Page 79 of Broken Promises

“Crazy bitch,” he hissed before taking off to the other side of the Pit, leaving me alone.

“Good job, young grasshopper. We’ll make a strong, independent woman out of you yet,” Beckett joked, earning a dirty look from me as I pocketed my knife again.

“I’m not your weird little side-kick.”

“Protege,” she corrected, and I groaned.

“You need to stop hanging around some of the guys. Their bullshit is rubbing off on you.”

“Maybe when Logan’s not living in my house, the weirdness will wash away. Him and Jett are driving me insane, so it’s about time you suffered too. I could’ve dropped him off on your doorstep by now, but I’m being a good pal and letting you have the space you wanted.”

“You don’t know where I live.”

“You mean Ander’s little place? Aw, you don’t think we know where he is? Didn’t take you to be stupid, Raven,” she said seriously, my response dying in my throat when I spotted Cami. She was stumbling around with a beer in hand, frustration and hurt filling me.

She was supposed to have my back at that party, but she’d bailed on me without a word.

“Who’s that?” Beckett asked when she noticed me staring.

“I went to that party with her. The one Ander showed up at. She was supposed to watch out for me since I was drinking. She’s been in and out of rehab for alcohol addiction, so it was probably my own fault for assuming she’d stay sober, but she’d been partying without alcohol a lot lately so I thought she had a handle on things,” I said quietly. “She was banging your brother in rehab at one point last year when he first went in.”

“I really don’t get what girls see in him,” she huffed, giving Cami the stink eye. “Do we take her for a ride in the trunk to make a point?”

“It’s not worth it. Being friends with addicts means you always come second to their demons. You understand that.”

“I do,” she sighed, her attention catching on the guys as they finally started throwing hands.

I turned away from Cami to watch too, the crowd starting to grow as cheering broke out. It would be much busier later as more challengers were set.

I knew I’d relaxed too much when someone managed to walk up and yank me back by the hair.

I stumbled, thankful when Beckett seemed to be more aware of her surroundings as she grabbed my arm to stop me from landing on my ass and possibly getting stomped on.

“You think you can hit my fucking brother?” the girl sneered, trying to grab my hair again but I pulled back.

“If your brother’s the creep with the bloodied nose, he did it to himself. Didn’t you ever teach him to keep his hands to himself?” I demanded, people starting to gather around us, the guys’ fight forgotten.

“Oh no. Stop. Don’t fight,” Beckett said sarcastically, nudging my shoulder. “Tell the person running the fights to pencil you guys in. You didn’t want to fight in the cage, but this is your territory, right?”

The girl laughed, motioning to me. “You think this bitch would beat me?”

“Would you prefer to fight me then?” Beckett offered bluntly, the girl’s eyes widening. No one here was likely to try fighting Beckett. They all knew it was rare she lost against people who trained regularly. “No? That’s what I thought. If you’re scared of Raven though, just say so.”

“I’m not scared of her!”

“Prove it,” Beckett shrugged, glancing at me. “What do you say, Raven?”

I couldn’t exactly say my body hurt too much from orgasms from the guys and Beckett beating me up, so I lifted my shoulder in a half-shrug.

“I could throw hands.”

People were talking loudly amongst themselves, bets starting to be placed, and the guys in the Pit grumbled as they were helped out so we could fight instead.

I couldn’t lie, I was nervous.

Beckett dropped an arm around my shoulders and tugged me closer, talking in my ear. “Remember your stance, and take your time. I win because I have patience and look for weak points. Study her for scars and sore spots and use them to your advantage.”

I nodded, removing Ander’s hoodie and handing my things over to Beckett so I could drop down into the Pit for the first time in what felt like forever, trying to stretch my arms a little and ease the tender muscles.

---