Page 36 of Ambition

But Isadora took care of that. Of me, the moment I walked through the door.

I can do the same now, all these years later,for her.I owe her as is, for Halloween seven years ago. Maybe after this, things will feel better between us.

The guard glances at a small screen from a miniature laptop in front of him. I can read nothing on the screen since it’s angled away from me. The guard types with one hand, and presses what I assume is an enter key. Never does he remove his hand from his gun.

He turns to me and nods once. “Good luck.” There’s no amusement in his tone and as the iron gates creak open, it unnerves me more.

* * *

PRESENT

“How did you know?How did you know what to look for?” It’s all I can ask.

A voice from behind speaks instead of Von. “Mads Bentzen.”

I grit my teeth and glance over my shoulder to see Cain leaning against the wall beside the boxing ring. His hands are in his pockets, and he’s dressed impeccably, even this early in the morning. I don’t look away from him, waiting for more.

He tilts his head, dark eyes on mine. “I fixed his face, the best I can, anyway. He didn’t want to go anywhere else.” He turns his head, looking at something on the floor.

I follow his gaze and see right behind me there’s dried blood on the hardwoods. This enrages me more as I slowly turn to face Von again and I don’t remember doing it, don’t remember moving, but suddenly I’m right in front of him.

His lips are puffy, the split clearly visible, right in the center of his bottom one. His eyes seem unfocused, but he’s standing, and he’s whole.

“You took that from me.” I whisper the words, my fingers curled into fists at my side as I try to think of all the people I will need to speak to about this. All the ways I will have to hold my anger inside or I won’t be taken seriously.

Mads, my parents, Lora—Von’s mom. Perhaps I will have Cain there in the room as I try to fix this if he takes my side on it. I’m not sure he will yet, though. The well-done stitches in Von’s face indicate maybe Bonavich is proud of what he did.

And Mads lied to me already. He told Von everything when he came over, instead ofme,and he dismissed me immediately at his house on the pretense of Solemn.

I step closer, until I have to look up at Von, and he, down at me. His lip curls up, but he says nothing as he watches me.

“You took that from me.”I slap my hand against his chest, trying to knock him backward.

His body grows rigid, but he does not react otherwise.

But Iwanta fucking reaction. I hit him again, the heel of my palm colliding with his sternum. I see his eyes flash as his throat rolls, but still, he doesn’t move.

“Youtookit from me, and you knew I wanted it. You fucking knew. I don’t care what he did to you. You deserved it because it should never have been you. First you cut up shitIpaid for, leave it outside of my room like you’re a pathetic fucking dog, then youstealmy work.”

He says nothing. Does nothing. The stitches and redness on his face pisses me off in ways I cannot explain. Hopelessness, for me. Grief, for him. Something sick and aching in my gut.

I jerk back my hand to attack him again but this time, he shoots for my wrist and uses his hold to drag me closer, until my sneakers curve over top of his.

“Stop hitting me,” he snarls. “Or I will hit you back.”

“No.” Cain’s voice causes me to stiffen, my cheeks flushing hot as I remember my humiliation is being played out for a superior. “Not in front of me, you won’t.”

But with his words, I don’t care what he is. Keeping my gaze locked onto Von’s, I say, “You won’t step in, Cain. This is my fight. Don’t take this from me too.” Besides, I know Von won’t shove me. He can barely stand to choke me during the few times we’ve had sex, all that year after the infamous fucking Halloween when I needed him to hurt me. He couldn’t bear.

But he steals this so fucking easily.

His fingers tighten on my wrist as we glare at one another and I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing, about his pathetic rough sex when we were younger. “It’s done. Let it go, Isadora.”

“Ideservedthis. I wasearningthis. I—”

“You deserved it? Acting like a whore earns you shit now? Do you know what I had to do to get that information? HowIearned it?”

For a moment, his words don’t make sense.

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