Page 121 of Keepsake

His eye twitched at me calling his last name in a place like this. I didn’t care anymore. He stabbed Alvaro.Stabbed.

“Control your bitch.”

“Never.” Alvaro smirked before going for David.

My heart thundering hard in my chest, my eyes stung from tears, but I refused to look away from Alvaro.

He avoided the knife, planting a punch on David, making the man stumble back.

They moved around one another, Alvaro smart, quick on his feet, knowing exactly how to move. And even when he got nipped, making me wince and release a whimper, he managed to hurt David, too.

The crowd called for El Toro, and that smug expression on David’s face was quickly washed off. My hands gripped the ropes, a scream lodged in my throat.

They danced for a while, David swinging the knife at Alvaro, taunting with empty words. I knew what he was doing. I watched him win that game before.

“That’s all he has,” I said over the noise. “End him.”

I couldn’t let myself step away. I kept drowning David’s words with mine. Not ready to watch a Castillo lose from cruelty.

Done with waiting at the sidelines, I called Alvaro’s name until my throat got raw, until he started to move faster, his punches stronger.

David kept his distance, sure the blade was enough to win a fight.

Blood meant nothing anymore. My heart hurt watching the droplets of Alvaro’s blood drip onto the padded floors, but I knew in my soul he needed to do this.

After agonizing moments, David showed the first signs of exhaustion. And in that moment of weakness, he lurched, but found no purchase. Alvaro dodged the end of the blade and quickly, his hand closed around David’s wrist.

I pushed on my tiptoes and watched with a sick smile on my lips as Alvaro smashed his wrist, making David drop the knife.

A wave of protests took over. Alvaro kicked the knife away and in one move, he clocked the side of David’s face.

And once more.

And again.

David held his arm up, cradling his own head and trying to move to the side but Alvaro was a machine at work.

He cornered David, his punches landing one after the other without waiting, without theneedto wait.

I refused to breathe. Then David’s knee gave out. Soon he was just in a heap on the floor.

Alvaro was saying something to him. I wasn’t sure of his words, but they looked as fierce as his fist.

Blood everywhere. From David, from Alvaro.

I looked around, watching as it unfolded, time suspended until David’s face wasn’t recognizable anymore.

That was when Alvaro stepped back.

Silence finally took over the gym. We all held our breath while we watched the man who used to be Sofia’s abuser. He was nothing, bleeding for what was due.

Alvaro stood there like a vengeful god, lacking all the mercy of a mere mortal.

Voices in the crowd called his name again, low, timid, until someone came to take David out of the way.

He might have been alive. If my mind wasn’t playing tricks, I could have sworn I saw his fingers move.

Alvaro turned from the scene, his eyes on fire landing on me. He ate the space between us. I stepped away so he could part the ropes and let himself out. Before I could say a word, his hands were on me, his right arm coming down to my ass as he took me in his arm and positioned me on one side, my legs straddling his waist.

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