Page 85 of Dmitri

“Just until Sunday.” Addie blows out a sigh. “We’ll drive most of the day tomorrow and come back late Sunday. Tasha’s mom says I don’t need to pay for anything.”

Tasha’s mom, Corrinne, is a saint.

“Well, I’ll send you with money, anyway. And I want to talk with Corrinne first about all this, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.” Her excitement has her vibrating.

“You’re going to the beach.”

“I’m going to the beach.”

“You’re going to the beach!” I squeal.

“I’m going to the beeeeeaaacccchhh!”

We scream and laugh and kick our feet.

Soon after, I go into my bedroom and call Corrinne, who confirms everything Addie’s told me. Turns out they have a beach home they’ve rarely used and are thrilled Tasha will have a friend coming along for once.

I dig into my emergency fund and hand over an extra two-hundred dollars for Addie to blow on whatever she wants. If one of us is going to be happy, I’m glad it’s her.

Peeking into her bedroom, I find my girl rummaging through piles of clothes all over her floor and bed. I think she’s pulled her entire wardrobe out of the closet.

“I’ll be back in about two hours,” I say.

She looks up with a bikini in her hand. “Where are you going?”

“The hardware store.”

Chapter 23

Dmitri

My first cage fight was on my sixteenth birthday, and I was so terrified and restless, I’d barely slept the night before. Tossing and turning, I remember thinking one thing:Dad’s gonna watch.

One might assume I was stuck on that thought because I’d been nervous about my performance. Fuck that. My form was perfect. My agility, damn good. I’d blown Silas away with what I’d been able to accomplish in my short time training with him. Naw, it was something else that ate at me…

“You need to get your ass in the MMA for real, Dmitri. Don’t waste your time here in this shithole.”

“I like this shithole.”Bob and weave. Pivot, kick. “I’m happy here.”

“Kid, no one’s happy here. I’ve built my empire on the misery of others.”

I look around the gym that’s falling apart and has a leaky roof. “Old man, if this is your empire, you need to upgrade.”

Silas’s raspy chuckle makes me grin. “You excited for tonight?”

“I’m ready to fight.” I jab into the punching bag, practicing exactly what Dad and Silas have taught me for the past three months. I know it’s probably too soon for me to go in the ring, but I can’t wait anymore. I don’t care if I get my ass handed to me. I just want to swing and hit something that’ll bleed like I do.

“Your dad’s coming, right?”

“Yeah.” Dread hits my gut at the thought. I still have ahefty bruise on my torso from my mom hitting me with a chair last week. She’s been off the booze lately and her mood swings are insane. If my dad sees the huge bruise, will he know it’s not from a fight? Sounds unlikely, but any possibility of getting caught, and having what my mom does to me found out, has me freaking. So far, I’ve trained with a shirt on. Silas keeps telling me to take it off, but I refuse.

Even if I don’t have a fresh bruise, I’ve got a collection of scars I don’t need seen.

Christ, if Dad sees any of them, he’s going to ask questions. I’ve spent years coming up with lies for each mark on my body, just in case they’re seen, but I’m not confident I can say one of them to my dad’s face…

I toss and turn on the couch. Knox’s house is comfortable, but his sofa is too fucking soft. I’m used to my firm cot in the dungeon at the club. Not some squishy, plush shit like this. Punching my pillow, I readjust and sigh. Sleep evades me and I stare at my cell, desperate to text Daelyn and check up on her. It’s stupid, I know.

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