Page 123 of Beautiful Fiend

“Oh! Come on in, then!” The voice says excitedly as the gates open for me.

I walk to the entrance and a middle-aged blonde woman greets me. “Hi, I’m Lana. I’m Carla’s stepmother. Carla is in her gym training right now. I’ll walk you to the back.”

The girl has her own personal gym. While Billie must count her cents to put gas in her car and get to the shitty boxing gym Dickie owns, Carla Rupert has herown gym. Talk about unfairness.

I smile politely and let her walk me to the back of the house, into the backyard, and to their small guest house. The one they turned into a training gym.

Lana knocks on the door, but the loud music must mean Carla can’t hear anything. She opens the door and waves me in. “Just go in. She is somewhere in there.”

“Would you like to warn her I’m coming? I don’t want her to think a stranger broke in.”

Honestly, I don’t give a shit, but I have to keep up appearances.

“Oh, I’m not allowed in there. I’m her stepmother…you know how kids are at that age.”

What fucking age? I’ve got no idea how old she is.

“Ain’t that right,” I smile.

Turning my back to Lana, I walk into the gym and notice Carla hitting a bag at the back. Before going to her, I grab her phone connected to the speakers and turn off her music.

She looks away from the bag and at me.

“Who are you?” she gasps. Her eyes look me up and down, taking in the tattoos on my arms and scarred knuckles. She notices the letters I’ve got there. K.I.N.G.

She gulps, understanding who she’s facing, whereas Lana had no clue.

“I’m Caden,” I smile. “I want to talk about your next fight.”

She puts two and two together quicker than I expect her to. “You’re here because I beat up Billie. I won fair and square. You can’t retaliate after a fight—”

“I’m not here to hurt you,” I cut her off. “I’m here to ask for a favor.”

“A favor?”

“I want you to pull out of the competition.”

She chuckles and takes off her gloves slowly. “If I forfeit, Killer Clover will be the winner. Not Billie.”

“Not forfeit. Pull out and put in a special request to give your win to Billie.”

“It’s just an amateur boxing competition,” she mocks me.

“For you,” I snap.

Narrowing her eyes at me, she takes her time to think. She drops her gloves to the floor and comes closer to me.

“What do I get in return?” she finally says, looking me up and down.

“That’s a question only you can answer. What do you want?”

“Thirty thousand dollars.” Her answer is so fast I almost lose my breath.

“Thirty—are you out of your fucking mind?”

“You clearly love the girl to come all the way here and ask this. I think thirty grand will be my cheapest offer.”

“I could simply kill you next time you go a little too close to the North Shore. Problem solved. So how about you rethink that offer?”

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