Page 56 of Queen Of WildCards

Thecrowd went wild, andSpade'sarm banded tighter around me for a second as he locked eyes with the man entering the ring.

"Let'sall welcome the newcomer from across the pond, the illusive and dangerousSoldat!"

"Soldier,"Spademuttered against my temple, his lips curled in disgust. "Whata joke."

Theman in the ring didn'tlooklike a joke, though whether or not he'd once been a soldier was up for debate.Hisbody was lean yet muscled, a toned physique it took work to maintain—work this man didn't seem to shy from.Hestalked around the ring, hands loose at his sides, eyes dark and hair hanging around his face in loose brown waves, painting a picture of an unconcerned killer that set me on edge.

Regardlessof whether or notSpadegot on my nerves or didn't respect the word no,Ididn't want to see him killed, andIsuddenly had the feeling that was exactly what would happen if heeverstepped in that ring with this man.

"Spade,"Istarted, turning toward him with a hand on his chest, "Idon't—"

Myconcerns were silenced as he leaned into me and initiated a heart-stopping kiss, his lips crawling over mine, needy, desperate, searching.Igroaned and realized this was the time to reach for that knife he'd strapped up with and made a show of pretending to grope him for good luck.Wewere pressed so tightly together that there was no way anyone could see the small bladeIslipped against my wrist as he pulled away, but there was no hiding the shiver that ran up my spine as his tongue slipped between my lips and coaxed me open like a fucking blooming flower.

Spademight have a code of honor, but damn if he couldn't kiss like a sinner.Hishands twisted around me, refusing to let me go, and for the time being,Iwas completely okay if they didn't.Inthis room full of deadly men and dangerous, bloodthirsty criminals,Spadereally was the lesser of all evils—the safest port in this storm.

Heended the kiss as the announcer cleared his throat pointedly. "Andthe runner-up for the night,Demon!"

Witha last, softly affectionate kiss to the temple and a pat to the ass, he pulled away, and we faced the ring again, watching the two fighters circle one another as they sized each other up.Ifought the urge to flee, every molecule in my body itching to be anywhere but here.

Ishould have grabbed that fucking gun.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE

JOKER

Iwasn't supposed to be here.

Iwas supposed to be out withAce, watching his six while he interrogated some asshole with information on our new unknown enemy—an enemy we now hadonlydue to my indiscretion and an unplanned heist.

WhenIgot my hands on the asshole who gave us the bad info,I'dwring his damn neck until he choked on his tongue, friend of my father or not.

Itwasn't a surprise whenSpadeannounced he was going to the rings today.Evenmaimed like he was, he'd probably glean some solid info while he trolled and placed bets with the seedier of the underground crime lifers.ButwhenIreturned to my room and found the doc missing,Iknew he had taken her with him, sneaky bastard that he was.

Heprobably convinced her shehadto go.

SoIwas here to rescue her.Takeher back to the compound, where she'd be safe.

Iwove in and out of the crowd as the announcer called the match in progress to a halt, proclaiming the winner to a mixture of cheers and boos from the crowd, depending on where they'd placed their bets.Moneyexchanged hands, or tickets were distributed, and some men shifted to the side of the room to collect winnings and leave, their preferred match over for the day.

Iwas so focused on findingSpadeand the doc thatIalmost missed the announcement of the next fight.

"—Soldat!"

FuckingChrist, it couldn't be.

Theman they calledSoldatstrode into the ring like he owned it, his swagger muted and understated but no less deadly in its intent.Helocked eyes with someone hidden in the glare of a spotlight on the ring, and from this side of the room,Icouldn't possibly hear it, butIjust knew the madman up theregrowledat whoever he'd just been staring at.

Iknew this man.

Inthe underground, whereI'dlived for most of my life as the son of a criminal, you heard stories of some of the fiercest men to walk the streets above.Menwho no man was brave enough to tangle with.Youlearned very quickly there were some you didn't dare cross if you valued your life.

TheSoldierwas one of them.

Theysaid he killed so many men in his service to theKingshe'd lost count.Thatmen would rather kill themselves than face his ruthless fists.Thathe once tortured a fellow enforcer until the man swallowed his own tongue in an effort to escape the madness.

SotheSoldiercut it out and kept going.

Ishuddered at his mere presence, knowing what it meant for us.

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