Page 56 of Dukes of Peril

The height gives me just the leverage I need to plant my heel into her jaw.

“Ah!” she cries, hands flying up to cover her chin. “Fucking cunt!” Before Haley can lunge back toward me, Ballsack grabs her, wrenching her away.

I don’t need to look over my shoulder to know Nick’s the one holding me. I can smell his warm scent, see the tattoos on his knuckles, the flash of his gold ring.

“Easy there, beautiful,” he says, arms like manacles.

When I do look at him, he’s got a small smile on his lips. Of course, he’s loving this. I jab him in the gut, trying to work out of his grip.

“Let me fucking go!”

“Can’t, Little Bird,” he says, tightening his arms. “Haley will rip your goddamn eyes out.”

My eyes bug out. I can’t even imagine how crazed I must look. “You’re worried aboutme? You better be fucking worried about her!” In my struggle, my ass brushes against his crotch and I freeze, shooting him an incredulous look. Is that a–?

Fucking Nick, I swear to God….

“That’s enough!” Sy shouts, standing between us. I spot Remy, the cause of this fight, standing a few feet away. He’s running both hands through his hair, raking hard, eyes tense and halfway to wild. Sy says, “This isn’t how we handle our problems!”

“Oh, bullshit, Perilini.” Someone barks out a laugh. All eyes look over to who would interrupt Sy. It’s Bruce. “A fist fight is exactly how we’d handle this. Or are you just sexist? Only guys can fight, not chicks?”

Bruce is being Bruce, stirring the fucking pot. But my heart pounds, because all I want to do is show this little cunt exactlywhyI’m the Duchess.

Sy’s eyes flick to mine and I plead silently. I need to show these women I can lead them. That we can work together, not tear each other apart. We had a good moment before, all of us on the same page, until she ruined it.

Haley needs to be put down, and I have to be the one who does it.

Recognition flares in Sy’s eyes, and he gives me a nod. “Fine. But Dukes don’t fight on the fucking dinner table.” His eyes flick over my shoulder, across the gym. “We settle it in the ring.”

10

Remy

Sy lookspissed when he struts up to me, thrusting a finger in my face. “This is your mess. You’re setting up the mat.”

Even though he follows me to supervise–something that’s always annoyed the shit out of me–I take it like a man, wrenching open the supply closet. Like it’s not bad enough that she won’t even touch me, that she’ll hardly even fucking look at me, now this.

I can’t get away from my mistakes for one night.

But that’s the thing, right? It was more than one mistake. It was a series of them. The slow slide into not taking my meds. The paranoia. Chasing the mania instead of shutting it down. A million little infractions that snowballed into hurting the woman I love.

Grabbing one of the rolled up mats, I drag it out and across the floor to the ring and pretend like there’s not a tiny part of my brain still thinking about bailing out of here and getting high. At least my shoulder is almost better, barely giving a twinge when I heft the equipment out.

Some of the DKS boys watch me and Sy with curious eyes, and it picks at my awareness like a scab.

“They’re not used to it,” Sy mutters, helping me with the last mat. “Usually, the Dukes are…” He cuts me a dark look as we carry it across the gym. “Well, you know.”

“Free to fuck all the cutsluts they want,” I conclude, the words tasting sour and gray on my tongue. Glancing behind me to navigate, I add, “But we’re not other Dukes.”

Sy’s eyes harden. “No, we’re not.”

“And she’s not the usual Duchess.” I drop my end when we reach the ring, looking around to make sure no one’s in hearing distance. “You know what I don’t get?” I say, kicking the mat so it rolls across the flat surface. “I’m not trying to rub salt in old wounds or anything, but bro. You seriously fucked her up.”

His jaw hardens, eyes fixed to the ties on the mat. “I know.”

“No, you don’t.” Shaking my head, I explain, “Verity had to take her to the clinic. She spent four fucking days locked away up in that loft. Missed some classes, wouldn’t even read the books Nick brought her–”

Sy shoots up, snapping, “Get to the fucking point. I don’t want to hear that shit.”

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