Page 204 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 11
Why was the football team doing this? Boxing for fun? It was literally the stupidest idea I’d ever heard. If one of them got really hurt they’d be out for the season. And I knew a few of them wanted to play in college.
I could still hear the Hunter and Semenov chants in the back hallway. There was a line to the bathroom and I didn’t want to just stand there and listen. So I opened the closest door and ran into a dark room.
I pressed my back against the closed door and took a deep breath.
The chanting was quieter back here.
But every time I closed my eyes I saw blood on Liam. And on Jacob. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. Watching them play football was bad enough. I always worried about them getting injured. But boxing for fun? I shook my head. Boys were idiots.
I knew Liam was going to be mad at me for stopping the fight. But he didn’t understand what it was like when he was a baby.I thought I was going to lose him then. And I didn’t realize how much that fear had stuck with me.
I closed my eyes again and pictured the red stain on the carpet in the family room. My mom had lost so much blood when Liam had come early. My tears started falling faster. I wasn’t supposed to see the blood. Ellen had been scrubbing it nonstop. She was the best housekeeper in the world and even she couldn’t get the stain out. Eventually they had to pull out the carpet and get another.
I’d thought Liam was going to die.
I’d thought my mom was going to die.
I tried to shake away the memories. I used to have nightmares about them. But it had been a while. Seeing the blood on Jacob’s face though… Why would anyone purposely fight till knockout when something so terrible could happen?
I took a deep breath to try to make my heart stop racing. It was fine. Jacob was going to stop the fight. I wasn’t sure I could even hear the Hunter and Semenov chanting anymore. It was going to be okay.
I almost believed it too.
But then I heard a hiss.
I jumped.What the…
I heard a louder hiss and something clanged against the side of a cage I couldn’t see in the dark. There was another really drawn out hissssss and I swear I actually heard a slither.
Snakes.
Of all things…
Why had I gone into a room with snakes? I always had a bad habit of opening doors I wasn’t supposed to open. I turned and tried to find the knob in the dark.
There was another hissing noise, and this one sounded closer.
I finally made contact with the doorknob and threw it open. The hall was dimly lit but the faint light was still blinding compared to the darkness of the room. I lifted my hand to shield the light.
But someone from behind me grabbed my hand before it reached my eyes. Maybe they thought I was reaching out to them? But I didn’t even know who it was…
He laughed. Probably because I accidentally just squealed.
I turned to see, but he had disappeared into the room filled with snakes I’d just escaped from. And he was pulling me along with him.
Wait…no…But the fear from the snakes had somehow made my voice fail.
He pulled me back into the snake infested room. The door closed behind us with a click.
I tried to warn him and scream but nothing came out.
I heard the hissing sound again. Seriously was that getting closer? But all the fear dissipated when the stranger’s lips pressed against mine.
I put my hand on his chest to shove him back. But my fingers collided with a bare six-pack.
Wait.
Oh.
