Page 70 of I Am Lioness

“Please,” she pleaded. “Don't hurt him.”

“Depending on how well you cooperate, I'll see what I can do.”

“I can't write out of full amount but I can do 50k. I'll get you the rest tomorrow, I swear.”

He appeared to be considering her offer, rubbing a hand over his chin. “I'll agree, on one condition.”

“Name it, it’s yours.”

“You fight, right here.”

“Fight who? You?”

“No,” Lexi corrected, rising to her feet. “Me.”

“Lexi?” Hazel asked incredulously.

“What? You really didn't see me sitting there?” She came to stand beside Jason.

“No, actually, I didn't. I was a little too preoccupied with the fact that my boyfriend is being held hostage by my former bodyguard.”

“You should be grateful he's a hostage rather than a dead body.” Jason said as he cocked back the slide on the Glock and pointed it toward me. “I can change that though.”

Hazel gasped. “Jason, please don’t. Please.” She begged.

The desperation in her voice roiled my insides in a vicious knot and ran every drop of my blood ice cold. All I wanted to do was pull her into my arms and chase away her fear.

I could only imagine what dark, unforesaken thoughts had been running through her mind since waking up in that bathroom, let alone the ones plaguing her now as she watched Jason point the gun to my chair-bound form.

Moments later, Hazel was at my side. She took one look at me and paled, fresh tears welling in her eyes. Then she did something I never would have allowed if I wasn’t fucking restrained. She stepped in front of me, placing herself between me and gun.

“Hazel,” I gritted out, shifting in my seat.

She peeked over her shoulder and shook her head.

“I have a question.” Her voice was steadier than I expected.

“Go on.” Jason hedged.

“What does me fighting Lexi now have to do with any of this?”

Lexi made her way around Jason and came toe to toe with Hazel. “Nothing. But he asked for my help to put you two down, so I agreed, only if he gave me a percentageandI got to fight you outside the cage. No ref, no audience, just me and you.”

“And the purpose of that would be?’

“To show you who that title belongs to.” Lexi snarled, inching her face closer to Hazel. “And hopefully to break you enough that come Friday, you’ll submit and hand it over.”

Hazel scoffed unfazed. “I’ll never submit. You want the title, then come get it.”

“Remember, Hazel,” Jason interjected. “I will only agree to that 50k if you fight Miss Panterra right now.”

Once again he sounded so condescending, I wanted to rip his eyeballs out. With their attention honed in on Hazel, I tried wiggling my wrists free but the rope was bound much too tight. It rubbed against my skin painfully which was obviously done with purpose.

“If I do this, you promise to set him free once I sign?”

Jason hummed in agreement. “Indeed, however, you won't be free to go. You can both make yourselves comfortable here until morning. Once I have the remainder of what you owe me, then you can walk.”

Hazel peeked over her shoulder once more and I shook my head, hoping she'd see what an awful idea this was. It had to be some sort of a trap.

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