Page 44 of Precious Legacy

Our kiss only lasts a second or two before he’s pulling away, a frown creasing his devastatingly handsome features. “You’re nervous,” he states.

I let out a breath as my gaze travels over the sea of bodies below us. “There’s just a lot of people here.”

He stares at me for a moment, but he doesn’t question me. It’s as if he can sense the gravity of my worries because without a word, he takes my hand and directs me and Haven to a large leather couch set back from the balcony edge. Dropping onto it, he tugs me into his lap, arms caging me against his hard body.“Say the word and I close this place down,” he tells me calmly. “Fucking in a warehouse is definitely on my bucket list.”

I laugh lightly, melting into his embrace.

His blue eyes are on me, searching for more than I’m willing to give him right now. Still, I can’t help but lose myself in his gaze. For a moment, the world fades into the background and it’s just me and him.

Me and him, and my fears that creep out from the darkness.

But then a loud bell rings from seemingly out of nowhere and it zaps me from the connection.

I dart my gaze over the balcony, where I can see the edge of the ring set out in the middle of the floor. Bodies crowd around the ropes, roaring and cheering as two men enter from either side.

This isn’t a legal fight, nor is it official in any standards. It just looks like two men with beef for one another, ready to take out their anger on the other.

Roman bristles beneath me, and as I turn to face him, I catch the evidence of his own uncertainty flash across his face for a moment. It’s so quick that I almost miss it.

The fight begins and the crowd gets louder, drowning out the music until it becomes mere background noise. In the ring, the fighters circle one another. There’s a noticeable size difference with each contender, but I sense that doesn’t really matter here. They’re not here for fair fights, they’re here to fight dirty and win money.

Fighter one is tall. He’s lean and has height on his side, as well as a six pack to boot. Whereas his opponent is at least a foot shorter, but has weight on his side. He’s got shoulders for days, muscles rippling under the spotlight now pinned on the ring.

The first fist flies, the taller guy going in for the attack, and the crowd goes wild. It doesn’t make much of an impact, but it gets the shorter fighter riled up. He lunges for his opponent,going in with a left jab, right hook combination that knocks the guy sideways.

The atmosphere is toxic, an addictive combination of adrenaline and excitement that has me eager for a better view.

The fighters go through four rounds before the tall guy is knocked out, his long body lying prone on the ring floor while the winner parades around him.

“Show off,” Haven mutters, sipping her drink.

At some point between rounds two and three of the first fight, my brother brings over some drinks. He’s been giving me the silent treatment all week, though, so he doesn’t fully greet me like he normally would.

“You should talk to him,” Roman suggests from behind me. His arms cage me against the balcony edge, where we’ve moved to watch the second fight.

“I’m enjoying watching,” I reply.

“You’ve got ten minutes before the next fight, Lani. Go speak to him.”

I twist in Roman’s arms, glaring at him. Though I know that won’t do much because we both know I’m too fucking weak for him now. “Fine,” I snap, pushing one of his arms out of the way. “But you owe me.”

Roman smirks, his eyes alight with mischief. “I look forward to it.”

Spinning around, I head straight for my brother lingering on the other side of the balcony. He must sense me immediately, because he darts his gaze to mine, halting me in my tracks.

“I come in peace,” I jest, raising my hands in the air.

“Good,” he grumbles. “Because your mood swings are really starting to piss me off.”

Ouch.Alvaro has never called me out like that—while I know I can be a moody bitch, he’s always been cool with me. We’retwins, we look out for one another, and I care about him more than he realizes. “I just came to… you know… clear the air.”

“It’s not really me you should be talking to,” he mutters.

“I know,” I sigh, stepping forward to join him on the balcony. I rest my forearms on the metal bar, relishing in the cold comfort it brings to my heated skin. “I’ll speak to them.”

“What was that all about, anyway? One minute we’re talking about doctors, and then you’re snapping about some stupid shit.”

I bristle at his words, desperate to hold my tongue.Now is not the time to bite back.“I’m just going through some stuff,” I explain. “What Dad said rubbed me the wrong way, and I reacted.”

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