Chapter 26 - Genevieve
I watch with bated breath as Damien steps into the harsh light of the ring. Boris, Lev, and Anoushka now stand by my side, each of us praying to give him strength.
Damien’s eyes are narrowed and his jaw is set with determination. The crowd roars, hungry for violence, but I care not for victory, just his safe return.
The two men begin to fight. The opponent rages at him, and Damien ducks and twists his feet to change his position. The opponent follows, and Damien changes position again.
Lev leans against the barrier beside me, his sharp gaze tracking Damien’s every move. “He’s playing it defensively,” he notes, brow furrowing. “See how he’s keeping his guard up, avoiding direct hits?”
I study Damien, noting the coiled tension in his muscles. He dodges and weaves, unwilling to fully engage. Realization hits me like a blow to the chest—his opponent must be fighting dirty. Damien’s choosing to defend himself. An icy fist of fear squeezes my heart. How long can Damien keep this up? If he gets tired…
“Come on, Brother,” Lev mutters. “Keep it together.”
The opponent, fueled by rage and desperation, lunges forward with a series of wild punches that Damien expertly sidesteps. I hold my breath as a vicious uppercut narrowly misses Damien’s jaw, the force of the wind from the blow ruffling his dark hair.
Lev’s sharp eyes catch every nuance of the fight. “He’s biding his time,” Lev mutters under his breath, his voice barely audible over the thunderous cheers of the crowd. “Wait for it.”
And then it happens. In a split second of opportunity that feels like an eternity, Damien’s entire body tenses, his focus sharp and unwavering. His opponent steps forward with a cruel smile, aiming for Damien’s vulnerable side. With lightning speed, Damien blocks the blow and counters with a swift kick that sends the man sprawling to the ground.
The crowd erupts into chaos, shocked by the sudden turn of events. People all around us scream, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Lev grips the barrier tightly, relief flashing in his eyes. Anoushka lets out a whoop of joy, her laughter infectious in the tense atmosphere.
The man gets back on his feet, his face red with rage. He’s ready to kill, and I feel my heart lurch to my stomach.
I clench my fists as Damien squares up to face his enraged opponent, the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Lev’s voice is a soothing anchor in the midst of the chaos around us.
“He’s got this, Genevieve. Trust him,” Lev’s words are a lifeline.
His adversary lunges forward, throwing punches with the ferocity of a heavyweight contender on a knockout mission. I close my eyes and mumble prayers under my breath at his attack, petrified that this one would put Damien down for good.
But then, I hear Anoushka yell with excitement, “Go, Brother! Put him in his place.”
I open my eyes wide and look around. How did Damien escape that?
The crowd’s energy is a palpable force surrounding us, the noise unbearable.
I look at the ring. Damien, with his back to the ropes, seems cornered for a moment, and the opponent lunges with a vengeance, but Damien uses a bolo punch to distract him and uses a backpedal to break free from his constricting corner.
“Oh, thank God!” I murmur.
Then, Damien turns around and lowers his gaze a little. The skin on my arms prickles. I know my husband well enough to know that he’s decided he’s given people enough of a show.
Lev clutches my hand. He knows, too.
We watch with petrified focus as the opponent lunges forward aggressively, punching the air to confuse Damien about which side he’ll attack from. Damien stands his ground and then, right in front of our eyes, throws a counter punch by simultaneously stepping back and assessing the opponent’s timing to his advantage.
“Did you see that?” Anoushka shouts, her eyes wild with enthusiastic energy. I nod at her, laughing as I do. The crowd goes crazy, and the opponent loses his focus for just a second.
He gets mad and lunges at Damien. Damien misses the lunge but absorbs a crushing punch to the gut, wincing. I see the brief flash of pain on his face before his expression hardens with resolve. He won’t surrender. The crowd cries for blood, but he tunes them out, eyes burning with purpose.
In a blur of movement, Damien strikes, punching the man straight in the jaw, and proceeds with a kick straight into his opponent’s chest. The man crashes to the floor and lies there, not getting up.
The referee calls the match, and the crowd goes insane. But Damien just stands there.
“Why isn’t he celebrating?” Lev mutters.
I don’t know, but something tells me we’re about to find out. Damien goes over to where the opponent’s lying and puts him in a chokehold. Some of the crowd begins to protest, and the referee gets angry at Damien, trying to pry him away.
But before Damien can be pulled off, he zeroes in on the other fighter’s gloves. He rips them off, turns them inside out, and raises them to the sky, revealing the needles concealed within.
The referee, stunned beyond belief, grabs the gloves to examine them and staggers to the floor. He throws them aside in shock.
We all watch with agonizing patience as Damien makes sure he’s okay. The opponent tries to run out of the ring, but a few people hold on to him and drag him to the back, where he will be dealt with in due time.
The referee stands, now regaining some color in his face. “The.. the gloves,” he screams at the crowd. “They’re poisoned.”
The crowd is in an uproar, and angry shouts and demands for justice ring out in the arena.
Damien sways on his feet, battered but unbroken. He lifts his chin in defiance and I know he’s fighting not just for himself, but for us. For the life we will one day share.
Pride and love swell within me. As the chaos rages on, Damien’s eyes find mine in the crowd. In that wordless moment, we are bound together against all odds.
***
Lev shakes his head in disbelief beside me. “I can’t believe that bastard tried to poison him,” he growls. “But Damien saw right through it.”
“Something tells me my father had something to do with it,” I mumble.
I take a deep, steadying breath as the referee raises Damien’s hand in victory. The crowd is still roaring, outraged by the opponent’s underhanded tricks. But Damien remains calm and collected, his intense gaze fixed on me across the arena.
In this moment, everything else fades away. The deafening noise, the pulsing lights, the fury of the spectators—it all disappears, and only Damien remains.
His muscular chest rises and falls with each ragged breath. He stands tall and proud, radiating a quiet power and confidence. The thrill of victory glimmers in his eyes, but it is his love for me that shines brightest of all.
I feel a deep relief at the realization that this is it. This is the last time he would ever stand in that ring. He survived, he’s safe, and finally, we have won our chance at happiness.