Page 18 of Heir of Fire
For her sake, she hoped the girl was at least somewhat as pretty as Gianna. More was impossible, but significantly less attractive—although that was the most likely scenario—would just be tragic.
Gianna adjusted her outfit and ordered herself another drink. She took her seat next to Blair, who sat scrolling on her phone.
“What are you doing?” Gianna asked.
“Studying,” Blair said.
“How are you studying right now? We’re in the middle of a fight,” Gianna asked, completely dumbfounded.
“Actually, we’re in the middle of them wiping the ring clean of blood,” Blair said. “And I have an exam on Monday.”
“Allister’s not studying right now.”
“Exactly.”
Gianna rolled her eyes. “You can have fun sometimes.”
“I am having fun, but also that A isn’t going to happen by itself,” Blair said, waving her off.
Gianna huffed, leaning back in her seat. She was officially bored now. She needed something to really make Fight Night end with a bang now that Luna was gone, Cecilia was being held hostage, and Blair was studying. Something dramatic needed to happen.
The lights flickered on and off, directing all the attention back to the ring once again.
Gianna ignored it, instead accepting her drink from the waitress beside her. Considering how easy the other fights had been, this one was sure to be the same. She was rich now, yes, but all of them, even Augustus’s, were boring. They were sure wins and had no mystery in them.
Maybe she should call it a night and take Cecilia and Blair home with her.
She swallowed her drink, standing when her eyes caught someone familiar in the ring. It was Raphael. The same one that broke her heart in the club and left her nearly suffocating from a panic attack.
She felt the air get knocked out of her lungs. What was he doing here? Shirtless? With gloves on? Looking like he was going to fight someone?
This was supposed to be the last fight of the night. That didn’t make any sense. The last fight was reserved for the main event, for the person who was hosting, which would be Finn. Maybe there was another fight happening before the last one?
“Now, to introduce the man, the legend, the one you all came out to see tonight—Finn Kingsley!”
He stalked out from the locker room, his shorts hanging low on his hips and she hated the way her eyes immediately traced his body. There was a scowl on his face, one that promised destruction in his path. The cheers were louder than they had been all night as everyone knew a good show was coming, but that wasn’t what Gianna was focused on.
She was still stuck on the fact that Finn was headed straight into the ring towards Raphael.
Finn was fighting Raphael.
Why?
Ding. Ding. Ding.
ELEVEN
GIANNA
Gianna’s legshad a mind of their own when they carried her directly in front of the ring. She was so close now she could see the small hairs that covered Finn’s body under the bright lights.
Neither fighter went for the immediate first punch. Instead, they took their time assessing the situation. Raphael had told her that he used to box recreationally, and maybe that would come to benefit him now. But she wasn’t rooting for him.
No, she still rooted for the brunette boy who was far more toned than she cared to admit. Admittedly, she had always bet on Finn during every single Fight Night for the past couple of years. It got to the point where she didn’t even bother asking who his opponent was; she just placed her money on him.
It would have been stupid not to because he knew the ring. The way his eyes moved over his opponent to weigh out every option, and the way his muscles flexed and extended all proved that he was a professional.
When he fought, it wasn’t archaic like Augustus. It was art.
