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 had come to get everything ready and to clear my head after our run in Oregon. But even being back at home and in the comfort of my gym did nothing for me. It felt like depression clung to the equipment here and reminded me of our failures so far.
I was still staring at the standings when the front door banged open.
Lucien barged into Smiley’s like a pissed-off hog in a nice suit. Before I could even greet him, he threw a printed off paper with the Circuit’s standings at me.
“I already know,” I said before he could start his bullshit.
“Then you should know that if you fall to less than twelfth place, you can consider yourself sponsorless.”
“There are twenty-four teams in the Circuit,” I reminded him. My jaw clenched so hard I thought I might crack a tooth or two. “Being seventh out of twenty-four is really fucking impressive.”
“Not to me.”
Or his dealings. Or his daddy. Or whatever embezzlement shit he was part of.
But I didn’t say that. I was already tired of the prick, and he had just gotten here.
“I don’t pay for mid-tier.” Lucien fixed me with a glare. It was probably supposed to be intimidating, but it reminded me more of a toddler throwing a tantrum.
“And you’re not getting mid-tier.”
“Not yet. But I don’t trust that you won’t slip any further. Who is this loser you hired as a backup? Pinstripe? He can barely hold his arms up to fight. And why didn’t you tell me you signed him?”
“What I do with my money is none of your business.”
Lucien snorted. “Your money or Troy Godwin’s money?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. It was bitter and hollow—exactly how I was feeling right now. So Troy was right after all. This was all some weird dick-wagging contest with Smiley’s as the backdrop.
“Is your jaw tired yet?” Lucien raised an eyebrow, and I crinkled the paper he’d thrown at me in my fist. “You’ve been trying to suck Troy’s dick for so long, I’m surprised it’s not stuck in that position.”
That was definitely the wrong thing to say. Lucien’s face shadowed despite the bright sunlight. His eyes flashed as he took a step forward. This wasn’t the toddler who walked in, but a dangerous businessman in his own right.
But after dealing with Troy for so long, it didn’t faze me.
At least until he opened his goddamn mouth.
“For someone who wants to uphold her father’s legacy, you sure are a disappointment.” The words struck my heart like a bullet. I blinked at him in shock. It only made his face wrinkle even more. “That’s what you wrote on your application, isn’t it? That you want to win the whole thing and make everyone know his name. And yet here you are, falling in the rankings and arguing with the only person who gave your shitty little gym the time of day.”
“I wonder why you’re the only one who did?” My question was more of an accusation. I already knew the truth, and the shit-eating grin on his face confirmed it.
“Everyone else gave up on you so easily.” Lucien shrugged and played with his diamond cufflinks. “Barely took a phone call for them to move onto another team entirely.”
“Looks like extortion runs in the family.”
“That’s my father’s business, not mine.”
“Could have fooled me.”
“I guess you’ll have to apologize to your father when you lose your only hope of making his dream come true.”
“There are backups,” I argued. But even that was weak, just like the waver in my voice. “People who actually give a shit about winning, and not just what our name means to them.”
“You sure about that?”
I stayed silent because truthfully, I wasn’t sure. Just like Frankie had admitted his mistake in trusting the Smiley’s fighters until it was too late, I’d made a similar mistake. I had jumped into the Circuit too quickly. I didn’t do enough research before committing. Now I was scrambling to stay afloat in the middle of Hurricane Lucien and all the debris his blast brought with him.
“You’ll be begging for my patronage back when you see the last three businesses left as sponsors. There’s a reason they’re alternates.” Lucien fixed his suit jacket, then his greasy hair, and flashed me a fake smile. “Then I’ll be in touch. Hopefully not too often, Ari.”
I matched his smile. “For both of our sakes, Mr. Fritz.”
Then I showed him to the door and slammed it closed behind him. I didn’t need to lock it, but I did. Smiley’s Gym didn’t need any more bad vibes. We already had plenty here with everything going on.
I slid down against the locked door, letting the cold glass cool my heated body. Lucien’s words weren’t true. My dad would be damn proud of what I built—what we’d built—given the circumstances. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. And damn did it hurt badly. I missed my dad like crazy. Every time I walked into Smiley’s, I greeted his picture, ready to keep everything he fought for alive. Yet somehow, I kept fucking it all up.