Page 126 of The Reluctant Hero

“You’refucking him?” Janine gapes in astonishment.

I can feel a smug smirk rising, and I let it out with vicious intensity. This just got more epic, and I want to watch it go down.

“STD checks all around,” I crow gleefully. “The clinics are going to be flooded.”

“You’re just a pawn,” Beth assures herself with a dazed nod. “That has to be it.”

“What?” Janine shrieks loud enough to make me cringe, but my smile doesn’t fade.

“We are in a relationship. Whatever you have going on is over,” Beth tells her with determination.

Janine scoffs. “He’s not that good in bed. Have fun with that.”

“He has a small penis,” Jessie pipes up, causing the two women to spin towards her.

“Wow.” I can’t take my eyes off this train wreck.

They all start screaming at one another. Before I can blink, it’s a catfight for the ages. Should I mention Annette? Theyshould be hunting down Blake instead, but I’m enjoying this too much to say anything.

The guys are watching in horror as hair gets pulled, blood splatters on the mat, and pained cries fill the air. That’s why it’s called a catfight. They’re rolling around in a wriggling mass with a concerning amount of hissing that might be talking.

“Jesus, Amanda! Stop them!” Max’s horrified eyes swing to me and back as if he can’t resist watching.

“Fuck no,” I laugh and flip him off. “Have fun cleaning this up, boys. I’m out!”

I turn to find my way blocked by a mass of muscular bodies. It seems like everyone in the boxing area heard the commotion and decided to see what was going on. I excuse myself as I squeeze through and make it to the other side of the growing crowd after a few minutes.

I’m skipping as I make it to the doors. That felt so freeing. Maybe I should hunt down everyone else in the photos. I could call each of them, threaten them with blackmail to meet up at the same place at the same time and watch the fireworks explode.

I make it outside to the sidewalk and close my eyes, letting a deep sigh escape me. The sunlight feels amazing and all my troubles have washed away for the moment.

Until a suffocating weight falls on my chest with a feeling of doom.

Someone grabs the back of my shirt and yanks. My eyes pop open, expecting to see Janine or the other two. Instead, I see South as I’m pulled to the side of her body and back. I trip over my feet and land on my ass and an elbow. She used enough force that I slide an inch before I stop.

I open my mouth to yell at her, and then there’s the roar of an engine revving, and a tan vehicle jumps the curb aimed right at us. It corrects with a squeal of tires, thumps back onto the pavement, and slides around the lot toward the exit. Tires squealas I gape. It rockets out at high speed to keep going without pause. Several cars have to stop and lay on the horn as it cuts off oncoming traffic and disappears down the street.

I’m stunned silent as my flailing stomach wars against the grinding pain in my butt cheek and the scrape over my elbow. I can’t move. I’m frozen in place like someone hit pause.

There’s no one else out here with us. It’s the middle of the day, and most of the parking lot is full. No witnesses to whatever just happened here.

“Call the cops,” I tell her in a shaky voice of shock.

“No. Get in the truck,” South straightens and starts walking to her vehicle.

I stare after her with my mouth dropped open. Did that not just happen? How is she so calm? I think I almost pissed myself.

I sit up and wince at the pain in my elbow. It’s swelling and scraped from my elbow down my forearm. It stings, and it isn’t pretty.

“Amanda.”

I can barely hear her from this distance, but for some reason, her tone seems off. It’s weird because she doesn’t really have one to begin with. Nevertheless, I spring up like my butt is on fire and hurry over. Something isn’t right here, and I don’t just mean the insane person behind the wheel of a car.

As soon as the locks click open I’m in the truck and trying not to bleed on her seats. My hands are shaking so hard I feel the vibration all the way up my arms. I can’t catch my breath.

“Does this happen a lot?”

I glance at South in disbelief. “Uh, no.”

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