Page 110 of Scarred Hearts

Nadia and I were staring at one another, and I was just as sure she was reciting the choreography in her head as I was. After Ian spoke for a moment, he waltzed over, fist bumping me before he and Carmine Giamagi got out of the ring. The moment had come, and I was ready, hoping she was as well. The referee stood between us, spitting out words I wasn’t paying attention to.

At first, we were in perfect sync. We exchanged jabs, elbows, kicks, and punches flawlessly, both of us showcasing our skills and talents. Our hours and days of training together had paid off.

The crowd’s roar and gasps faded into the background as we focused solely on each other, each move calculated and precise. But as the fight progressed, a fire ignited within Nadia’s eyes; a fierce purpose that I’d never seen before. She kept looking back over her shoulder.

Without warning, she widened her eyes, grabbing me and putting me in a choke. “You gotta go down,” she mumbled under her breath, though it was hard to understand her over the loud crowd and her mouthguard muffling her words.

“What?” I shouted.

“Something’s off,” she replied.

“No,” I snapped, twisting out of her grasp and striking her with my knee. “Own,” I spat, my code for her to attack me.

Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes, charging me with jabs, and I purposely fell to the floor. Standing over me, she brought down her foot in an axe kick on my abdomen, but lightly enough that it didn’t hurt me. I rolled out of the way, springing to my feet again. To keep it believable, I swung, but she blocked, uppercutting me in the jaw, followed by another punch, we wanted her to land on my mouth.

She tried communicating with me again. “Something’s off,” she repeated while swinging at me.

I spun around with a back kick, accidentally connecting my foot to her face, knocking her out. “Shit!” I barked, but she collapsed to the floor. Not letting my angry façade slip, I hovered over her as if I were going to hurt her again, but it was my way of checking on her.

The referee positioned himself between us, calling me off before he announced me as the winner of the match so I could advance on. Luke appeared, holding my hand up, but I kept trying to check on Nadia, who was being examined by a medic, with Luca Rovati and Carmine Giamagi blocking my view.

“Look happy,” Luke said through a clenched smile. “She’ll be fine.”

My gaze found Tyler and Ian, who were applauding, with Jade, Kirsten, and Declan cheering close by. I couldn’t focus on anyone else. I felt terrible for knocking her out.

Luke escorted me out, and I was exhausted emotionally. As we passed by different leaders and organizations exchanging money and high fives, I kept my head held high, though all I wanted to do was run away. The moment we were in Ian’s office again, he and Tyler appeared with Nico in the doorway before they closed it.

“That was an amazing sell,” Ian praised me as Tyler kissed my forehead.

“It wasn’t a sell!” I snapped a little too loudly. “That knockout wasn’t planned. It was real!” I whisper-yelled, turning my eyes to Nico. “Can you please go check on her?”

Ian twisted to him, giving him a nod of approval before he disappeared, shutting the door behind him on the way out.

“Real or not,” Tyler interjected, “the blood will undoubtedly take any possible suspicion away.”

I shook my head, unable to verbally reply, as Tyler removed my gloves, leaving my wraps in place. He held out a bowl, and I spit my bloody mouthguard into it before he handed me my bottle. I chugged too much water for someone who’d be fighting a man twice my size soon. Tyler held up a wet rag, blotting my mouth where Nadia landed her punch.

Lifting my eyes to the wall, I watched as the music started again and Marcus and Ashton entered the ring one by one, greeting one another before their match started. I collapsed into a folding metal chair, dropping my water bottle onto the floor. Rage simmered inside me when I reminded myself that the only reason everything was happening was because of Ekaterina and Ivan.

Ian, Luke, and Tyler talked among themselves about money, the event, and the outcome as they watched the fight on the screen. After several more agonizing moments, the door opened, and Nico entered. I waited eagerly for any news.

“She’s going to be fine, but you broke her nose,” he said. “She said to tell you if she doesn’t heal properly, you owe her a pretty nose job.”

I snickered, half-relieved for the good news and half guilty, but I was just happy she was okay.

“She also said there was something she needed to tell you that she overheard, but before she could tell me, medics were working on patching her up.”

“Hmm,” I furrowed my brow, remembering what she said to me in the ring, now regretting I didn’t listen to her.

Ian and Tyler had to excuse themselves with Ice Man to go back to their section while Luke and Nico hung out with me until the big moment finally arrived. It was time to fight Ivan. And I was ready. I picked up my mouthguard, slipping it back into place.

Luke glided my gloves back on, making sure they were secure before he and Nico escorted me back out. Again, I sang my entrance song in my head as I made my way to the ring, this time not averting my gaze from my target for even a second. I wanted Ivan to know I wasn’t scared of him.

I’d claimed my life back and taken control of it. Never again would I have to bow to that family who hurt me for years. I was strong, and Ivan was about to regret ever fucking with me.

Once in the ring, Luke put his back to my opponent, leaning close to my ear. “You can still change your mind.”

Pulling away, I shook my head. “I’m ending this.”

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