Page 111 of Scarred Hearts

He bent forward again. “If you need me to step in?—”

Luke,” I sighed, “I got it.”

He held his fists in front of him and I fist bumped them with my gloves, then turned my attention to Ivan. The referee stood between us, barking more rules I didn’t care about. I was going to absolutely annihilate Ivan. Frowning into his threatening stare, I showed no sign of fear or weakness.

The referee jumped back, revolving around us as we circled one another. I swung wildly and missed, causing him to let out a laugh behind his mouthguard. He jabbed me twice in the face, but I shook it off. It felt like I was his toy, and he was taunting me and playing with me, trying to make me lose focus, but I wasn’t willing to give into his game.

Lunging forward, I landed three hard punches on his face, then ducked when he swung in defense. For what seemed like hours, we struck one another until the bell rang and we went to our own corners.

Nico sprayed water in my mouth while Luke checked on me. I nodded at his every word, though I wasn’t paying attention to him at all. I was ready to end it, but Ian wanted it to last a minimum of three of the five rounds.

The moment round two started, Ivan charged at me with a new sense of direction. His movements were carefully calculated by him, but unpredicted by me. He was aggressive, no longer wearing his mouthguard.

With a sudden burst of energy, he launched into a flurry of punches, catching me off guard. The impact of his blows reverberated through my body, but I wouldn’t falter. I fought back with every ounce of strength I had, refusing to let him overpower me. Blood trickled down from a cut on my brow, mixing with the sweat that coated my skin.

We danced around each other in the ring, the crowd roaring from every direction. His attacks continued relentlessly. I swung and kicked over and over, striking him repeatedly. He wobbled, falling to his knees, then leapt up again, fighting me like he was out to kill. Lunging forward, he wrapped his arms around my neck, pulling me back against his body and putting his lips close to my ear.

“I poked holes in every condom in your room that morning,” he growled deeply, his voice tickling my ear. “I wanted you pregnant on purpose, so you had to get that procedure.”

My eyes swelled with fury and tears, and I tried to push him off me, but he held me even tighter, punching my temple. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out his painful words.

“My sister and I wanted to control you and keep you forever, and it was the only way.” He chuckled. “We took your baby and your future of having any more.”

Screaming at the top of my lungs, I spotted Tyler in the crowd, concern etched on his face as I tried with every ounce of my being to free myself from Ivan. Tyler took a big step toward the ring, but Ian and my brother, Carmine, grabbed him, holding him back.

I punched back over my head, managing to hit Ivan just right then elbowed him to free myself. As I gasped for air, Ivan laughed maniacally, his eyes glinting with insanity when I spun around to face him again. I stumbled backward, trying to gain my footing and prepare for the next assault.

“You bastard!” I shrieked. “You took everything from me!”

The crowd roared in eagerness, their energy feeding the adrenaline pumping through my veins. With a cry of anguish and rage, I charged forward, my fists flying like whirlwinds. Ivan, sensing the imminent danger, tried to defend himself, his arms flailing in all directions. The punches kept coming, each one more powerful than the last, until I finally connected with the final blow, sending him crumbling to the floor.

Dazed from my powerful counterattack, he stumbled as he stood. Blood poured from both our faces. I swiped my arm over my cheeks, smearing the deep red liquid on my arm. The referee stepped in, checking on us both, but we ignored him.

“Time to bring you back home, little slut.”

With all his might, Ivan charged at me, sending blow after blow into every part of my body he could strike with his fists, knees, and feet. Disoriented, I faltered as I tried my best to catch my footing, but it was impossible. He knocked my mouthguard out of my mouth, sending it flying while yelling curses at me in Russian.

I didn’t stand a chance. I was dizzy, couldn’t breathe, and was ready to give up. I’d always fought for myself and been able to accept any challenge that came my way. I couldn’t fight him alone. I was… done. Swaying, I stumbled, and someone caught me, laying me down gently in the ring then jumped over me.

It was all a blur as I lay there, trying my best to focus. I watched a scuffle around me. Ivan yelled but then I realized, over the crowd, I was hearing Tyler shouting back at him. The men fell to the floor. Slowly, my eyes focused, and I watched Tyler straddling a brutally battered Ivan. He was shirtless, his muscles flexing to their capacity as he delivered rapid, hard strikes into Ivan’s face.

The crowd was louder than they’d been all night, watching the scene unfold around them. Someone’s arms snaked around me from behind, and I got ready to swing until Luke spoke.

“It’s just me,” he said, sliding me back to the corner and patching me up with Carmine’s help. I scrambled to crawl toward the center, but Luke yanked me back, my brother helping him hold me in place.

“I have to kill him!” I shouted.

“No!” Luke and Carmine barked together.

The referee tried his best to pull Tyler off Ivan, but he wasn’t letting up, and the crowd was eating up the new opponents. Ivan was blocking his head as best he could, but soon fell limp. Tyler stood, spitting on his face, before turning to the referee.

The crowd howled. Several Russian men entered the ring to scoop up what was left of Ivan, carrying him away. The referee tried his best to hold Tyler’s hand in the air to declare him the winner, but he jerked away.

“Get the fuck off me.” Hurrying over, he fell to his knees in front of me, yanking me into his body.

“Gia,” he panted, “are you okay?”

“I want him dead!” I shrieked. “I’m going to kill him!”

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