Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“You’re doing too much, Princess.” Terry’s unexpected appearance actually startled me. Okay, he scared me enough that my heart raced with an all too familiar sensation. Fear.
“Whoa, you all right?” he said when he saw my reaction.
The hot singe of his hands on my shoulders settled me instantly, which should have pissed me off, but I was too relieved to give a damn.
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” My shoulders fell in frustration. “I’m fine, Terry. Did you need something?”
“Not specifically. You looked a little alarmed and I want to know why.” Gone was the easygoing man who’d flashed that charming smile at me. In his place was the badass, sometimes enforcer I’d known since I was a girl. Arms folded over his broad chest; Terry’s icy blue eyes stared at me expectantly just as the bell sounded for the lightweight belt fight.
“Well?”
“Who says I’m alarmed?”
“Me. You went pale inside the cage and you’ve been looking over your shoulder every two fucking minutes. Somebody following you, Kat?”
“You tell me since you’re watching so closely.” My heart raced and I wanted to kick my own ass for not being honest when Terry was one of the few men here that I knew wasn’t watching me. At least not like that.
At my words, his shoulders relaxed just a little. “No one I could spot, beyond Stone and a few guys checking you out.”
His honesty surprised me. “Well shit, Stalker, I was hoping for more from you.” My attempt at lighthearted humor felt forced even to my own ears. Terry’s full lips didn’t even twitch with amusement.
The bell ending round one sounded, startling a gasp out of me.
“Kat, what’s going on?”
“Nothing. I don’t know, and I have to check on a few things.” Just as the round two bell chimed, I turned away, but Terry grabbed my arm and sent a fire roaring through my blood. “Terry!”
“Kat, I just want to help.”
“Then let me do my job.” The strength of my words was ruined by the loud uproar of the crowd that yanked a loud scream from the depths of my stomach.
Terry’s grip tightened on my shoulders and turned me toward the cage where the Ashby lightweight stood above the unconscious figure of his opponent, arms raised in victory.
“Win number one secured,” he whispered in my ear and I did my best to suppress the shiver his warm breath on my neck caused.
“Oh. Good.” That was good news. Excellent news. Nothing to worry about. “That means Rachel’s fight is next.”
“Stop worrying, Kat. She’s got this fight in the bag. The bantamweight belt is hers.”
I nodded at his words of encouragement, annoyed that it was working to calm my frayed nerves. “Thank you, Terry. Seriously I don’t know what’s going on but…thanks. I have to go.”
He let me go without a word, but I knew Terry. He was a tenacious as they came when he cared.
There was nothing to be done anymore, not when the music began for Rachel Cruz’s opponent. The only doors that opened to the arena were the ones each fighter came from and those were protected by Ashby Security. So, with nothing else to do, I made my way to my seat. And Travis.
“Enjoying the bloodshed?”
His smile lit up and he nodded, his golden wheat colored hair bouncing boyishly. “Much more than I thought I would. Thanks for the ticket.”
“Thanks for the lesson. It was worth both tickets.”
Travis laughed again and stood when the familiar bass of Rachel’s entry music, a popular rap song, blasted through the speakers.
“I’ll remember that for next time. If I had known it would be so fun, I would’ve asked for both.”
The fight got underway and all conversation stopped as we focused on the female warriors in the cage. Rachel was in good form, focused on her strikes and leg kicks, swiftly avoiding the takedown attempts by her opponent, a fighter put up by Ronan. She was good, but not good enough. Had more anger than skill and Rachel took full advantage of it.
Rounds one and two finished in a blur. Rachel, the clear winner without any interference. The smile on her face as round three began was priceless, and I made a note to track down every photographer in the building to get that image. It would make an excellent promo photo.
Round three went to Ronan’s fighter once she got Rachel flat on her back, but round four introduced the world to Rachel, the beast.
“Holy shit, that woman is amazing!” Travis clapped and whistled loudly, an instant fan.
Just as round five got underway, the feeling of being watched returned. I stood, looked around the arena casually at thousands of unfamiliar faces, a few hundred semi-familiar ones, but no one looked at me like they wanted me dead.
With one minute to go my phone buzzed in my pocket. The number was unfamiliar but something told me to answer. “Hello?”