Page 37 of Darkened Truths
“A lot of pissed off people.”
That’s what I’m afraid of. “Wesley, he can’t lose this fight. He’s already seen me and is not happy. It’s going to mess with his head. Why’d you bring me here?” My voice has taken on a higher pitch. Anxiety settling low in my belly, worried about the next ten minutes.
He sighs, “because as much as he doesn’t want to admit it, you light a fire under his ass. I know damn well he won’t lose in front of you. And Axel is tough. Sometimes, Julien acts cocky?—”
“Sometimes?” I cut him off and raise my brow in question..
He smiles and doesn’t miss a beat. “And thinks he's the best, but in this fight, the odds are against him. I gave him a reason to win.” He relaxes back into his seat and tosses his arm over my shoulder, stroking my bare shoulder with his thumb. Eachstroke feels like a tiny fire licking across my skin. The first round bell rings and the fighters take their stance. I’ve seen bits of boxing matches on videos before, but it’s nothing like this. Axel, Julien’s opponent, comes out with a vengeance. He charges toward Julien, fists swinging, and Julien dodges every one of them with ease.
It’s almost like a dance the two men are doing. Punch. Dodge. Kick. Jump back. The crowd shifts restlessly, tension crackling as they hurl scattered insults at the men. Julien glimpses at me, and that’s enough of an opening that Axel clips the side of his head. The crowd groans as I let out a gasp of surprise and cover my mouth. Wesley places a kiss on my shoulder, but I can’t relax. Julien shakes the punch off and focuses on Axel again, clearly pissed at himself for letting him land one on him. Around and around they circle until the bell dings and the first round is over.
Each man goes to their own corner, and I watch Julien and Zander closely. Both men seem off. And if I’m betting, I’d say Wesley is supposed to be over there in his corner, offering advice and being a supportive friend.
“You’re usually over there, aren’t you?” I ask, not taking my eyes off them, but leaning closer to Wesley to be heard over the boisterous crowd.
“Yeah, usually.” He sounds somber with a shrug.
I knock my shoulder into his, and he turns, giving me his full attention. “Go.”
His brows furrow, and he cocks his head. I nod and he smiles at me before planting a quick kiss to my lips and jogs to the other side of the ring to join his friends. Zander slaps him on the back and Julien gives a look over his shoulder at me, but Wesley drags his attention back to him, saying a few more words. If only I was good at reading lips. Maybe that’s a skill they teach here at Pointebreak.
The bell rings, signaling round two, and the fighters take their stance. Julien keeps his gloves by his face and circles Axel, looking for an in. Axel charges again, but Julien is quicker and knocks him off his feet. He scurries on top, placing his weight on Axel’s hips, and he lets loose. Pure rage coats his features as he lands punch after punch on him. Axel has his hands up by his face, trying to protect himself, but Julien still plows into him. I swear I hear a crunch and I wince as Axel goes lax. I gasp, my eyes widening at the scene in front of me. Is he dead? The referee blows his whistle and holds Julien’s arm high in the air. Beads of sweat cling to his body and his chest rising and falling rapidly.
“Winner!” the announcer yells. I jump from my seat and scream and cheer with excitement. Axel’s team rushes over to him and helps him stand, his eyes already beginning to swell shut, and his face is coated in blood. That looks painful. I wince and seek the three Kings out again. Julian still has a scowl on his face, but he accepts a half hug and a back slap from Wesley and Zander.
I turn in a slow circle to watch the crowd as I clap, looking at the audience, and the smile drops from my face.
What the hell is he doing here?
One blink, and he’s gone. I track the person I think I saw as I push my way past those who are collecting their winnings and grabbing drinks at the makeshift bar, hoping to catch up to him. When I follow where he may have turned to, it’s a dead end. It’s not like he disappeared into thin air, so where the hell did he go? Spinning around, I looked for another juncture or hallway I missed, but there’s nothing. I drag my phone out of my small bag and open a new text thread.
Me:
What are you doing at Contend?
I jiggle the handle of a random door I find, but it doesn’t give, not that I expected it to. Walking around with my face in my phone, I wait for a reply when Wesley calls out for me. I glance up at the sound of my name and the instant relief on his face when he sees me has my haunches going up. He’s scared. Why? I raise my brows in question and wiggle my fingers in greeting.
He pulls me into his arms and kisses the top of my head and I melt into him. I’m getting too used to his comforting touches; and the way he smells seems to have a calming effect on me as well. His warmth and touch soothe me in ways I didn’t think were possible. “Jesus, Riles, you said you would stay put.” His heart pounds against his chest as he hugs me tighter to him. I settle into his embrace and kiss his pecs as he takes a deep breath, his exhale moving my hair.
“Sorry. I thought I saw someone I knew.” He holds me out in front of him and looks me over as if checking for injuries. “I’m fine, Wes.” I shrug him off.
He spins us, pressing my back against the wall. He places his finger under my chin and drops his face inches from mine. My heart thumps wildly as I wait on bated breath for him to close the distance. Time moves agonizingly slowly and when he doesn’t move, I whimper.
“Kiss me, Wes.” He drops his lips to mine and I moan into him. His kiss is hard and demanding and I match him, exploring his mouth with my tongue. I run my fingers through his short hair and tug him closer to me. He wraps his hand around my waist and we are groin to groin, his hard-on prominent. I shift, needing more friction, and he groans, breaking the kiss.
“Come on, let’s get out of here.”
NINETEEN
WESLEY
Igrab her hand and all but drag her behind me. I need her. Need to be alone with her. After Julien’s win tonight, I saw her. She was beaming with excitement. She knew this was a big deal for him—hell, for all of us. We won big on this fight. Not only money but also status within this circle. And that can go a long way. Julien swaggered into the corner and Zander and I checked him over like we always do before slapping a one-armed hug on his back in congratulations. I knew it was the right move to bring Riley here. Riley's arrival at Pointebreak distracted him, and he’s focused on the wrong things for too long. Distractions get people killed in our world. Axel easily could have done more damage tonight. And I’m sure he’ll want a chance at a rematch sooner than later.
Julien had been nervous about fighting Axel, even if the asshole refused to admit it. Julien’s a big guy, not only but also muscles; but Axel’s bigger. I knew having Riley watching him would light the fire under his ass that he needed to win. There’s not a chance he would let that girl see him fail on any level. I’m glad I was right.
One moment she was there, and the next she wasn’t. My stomach dropped when she wasn’t where I left her. She fuckingpromised she would stay put. What part of that does she not understand? I rushed off in search of her, not even offering the guys an explanation of where I was going. But Zander would have noticed she wasn’t where I left her. Nothing gets by him, and I’m sure he will be on high alert until I give him the all clear. Contend isn’t the place to be alone, especially for her. Too many people know the claim Julien’s put on her now, no doubt students slipping that tidbit of information to their guardians. Hardened men attend these fights, and I wouldn’t put it past someone to put their own plan into action. What better way to bring down a king than taking his queen?
Julien Azarian may only be a student here, but his father has a lot of enemies who will do whatever it takes to bring him down.
