Page 52 of Jax

Jax’s hand lasers in on Psycho’s as if he can burn it right off—his dick along with it. It makes Psycho clench me tighter, and I grit my jaw. I’m about to get answers, and I don’t want to get into a pissing match with Psycho right now which is more than likely what he’s after.

Psycho smirks. “In the past, martial arts clubs would challenge each other for dominance. Masters would fight masters. Students would fight students. We’re going to do the same, except we won’t only get notoriety out of the deal, we’ll get the Ring and Elite Boxing.”

Psycho’s minions cheer, fists raised in the air. Half of them clap while the other half start high fiving each other like we’re at a football game.

I blink at Jax, wondering why the hell he agreed to this. I have no doubt Jax can kick his ass but Psycho won’t fight fairly, and that’s kind of Jax’s and Finn’s thing. They do everything by the book. They don’t color outside the lines. They value honor above all else.

So, it’s obvious who thought of this plan. Psycho doesn’t want to just take everything from Jax, he wants to humiliate him too.

“And you?” I ask Jax. “What do you get?”

“Someone who should’ve been by my side all along, Sadie. I get you.”

“Well,weget you. Technically,” Leenie says. She winks at me. “Hope you don’t mind a built-in best friend out of this deal.”

I smile, and my cracked lips split. “I like the sound of that.”

“Touching,” Psycho sneers. “First match. Let’s go.” He claps his hands and retreats to the circle.

Without warning, a fist flies toward my face and catches me high on the cheekbone, right alongside the bruise that’s already there. I spin away, holding my hand to my face as Jax spits out insults and tries to intervene while Finn holds him back.

Psycho only grins as his new girl comes for me again.

23

She hits me again, her knuckles cracking off my jaw. I stagger back and am pushed forward by Tiron. Everyone around the circle cheers for the new girl, and it sinks in that I’m the first fight.

Well, Jesus, it would’ve been nice to get a heads up.

She throws herself at me again, but I duck under her arm—my aching body resisting me the entire time—and move away, spinning to face her again. A bout of dizziness hits me, and I stagger backward. Jax takes a step toward me until I can feel him at my backside.

“Don’t interfere,” Psycho warns, standing there with his arms crossed and a dangerous smirk on his face.

Jax flat out ignores him and says, “You’re up first, baby. Take her out.”

My hands automatically tighten to fists as I assess her. She’s even more scantily clad than me. She hasn’t been here that long, so she has enough meat on her bones for her body to still look voluptuous and not too skinny like my own. She also wasn’t kept in a cell for the last few days like me, but in a way, I was in a better spot than her. I didn’t have to sleep with Psycho. Or deal with him and his bullshit. At least I had that.

The barely-there top she’s wearing flutters as she lunges for me again. I step out of her way, keeping my hands down and shaking out my fists. This was the girl I felt sorry for only a couple of minutes ago. I’ve lived on the streets for a long damn time. I’m scrappy as hell. With as banged up as I am, I could still take her. Call it the animal inside me. The leashed anger. I could let my wild, sadistic side free and have this finished in a few moments.

There’s just one thing. I can’t bring myself to do it.

Like Lyla, I recruited this girl. We saw her at a coffee shop, one scruffy bag on the table as she peered through it for change. Psycho and I bought her a cup and struck up a conversation. I was in the middle of scheming the old guy out of money, and we were on the lookout for our next victim since I’d pretty much nailed my current one. It was evident this girl wasn’t going to be it but right away, I saw how Psycho gravitated toward her. It wasn’t just that she was beautiful, she was vulnerable too.

Funny how I never put two and two together that he probably saw the same susceptibility in me too. He spoke softly to her, something he hadn’t done with me in a long time. He laughed at her shyness and it wasn’t long before I felt like the third wheel. A position I was happy to be in since he’d long past done it for me. I was happy to have her there to take the focus away, and god dammit, Jax is right. I am selfish. I knew he’d draw her in. He’d make her whatever he wanted, and I didn’t care because of what it did for me.

Psycho yells at her to hit me again, and she comes for me, swinging. I dodge out of the way, and the couple of people behind me catch her and stand her up again. “Fight!” she screams at me, her gaze dodging toward Psycho who’s at my back now.

I quickly move so we’re circling one another. Perspiration dots her brow and neck, and even though she’s looking at me like all she wants to do is kick my ass, I can’t bring myself to do the same. “I can’t do that,” I tell her.

“What?” Finn gasps from behind me. I peek over my shoulder to find the three of them staring at me, dumbstruck. They won’t get it right now but I’ll make them see. It’s not this girl’s fault. It’s not any of their faults.

Psycho’s new girl growls, throwing herself at me again. This time, she catches me off guard. Her swing hits me in the eye. New pain mixes with old pain and explodes like a firecracker. I block the rest of her blows with one eye closed, grab her hands, and then shove her off. “I’m sorry,” I tell her as she falls to her knees. Blinking, I try to get my eye to work right but it’s swelled up on me. With it comes a surge of anger but it’s misplaced. I’m not mad at this girl. I’m not mad at any of these guys. I never was. Since she came here, Psycho has been trying to make her and I compete for his affection but I didn’t give a fuck. This is another sick extension of that. “I wish I hadn’t helped bring you in here.”

Her long hair sticks to her neck as she whips around to face me again. Her eyes are half dead already. She was too innocent to bring back to this horrible place. I tried to tell Psycho that, but, of course, all he saw was another trophy. Another soldier in his lineup. He saw a girl who our male victims would trip over themselves for. I used to be that girl for him but life on the street hardened me. What used to be easy turned difficult. When it did, Psycho blamed me. He didn’t see that he’s the one who did it to me.

And he won’t realize it with her either.

A bell goes off, and Psycho reaches out to grab the girl’s hand and snatches her back. She falls to the floor, and he gets in her face. I stalk toward them, ready to tell Psycho to leave her the fuck alone, when a strong hand grips mine. “Sadie.”

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