Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
I gaped. Was Troy insane? That had to be close to a million dollars all together. Maybe I was dreaming. Or on some weird prank channel and the shoe would drop like an anvil on my head.
Lotto glanced over. He looked absolutely gobsmacked, which was a feat in itself. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a dream. But a million dollars? Just to sign up for Heathens Hollow again and put Troy back on the map?
It was so tempting to say yes. So fucking tempting. The Circuit had barely started. We could bow out after three fights and make up some excuse why. If Troy was paying the penalty, we wouldn’t have to worry about that hanging over our heads. And the best part: we could kick Lucien’s pompous ass to the curb. Tell him to find some other team to bother.
But then River’s grinning face popped into my head. The sincerity in which he thanked me after the contract was signed. His push to go legit. If we got back with Troy, he’d walk. Smiley’s would lose him. I’d lose him. Somehow, that hurt more than saying goodbye to more money than I’d ever hope to see in my life. And who the fuck would I be if I sold out my family for cash? Not someone my dad would ever be proud of, that was for damn sure.
Refusal was on the tip of my tongue, but Troy beat me to the punch.
“Do you want to know why Lucien Fritz picked your gym?”
Troy’s sneer deepened when he mentioned Lucien’s name. Clearly, we weren’t the only ones tired of that bastard.
“He was at Heathens Hollow,” Lotto said.
“No, he wasn’t. I would never give an invitation to that sniveling coat-chaser. The rats who eat my garbage are better company.”
Oof. Lucien wasn’t even here, and I winced for him. “If he wasn’t there, how did he know we won?”
“He buttered up the right people and got the inside scoop. And the second he did, he swooped in to steal you away from me.”
“But why?”
“Because I didn’t give him the attention he craves, so now he’s trying to take my place.” Troy barked a laugh. “And you fell for it like fucking idiots. Someone shows you a little bit of love and you go crawling for it. How pathetic.”
“Do you really think calling us idiots is going to make us come crawling back?” Lotto shot back. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “There was no stealing us away. We made the choice.”
“Did you?” Troy took a step forward and held up his phone. His smile grew a touch more menacing. “Why don’t I call some of my contacts? Because more than a few of them were confused why Lucien Fritz texted that you belonged to him. Especially when they had no clue who Lucien even was.”
My heart stuttered. I opened and closed my mouth. Of course Troy would know all of this. He always fucking did. We were his merchandise a few weeks ago, and he obviously wasn’t ready to let us go so easily. And the worst part was he had a fucking point. Lucien’s tactics were shady at best. Illegal at worst. Not that legality meant much to us from the way we started, but I also didn’t want to make an enemy of one of the richest men in Seattle.
“He’s got a big head.”
“And his daddy has a bigger wallet.” Troy eyed us. “But not as big as mine. Double. Make your choice.”
I hesitated. That hesitation brought burning shame to my cheeks. Why was I hesitating? I knew what I had to do. Yet it took me two beats to actually say it out loud.
“No.”
Troy had the audacity to look surprised. “No?”
“I said, no.”
“Do you even know what the fuck you’re saying? What you’re doing? Who you’re going against?”
Lotto stepped closer to me. “Keep your threats to yourself, Troy.”
“It’s not a threat if it’s the truth.” His eyes narrowed at me. “Lie with the dog, you get fleas.”
“I’m still trying to get rid of the fleas you gave us,” I retorted.
“Interesting.”
Troy thinned his lips. There was something dark in his eyes. Something calculating. All the confidence in my answer disappeared in an instant. Was going against Troy really a good decision? Did Smiley’s have much else of a choice?
“Let’s see if you made the right choice.” Troy fixed the lapels of his suit and offered a smile. “I’ll see you when you come crawling back to me. And trust me when I say, I’ll enjoy seeing you on your knees, Ari.”
Troy left me trembling behind the desk as he walked out. I was still trembling after the bell to the front door stopped ringing. It wasn’t even a big threat—more like something a scorned lover would say—but for some reason, it left me more shaken than any of his previous threats.