care about weight divisions, so Hunter didn't have to worry about keeping his weight on top of everything else.
Surprisingly, my nerves did not paralyze me during those two weeks. That was, until Hunter said he had to go to the venue where the fight would be held to take care of some formalities.
"I'm going with you," I told him. We were in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner.
Hunter closed the dishwasher and straightened. "I'm literally just going to have a talk with someone and sign some papers. I'm not fighting anybody."
"I'm going," I said, folding the kitchen towel and putting it next to the sink. "Why don't you want me to go?"
"It's not that-" he sighed. "Okay, I don't want you to go there. It's not a pretty sight."
"I'm going to the fight anyway," I said. Because despite the churning fear, I couldn't stay home not knowing how the fight was going. I would go insane.
"Exactly. The less time you spend there, the better," Hunter said.
I leaned against the counter, crossed my arms and just looked at him. After a few minutes, he groaned. "I can't say no if you look at me like that."
"Like what?"
He gripped my face and kissed me. "Fine. You can go."
I patted his arm. "Of course I can."
He chuckled, shaking his head.
And that was how I found myself sitting in a bar in an early Friday afternoon.
The venue was located in a club within the city limits. The club was only a front, though. Because as soon as Hunter and I walked in, a bartender behind the counter saw us and ushered us through a backdoor that said Private. We walked down a hallway and a flight of stairs, then entered a whole new place.
There was a massive bar counter, on the wall behind it was the biggest collection of alcoholic beverages. Glasses glinted under the bright lights.
The seats were set up in a way that reminded me of a lecture hall. The tiered seats were organized in terraces overlooking a big ring down in the center of the room. Bright lights overhead, and mood lights along the bottom of the terraces illuminated the space.
Hunter looked up. There was another floor overlooking the entire club, covered entirely in dark glass. Must be the VIP rooms.
"I'll be right back," he told me. "Can you stay on your own?"
"Sure. Go on," I said. He hesitated, but I waved him off and made myself comfortable by the counter. He disappeared into a flight of stairs leading up.
The waitresses were getting ready for the night, and they were all basically naked. The scraps of fabric covering their lady bits and chests couldn't, by any stretch of the imagination, be called underwear. How in the world did it not fall?
On the way here, Hunter explained to me the difference between BKFC and this illegal tournament.
In BKFC; Bare-knuckle fight championship, the fighters fought with their bare hands, but the only strikes allowed were punches.
In this damn tournament, there were no rules. Everything was allowed, even illegal moves in the fighting world, like biting, groin attacks and fish-hooking. They were even encouraged, to make the fight as bloody and serious as possible. These people were just sick.
Some staff members were cleaning the ring. I squinted. Was that... blood? Chills ran down my spine. Oh my God. It looked like someone butchered a cow down there. My stomach twisted. I turned away from it.
"A drink?" The bartender asked from where he polished glasses a few chairs down the counter.
"No, thanks," I said. I didn't drink alcohol, and my trust issues with drinks prepared by unfamiliar people wouldn't let me accept anyway.
"Get the lady a drink on my tab, Barry."
Great. I glanced behind me and, sure enough, Cullen was strolling over. There was a fading bruise in his cheekbone, and he looked a lot bulkier than the last time I saw him. I guess he was prepping for the fight as well.
"No need," I told the bartender.
He nodded and looked at Cullen. "Anything for you, Mr. Cullen?"
"No," Cullen said, his eyes on me. He leaned on the counter next to me. "Finally dumped Jamison?"
I stifled a sigh and looked at the stairs. Where was Hunter?
"You're a rude bitch, aren't you?"
Slowly, I turned my head towards him and raised my eyebrows. "Excuse me?"
He smirked, and I wanted to punch him right in the throat. "You think Jamison's gonna keep you around? He'll find a younger and prettier piece of ass pretty soon, so don't act like you're too good for the rest of us."
I turned fully to look at him and frowned, etching concern in my face. "Oh, I see now."
He blinked. "What?"
"You have a thing for Hunter."
He sputtered. "What the fuck-"
"That's okay. I'll keep it a secret, Cullen," I spoke over him, standing up. "See you later."
I turned to walk away when I felt a grip on my arm. Then I was hauled back, bumping my hip against the stool.
"Hey!" I said, trying to pull my arm away.
Cullen tightened his grip and and shoved his face in mine. "You bitch need-"
He didn't get to finish that. In a second, he was shoved off. Hunter materialized over him and punched him in the jaw. The stools clattered to the ground. A few guys who were lingering on the other side of the counter rushed over.
"Hunter!" I tugged at his arm, but not before he landed another punch to Cullen's jaw.
The other guys arrived. They pulled Cullen up and pushed Hunter back. Hunter wanted to go for another round, I could see it in his eyes. But I held him back. "Hunter, Stop!"
He looked at me, blinked hard, then looked back at Cullen, who was being helped up by a guy in a blue uniform. Cullen shoved him off as soon as he was steady on his feet. What a prick.
Hunter pointed his finger at Cullen. "If you so much as look her way again, I'll beat your ass so hard you won't be able to fight ever again."
Cullen sneered, spitting blood to the side. I hope he broke a tooth. "Fuck you."
Hunter's muscle tensed under my hand. "Let's go," I told him in a low voice. "You can just kick his ass in the ring later."
His dark eyes still on Cullen, Hunter smiled, and it was a promise of retribution. Cullen's bravado faltered, and I saw the exact moment he realized he screwed up.
I never thought of myself as a damsel in distress, but it did make me feel a bit swoony.
I pulled Hunter away. He went along, but his body didn't lose its tension until we were in the car driving off.
He let out a deep sigh and looked at me. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"This is the fourth time you asked. Yes, I'm fine."
"That asshole," Hunter mumbled. "Now I'm glad I took this fight."
*** **** ***