Page 16 of Vengeful Princess

My ears perked up the moment I tuned back in. Access to a car could be useful. My driving skills were rusty, but I had a driver’s license.

“How come you have a car here?” I knew there was a student parking garage, but I figured most people wouldn’t bother bringing a vehicle given how remote this college was. It wasn’t like there were many places to visit on a weekend.

“My dad said I might need transport, so he bought me a car. Eden shrugged as if a parent buying their daughter a car was a normal thing. Maybe it was? I had no clue. My father was an unhinged lunatic. He didn’t do normal.

“That’s good.”

“It is! Give me your number and I’ll message you when I find out more.”

Ugh. I didn’t want Torrance reading messages about a fight club. He’d start asking too many questions. Maybe Eden could drive me to the nearest town so I could buy a new phone. Onethat didn’t have spyware installed. I had some cash saved for that exact purpose.

“Yeah, about that… I dropped my phone in the toilet and it’s fucked.”

“Oh my god! That’s awful!” Eden looked like she wanted to cry on my behalf. I guess for her, losing a phone was the equivalent of one’s house burning down. “We need to get you a new one, stat!”

“Yep, I could use a lift to a store that sells phones? I’d order one from Amazon, but Dad manages my account and he’d kill me if he knew I’d ruined my phone so quickly.” I fixed a sad expression on my face, and Eden reached out to squeeze my hand in sympathy.

Despite not being a huge fan of unsolicited physical contact, I gritted my teeth and smiled at her, hoping it looked natural rather than like a serial killer clown.

Clearly, I was a better actress than I thought because she patted my hand and smiled back. “Fear not, my new friend, we can go buy a new phone this afternoon! There’s a big supermarket in Glen Cross, and it’ll definitely sell phones. Probably not the latest iPhone, but you can pick up something half-decent.”

“Perfect.” This time, my smile was genuine. Eden might talk too much, but she was rapidly becoming someone I could rely on.

9

Thea

The fight club was in a large warehouse on the edge of an industrial estate. From the outside, it looked like any other anonymous building. An old sign suggested it housed a manufacturing business, but inside the place was empty of machinery.

An octagonal cage surrounded by bench seating stood in the center of the cavernous space. Because we were late, the first fight was already underway. The watching crowd screamed with excitement as two large tattooed guys fought. The smaller of the two was faster on his feet, taking advantage of his opponent’s lumbering size. I watched with interest as the smaller guy danced around while getting a surprising number of hits in.

Then the larger guy finally landed a brutal uppercut, and it was game over. The smaller fighter went down hard and, despite the ref screaming at him, didn’t get back up.

There was a mix of boos and yells as people exchanged money, uncaring about the fallen fighter being dragged away. I hoped he was being paid well to take a hit like that. The possibility of sustaining permanent brain damage was real.

Eden pulled me toward a gap in the crowd. “Come on, we need to get closer before the next fight starts.”

I followed her while trying to ignore the many interested glances being thrown our way. While there were a few women here, including Olivia and her clique, the audience was mostly men. From the hungry way they looked at us, coming here was a terrible idea.

Thank god I had my favorite blade tucked in my boot. Eden was oblivious to all the attention. The girl had no sense of self preservation whatsoever. If I ever met her cousin, I’d be having a stern word with him. He needed to teach her how to read a room, and more importantly, how not to end up raped and murdered.

It was a good thing Eden had me to watch out for her. She was so busy focusing on the edge of the ring that she completely missed the way a lecherous older man with long, stringy hair tried to grab her ass.

Luckily, I intercepted him before he got close enough to actually touch her. I pressed my blade to his pathetic little dick. The moment he felt the sharp edge, he froze.

“Keep your grabby little hands to yourself in future. Women don’t like being touched by strangers.”

From the furious expression on his face, he wasn’t happy about being force-fed a lesson on consent. Sadly, I was all out of fucks to give.

“Listen, you little—”

I pressed harder with my blade. “Yes?”

“OK! Let me go, you crazy bitch!”

How dare he call me a crazy bitch! A bit more pressure and I drew blood. A cacophony of heavy rock music, yells, and piercing whistles drowned out his pathetic scream as the next two fighters appeared from a side entrance.

Realizing Eden had left me behind, I jogged after her, leaving Mr. Grabby Hands clutching his precious little dick andblubbering like a baby. Honestly, he should be grateful it was still attached. Sure, it had a second hole in it now, but nothing that wouldn’t heal in time.

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