We jump #2
I move. Before his finger can even register in the air, my hand clamps around it like a steel vise. I twist it back effortlessly, watching his knees buckle as a sharp gasp of pain leaves his throat.
I lean in close, completely burying Sophia behind my bulk. A dark smirk tugs at my own lips. I love that she has a mouth on her, and I love that she isn't afraid but I will gladly remind this rat who owns the cage.
"Touch her," I whisper, my voice smooth, quiet, and absolutely terrifying. "And I will bury you under the concrete of this track before the final race even starts."
Santos doesn't back down. A dark, jagged grin splits his face as he raises an eyebrow, completely ignoring the way his bone is straining beneath my knuckles.
"Is that so, Calloway?" he jeers, his voice dripping with arrogance.
He jerks his chin toward the two massive enforcers standing behind him.
"Then I'm calling my bait. Because I want her."
I grind my teeth, my vision tinting red as I force myself not to just end him right here in the hallway.
But before I can squeeze tighter, a sudden fury erupts beside me. Sophia steps cleanly around my frame. Her face is pale, but she looks like a queen ready to order an execution...completely devoid of fear.
"Are you fucking insane?" she barks.
I instantly throw my arm out, catching her across the chest to block her before she can close the distance between them.
"What is it with fucking idiots like you?" she snaps, her eyes flashing like live wires as she glares at Santos. "Just because you have a dick, you think you can step up to anyone? Did your mother never teach you any goddamn respect?"
Santos just laughs, a oily, disgusting sound. "Relax, baby. I'm gonna fill you up real good."
The words barely leave his mouth before Sophia yanks herself violently out of my grip. She lunges forward. Her fist connects with Santos's face in a brutal, textbook strike.
A loud, sickening crack echoes through the corridor, followed instantly by a painful, high-pitched scream from Santos. He stumbles backward, clutching his face as dark blood immediately begins pouring through his fingers.
His two bulldozers instantly step closer, their hands twitching toward their jackets. But Alex and I don't move an inch.
Honestly, I don't even know how to react. Part of me wants to burst out laughing in pure pride.
Hell yes, that's my future wife
while the other part is completely shocked that Miss Innocent throws a punch like a seasoned street fighter. Beside me, Alex looks completely stunned, his jaw practically on the floor.
"If that filthy little mouth of yours dares to say one more word to me, I'll cut your tongue out myself," Sophia snarls. She doesn't even look at the blood running down his hands.
Instead, she abruptly pivots, snapping her back toward me and pointing a sharp, accusing finger straight at my chest. "And you."
I raise my hands slightly in a silent peace offering, showing her I was just trying to protect her.
"Women don't need men to talk for them!" she rants, her chest heaving as she takes a deep, furious breath. "I am so fucking sick of all this 'my dick is bigger than yours' mafia bullshit!"
"Yes girl" Maria agrees.
"Too bad, bitch," Santos barks out, his voice muffled and nasal through his broken nose. He spits a mouthful of blood onto the floor, but the sickening smirk is already creeping back onto his face. "You're already signed up for my bed."
Sophia stops cold, her hand halfway raised to strike him again. "What?"
"The ledger at the entrance," Santos sneers, wiping a streak of red across his cheek. His nose is clearly shattered, crooked and swelling fast, but his eyes gleam with a malicious victory. "You signed it, didn't you? You're officially on the ledger. You are part of the bid now. And I want you."
The fire in Sophia's face instantly turns to confusion. She turns to me, her voice dropping. "What does that mean? What sick shit is going on here, Lorenzo?"
The pride in my chest vanishes, replaced by a cold, leaden weight. I grab her arm, firmly but gently pulling her back, putting myself between her and Santos's bleeding smile.
I let out a long, heavy breath, running a hand through my hair.
"What does that mean, Lorenzo?" Sophia demands again, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.
I look at her, trying with everything in me to keep my cool. "Your signature, Sophi. Why did you put your signature on that list at the door?"
"We thought it was just a guest list!" she defends, her voice trembling slightly. Behind us, Maria lets out a sharp, horrified gasp as the realization hits her.
Fucking hell.
"It's not a guest list, Sophia," I grind out, my jaw aching from how hard I'm clenching it.
"Then what is it?"
"It means it's a high-stakes registration," I say, the truth cutting through the air like a knife. "It means Santos can now claim you as his prize if he wins tonight."
"I am not a fucking trophy, Lorenzo!" she screams, stepping right back into my space. Heat radiates off her skin, her eyes boring directly into mine. She is trying desperately to maintain that cold, fearless gaze but behind the ice hides a flicker of pure, unadulterated terror.
"You're not. Don't worry," I assure her, my voice dropping into a low, lethal promise as I bite down on my explosive rage.
I am going to race against that fucking idiot, no matter what kind of twisted parameters or stakes he tries to set up tonight.
And once this race is over, I am going to make him regret every single breath he took in his miserable life.
I will tear him apart, piece by piece, until he understands exactly where he stands and who completely owns him.
Turning back to him, I remind myself to stay calm and hurt him later.
"Name it," I grit out, ignoring her protests.
"We jump."