Page 45 of From Best To Bested

“Look at you, pretty as a picture.” Jake the Snake strutted into the bathroom, a man on either side of him and a hungry expression on his face. “Getting all dolled up for date night?”

Roman ignored him and finished brushing his teeth.

“Good, you can really get it far back there, can’t you?” Jake invaded Roman’s space, watching him brush. “No gag reflex anymore?”

Roman choked from the question, then spit the last of the paste from his mouth and rinsed.

“Ah, so just when you’re handling something big at the right angles?” Jake nodded. “I can help train that outta you.”

“Pass,” Roman finally said, collecting his things and preparing to leave.

“Wasn’t a request.” Jake grabbed Roman’s arm.

“Get off.” Roman shrugged loose, and Jake dramatically stepped back, playing as if he’d somehow been miraculously undone.

One of the men who’d stepped into the showers with Jake moved forward, and Roman fought back every instinct engrained in his head. Ezra had taught him to pause, to fall back, to listen to him, but Roman knew from too many years of fighting to never back down. He’d always known how to defend himself. He wouldn’t let this happen. Couldn’t.

Roman knocked the second man back into the third, then used the weight of both men’s collision to drop them to the floor. When Jake swept in, sneaky as always, Roman was prepared as he’d been every single time Jake made a move on him.

Without a second of hesitation, Roman punched Jake square in the nose, then pulled back and used the open palm of his other hand to fucking break it apart.

Jake roared. Blood gushed everywhere. The other men scrambled to their feet to assist. They couldn’t do anything—Roman knew that much.

Roman lifted his fists, fighting every shaky impulse back. He was twelve again, standing up to his father for the first time after training for months on how to snap back and finally put an end to everything. Unlike then, Roman wouldn’t back down. He’d actually tasted combat now. He’d fought off Jake and his crew in and out of the arena. He could do this. He didn’t need Ezra.

“Take another step, and you’re facing the champion.” Roman tried so hard to be assertive, to send his fear to his opponents, to make them quake.

“You’re no fucking champion,” Jake spat, blood gushing down his face.

“I’m the champion’s friend,” Roman said, needing Ezra more than he realized. “You don’t wanna piss him off.”

“You’re his bitch, nothing more.” Jake spit a bloody loogie onto the floor. “You’re just his favorite slut to break in.”

Roman shook at this.

“But I had eyes for that ass first.” Jake pushed himself up off the floor. “He broke you in, sure. But I’m gonna break you so much harder.”

Roman steadied his stance, shifting his gaze between Jake and his men, while he backed away to the door.

“When I’m done showing you your place, and you’re bloody and bruised and broken in every way you can fathom and so many more you’ve yet to experience, you’ll ask me, nay beg me, to fuck you a little bit harder the next time.”

Roman paused at the doorway.

“Toodaloo, sweetness.” Jake waved his fingers in a farewell and puckered his lips. “Be seeing you real soon, best believe it.”

Chapter Sixteen

Roman took a few heavy breaths before he walked back into his cell. His towel show from the showers back to his room definitely caught more attention than he expected, but he hoped to smooth things over before going into the details. Ditching his clothes wasn’t exactly the plan.

After catching his breath, Roman stepped inside with a red-faced smile and a playful strut he hoped would be enough to turn the conversation. Ezra quirked a brow, studying Roman from his chair.

“And where are your clothes?”

“I’m just really excited,” Roman said, forcing a smile.

He knew he needed to explain, needed to tell Ezra about the altercation, but he’d already caused a minor scene at the syndicate meeting today and would basically be ruining Ezra’s friendship or alliance or whatever with Jake. Roman wanted to ease Ezra into the news. He wanted to help him relax, remind him why he liked Roman to begin with.

“So, you ran here in just a towel?”

---