Page 97 of Clinch'd

Shaking my head, I focus on the cage, but the fight is over, and the players have been removed from the cage.

“Anxious for Beast?” he asks dryly.

“Where’s Lorri?”

“She’s at home. Have you spoken to her?”

“Don’t you know?” I ask, swinging toward him with a scowl.

“No, I don’t,” he says, the muscle in his jaw flexing.

“Hm, not my problem. Maybe your game is getting old.”

“Or maybe your piece of shit boyfriend,” he sneers, “knocked her up and won’t fucking return her calls.”

“Wh-what?” I gasp, leaning back with wide eyes.

Wait. Cooper isn’t the father. Beast? And he’s ghosting her? Fuck me.

“What? You didn’t know?” he says with a mock laugh.

“No, why would I?” I say, standing from the chair.

“Wait. Lorri didn’t tell you?”

“No,” I growl, stepping around my seat and heading for the door.

Of course, before I get that far, Cooper grabs my arm and says, “Lorri really didn’t tell you?”

“No dick,” I say, wrenching away.

“Minnie. Wait. Fucking stop!” he barks, and I pause.

When he doesn’t speak, I shift on my feet and say, “Well?”

“Why did you do it?”

The soft tone almost brings me to my knees, but I shore that shit up. Cooper Jackson can go fuck himself.

“Do what?” I ask even though I know.

“Please,” he chuffs.

“Look—“

“Just fucking tell me,” he rasps.

With a sigh, I walk backwards down the hall and admit, “I was protecting my sister.”

His frantic eyes search mine as he says, “From what?”

“The bad guy,” I say, before stalking away.

I’m back at the bar in my hotel, and even though I made a deal with myself about alcohol, I’m pretty sure this qualifies as an emergency.

Beast impregnated my sister and left her in the lurch and never told me. Dick.

Now what? Although he’s completely rough around the edges I thought he was my friend. Now I don’t know what to think. This is all so fucked up.

---