His expression was hard. Angry. I recognized the look-it was the same expression he’d have after his father’s drunken outbursts, when he’d step in to save his mother.
I was so caught up in the fact that Silas had materialized from somewhere deep in my subconscious and was now standing right in front of me again that it took me a minute to even realize the implication of his being here.
Coker wasn't on the up and up. It's why we'd chosen him as a mark. He had a history of rigging fights.
Coker would want to impress me. He'd want to win by any means necessary.
And that was a problem.
Because either Silas was about to get beat down - and really hurt - or Silas was about to kick the shit out of Coker's guy. In which case my con would be done. Over.
Either way, my cover was about to be blown.
Beside me, Coker stood. "Son of a bitch," he said, his hands clenched into fists.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing I can't deal with," he said. "Excuse me."
I watched him head toward one of his cronies on the far side of the ring, and my heart sank as I watched Silas on the other side, his head bent, talking to the guy in his corner.
I hoped Silas knew what the hell he was doing. And what he was in for.
I slid my finger over the screen on my phone and sent a simple text.
We have a problem.
***
CHAPTER THREE
SILAS
I thought I was fucking hallucinating, seeing her standing there.
Tempest Wilde.
There was no way on God's green earth I ever thought I would see her again after she had up and left West Bend without a word.
We were seventeen.
Tempest had blown out of town, without even giving me the courtesy of saying goodbye. She'd cleaned out my little stash of savings, too, the money I'd been hoarding to get away from my crap family. And my wrestling medal from the state championship, the one that meant everything to me.
Back then, her leaving was the end of the damn world to me.
I recognized her as soon as I saw her. She was a few years older, sure, and her hair was darker, not the honey blonde it used to be, but hell, I would have known her anywhere.
And there she was, on the arm of Roy Coker.
The asshole who'd almost gotten me killed.
Trigg was in the corner, saying something to me. He spoke, but I didn't hear him. All I could think about was her.
I hated her back then, after she’d left.
I could feel the anger pumping through my veins. I was already ramped up after what Coker had done to Abel, but seeing her standing there with Coker was the damn icing on the cake.
I couldn’t stop staring at her. Seven years ago, she had been my good luck charm at the state championship wrestling tournament that had gotten me on the radar of the coach at Oklahoma State, the match that wound up getting me the full ride. Until I got kicked out of college.
"Saint," Trigg said, slapping my face. "Come on. Get your shit in the game."
"I'm fucking ready," I said. Hearing my name called out, I stepped away from Trigg and acknowledged the referee. When my eyes met Coker’s, I couldn’t help but grin; he’d have been expecting some second-rate substitute fighter, not me. Even in the haze of adrenaline and the chaos of the moment, I could tell he was livid.
When the bell rang, Rush charged forward, coming at me with a barrage of strikes that I dodged, focused only on wearing him out. Someone should have taught him about not gassing yourself in the first thirty seconds of a fight. I stepped in, delivering a series of low kicks that landed on the inside of his thigh, then as he staggered forward, to the side and back of one of his legs. One of them landed just above his knee, and he shouted as he fell backwards onto the mat.
“End it, Silas,” I heard Trigg scream from the corner.
So I did. The rest of the fight was a blur as I finished Rush. I was dazed, my vision clouded, blurred by adrenaline and the haze of rage. I’m not sure I would have stopped if someone hadn’t pulled me off him after the fight had been called.
When I stood, I made eye contact with Coker again.
Fuck him. I knew he had to have bet on his guy; he would have figured some two-bit fighter would have come in to replace Abel tonight.
I hoped he had lost big.
I hoped more than that happened to him. He deserved to have more than that happen to him.
The referee held my fist up in a victory pose, and I stood there, still, watching Tempest.
She remembered me - I could see it in her eyes. I didn't know whether to be pleased or pissed off about that.
Beside her, Coker yelled something and stormed off, his face scarlet. And then Tempest started to walk away.
She paused for a moment, looking over her shoulder, and gave me the briefest of smiles.
Damn it.
I went after her. Shrugging off the people who surrounded me, trying to congratulate me on my victory, I pushed through the crowd, looking for her, but she was already gone.