Chapter 31
“This wasn’t part of the fucking deal,” I snarl at the babysitter, who’s arms are wrapped around my shoulders keeping me in place.
“Deals change.” The roar of the crowd is deafening around me and it doesn’t help that all the blood in my body has rushed to my ears.
I knew the big money fight was coming, I knew Mickey was using my name as a draw to bring people in…
But I didn’t think that Ty would be in on it. I didn’t know it would be today.
From the angry, desperate looks he’s throwing my way, he didn’t know I’d be here either.
“It’s okay,” I mouth to him, right as I’m yanked back against the meathead. Ty’s eyes narrow as if he’s just planned the babysitter’s murder. He turns back to Mickey and grips his shirt tighter.
The crowd is fucking massive, filling in all around us. I don’t know how Mickey pulled this off but he did and now… Now we’re stuck.
What the fuck am I doing?
“I won’t fight him.”
“You think you have a choice anymore? If you don’t–”
“If I don’t, then he dies?” I cut him off with a huff. “The whole reason I’m fighting is to keep him safe.”
“Is that the only reason though? Or are you protecting some other people as well?”
I clench my teeth and don’t answer him because fuck him, he’s right. I can’t help but wonder why Ty’s fighting. I didn’t.. I thought he’d stopped fighting after I hit Mario.
My eyes move back to Ty and he shakes his head, letting go of Mickey before stepping back and turning his back to me.
That beautiful, strong, tattooed back that’s hunched over like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. I hold my breath because maybe, just maybe, he’s able to get us out of this.
Maybe, maybe he has a plan.
I can’t fight him.
How am I meant to fight the love of my life? All I’ve ever wanted…all I’ve ever done, is to try and keep him safe. Now I’m meant to…
No.
“I won’t do it.”
Mickey stalks over to my side of the ring, stops right in front of me with a smile on his face I desperately want to knock off painfully. With my fists. “Oh, you will. You both owe me.”
“I’ll stay in your debt. I’ll keep fighting. But I won’t fight Ty,” I say strongly, standing up as straight as I can with the asshole's arm around my shoulders.
“Do you see everyone here?” Mickey narrows his eyes, looking around slightly.
“This fight has brought in more people than any other fight all year. We didn’t even have to mention Ty’s name, just yours.
Thousands of dollars have been bet and I’m standing to win thirty thousand no matter what.
But you, my dear little Roxanne,” Mickey says my name with a dark chuckle, brushing his dirty finger over my face, “you will be fighting. Or I’ll make sure Ty doesn’t leave this ring. ”
“I hate you,” I snarl.
“I really don’t care. But you better put on a good show, Roxie. Or I’ll make sure I kill him at your feet so you can know how he blames you for everything.”
“You’re evil.”
“I’m a business man. I’m just collecting on your own stupidity. Besides, do you think Ty cares about fighting you? You’re nothing. He’s going to crush you like the bug you are.” His words are like a barb to my heart, hitting me in all the places where my insecurity lies.
“Now get out there and actually try to win, otherwise, he’s probably going to kill you. Not that anyone would care.”
With that last dig, the babysitter abruptly lets go and pushes me forward, my feet dragging in the dirt and I catch myself before I fall.
The lights flash, a signal that the Ringmaster is about to announce things, and I feel like…my whole world has flashed before my eyes.
How… What wrong turn did I take to get here? I did everything I could… I sacrificed everything and yet, here I am. Here he is.
The only man I’ve ever wanted to protect with everything in me.
“Ladies and not-so-gentleman,” the Ringmaster’s smoker-gravel voice rings through the broken speakers and everyone starts to cheer.
“Over on the right side, we have the big fight. The one you’ve all come for, let’s be honest here.
Little Miss Annihilator has been working for weeks on her comeback fight and we’ve got it.
You all are in for quite the show,” he clears his throat and starts to cough.
The disgusting hacking shaking me from my head for a moment and I look right at Ty.
Who’s not meeting my eye.
“Entering in the fight, we welcome back to the ring, The Destroyer!” The crowd loses its shit, erupting into cheers as Ty throws his hands up in the air, amping up the crowd.
Ty steps into the center, clearly intent on going through with this fight.
“Ty?” I ask softly, walking forward to try and, I don’t know, tell him I don’t want this. That we can figure it out, but he looks behind me suddenly and his eyes are dark and hard as he looks at me.
“What?” His voice is cold. So detached it makes me recoil.
I step closer, hands curled into fists as I step closer to him, trying to put an intimidating look on my face.
I need to show everyone that I’m playing the game.
I need to show Mickey that I’m keeping up my end of the bargain.
Like the beginning of any fight, we step close together and the handler checks us over.
It’s now or never.
“I’ll figure something out. I love you,” I whisper, just loud enough for him to hear.
Look at me, Ty. Fucking look at me, I plead mentally as if he could somehow read my thoughts. But he steadfastly avoids my eyes.
“Daddy,” I whisper even lower, but I can hear the way my voice cracks when he doesn’t respond to me. Like darts, those beautiful dark brown eyes meet mine.
I’m able to understand Ty. I’m able to know what he’s thinking just from how he looks at me. But now I realize that he’s always let me in. That whole ‘closed-off’ thing he does to everyone… Now I know he was choosing to let me see him.
Because right now, it’s like looking at a blank slate.
Like he doesn’t even know who I am.
“Don’t call me that.” His words are sharp and clipped as he steps closer, so close that we’re almost touching.
His blank expression shifts into something a little more…
aggressive and I involuntarily take a step back.
“You’re nothing, Roxanne. Nothing. A fun little play thing to tide me over until I could fight again.
Should’ve never borrowed you from Mickey.
He was right, you’re a shit lay and a liar on top of that.
” Ty scoffs and twists the dagger in my heart a little more.
“You thought you belonged? It was just a play to fuck the girl who left me behind in high school. What a waste of time.”
My nostrils flare in rage and disappointment, in betrayal and despair, as I swing at him quickly. My fist connects with his jaw and I take some sick pleasure in watching him stumble back.
“Oh wow, look at the little girl trying to fight,” Ty says, spitting at the ground and squaring up. “Come on, is that all you got? I thought you were better than that.”
“Who the fuck are you?” I snarl, swinging at him again, but he ducks out of the way this time.
“The same person I’ve always been.”
“We both know that’s a lie,” I say through clenched teeth and duck as he throws out a jab.
The crowd fades into a dull roar, a wall of sound that’s familiar and eerie in this moment.
All I see is him.
The man I love…the man I’ll do anything for, showing me his true colors.
Have I really been this wrong all along? Is all that we’ve been through really just been a ploy? That thought is almost enough to bring me to my knees in agony. That motherfucker. That absolute piece of dog shit motherfucker. I’m going to… My sadness turns to anger as I glare at him.
Ty steps toward me; slowly, deliberately. And I watch him just as closely. I’m not losing this fight. Not now that I know he’s been using and lying to me this whole time.
His weight shifts onto his back leg, hands lifting into a loose guard. And that pisses me off.
A loose guard, as if I’m not an actual threat to him.
Ty gives the faintest twitch on his left shoulder–a fucking feint. I bite on it and bring my guard up just as he snaps a right straight hook toward my jaw. I jerk back quickly, eyes wide as I stare at him in disbelief. His knuckles just barely skim my cheek, heat blooming where they graze.
This asshole! He could have broken my cheekbone!
But… Why didn’t he?
I throw out my fist on instinct, bending slightly with a quick jab to his ribs. Ty doesn’t make a sound, but I can feel his torso tighten beneath my knuckles. He steps back with a grunt that feels too loud, too…performative. But he lifts his hands, ready to go again.
Ty closes the space in a rush. With a low kick toward my thigh—sharp, fast, but with much less intensity than I was expecting.
“What the hell are you doing?!” I snap over the roaring crowd. Looking over quickly, I see Mickey smirking sinisterly, his arms crossed over his dirty shirt like a fucking goon.
Fucker tries much too hard to be intimidating. So much so that he just looks stupid.
“I’m winning this fucking fight because I’m so sick of you!” Ty snaps back at me, sending out a hook arc toward my temple. This is going to hurt, I think and jerk back to brace myself for the blow.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see his wrist slow just before it collides with my cheek.
Oof, fuck. That’s going to leave a fucking mark, but I know…
I know that a hit from him at this distance should’ve resulted in a cracked cheekbone.
The pain blooms and warms my cheek as a bruise is already darkening.
I feel a drop of something warm on my skin, but I can’t focus on it right now.
I can’t…because his dark eyes are closed off and he’s dancing around me.
I pivot and swing a cross jab square to his jaw as hard as I fucking can.
He wants to play, we can play.
It connects, harder than I thought, but with enough intensity to send a jolt up my arm. Ty’s head snaps sideways, but he rolls with it, shaking it off.