Page 41 of Unraveling an Enigma
“We are going to go buy it,” I informed her, waggling my brows. “We just have to make one small detour before we get there.”
Grasping her hand within mine, I jogged down the slippery, icy grounds, dragging a giggling Ophelia behind me. Once she was safely buckled in my black car, I hopped into the driver’s seat and took off down the street. The massive compression of my foot on the accelerator made my car skid out of control on the icy roads. Once I regained control of my car, my eyes peered over to Ophelia. Her eyes were slitted, and she was glaring at me angrily. After mumbling a quick apology, I continued on our route.
Ophelia had been working at Buck’s Diner for the past six months saving up to buy a car. All my money I earned fighting was locked in a high-interest account, and with the way the stock market was going, it would have been ludicrous for me to sell any shares I had, but with the money from the fight that night, I could buy Ophelia the car she had been working so hard to save for.
When I pulled into the old gym where the underground fights were located, Ophelia’s fretful eyes turned to mine. “What are we doing here?” she questioned apprehensively.
“This is the quick detour we need to make first,” I replied before jumping out of my car and running around to the passenger side to help her out. Before I could get to her door, Ophelia had opened it and was standing outside. Her hands had splayed her hips, and her nostrils expanded with every breath she took.
“Please, Isaac, tell me you don’t participate in any of the events they hold here,” she requested, her face marred with panic.
I balk, shocked. I was unaware she knew about the events in that old gym.Before I could answer her question, Cormack was at my side, slapping my shoulder in greeting. He smiled and winked before giving Ophelia a quick hug.
“Can you believe it? Twenty G’s,” Cormack announced excitedly.
After wrapping his arm around my broad shoulders, Cormack strolled toward the entrance of the old rundown warehouse. Ophelia followed behind us. Needing time to prepare my body for the fight, we walked straight into the locker rooms located at the back of the arena. I commenced a dynamic warm-up routine while Ophelia nervously paced back and forth. She mumbled incoherently and cursed several times in a row under her breath. Her angry strides only halted when Cormack left the room.
“Please don’t do this,” she begged.
I placed the jump rope onto the wooden bench before standing in front of her. Ophelia’s pupils were wide, her face pale. She looked like she was going to be physically ill.
“I won’t get hurt,” I assured her.
Call me cocky, but the chances of me being beaten that night were non-existent as far as I was concerned.
“This isn’t you,” Ophelia replied, her tear-filled eyes staring into mine. “This isn’t the person I fell in love with.”
My heart leaped in my chest. That was the first time Ophelia had told me she loved me. Hearing her say it made me feel invincible. Grasping both of her cheeks in my hands, I kissed her firmly on her gaped-open mouth.
I pulled back from our embrace and glanced into her light brown eyes. “I love you too, baby.”
I laid a towel down on the dirty concrete floor. My muscles needed to be warm to ensure they sustained less injury during the match.
“If you love me, you won’t do this,” Ophelia said, her voice barely a whisper.
I stopped halfway through a sit up. My heart plunged into my stomach as my narrowed gaze peered over at her.
“If you fight tonight, you’ll never see me again,” she warned, her tone stern and her gaze angry.
“What?” I replied, baffled. I know some people may see the sport of boxing as brutal, but at the end of the day, it is still asport. It is included in the Olympics, for fuck’s sake.
“I love you, Isaac, but if you do this, I’ll leave you,” she stated, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
My mind spiraled as my stomach lurched. I loved Ophelia. She was the first girl I’d ever loved, but she stood in front of me, giving me an ultimatum. She was forcing my hand. At the time, I was conflicted. I’d never been issued an ultimatum before, but I loved Ophelia enough that I would have done anything for her. So, with a small amount of hesitation, I jumped off the floor, put my shirt back on, then grasped her hand in mine.
We weaved in and out of the hundreds of attendees preparing to watch the fight. The atmosphere that night was electrifying. A constant hum of noise surrounded us as we briskly strolled down a narrow hallway. The pit in my stomach became heavier with every step we took because I was walking away from the one thing that gave me the financial security I so desperately craved.
Cormack’s brows lowered when I walked by him, exiting the registration room, but the confusion tainting his face vanished the instant he spotted Ophelia’s panicked expression. In silent support, Cormack patted my shoulder on the way by. When we left the corridor where the lockers are located, I crashed into a solid chest. Every attempt I made to sidestep the person was fruitless because they kept moving back in my way, blocking my exit.
Blood coursed through my veins at a rapid pace as my jaw tremored. When I lifted my angry eyes, I came face to face with the soulless eyes of Col Petretti. He was the most ruthless man I'd encountered in my time fighting in the underground fight ring. He never threw in the towel, even when his fighter was in well over his head. He didn’t bat an eyelid when his fighters were stretchered off the mat nearly beaten to death. He was a monster, and I wanted to get Ophelia far away from him.
“If you leave now, you’ll never see Ophelia again,” Col threatened me, his stern voice rumbling down the hallway. My eyes darted between his while striving to work out how the fuck he knew Ophelia’s name.
“Papa.” My head flung back to stare at Ophelia in disbelief. I assumed I hadn’t heard her right. Not only did she know Col Petretti, she was his daughter?
“You not only betrayed yourself, but you betrayed your family,” Col spat in disgust, his furious eyes glaring at Ophelia.
I pulled Ophelia behind me in a protective stance. I didn’t care if Col was her father or not, he will not threaten her in front of me. The instant I seized Ophelia’s wrist, the gentleman at Col’s side pulled out a gun. The barrel of his pistol pinched my left temple. If I’d learned anything during my time in the fighting circle, it was to never show my fear. So, I strengthened my stance and glared into the eyes of the soulless man in front of me. Our intense standoff only lasted for mere seconds, although, at the time, it felt like hours.
