Page 39 of Ruthless Legacy

She laughs as she bobs on her feet, eager to fight me. She holds out her glove and I tap mine against hers. It is all banter, but in the ring, you always have respect for your opponent. Dev rings the bell and we begin. Hell Cat bounces on her feet and attempts to throw the first punch, but I duck and get a jab in on her side. We’re well matched in size, and she is nimble on her feet, but I’m faster and I’m quicker with my jabs. When the final bell rings, I know I’ve won.

“Your winner and one to watch good people: The Red Raven!” Dev raises my arm in the air and the crowd goes wild, chanting my name.

As I step out of the ring, Rafe hands me a towel. Seb and Verity are with him, but Archer isn’t here, and I feel a twinge of disappointment.

“He’s gone to get ready for his fight, but you should know he stayed and watched enraptured until the final bell,” Vee tells me, giving me a knowing wink. “I have to say. You were on fire in that ring, girlfriend. Rafe, wasn’t she hot as sin in there?”

Rafe shrugs as he drapes an arm over her shoulder, and he gestures for me to follow them. Seb passes me a bottle of water. I go to take my bag off his shoulder, and he shrugs me off. “I got it Little Red,” he insists with a smile and a nudge to my shoulder.

“You were the one who stuck the tongue in, weren’t you?” I ask him as we walk behind Rafe and Verity.

Seb’s response is to laugh. “Busted. I had to take my one and only opportunity to go for it Little Red. Although Archer’s likely to kick my arse for it later.”

“Is he telling me the truth when he says everyone has to do what I did in there tonight?” I ask him quietly and he wraps an arm over my shoulder, pulling me into his side.

“He is Red. All of us have. So don’t sweat it or worry about it. Besides, you’re one of us now and we protect each other with our lives. I’ll always have your back and so will Archer.” I snigger in disbelief. “It’s true Red. If there is one thing about my friend. He’s loyal, and he’d do anything for another Ace.”

“Even kill someone?” I ask, joking.

“Even that,” Seb replies with a serious face, and I wonder for a moment if I want to know just how true that statement is. Nothing would surprise me in this fucked up bay.

Seb pushes through to the front of the ring, and we stand alongside Vee and Rafe, who are all touchy feely tonight. It’s strange to watch as even though I know they’re more or less engaged, I’ve never seen them be affectionate with each other like they are tonight.

Seb catches me watching them and he nods his head. “Struggling to get your head around them? Truth is, they’re perfect for each other.”

“It doesn’t bother him that she sleeps with other people?”

Seb shakes his head. “They’re both enjoying being young and free before the reality of our world traps them in its clutches.”

I take a swig of my drink as I process his words. “Are you expected to marry someone your family chooses?”

He grins. “Maybe I am. Maybe it’s you?”

Laughing in response, I jab him in the ribs. “You could do a lot worse.”

Seb kisses my head affectionately with a chuckle. “I’d be more than happy to have you, Little Red.”

“Would you though?” I ask him, my playful expression turning sober.

He sighs and takes a drink from his bottle of beer. “What do you think? They had already planned our lives out for us before we took our first steps. It’s fucked up, but that’s how it is.”

“You could say no,” I suggest casually.

“It’s not that easy. Here he comes.” He gestures with his head towards the ring, and I forget what we were talking about the minute I lay eyes on Archer. He steps into the ring in just his black shorts, his chest bare and his hand of aces tattoo there above his heart. His eyes briefly find mine before he turns his attention to his opponent. Holy smoke, he looks good up there. My ovaries swoon and beg me to make babies with him.

The bell rings and the match begins; I’m enraptured watching him fight. I’m with him every punch and jab and from the side-lines I push him on.

“Fuck him up Savage,” I shout as he jabs the older Silver brother in the stomach and dodges a right hook from him.

When the bell rings and Dev announces Archer as the winner, I cup my mouth with my hands and whoop and cheer. Seb offers me his fist and I bump mine with his. Archer was savage in the ring. Silver’s brother gave a good fight, but Archer dominated him from the second the bell rang.

Archer shakes hands with Silver and he says something in his ear and Luca Silver laughs and nods. I gulp when Archer jumps down out of the ring right in front of me. Seb throws him a towel, and he wipes the sweat off his face. My tongue begs me to lick the bead of perspiration dripping down his chest and I have to give my head a shake.

“You fight good,” I tell him, and I get a smirk in response. I don’t get a chance to say anything further to him as a girl comes bounding over and pushes herself in front of Archer.

“Hey Arch.” She places her hand on his chest. “I was wondering when you’d be back in the ring. Are you coming back to mine?”

I blink, staring at the back of her head. Who the fuck is this?

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