32. Grey
GREY
T here went that beautiful spray of blood across the floor as Roberto’s head snapped to the side right before he crumpled to the ground.
“Damn it, Grey,” Parker snapped. “That was the last fighter willing to train with you. What are you going to do now?” He jumped off the counter where the stereo was and braced his hands on his hips.
I shrugged. I might as well be practicing with a punching bag for all the fight these men put out. They were scared of me, and they lacked real drive. That was a combination that didn’t make for a good sparring partner.
“Where the hell is Mia? She actually knows what the fuck she’s doing. These pansies? They’re trash.” I nudged Roberto with my foot. He groaned as he started to wake up.
Parker turned his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, his jaw rhythmically grinding as if I was the problem here. I wasn’t the one finding shit for brains men who couldn’t train a garden hose how to leak water.
Fucking useless.
“She’s supposed to call me later today. I’ll ask her where she normally gets the fighters for you.”
Good. Great.
I left Roberto on the floor as I walked over to my water bottle, squirting some in my mouth, then some over my head.
“If you hadn’t walked in here with twisted balls, he might have lasted longer. At least to run a few drills with you.”
Looking back at Parker, I let my face say exactly how ridiculous he was. I grabbed the towel hanging on the rope and wiped my face before tossing it into the hamper.
“What the hell is the matter with you? You’re radiating anger, and for what? Do you need to get laid?” Parker stepped up until we were toe-to-toe.
I shoved his shoulders. “Get the fuck out of my face,” I growled.
“You want to fight someone? You need a challenge? I’ll give it to you.” Parker kicked off his fucking loafers, slinging them across the room. Then he quickly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it out of his slacks before tossing them to the side.
“What’s up your ass?” I tried to turn away, but he stopped me with a hand to my shoulder. He yanked me back around, and I ducked as his fist swung straight for my nose.
Fine. He wanted to fight? I needed to let off a little steam and my brothers were the best workout here. I trained them.
Dipping my shoulder, I rammed it into his stomach and ran him into the wall. The glass shook as he used an elbow to the side of my head, but he couldn’t get enough force behind it to do any real damage.
I laughed as he swept my feet out from under me.
“You’re a crazy fucking psycho,” he yelled as he landed a punch across my cheek. The sting invigorated me.
For the most part, Parker matched me in speed and skill, but my punches landed heavier than his did. As we rolled around the floor, trading hits, I felt the tension seeping out of my body.
Most people thought I just loved doling out pain. That was part of why I loved the fight, but I also enjoyed receiving it too. It reminded me I was alive. Nothing hyped me up quite like a good beating.
Parker straddled my waist, and when he reared back to deliver another punch, I hooked my leg around his neck and yanked him to the floor. He gurgled a curse as I rolled us over, then scrambled to straddle his back, gripping his neck and pushing his cheek into the mat.
Grinning, I pressed harder until he pounded the floor with his fist.
“Let up, bastard. I’m done.”
“Hm, I like the look of your face squished like this.”
“Because you’re a sadist.” There was no heat in the word.
No, that was Vicente. But I could admit the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
Roberto slowly moved to a sitting position as I hopped up and released Parker.
“See, your too-wide grin said you enjoy the fight too much,” he griped, but like before, he didn’t really mean it.
“What’s up your ass?” I tossed a towel at him to wipe the blood from his busted lip. It was already starting to swell. If he didn’t get ice on it soon, he’d have a fat lip for the next day. But he was a big boy. He could take care of himself. “You’re never this involved in our shit.”
I gave him my back as I turned off the stereo and started shutting off the lights. Roberto rubbed his forehead as he stumbled to the outside door. I probably wouldn’t see him again. He was the little brother of one of the soldiers, but he didn’t seem like he had the grit to stick around.
No loss there.
“You’ve also never fought against Bruno.” He punched the bag hanging in the corner like he needed to get out a little more energy. I was more than happy to go for a second round.
When I turned around to offer another go, he’d already slipped his arms in his shirt, though he left it open. I raised a brow. That wasn’t like him either. Was he planning on spending time with Amorette?
Just the thought of her had my blood set to boil.
She was the best fuck I’d ever had. She was also so fucking noble she was cutting off her nose to spite her face. Andre told me she worked in a law firm that often fleeced high-profile men in favor of her clients in their divorces.
I’d seen the list of some of the cases she’d worked on, and I’d recognized more than a few names. How could she be so ignorant of the world when she worked against men like that?
“And? I’ve wanted to fight him for years. He’s a fucking prick.” I opened the door to the hallway and waited for him to join me before going through it.
“Weapons are allowed.” Parker dropped his voice to a whisper. “Something has changed, Grey. You don’t feel it?”
Nothing had changed. Vicente was the same sadistic man he always was. As long as my brothers and I played the game, he wouldn’t give a shit what we did. But he would capitalize off of us in any way he could.
This fight between Bruno and me? As his best fighter and illegitimate son, the bets were through the roof. Hell, I’d even thrown money into it. Betting on myself.
“Fine, don’t answer.” He rolled his eyes. We reached the mouth of the hallway when I noticed Amorette coming out of the other hallway. What had she been doing down there?
Pulled by a magnetic force, I drifted toward her.
What was it about this little firecracker that I couldn’t stay away from? Even when I wanted to shake some survival instincts into her.
“Wonderful. I was done with the conversation. I’m glad you were here to participate,” Parker spat sarcastically as he followed behind me.
“Little Love,” he greeted. “What are you doing out of your birdcage? I didn’t realize you were ready to face the world again.”
I stopped a foot in front of her as Parker crowded her side. Narrowing my gaze on him, I warned him to leave. I wanted to convince her to come to my apartment, and I couldn’t do that with Parker’s heated gaze raking over her body.
She glanced up at him, the faint bruises from lack of sleep making her eyes too bright.
His gaze softened when he got a good look at her. Maybe he had a heart after all. Although with Mia, that was never in question.
Amorette glanced at me, then bit her lip as she turned back to Parker. “I went down to the beach with Blanca, and then I watched part of a movie with Lafe.”
Parker’s eyebrows kissed his hairline.
I glanced behind her, but Lafe was nowhere in sight.
“He left a while ago, and I stayed in the theater to think.”
“Did you come to any conclusions?” I poked, moving closer and grazing her side with my fingers. Not a caress, but enough of a touch to let her know I wanted to be close to her.
Her head jerked up and down. I bent close and whispered in her ear, “Breathe.”
She inhaled and I grinned.
Maybe there was hope for her yet. I saw the grit inside her, she just needed to let go of all her hesitancy. Amorette thought too much about the wrong things. Put too much weight on the value of worthless lives.
“Come back to my apartment?” I pressed my fingers into her side and tugged her against my chest.
“All right. I’ll see you love birds later.
” Parker backed up a few paces. Then to me in Spanish, “I’ll let you know what I find out from Mia.
Regardless of what you think, pitting you against Bruno is a sign something has changed.
I just don’t know what that would be yet.
I’ve given Jorge carte blanche to run the outfit in my place for the next few weeks.
Say hello to your new sparring buddy, unless Mia comes through.
” He dipped his head then spun on his heel, pushing through the crowd of soldiers.
There were always men coming and going in the compound. I never paid them much attention. After a while, they faded into the background. But today, they were staring very hard at Amorette. And I didn’t fucking like it.
Erich, a seasoned soldier and right-hand man for our head of security, almost walked into the stair railing because he was watching Amorette so closely. I glared, and when he glanced at me, he paled and made himself scarce.
Good.
The other men followed suit, and within a few seconds, we were left alone in front of the glass.
“Come on, mamí. I have chicken in the crockpot. You can tell me all about these conclusions while I feed you.”
Her spine snapped straight as she squared her shoulders, and a grin tugged at my lips. Ah, yes. She’d made some decisions. Hopefully, they’ll be the kind that leads her to my bed instead of back to the birdcage.
Letting my fingers glide down her arm, I caught her hand and tugged her behind me.
A few soldiers peeked out of the hall that led to the kitchens, shock on their faces.
I got it. I had a reputation. A cold one that I fostered as much as I could, which wasn’t hard when I was away from the compound. But here, lately, I wanted to be myself. From their reaction, it would bite me in the ass.
Sighing, I shook my head.
“What’s going through your head?” Wicked Love peered up at me behind a fall of thick, dark hair.
We entered the residential wing, and I tucked it behind her ear so I could see her face. “Nothing.”