I watched from the floor as Till’s picture and stats flashed on the screen. My chest ached to get out of there and back to his side, but it pained me that he was losing his one shot at greatness. I should have been sitting ringside, giddy with excitement and hope. He should have been walking to that ring with his head held high and his determination firmly intact. We’d all lost though.
“It’s about fucking time you got back. Did you bring me—What the fuck!” Frankie shouted, jumping to his feet as Flint came storming through the door. His blue eyes were dark and barbaric.
Frankie rushed to the table where his gun was, but Flint was faster. Grabbing his throat, he slammed Frankie to the ground. Their tangled bodies knocked over the table, sending the gun tumbling across the carpeted floor. Flint didn’t say a single word as he landed punch after punch with his right hand. Each blow landed harder than the one before, but he never released his hold on Frankie’s throat. Flint’s knuckles turned white as Frankie’s face turned red.
I scooted away as far as the door I was tied to would allow as Flint unleashed a savagery I had never witnessed before. I wanted to stop him. That brutal look didn’t belong on my Flint’s face, but I didn’t exactly belong tied to a door either. Frankie lay immobile underneath him, and with the threat gone, I really just wanted to get the hell out of there.
“Flint!” I yelled, and his head snapped to mine.
“Shit. Eliza.” He crawled over and patted down my stomach and sides, searching for injury. “Are you okay?”
“Um . . . I want to go home.” I tried to choke back the sob, but it was a losing battle.
Flint grabbed both sides of my face and tipped it down to kiss my forehead. “Then let’s get out of here.” He rose to his knees in front of me and went to work untying the knot at my wrist.
Hope began to swell in my chest. We were so close to getting out of there. Everything was falling into place the way it was supposed to be. The cruel universe had given it a good shot, but the Page family had won in the final round. Till was in the ring, the roar of the crowd on the TV told me that much, and now that I was safe, he could actually have a fair fight.
My entire body buzzed with the idea that for the first time ever we really could have it all.
Maybe.
“Don’t fucking move!” was barked from the doorway.
Flint’s hands froze as he turned to look over his shoulder. I caught sight of Alex in the doorway, his gun aimed at Frankie. Flint immediately slid in front of me and pushed me over backwards. It wasn’t until I felt the first shot that I realized how wrong I truly was.
I heard the second shot as I lay on the ground with Flint on top of me. Blood sprayed from Frankie’s head as he too collapsed on the floor.
Maybe having it all was never meant for us.
As the bell rang to end the second round, I sat on the stool, exhausted. After the day’s events, I was in no condition to be fighting at all. However, I was fighting for her—there wasn’t a boxer in the world who could have taken me down. But I would fall anyway.
I opened my mouth to spit out my mouthpiece when one of the water boys stepped in front of me. As my trainer, Slate should have been the one to do it, so my senses immediately went on alert. I looked over my shoulder to find him just outside of the ring, secretively whispering with Leo. It was a sold-out arena in Vegas. No one should have been whispering in that chaos.
Leo pointed to the side, and Slate’s eyes drifted for only a second before he rushed to the ring. His face was pale, but his expression was murderous.
“What’s wrong?” I stood up, but he roughly pushed me back down. “Is she okay?”
He squatted in front of me. “One round. Then I’m calling the fight. You knock this motherfucker out right now or it’s over.”
“I’m supposed to fall,” I stated as panic built in my stomach. I pushed to my feet. “What the fuck is going on? Where is she?”
He looked down to Leo and swallowed hard. Leo responded with a nod, and Slate slowly lifted his arm and pointed to the far side of the arena. I swung my head to follow his direction.
My breath failed me as the weight of the world fell away.
Eliza.
She was wrapped in a blanket and surrounded by two uniformed officers, but she was more beautiful than I had ever seen her before. The second our eyes met, she burst into tears, and it was all I could do to keep my knees from buckling.
“Oh, God.” I breathed. I lifted my hands to sign before remembering my gloves.
“I’m okay,” she mouthed with a steady stream of tears dripping from her chin.
I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. I wouldn’t believe it until I held her. I’d started to climb through the ropes when Slate grabbed my arm.
“No. Finish this.”
I looked back at Eliza and smiled weakly.
“Why only one round if she’s okay?” I asked Slate without tearing my eyes off Eliza. I bounced on my toes and shook out my arms, trying to get myself back into the fight but finding it impossible.
Slate didn’t have a chance to respond before Eliza gave me the answer.
From under the blanket, she lifted a shaky hand to wipe away her tears, but her fingers left a streak of blood across her cheek.