Page 60 of Blinded By Love

It’s too early for what I have planned for him.

“Eric,” I say with a straight face. “Why are you here?”

“Same reason as what happened in Utah. Marco’s been waiting for you.” Eric turns around and walks towards Marco’s office and I follow. Eric and I walk through the small crowd of people dancing in the club and watching the fight going on. Girls call out mine and Eric’s names but we both ignore them. When Marco calls us, we go and don’t question it. It’s better that way. “Are you ever going to let me fight you again, Hayden? It’s been a while and people are asking for a show,” Eric asks as we walk up the stairs to go to Marco’s office.

“I don’t feel like getting stabbed again so I’m good.”

Eric laughs and throws his head back. “You know that was just for show. I needed the money and so did you.”

I ignore Eric because I don’t want to argue with him about this shit again. It happened in our sophomore year and that's when things between Eric and I changed. You would think that he hated me since I first met him but we actually used to be very close when I first came to Arizona.

Until he decided to cheat and stab me with a pocket knife on my lower stomach.

Eric did get an earful from Marco but that’s it.

Eric knocks on the door before opening it. When we walk in, my nose fills with weed and the room has smoke floating in the air. Marco is sitting behind his desk with a bong between his lips. His eyes are on a girl sitting on his desk, facing him.

She is wearing a red dress with fishnet stockings.

Even though I can’t see the girl's face, I know she is young and scared. That’s what Marco likes and whatever Marco likes, Marco gets.

Marco is a man in his late thirties, pretty good looking on the outside but everything ugly and rotten on the inside. Rumors say he’s that way because that’s how made men are.

The girl doesn’t turn her head but Marco’s eyes go to mine and he smiles. “Night.”

“You called.”

Marco nods his head. “Sit down please. We need to have a chat.”

“Didn’t we already chat a few nights ago?” I raise an eyebrow, not sitting down.

Marco’s face turns sour. “Sit.” I refrain from arguing and just sit down, my eyes going to the girl who is sitting on the desk, trembling. Marco looks at the girl. “You can go now, darling.” The girl gets off the desk and as she is walking past Marco, he slaps her ass. My hands clench and I try not to think of “what if” scenarios. What Marco does with these girls is none of my business as long as he keeps his promise to stay away from Natalia. I still can’t help but feel rage rush through me knowing what he does. I look at the girl as she walks out the door, her face is pale and it looks like she is going to throw up. “Hayden, you’re like a son to me,” Marco says, making me look at him as the girl leaves. “So you know why I’m telling you these things and doing things for you. I made you.”

Marco always said he made me the monster I am. He is proud of what I’ve become since I met him. I always knew I was a monster and aggressive. My past is proof but he’s the one who let me embrace it and show it off to people.

“Get to the point. Eric told me this is about what you saw in Utah.”

Marco nods his head, his eyes going to Eric who is standing behind me like a fucking puppy. “Yes. You’ve been different Hayden and I don’t like it.”

“Different how?” I tilt my head to the side questioning him.

“You’re distracted. You haven’t had a fight in a while, saying you’re always busy and like I said, I don’t like it.” Marco leans back in his chair, a dark strand from his hair slips to his forehead. “And I think it’s because of that brunette you have been hanging around a lot.”

My hands clench in my pockets but I keep a straight face, showing nothing that could move Marco’s interest onto Jaclyn.

“She means nothing. Just another girl.” The lie tastes bitter on my tongue but I have to do this.

If I don’t, it will put Jaclyn at risk.

“Except I’m seeing you with this girl a lot Hayden. Eric saw the way you looked at her, I saw it too. That’s why we did what we had to do that night. We saw you kissing her. I thought you knew, I’m always watching.” Marco narrows his eyes at me, waiting for a response. “I just want to make sure you still know the rules.” Fury fills my veins and I want to jump out of the chair and rip his fucking teeth out to feed to him. “I have these rules for a reason because I need to make sure my fighters, my best fighters, stay focused, and with a girl, especially a girl looking like that brunette, I have to make sure it doesn’t distract you and means nothing.”

“Of course. I understand the rules.” My fists clench. “And like I said, she means nothing.”

Marco and his fucking rules.

Whenever one of his men or fighters has a girlfriend or shows any kind of care for a girl that could potentially be a problem or as Marco describes it, a distraction, he gets one night.

One night to do whatever the fuck he wants with her.

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