Page 139 of Steel

I’m good with him wasting time. Less fucking hits I have to take.

My thoughts drift for two damn seconds, and Tweek takes advantage, slamming his fists in a one-two followup to my goddamn kidneys. Acid flies up the back of my throat, and I have to fight to keep from spewing all over as I back away from his wicked fists.

“Retreating already?” Tweek taunts, his body springing around the ring.

“Fifty-nine seconds,” Wraith calls out.

Tweek’s face empties of his normal playfulness, his eyes darkening with the impending storm coming my way.

I only have time to prepare myself for the pain before his fists are raining down on me. He doesn’t back off after the first two hits like previously, and I barely get time to hit back.

The mixture of saliva and blood fill my mouth as his latest hit lands against my lips.

My knuckles meet his jaw, causing him to stumble, but then this motherfucker just tosses his head back and fucking howls before breaking out into laughter.

“Whoo boy. That felt good,” he shouts.

Tweek prances around me, his knuckles striking my body too fast for me to respond, but it’s the one that cracks against my chin that has me falling to the ground.

Fuck.

The world around me tilts and my vision blurs. Drops of bright red land against the ground between my palms.

I struggle to get to my feet, but it’s harder than I was prepared for. My energy is waning as the agony begins to take over the numbness I’d been holding on to since the start.

Thank fuck Thrasher’s timer goes off.

Blade rushes over to me, dropping to his knees and lifting my head from my chest so he can examine me.

There’s not much left to my vision as my eyes swell, but I’m still able to make out the grim expression on his face.

He cleans the blood away and swipes petroleum jelly around my wounds so it’s easier for the hits to glide off them instead of landing in the same place.

“We don’t want you dead, brother. Just want you to hurt. You take too many more hits to this pretty face and you won’t be going anywhere except in the ground.”

I let out a groan mixed with an agonized laugh. “Feel like I’m already there.”

“I bet,” he says, his tone full of amusement.

Once Blade is finished looking me over, Thrasher waits until I’m standing on my feet before going through the whole spiel again.

Crow stands in front of me, and the fucking blank look he always carries sends a shiver scurrying up my spine. As soon as Thrasher calls for the sentence to start, Crow wastes no time in his attack. His hits are vicious as they land against my body, and I’m left with no time to think or defend myself. His aim is maximum destruction in the two minutes he has to punish me.

By the time Thrasher calls an end to my time with Crow, I’m on the ground again, broken and bleeding. Hell, I’m surprised I’m fucking breathing.

Every breath I pull in is pure agony due to the fire inside my lungs.

My chin rests on my chest as I fight through the waves of nausea and fatigue that crash over me.

Crow grabs a handful of my hair and pulls my head back so I’m staring up at him through puffy eyes. “Love you, brother, but next time, use your head instead of your heart.”

“Would you? If it was Sage in danger?” I croak, the rawness in my throat sending flames licking up the back of it.

His violet eyes flash with something dangerous before he gently releases my head. “One more round.”

Crow reluctantly helps me to my feet and makes sure I’m steady before stepping away. “Retreat or continue?”

I smile at him, tasting the bitterness of the blood that coats my tongue. “Ready to finish out my sentence, VP.”

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