Page 2 of Fury

“Don’t send me back,” I mutter, cos the last thing I need is to face the music there.

“Then sort your shit out,” says Grizz firmly. “We don’t need a war with Donnie right now.”

“You owe him thirty grand,” says Axel, and my head whips up in surprise.

“He bet thirty grand on that streaky piece of piss?”

“Well, that streaky piece of piss happened to be his nephew,” says Axel. “You were told you’d get ten grand to throw that fight, and you didn’t, so now, you owe him.”

“I don’t have that kind of money,” I admit. “Not right now.”

“Lucky for you, he doesn’t want your money. He wants your time.”

“What’s that mean?” I ask.

“It means until further notice, you’re his new bitch. Be at this address at seven a.m. tomorrow.” Axel slides me a piece of paper with an address scribbled down. “And you’ll feature in his fights, which you’ll win. He’ll take a sixty-forty split, and if you don’t win, that’ll add on to the debt.”

“Are you fucking joking me?” I snap. “It’ll never end.”

“That’s the price you’ve gotta pay,” says Grizz.

“Or we could just end the stupid fucker,” I suggest.

“I’m not going to war with an organised crime gang because you couldn’t follow my orders,” says Axel. “So, you’ll keep your head down and get on with it until further notice.”

Grizz heads for the door. “Come on, I’ll drop you at the hospital to get checked.”

I groan. “Can’t I just see the club doc?”

“Nope, you can sit in accident and emergency for a few hours and think about the shit you’ve caused,” snaps Axel.

It’stwo hours before I’m called through to be assessed by the nurse. Two hours of people staring at me and whispering because of the kutte, always assuming the worst.

The receptionist points to a room, and I step inside. The nurse behind the curtain is just putting on new gloves, and when she looks up at me, my whole world slows. I stare open-mouthed as she smiles wide. “Oh my god, Reese Northman?”

It’s been so long since anyone used my real name, it takes me a second to respond. “Xanthe May Hart,” I murmur, ignoring the way my heart beats wildly in my chest.

Xanthe

It’s been a long time,but I’d know that face anywhere, even with the bruising. The last time I saw it, my heart was breaking—not because of anything he did, but because he was moving away, and it was out of our control.

I break out of the trance-like stare we’re currently locked in and throw my arms around him. He hisses, and I immediately pull back. “Oh shit, sorry. Of course, you’re hurt, why else would you be here?” I ask, adding a laugh and running my eyes over his bruised face. “What the hell happened?”

“A long story.”

I frown. “And I have time, so lie on the bed and lift your shirt.”

He eases himself onto the bed and slowly lies back. “How have you been?” he asks.

I push his shirt up and arch a brow. “Broken ribs,” I confirm, “but you’ll need an X-ray.”

“How come you’re in London?” he asks.

“Stare at my face,” I tell him, leaning closer and shining a torch in each eye. His pupils dilate. “What happened?”

“I fight,” he says casually. “No big deal.”

“You lost this one, I take it.”

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