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)
Chapter
Sixteen
RIVER
Islammed my fist into the BOB so hard, my hand ached.
I did it again and again, relishing the pain.
Fucking up a mannequin was much better than fucking up my pseudo teammate.
Two more weeks. Several more losses. Ninth fucking place.
How were we supposed to come back from this?
It was kind of comical, really. I was the undisputed number one in the Circuit. Out of all our matches, I’d lost four and tied twice—an insane record. But with Bones out for another month, and Pinstripe being as athletic as my seven-year-old nephew, we relied on Teo for a little too much. He wasn’t a bad fighter, but he wasn’t in it for the same reasons. A loss to him was just a part of the game.
But for me, it was another step on the downward spiral to failure.
I didn’t give two shits about Lucien Fritz, Troy Godwin, or any other motherfucker who wanted to use my skills for their own gain. They were all the same to me—money-hungry bastards who wanted a few more dollars to use as lube while they fucked the little guys. So why not use it against them? If they wanted money for my talent, fine. I’d give it to them. A few extra dollars didn’t mean shit to them, but it was another month of extracurriculars for my nephews or a way for my sister to stay out of trouble. Their comfort was all that mattered.
Or at least it did until I got tangled up here at Smiley’s.
This was only supposed to be a temporary thing. One year in the ring to see if we meshed. Then I could move onto bigger teams. Better pastures. I’d only intended for Smiley’s to be a stepping-stone.
But something was different to any of the other contracts I signed. Being with them just felt so… right. I didn’t know what dynamic we had. Or hell, even what our relationship was. But I did know that if Pinstripe kept fucking up, he was going to have more than Frankie barking up his ass.
I threw a few more heavy punches before a high-pitched whistle caught my attention.
Ari strutted over from her office holding a stack of thick papers. I saw a flash of WEST COAST CIRCUIT on the top before she threw them face down on a chair next to the BOB.
“What did poor Bob ever do to you, River?”
Her smile was as intoxicating as ever. Misty Perk always used to complain that Ari got what she wanted with her body, which smelled like jealousy to me. Being this close to her, I had no doubt it was. Ari definitely had a smoking-hot body, and one that was the subject of a few shower jerkoffs, I’ll admit, but it wasn’t that. She just had this infectious energy to go with her blinding smile and strong words. That was what kept people at her side.
“Bob needs a new job.” I threw my arm over the plastic shoulders of the BOB. “Boxing’s not cut out for him.”
“He would probably be a better fighter than the people we have now.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I mean, you’re the top of the fighters so far.”
“So, you’d think we’d be in the top eight, at least.”
I couldn’t even say ninth. It felt too bitter on my tongue. Ari rocked on her heels while chewing on her lip. Something in her eyes was calculating, if not hesitant. I lifted a brow.
“Is there something else you want to talk about?”
“What if we… replace Pinstripe?”
“With who?”
“Me.”
I stared at her, expecting some punchline or some joke, but it never came. Ari scratched at the patch of skin behind her ear, her eyes focused on the stack of papers she threw down a bit ago.
I let go of BOB. “You’re serious?”
“I did it at Heathens Hollow and won.”
“On a technicality. Hard to fight when you’re getting smashed into a metal cage.
“A win’s a win.” Ari narrowed her eyes.
“And Heathens Hollow is Heathens Hollow. The Circuit isn’t like that. There’s rules. Order. All shit the underground doesn’t have. You know that.”
“I also know I’m good,” she argued. “I beat Misty, and she was a gold medal winner at her college. And there’s already a woman there. On St. Luka’s team. Monique? So, it wouldn’t be unheard of.”
“Monique has an Olympian for a father and her uncle, who owns half the Jiu Jitsu gyms in Rio de Janeiro. She’s got more experience than half the guys in the top four combined.”
“But that doesn’t mean—” Ari pursed her lips pressed them into a thin line as she thought about what to say. “We can’t keep going like this.” She sighed. “We have to do something.”
I cocked my head and crossed my arms. “Did you come to me first or last?”
“First,” she admitted sheepishly. “I thought if you agreed, then—”