Chapter 34
LEX
The Pit – about to kick Callum Whitmore’s smug quarterback ass.
“And his opponent… from Northvale University… Leader of The Hollow Kings and the undisputed King of The Pit… Aleksandr ‘Lex’ Barinov!”
The second I hear my name, I take off down the corridor. Cheers explode around me like a fucking war drum. The lights slam into my face the moment I step into the ring and I feed on it. All of it. The noise, the pressure, the bloodlust in the air. It’s my oxygen.
But even with the crowd chanting my name, even with The Pit shaking from the sound of it, I’m scanning.
For her.
Cade won’t shut up about her. Hasn’t since Cinco de Mayo.
Says she’s going to tie us all together like some cherry-lipped fucking peace treaty.
Sweet on the outside, chaos underneath. I’ve seen the pictures.
Heard the stories. The girl who’s supposed to be mine, even if no one’s said it out loud yet.
But she’s not here. Not in the VIP with Cade, not in the back row, not even in the shadows near the balcony. Nothing.
And that pisses me off.
I want her here. Watching me. Front and center.
I want her eyes locked on what I do to the poor bastard stupid enough to stand across from me.
Especially when the bastard is Callum fucking Whitmore.
I want her to see the fists, the blood, the win, my name in the air like a war cry.
I want her to know what she’s walking into.
Rez climbs into the ring with a damn mic.
Oh for fuck’s sake.
“Okay, gentlemen. There’s been a slight change of plans.”
I cock my head.
“We’re going to add a little more entertainment before the two of you get your well-deserved rematch.” He flashes that lazy grin of his. “Both of you men to your corners. Take a seat.”
I glare at him as I head to my stool, wiping the sweat from my palms on my shorts.
The fuck are you doing, Rez?
He’s lucky we’re family. Unless this is some Maddie Rae and her Botox Barbies bullshit again. Then he can get bent.
I look up and notice that’s not our usual DJ. Some blonde dude is behind the booth now, putting on the headset, adjusting the dials, and plugging some USB drive into the booth.
I know I’ve seen this guy before.
Rez nods toward the new DJ. “As you all probably know, we are The Hollow Kings, Northvale’s real pride and joy.”
The crowd goes wild.
Damn straight.
Rez lifts the mic again, pacing slow like he’s about to deliver a sermon instead of a fight intro.
“Now, in the spirit of friendly competition—and because I’d rather not spend the rest of the night breaking up brawls between Row rats and Northvale psychos—let’s try to keep it in the ring tonight, yeah? ”
The crowd rumbles, a few laughs, a few hollers.
“And for your cooperation…” He lets the silence stretch, his voice dipping into that slow, lethal purr. “…I do have a little surprise for you.”
The crowd stills and his smile goes wicked. “Tonight, we are also joined by Wexley’s pride and joy.”
Rez lifts a brow. “Knox, you wanna take it from here?”
Knox? Must be Blondie.
The guy flashes a cocky grin as he leans into the mic. “Thanks, Rez.” His voice cuts smooth through the speakers.
“Yo, what’s up, Northvale?” he grins. “I’m Knox, part-time DJ, full time shit-stirrer. And Rez wasn’t lying, we do have some of Wexley’s finest in the house tonight.”
He pauses. “Sorry, Cal. We don’t mean you tonight.”
What the hell is going on?
I sit forward slightly on my stool, every muscle in my body locked.
Knox’s voice rings out again, louder this time. “Ladies and gents, it is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to Wexley’s sexiest, deadliest, and baddest bitches of The Row… my girls Ellie, Haley, and Bella. The Trifecta!”
The Pit fucking explodes. Apparently, my girl and her group are a lot more popular than I thought. I glance over at The Revenants. They all look like they all are about to have a damn stroke when the lights go dark before changing to red, pink, and teal.
When the fuck did we get colored ring lights?
And then I see them. First, the redhead, Haley.
Black pants so tight they might as well be painted on, sliced up the thighs with deliberate slits that flash skin every time she moves.
Black top cut so low it’s practically porn.
Trifecta flashes across her chest in deep red rhinestones. She knows exactly what she’s doing.
Then it hits me, Knox. He’s the DJ for Carrington Row and he’s the one fucking the redhead of the group.
Thank God. That was going to bug the shit out of me.
Second, Little Whitmore. Black bikini top with The Trifecta logo stitched over her left tit. Leather pants slit down the sides like a warning. Her grin is pure sass.
There she is, the girl of my fucking dreams. She’s dead center of the chaos.
Simple black tank clinging like a second skin.
Tight black leather shorts riding low on her hips, hugging the kind of ass that makes men forget how to breathe.
Black boots with blood-red heels, clicking with every step like a countdown to destruction.
Her hair’s long, black, wild, like she walked through hell and didn’t bother to brush off the ashes. And those eyes… steel gray. She’s a vision. A weapon. A dare.
Bella Blackwood.
Mine and Cade’s new girl.
‘Bout time you showed up, baby.
So, I may or may not have stalked her socials the second I found out she fucked my boyfriend.
Curiosity and all. I went down a spiral and also liked every single picture on her profile, even saved a few of them on my phone.
Except the ones with fucking Callum or any of the other Row boys in it, those can rot.
I’ve also been following their group. Watched every performance they’ve posted. Call me a Trifecta super fan now. Shit, I should probably get me one of those fancy Trifecta t-shirts they advertised.
There’s a name inked on her wrist, Dylan, or some shit. I’m going to have to get that fucker’s name off my girl’s skin, pronto. And a Z on her right shoulder blade, wrapped in clean, curving lines that move like smoke.
Like memory.
Like vengeance.
It’s hot.
She struts across the ring and plops herself onto Callum’s lap, wrapping her arm around his neck. He slides his arms around her waist and pulls her in close.
The fuck is this girl doing?
“Whoa, whoa, whoa?” Knox yells into the mic. “What the hell are you doing, Bella?”
Damn right, Knox. Love this guy. Get her ass off him.
She grins, lips painted cherry red. “Oh, sorry, Knox. Just wishing Cal good luck.” She turns her head, nodding straight at me.
“From the looks of that guy over there…” she winks and then looks back at Callum. “You might need it, Cal.”
You fucking know it, baby. He will need it.
I lean back into the ropes, muttering under my breath, “Dead man walking.”
She’s center ring now, arms crossed, all attitude and boots.
“Um, Problem Child?” Knox calls over the mic.
She groans. “We’re really going with that again. I mean, it’s so rude.” She throws a hand toward Ellie. “Ellie gets Sweetheart. Which is what Cade calls me, you know, like in bed. So yeah… we really do need to change that.” She looks at Cade and blows him a kiss.
Cade fucking smiles.
Knox groans, “Problem Child, focus.”
She shrugs, exaggerated and smug. “Sorry. It gets me feeling things I really shouldn’t be feeling down there when I’m trying to dance.”
Okay. Now I’m jealous of my own fucking boyfriend.
She turns back to the crowd. “Haley gets Heartthrob and I get this bullshit?” Another groan. Full of drama. Full of fire.
Knox shrugs. “When you quit acting like one, I’ll quit calling you one.”
The crowd laughs. She stomps. Clearly the response they were looking for. It’s all a perfectly scripted show and the Titans and Wolves are eating it up. The Revenants should really be taking notes. Somebody get Maddie Rae a damn notepad and pen.
“Problem Child?” he repeats.
“Yes, Satan’s spawn?”
Roars.
“Bella,” he sighs, “What are you wearing? Where is your Trifecta gear?”
She looks at her chests and shrugs. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.”
She looks at the other girls, turns to me and winks before she rips her tank off. Underneath? A bright cherry-red skimpy-ass top with Property of Lex Barinov stitched across the front in black rhinestones.
The Pit has never been this loud. Screaming, cheering, and a few dramatic shrieks from Maddie and her minions echo off the concrete like music.
I think I’m having a goddamn heart attack, and I’m seriously rethinking my decision to wear these thinner shorts.
Knox’s jaw drops. “There we go. Was that so hard?”
Something’s hard.
Bella rolls her eyes. “Just play the track, Knox?”
Knox coughs. “Uh, well, bad news. Considering this was kinda last minute, I don’t have all of our shit with me.”
“Knox!” she screams. “What do you expect us to dance to?”
Knox leans into the mic, voice lazy and amused. “Calm down, Problem Child. Don’t cause a scene. Frown lines, remember?” He points to his forehead. “It’ll be fine. Just wing it, girls. You seriously can’t be worse than what this place already had to endure tonight.”
This guy’s officially my new bestie.
She spins to the girls. “Fine. Hit it.”
Disco. Fucking. Inferno. The same damn song Maddie Rae and her plastic bitches botched earlier.
Nice move, baby. Goddamn.
The redhead and little Whitmore are solid, yeah. Sexy as hell.
But Bella? Fucking Bella.
She’s front and center and I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s not just performing, she’s taunting me. Feeding off every beat, every snap of her hips. And she can’t take her eyes off me either. Not for one goddamn second.
On the count of one-two-three, they rotate, switching places with precision that should not be legal in shorts and leather pants that tight. Bella drops low, ass to the floor, rolls her body up like a fucking wave, and pops her hip with a smile that could start wars.
Every goddamn person is on their feet and for good reason. I feel it in my chest. In my throat. In my dick. Bella’s not just dancing to the song. She’s dancing to me. She knows exactly what she’s doing. And she’s doing it in front of the whole damn world.
Right when I didn’t think it could get any better… Bella does the un-fucking-thinkable. She spins on those sharp little black boots and sits. Right on my lap.
Ok, Little Lex. Be cool.
Her body’s pressed against mine, a perfect fit. And for a few bars, she rides me to the beat. Her hips shifting slow, steel eyes pinned to mine like she’s got me by the throat.
She totally does.
Then she leans in. Face dangerously close. And then—fuck me—this girl drags her tongue up from my collarbone to the edge of my cheek, before giving it a quick peck.
My eyes roll back. “Oh my God, baby, you’re killing me.”
Shit. That was supposed to be in my head.
And just like that, she’s gone. Off my lap. Off my body.
She finishes the final chorus with the other girls but I’m not watching the other two. My eyes are locked on Bella. I glance over at Callum. He looks like he wants to throw me through a wall.
Good. Let him try.
The crowd is so loud I can’t even hear Knox anymore… just roars, stomps, and chants. It’s pure chaos in here.
Bella heads toward the edge of the ring, aiming for Cade. Rez stops her. Leans down and says something in her ear. She smiles and looks back at me. My entire body locks up. She turns back to Rez, nods once. Confident.
DING.
Callum storms forward, jaw tight, all that cocky quarterback rage finally boiling over. Good. I want it. He jabs. I dodge. He swings wide. I duck under and land a body shot that makes him grunt.
I glance to the side. She’s there watching the fight with Rez, Chase, and DeShawn ringside. Not phased. Not blinking. Unlike Little Whitmore behind her who is watching the fight behind her hands, wincing every time a fist finds a face.
There’s something dark in Bella’s eyes. They’re savage and completely focused. Like me.
CRACK.
Callum catches me clean across the jaw.
My back hits the mat. The air leaves my lungs.
Focus, Barinov.
I blink up and there she is, crouched down under the ropes ringside. “Get the fuck up, Lex.” Bella says it like a challenge as she smacks both hands on the mat. “Don’t you dare make me go cheer for Cal. Finish this. I’ve got places to be, baby.”
Did she just call me baby?
That’s all I need. I lunge up like a goddamn beast.
Left.
Right.
One more left.
Hook.
Knee.
Callum tries to recover but he’s too fucking slow, too focused on Bella. A few more jabs and one final uppercut sends him sprawling back into the ropes. He hits the mat like a sack of broken pride.
The Pit erupts. I lift my arms, panting, blood dripping down my lip, sweat burning in my eyes.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Maddie Rae. Glittering in her knockoff crown, heels wobbling and ready to slither into the ring to play Queen of The Pit.
Rez steps in front of her. Shakes his head. Then nods to her, to my girl. Bella slides under the ropes like she was made for this. Boots hitting the mat, confidence bleeding from every step. She walks right up to me and raises my hand into the air.
Victory. Claimed.