Page 82 of The Pact

We get to the edge of the ring, and I can tell that one of Roman’s eyes is swollen shut.

“Shit, I’ve never seen him like this,” Hunter croaks. “Ever.”

I scream when the other guy lands a blow to Roman’s face and he drops to one knee. I’m shaking and numb. I don’t know much about this type of fighting, but can’t he tap out?

“Tap out already, stop,” I call out to him, and his one good eye meets mine just as a knee jams into his side and he lets out a painful groan.

“Roman, stop,” Hunter calls out. He’s moving away from me, leaving me on the side to watch this alone. “Roman,” Hunter yells from the corner of the ring, and Roman looks over at him now, spitting blood on the mat.

I feel an arm come around my shoulder, and I flinch away, but it doesn’t help. The man holds me even closer.

“Ah, what do we have here…a little angel come to see her boy beaten?”

I look at the man. His eyes are wild, and I try to push away from him, but another man grips my chin and turns me to face him.

“Call out all you want. We own your boy right now, and you can say nighty night to him.” His finger digs into my chin as Roman looks over at me now. His eye flares with something wild, and he lets out a guttural cry.

God, Roman. What have they done to you?

He charge toward me, but the other guy in the ring appears in front of him. All I see is a spray of blood. It hits me, covering my hair and face. It’s the same for the two men beside me as Roman’s opponent hits the mat right in front of me and lets out a small moan before closing his eyes and going limp.

Holy fuck. Roman just knocked him out.

The guys beside me roar out in anger. Roman doesn’t stop; he steps over the guy laying there, bleeding out while the ref is trying to wake him, and he reaches down over the rope, grabs the scruff of the hoddie I’m wearing, and hauls me up and over the rope and into the ring.

“Roman, oh god,” I cry, my hands reaching out, wanting to touch him but not even knowing where to start that isn’t already bruised or broken.

He doesn’t look at me. He just carries me over to where Hunter is now beside Jace. I don’t have time to think about that. Roman’s injured, and he needs a hospital.

“Why did you bring her? I said to never bring her here,” he yells at Hunter.

Roman shoves me at Hunter and I turn, reaching out to Roman. He just spins and walks to the other side of the ring. My voice cracks as I call out his name, but he doesn’t turn around. He leaves the ring and me.

“What just happened?” I demand from Hunter as soon as I’m wrapped up in his arms.

He shakes his head and looks over to where Roman had walked away.

“I don’t know.”

Idon’t sleep at all. I can’t. Hunter has been out all night, looking for Roman. No one has seen him, and I’m worried something bad has happened. Like, he went to sleep and is so injured that he passed out and is bleeding to death.

My stomach won’t settle as I pace my room, biting my nails and thinking of all the bad things that could have happened.

Mila: did you try his dad again?

Hunter: yes, he hasn’t seen him.

Mila: the lake?

I’m grasping at straws here.

Hunter: tried there, Arthur is out looking for him too.

I can’t sit here, but I don’t have a car. Dad stayed over at Kate’s last night. He has no idea what’s going on, and I don’t want to tell him. Not yet. I don’t want him looking at Roman differently because of this.

His mom? Would he go visit his mom? Shit, why didn’t I think of that earlier?

I run down the stairs two at a time, shove my feet into my trainers, and run out to the shed. My old bike is there. It’s pink and covered in cobwebs. I pull it out, making a racket as I do. I place it down in front of me and test out the tires. They’re all good. I jump on and wobble a little. But I start to pedal, and it all comes back to me.

---