Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76365 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76365 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
The bell above the door chimed. When I turned to yell at Teo for being late to practice, I nearly dropped my broom.
Jace and Misty Perk strolled right into Smiley’s with smirks on their faces and shit in their grins. River followed behind them, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans as he took in the surroundings.
What the hell were they doing here?
Bones was at my side in an instant like a guard dog. Lotto stood from the front desk and pointed toward the front door.
“Get out.”
“Aw, come on, Lotto,” Jace drawled with his Southern accent. “We don’t want any trouble.”
A lie, and a terrible one at that. Lotto hadn’t shown me every video they’d posted but what I’d seen was still enough for me. I dropped the broom and stalked forward to meet them.
“Tell that to your followers,” I said. “Get out.”
“Before I make you get out,” Bones growled from behind me. Guard dog was definitely the perfect word for him.
River leaned his head from behind Jace and grinned. My heart jumped at how boyish he looked in his sweats and bun; both ears were covered in piercings and diamond earrings. I’d never noticed them before because he always took them out for fights.
“Hey, Ari. Bones. Lotto. Thought we’d stop by.”
“Unnecessary.” And unwelcome. I didn’t want them on my damn turf.
“We heard what happened,” Jace put his hands behind his head and snorted. “Too bad, huh?”
Jace Perk was the very definition of “peaked in high school.” From what I knew about him, he’d failed as a college football star, hadn’t even made it out of Army bootcamp, and had run to his rich daddy with his tail between his legs. He sported a blond buzzcut, a plaid shirt that hung open to reveal a ripped Perk’s Gym shirt, and bootcut jeans. Because, in case anyone forgot, he was a true Alabama boy at heart. That didn’t stop him from getting his ass beat by us “West Coast assholes” before he quit cage fighting and helped his sister with her gym.
He was also a huge dick—and if what some of the girls from the underground said was true—without the actual size to back it up.
Misty Perk was the definition of a valley girl with the miniskirts, perfect hair and nails, and bubblegum to prove it. At least she had actual skills to brag about. She’d boxed at the collegiate level and reminded everyone and anyone how she was the only one to win gold in women’s boxing at her university during the past ten years.
If Jace was the dick of Perk’s Gym, she was the balls.
Then what did that make River?
“Don’t see how that concerns you,” Lotto said and made his way around the front desk.
“Don’t you have some lame-ass videos to make?” Bones spat.
I shrugged. “That’s all they know how to do. All bark and no bite.”
“Oh, we have plenty of bite.” Misty crossed her arms over her large chest, quirking her perfectly plucked brow. “We’re just waiting for the perfect opportunity.”
“So, you’re waiting for me to tire myself out?” Bones smirked and threw an arm over my shoulder. He tried to keep it casual, but I knew better. He was marking his territory in his own, Bones way. “Can’t take me on when I’m a hundred percent?”
“Hey now, I probably could,” River joked and leaned back against the wall, patting the broken bits where the tree had smashed through. “I might not be as strong as this tree, but I could smash some walls if you need it.” His eyes held a playful glint when he looked Bones up and down. “Smash you if you need that, too.”
“No one’s smashing anyone.” Lotto glared at River specifically when he added, “You’ve had plenty of chances to hop into the ring and haven’t.”
River shrugged. “Got my reasons.”
“Saving himself for the perfect target.” Jace leaned an arm on our front desk. “Aren’t we all?”
“Saving himself? What, are you Mother Teresa now, River?” My laugh held no mirth. “Saving innocent fighters from damnation?”
“Are you looking to say my name like a prayer, Ari? I wouldn’t mind.”
I shivered at the predatory smile that stretched across River’s face. I should have been repulsed by the forwardness, but instead I felt a tug of curiosity. River was a vicious fighter who didn’t back down from what he wanted. Would he be the same kind of lover? My pussy clenched at the thought, and I had to tear myself away from the playful crinkle of his eyes when his grin grew.
“If you could stop harassing our owner and get the fuck out, that would be great.” Lotto stared at where Jace’s arm met the wooden front desk. “I’m not looking to add vermin extermination to our list of fixes.”
Jace stood up from the desk and stepped toward Lotto, his light eyes flashing. “Excuse me?”