Page 79 of Tainted Princess
Enzo was running an underground fight club.
The excitement that bubbled in my veins was immediate. This—this—was something I truly understood. This was what really got my blood pumping and my smile could not be dimmed.
In the center of the octagon, I could see several men lined up, on display like cattle at market, and the bookies in the crowd were doing brisk business tonight. The amount of money that would change hands would be staggering.
As much as I hated to admit it, Enzo was kind of brilliant. This entire production was taking place right under the sports bar, but because the walls had all been padded for freezing the meat that used to hang from the double high ceiling, it was practically soundproof.
I eyed the fighters where they had been paired off for the night, six men who were as different as could be, and I tried to make my own assessment for the outcomes, but there was one pairing in particular that caught my eye. There was a huge black man, his face appearing carved of stone and his shoulders and arms bulging with muscle, standing next to a blonde guy who, by comparison, appeared positively skinny, though on his own he was probably extremely fit. The blonde had a smile on his face that would not have been out of place in an insane asylum, and he was laughing and waving at the crowd like he had just been named Homecoming King.
Knowing he was going to be facing off against the huge guy next to him, blondie was either extremely confident in his abilities, or he was actually insane. Either way, I figured that’s where I’d place my money for the night.
I was considering making my way to the bookie line and laying down some actual cash, when someone bumped into me, causing me to stumble back into someone else, all of us colliding in a heap of limbs and spilled drinks.
“Hey! Watch it!” came the angry, grumbling voice of the person I had knocked into. Straightening up quickly, I whipped around, prepared to defend myself from whoever it was, but as soon as he looked at me, his scowl melted into a sly smile.
“On second thought,” he said, running a hand over his bald head, the tattoos inked on the sides of his skull barely visible in the dim lighting, “you can bump your fine ass into me any time you like, beautiful.” My mouth opened in shock as he licked his lips, showing off a tongue piercing as his eyes roved over my body in a way I could actually feel. “Name’s T. But you can just call meyourstonight.”
Before I could respond I was grabbed by small hands and spun around to face a gorgeous blonde woman, her eyes full of panic.
“Oh, my God. I amsosorry. Please, let me get you some drinks. On the house.” Her eyes darted around frantically, wide hazel eyes wet with tears. “Did they see?” she mumbled, her chest rising and falling as she struggled for breath. “I hope they didn’t see.”
Reaching out, I placed my hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention back to me. “Hey,” I said calmly. “It’s alright.”
“I’m sorry,” she said again. “I just really need this job. It’s my first night.”
“Well, don’t worry about it. I’m fine.” I shot a look to the bald man, T. His lustful gaze now taking in the scantily clad waitress in front of me. Scowling at him and earning a smug smile and a shrug in return, I looked back to the woman. “We are both fine, aren’t we?”
“I’ve never been better, gorgeous,” he said, shooting her a wink and making her blush. “Why don’t you just take a breath and come on over here? Me and my boys could use a few beers before the show. Our boy, Scratch, up there is gonna kick some ass tonight, and we need to make sure we are prepared to celebrate appropriately.” T gestured behind him to a group of leather clad bikers, the snarling dog on the back of their vests looking as menacing as some of the men themselves. Noticing my hesitation, T dropped his lecherous act and met my eyes, his face suddenly very serious. “Don’t let the look of us fool you, beautiful. We’re all good guys. No one’s gonna hurt her.”
Although he seemed serious, I was still debating when I heard my name being called.
“Francesca! Where did you get—Oh. Hi, Honey.”
“Lexi!” the waitress gasped, and the relief in her voice was palpable. “Lexi, I’m sorry. I just...” She gestured to the spilled drink tray on the floor, her lower lip visibly trembling.
“Hey. It’s okay, Honey. Don’t sweat it.” Lexi smiled, kicking the broken glassware to the side of the room. “No one is gonna give you shit for three dropped beers.”
“I just don’t wanna let him down, ya know?”
Lexi looked at her knowingly. “You won’t.”
Neither of them gave any indication whohewas.
Honey took a deep breath, closing her eyes and blowing it out slowly. She muttered something to herself under her breath, then opened her eyes and pasted on a smile. “Okay. I’m good. I’m good.”
“Excellent, because I want to introduce you to my friend, Francesca. Francesca, this is Honey. You may have seen her atTaste of Edenwhen you were there.”
I smiled at Honey, and she visibly relaxed.
“Oh, my God. Yes. Of course. I saw you. Of course, I did. But, holy smokes, do you look different! I mean, wow! Lexi, did you... wait. Lexi? What are you wearing?”
The glare Lexi shot me was absolutely vicious. “Let’s not talk about that, alright?” Turning back to Honey with a softened expression, she said, “Tell me how your first night is going.”
Honey blew out a breath. “It’s been intense, Lexi. But, overall, not too bad, if you don’t mind getting your ass pinched every five minutes.” Lexi and I shared a look but said nothing. “There’s a guy in a suit who’s been tipping me a hundred bucks per drink.” Honey blushed, biting her lower lip. “I don’t even think he’s drinking them.”
“Well, you just let me know if you need anything, alright?” Lexi said, giving Honey a squeeze. “But first, why don’t you get these Dogs their drinks? They came a long way to be here, so we better make ‘em comfortable, right?” She offered T a chin lift, and he nodded. It was then that I finally paid attention to the vests he and his crew wore.
The War Dogs MC, San Clemente, California.
