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)
“I can—”
“You can’t.” Bones slapped a hand on his shoulder. Frankie frowned but didn’t push him off. “You couldn’t even handle me, Frankie. I put you in the fucking hospital, and I’m not doing it again.”
“And that’s when he wasn’t at his prime,” Ari added. Tears shimmered in her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to blink them away. “I love you, Frankie, but you’d be committing suicide. And I will take on seven Misty Perks before I let you step into the ring again.”
I shuddered. Seven Misty Perks sounded like a fucking nightmare.
“You’re not doing it,” Frankie repeated quietly. Anger shook every single word. “I won’t train you to put your life on the line.”
“You don’t even know what I can do. You think you do, but you’re not even giving me a fucking chance,” Ari answered with equal heat in her icy jabs. “I’ll hire someone else if you won’t do it. You can’t stop me.”
“We could keep you off the team,” Bones argued. “If it’s three on three, majority rules. If Teo says no—”
“Teo will say yes,” I answered. It was time to speak my damn mind, or this conversation would keep going in circles. “And so will you. Ari is going to do this.”
My words sucked the air out of the room. At least now their ire wasn’t directed at Ari, ’cause now it was directed at me. Frankie looked like he was about to turn me into a punching bag, and Bones came across absolutely betrayed, his face falling.
“What the fuck, Lotto?” Bones asked.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Frankie kicked a broken chair with his foot so that it slammed into the wall with a heavy crack. “You’re against me, too?”
I eyed the broken chair. At least it wasn’t my face. “There is no for or against here. We’re a team.”
“Teams listen to each other, and neither of you are fucking listening to me.”
“Just like you’re not listening to me, you selfish dick!” Ari yelled. “This whole time, it’s been ‘I refuse to let you do this’ and ‘Don’t go against my word.’ Get your head out of your ass long enough to wipe the shit out of your eyes and see how hypocritical you’re being.”
I whistled. When Ari was pissed, she sure didn’t hold back. Frankie eyed her but didn’t say anything. The room around us crackled with an energy that threatened to blow and take Smiley’s down with it. Frankie’s chest heaved with his heavy breaths. Bones set a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off with an annoyed grunt.
“I’m going to walk away before I say something I regret,” he ground out, “but this conversation isn’t over, Ari.”
“How nice of you,” she sneered and turned away from him. “In the meantime, I’ll look for someone who actually believes in me.”
“I—” Frankie swallowed his rebuttal and huffed. “Fine.” He stormed out of Smiley’s, his expensive shoes crunching the pile of broken glass beneath his feet.
I glanced at Bones. His eyes burned with a mixture of anger and disappointment. Maybe he was disappointed I hadn’t told Ari no, or didn’t agree with him for the first time in a long time. A small chasm had opened up between us, and it felt like he was miles away even as he stood right next to me. My heart dropped. Before I could say anything, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dress pants.
“I’m gonna go talk to Teo,” he said. “He should know we just sold him to Troy Godwin.”
“He won’t mind,” I answered softly. “He owes back child support. It’ll get his ex off his back. You stay here and train. I’ll talk to him.”
“No, I’m going to do it. We have other things to talk about.” His narrowed eyes landed on Ari before he left Smiley’s without even looking at me.
Goddamnit. Troy Godwin was already a thorn in my side. Who knew Bones and Frankie would be the leaves on the rose’s prickly stem?
Smiley’s was as silent as the cage before a fight. As soon as the rumbles of cars disappeared, all the fight in Ari disappeared with it. Her shoulders slumped forward, and she ran a hand through her silvery hair, worrying her bottom lip in her teeth. She stared out into the parking lot like Frankie was going to reappear any minute and apologize for his half of the fight.
We both knew that wasn’t going to happen.
“Angel,” I murmured and set a hand on her upper arm. I didn’t ask if she was okay. Clearly she fucking wasn’t. The bottom of her eyelids were red with tears she fought to hold back, and her hands were fists at her sides. When I squeezed her arm, she relaxed slightly. “What do you need from me?”
Flashes of the last time I “helped” her flashed through my mind. If she wanted, I’d take her back to the office and spank her cunt and ass until she was completely raw. Hell, I’d do it here at the front desk if she asked. I’d give her the world if it meant I didn’t have to see her cry.