Page 20 of Ruthless Prince

“Someone tried to kill Vincent tonight,” I tell him.

He looks up from a paper on his desk. “What are you talking?”

“He just told me. Someone tried to kill him because someone else doesn’t want him fighting in the competition. You need to look into it. We need to make sure Vincent is safe.”

“We?”

My face flushes. I shouldn’t make my crush on Vincent so obvious to my father.

“Yes,” I say. “You brought Vincent into this house. You want him to fight. If someone is trying to kill him, you need to help him.”

He thinks on it for a moment before nodding. “Next time he fights, I’ll be on the lookout.”

That’s as good as I’m going to get with my father.

VINCENT

It’s the third round of competition, and I’m going up against a man named the Bully. He has a habit of fighting dirty, so I’m on my guard.

Ellie and Mr. Moore are back in the audience, cheering me on. I also keep my eyes out for anyone who could be a potentialassassin. After Rachel, who was just an unassuming girl, the assassin could be anyone.

The fight begins.

Bully tries kicking me between my legs, which is against the rules. I manage to block him at the last second. One hit to my balls, and I’d be down for good. Igor trained me in all different fight styles growing up, including more dirty tactics. I know how much they can hurt.

The two of us throw punches and kicks, neither one of us going down. The fight lasts a while—my longest one in a long time.

Until Bully lands a hard kick to my side. I can hear the crunch before the pain rushes in.

The bastard just broke one of my ribs. I should know—I’ve had broken ribs in the past.

I stumble away and catch my breath, but Bully comes right at me, landing a hit to my face. There’s a mixture of boos and cheers coming from the crowd, but I don’t know who’s cheering or booing for me.

Bully tries to hit me again, but I block his attack and land an uppercut to his chin, knocking him back. Even though the pain in my side is searing, I can’t lose this. I need to win so I can get close to Nico. I need to know if he killed my father and why.

With a burst of speed, I jump onto Bully’s back and bring him to the ground with a chokehold. He slams his elbow into my side. The pain almost makes me black out, but I hold on until Bully can’t fight anymore. He slumps to the ground.

I’ve won again.

The audience cheers for me as I stand up and then promptly double over. Clutching my side, I limp out of the ring and head to the locker rooms.

I’m startled when I see Ellie show up. “You shouldn’t be in here.”

“You’re hurt.” She reaches her hand out to me, but I pull away. We can’t get close, and she knows this.

“Pretty sure my fucking rib is broken. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”

She shakes her head sadly. “What kind of life have you lived, Vincent?”

Before I can answer her, Mr. Moore arrives. “Ellie, what are you doing in here? Let’s go home.”

“Vincent is hurt.”

Mr. Moore stares down at her for a long time before sighing. “Vincent, come with us. We’ll make sure you make it home safely. I don’t want another assassin coming after you. I want you to win this competition.”

“Why?” It’s only now I realize I never asked Mr. Moore why he wants me to win. Other than for the money, I don’t see another reason.

“We’ll discuss that when we get home. Let’s go.”

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