Page 71 of Rush
My hands tightenedaround the magazine, crumpling the pages as my mind flooded with confusion. What the fuck was I supposed to do with this? Right now, minutes before I had to walk out there and fight Markov, what the fuck was I supposed to do?
There was a knock at the door, and a member of the crew poked his head in. “Harper? You’re up.”
Tossing the magazine on the bench, I pushed it all aside—the heartache and the confused longing—and went to face another kind of destiny.
28
Jade
By the timewe arrived at Rod Laver Arena, I was a ball of anxiety.
Once we were ushered through the security checkpoint at the competitor’s and staff entrance, Ash gave me a ringside ticket and directed me out into the arena. Overwhelmed by the amount of people filling the space, I found the block of seats right down beside what I now knew was called the octagon. The ring wasn’t a traditional square shape but a mesh cage that had eight sides.
Logos for every company that sponsored the AUFC were plastered everywhere there was space. Ads for sports drinks, active wear, car companies, and fitness brands flashed on the big screen as they prepared the center stage for the next fight of the night.
Edging down the row, I found my seat. As I sat, a woman glanced at me curiously. She was athletic looking, her dark brown almost black hair pulled back into a perky ponytail. She was quite pretty with her long lashes and perfect skin, and I glanced away before she thought I was staring for all the wrong reasons.
“Hi, I’m Ren,” the woman said with a friendly smile. “You must be Jade. Ash said you were coming.”
“Yeah,” I said. “That would be me.”
“I’m Ash’s wife,” she explained. “We co-own Pulse Fitness.”
“Oh,” I exclaimed, sitting up straighter. That explained a lot.
A familiar face leaned around Ren and grimaced at me. Alphonso Cole gave me one hell of a greasy look before raising his eyebrows at Ren, who was blatantly ignoring him.
“Cole,” I said, knowing better than to use his full moniker at a time like this.
“Nice story, Forsyth,” he replied, glancing back.
“Does everyone know?” I muttered, leaning back in my chair.
“You were the one who put it in the newspaper,” Cole retorted before turning serious. “Hey… Ry told me about Hunter, but I didn’t realize…”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I didn’t splash my downfall over the headlines for sympathy.”
“It’s one hell of a gesture,” Ren said. “You’ve got big lady balls.”
“Yeah, well, I hope they’re big enough to get Ryan’s attention.”
My head twisted back to the octagon as the next fight was announced, Peter Markov versus Ryan Harper.
This was it. Ryan’s big break. I edged forward in my seat until I was practically on the floor.
When he walked out into the spotlight, wearing nothing but his tight shorts and padded gloves, my breath caught. He was a formidable presence, looking every bit the alpha male I’d fallen in love with. Under that chiseled surface was a heart of gold and a softness I’d been lucky enough to experience firsthand. And after today…I hoped with every fiber of my being he would want to experience a great deal more with me.
“The other guy looks tough,” I said, glancing at Ren. “Is he tough?”
“Ryan’s a great fighter,” she replied reassuringly. “He’ll do good.”
As the fight began, I hoped she was right.
Ryan’s body twisted and turned, his fists landing on his opponent like lighting strikes in a thunderstorm. When they grappled, he twisted his strength and gained the upper hand. When the referee awarded him points, I leapt to my feet and cheered.
Another round began, and the blood started flowing. Ryan was hit in the eye, and his eyebrow looked like it was split. Blood was during down his face, but no one stopped to clean it up. Was that normal? It must be if the referee kept the bout going.
Ryan shook his head and swiped at his eye like the blood was distorting his vision. The other guy attacked, and they crashed into the side of the octagon and grappled. Locked together, they both struggled to free their arms, and then Ryan managed to pull his right away and clipped the other guy in the ear. He slipped, then Ryan took him down, gaining another point.
