“Maybe,” Xander said, putting everything back in the bucket. “And maybe not. You have no idea.”
Kat’s heart beat in her throat as her eyes darted between the scowling men, and she prayed fervently that what she thought they were saying wasn’t actually what they were saying. “What the hell are you guys talking about?”
The bell rang again, signaling the end of the break and the beginning of the final round. Irish and Xan stood and exchanged meaningful looks as though sharing a telepathic conversation. Irish nodded. Xander clapped him on the shoulder. By the time Xan reached her on the outside of the cage and the third round began, Kat was a bundle of nerves ready to explode. She grabbed at the front of Xander’s shirt. “What’s he doing, Xander? I need to know.”
He cut a pointed glance off to the side. “See those two guys over there with the cheap suits?”
“You mean the guys who work for Victor McManus? They came to talk to Irish last night at work.”
“They don’t work for Victor. They work for Sicoli.” Concern etched his face and his large hands settled on her shoulders. “Irish entered the tourney for the prize money. He promised those assholes double what they needed to bring back to their boss so they’d leave you alone. Only then they got greedy and told him he needed to fall in the third round tonight. Or else.”
Kat reeled. The world fell out of focus briefly…and then everything became crystal clear. So this was what it felt like to fall down the rabbit hole. The safe world she thought she’d been living in for the past couple of weeks was replaced by one where nothing was as it seemed. One where the man she loved was risking his safety and his career for her.
Oh, no. Just like Nessie tried to do. No, no, no. She couldn’t let him destroy his future to save hers. It wasn’t worth it.
Releasing Xander, Kat turned back to the fight. The crowd seemed to have gotten louder, but maybe that was because now she needed to get Irish’s attention. She screamed his name as the men shoved off from each other and squared up in the center again.
“Don’t you dare lose this fight, do you hear me?” He did because his gaze flicked to her before returning to the brute across from him. “This was never your problem! I’ll leave town, and they’ll follow me!”
In a lightning-quick move that proved he hadn’t been fighting near his full potential, Irish threw a left-right combo that ended with his fist in his opponent’s groin. The audience empathized with a collective groan as the guy covered his balls and doubled over. The ref called a timeout, but Irish was already stalking in her direction.
He pulled out his mouth guard with one hand and used the other to point at her through one of the holes in the cage. “Don’t even fucking think about it. You leave town, and you’re as good as dead.”
“I dodged them once; I can do it again.”
“They have a tracker on you, Kat,” he yelled. “That’s what that thing is in your forearm.”
Chills tripped down her spine as she rubbed her thumb over the small bump. That they’d known her every step for weeks made her want to throw up. Instead she lifted her chin and tried projecting a determination she didn’t yet feel. “I’ll get it out.”
“Goddammit, listen to me.” Lowering to his haunches, Irish got as close to her as the cage allowed. “They know about your sister. They threatened to bring her in to Sicoli if you ran.”
All the blood drained from her head. If it wasn’t for Xander steadying her she would have collapsed where she stood. “Kat!” Irish hit the cage with an open palm, snapping her to attention. “Just stay with Xan and let me handle this, okay?”
She nodded despite the terror snaking its way up her spine. Satisfied with her agreement, Irish unfolded to his full height. Standing there in his shorts and fingerless gloves, fists and jaw clenched, he looked every bit the warrior she knew him to be. As scared as she was, she trusted him with her life—literally.
The ref called for the fighters. She watched him turn and walk to the center of the cage, every step taking him closer to the moment that would put an end to her trouble…and an end to his second chance.
Kat clasped her hands together and pressed them to her mouth. With Vanessa’s life on the line, she couldn’t afford to think of the down sides for her or Irish. Surely this underground tournament wasn’t the only way for him to regain his place in the world of MMA. Once all this was over, she’d do whatever it took to get him another shot. Then she’d only owe him a couple dozen more huge favors to make them even.
The fight resumed. Kat’s eyes darted in a continuous circle: Irish, digital clock, thugs. Repeat. This round wasn’t nearly as active as the previous two. The other guy was doing a lot of leg kicks to the inside of Irish’s knee and dancing around, but not much else. Less than two minutes remained on the clock. If something didn’t happen soon, the fight would be over.