Page 49 of A Knight’s Revenge: The Complete Series

CHAPTER TWELVE

JOLIE

I t was the best fight I’d ever witnessed.

Zach and Max matched each other punch for punch, kick for kick, block for block. The power and speed on display was breathtaking, and I could see the mutual respect blooming within both of them as the fight progressed, despite the colorful insults they continued to chirp at each other.

“Paralyzed” by The Used pumped through the gym’s speakers as they danced around the ring. Max’s left eye was swelling and turning purple while blood oozed from a cut on Zach’s forehead.

The crowd was wild, cheering and oooh-ing when someone got in a particularly great hit.

With the raucous atmosphere and the thrill of the fight, I didn’t notice two more strange hooded figures slink through the doors and work their way into the crowd until they appeared on either side of me where I was plastered up against the cage fence.

“Well, we found him,” Noah said with a sigh, lowering the hood of his gray sweatshirt. His blond hair was mussed, his cheeks flushed from the winter cold, and it was painfully adorable.

“Yep.” Bennett’s big body loomed next to me, his face shrouded in his own dark hoodie, but I could see his keen eyes taking in Zach and Max as they tangled together again .

I snorted. “Did you two lose your buddy? He wander off without telling Mom and Dad?”

Bennett turned that cool gaze on me, taking in my face in that intense, calculated way of his, before he said, “We always know each other’s whereabouts. We keep each other safe. He shouldn’t have left without telling us where he was going.”

It warmed my heart a little to hear how much they still looked out for one another—something I could’ve had with them, maybe, if the Families hadn’t stolen everything from me.

Shoving away the bitterness that clawed at me, I just said, “I hope you didn’t bring the McLaren down here.”

Noah snorted a laugh as Bennett wrinkled his nose in disgust. “God, no. We took a ride share.”

“How pedestrian,” I drawled.

Zach grunted as Max landed a solid kick on his torso, then he retaliated by tackling Max to the ground. They rolled around, fighting for dominance, both of them looking like they were having the time of their lives.

“I take it Zach came looking for you and got… sidetracked?” Noah asked.

“Pretty much.”

“Reckless,” Bennett muttered.

“Understandable,” Noah retorted.

Dom made his way over to me, excitement lighting up his dark-brown eyes. “I’m going to call it,” he said. “What a clinic, though.” Before he turned back, his eyes snagged on my new friends and narrowed in suspicion. “Spencer. Hargraves.”

“Sir,” they both said, giving Dom very respectful nods of acknowledgement.

“Hmm” was all Dom said, and he gave me a pointed look before he waded into the middle of Zach and Max.

My jaw dropped as my wide-eyed stare bounced between Noah and Bennett. “Seriously? You three have said so much ridiculous shit to me, and yet you just gave Dom more respect than I’ve seen you give any other human being.”

Noah gave me a confused look, sincerity shining in those baby blues. “He saved you, didn’t he? ”

“Yes. He did.”

Noah nodded, and then said, like it was obvious, “We owe him everything.”

Bennett grunted in agreement, and the bitterness loosened its claws.

“Alright! Time’s up!” Dom yelled, physically yanking Max backwards by his shorts before he could charge at Zach again. “It’s a draw! Great fight, gentlemen.”

The onlookers gave a rousing round of applause before dissipating, everyone headed back to whatever they’d been doing before Zach and Max decided to beat the shit out of each other for our entertainment.

The two of them wandered over to where I still stood between Noah and Bennett, Max pulling his shirt on over what appeared to be a substantial bruise forming on his torso while Zach used his to mop up the blood running down his face.

“Did you two get that out of your system?” I asked, scowling.

“Fuck no,” Zach replied, chuckling. “That was the best fight I’ve had besides the one I had with you, except even better because I didn’t want to hit you. I definitely wanted to hit this motherfucker.”

“Anytime, dickhead,” Max retorted, but he was smiling wide. As he went to gather the strands of his long black hair that had escaped their knot during his fight, his eyes landed on Noah. “Oh, hey, what’s up, Nick?” he asked casually.

Noah glowered at him, charming smile nowhere to be found.

Max’s gaze moved to Bennett, and he made a show of eyeing him up and down like he was a juicy, delicious piece of meat. He purred, “And… Spencer . How’s it going, big man?”

I sighed. My brother’s every interaction with my ex-best friends was just an exciting delight.

“Hilarious,” Bennett intoned, finally losing his hood to give Max his pissiest look. “Apparently Zach failed to teach you not to run your mouth at us.”

“Bennett, goddamn it,” I groaned as Max’s eyes lit up.

“Let’s fucking go, then, big boy,” he said, jerking his head back toward the center of the empty cage. “I’ll happily put you arrogant fuckers in your place all day long, especially if you’re going to come down here to my turf to harass my sister. ”

“Nobody is harassing?—”

“She’s not your sister ?—”

Apparently Max was somehow the secret sauce to Bennett losing his usual unflappable mien, because he ignored Zach and Noah’s protests and just bounded right over the fence, stalking to the center of the ring and tossing his sweatshirt aside to reveal his usual long-sleeved crew T-shirt.

My hopes of finally seeing him shirtless were dashed when he angrily shoved his sleeves to his elbows, glaring at a giddy Max.

“Nope.” I hopped over the side and into the cage, pulling a Dom and grabbing Max by his shorts before he could bounce back into the ring. “You’re tired, and I will not watch you take any more hits today. Also, take a break from stirring shit with them, please.”

Max stuck his lower lip out at me in a dramatic pout. “But Jojo , I wanna play with Spencer.”

“Too bad.” I shoved him back toward the side where Noah and Zach now stood out on the floor, whispering to each other as they looked on. I turned to face Bennett. “He’s mine.”

“Jojo, what?—”

“Not a good idea, Princess?—”

“Jolie! Come on ? — ”

I ignored them all and charged at Bennett, taking his surprised ass right to the ground.

We hit the floor hard, and I rolled us, scrambling on top of him as he got his bearings. I jammed my knee in his gut as he blocked a punch I’d aimed at his pretty face, and then he threw me off of him in a practiced move that told me he was no slouch in the ring.

“Stop. Fighting. Me,” he growled, getting to his feet to face me as I did the same.

“Never,” I retorted in a harsh whisper.

Some of the crowd had trickled back over now that Bennett Spencer was in the cage, their whistles and shouts egging us on.

“Yeah, kick his ass, Jojo!”

“The Southside Heir’s gonna fuck you up, Spencer!”

Stifling a laugh, I dove at him again, and he fought me back to the ground, throwing his big body on top of me. He barked at me again, “Stop it, Jolie. Do not make me hurt you.”

I bared my teeth at him like an animal. “I’ll never just fucking roll over for you, Bennett. ”

“I’m not telling you to roll over. I’m telling you to stop fucking starting shit you can’t finish!”

“I’ll fucking finish everything I start, asshole,” I hissed, rolling us again so that I was on top, straddling his hot, hard body. “Get it through your thick skull.”

He tossed me off, reversing our positions and slamming me down onto my back, and he gripped my throat in a firm, possessive hold with his big hand. He leaned in, his lips inches from mine and his body vibrating with tension.

“Stop trying to make an enemy of me,” he rumbled. “Of us . It shouldn’t fucking be this way, Jolie. You know it. Give it up .”

I let out a scream of rage. “Fuck you, Bennett!” I tore his hand from my throat and wrapped my legs around him, flipping us again so I could take my frustration out on his body with my fists, but I was thwarted when I was unceremoniously hauled off him and into strong arms.

“That’s enough of that,” Zach said before passing me to Max.

Zach then pulled a seething Bennett off the ground and promptly jammed a hand into his chest to stop him from stalking over to me, presumably to continue his lecture.

“Cool it, dude. We get it. You two still have some shit to work through.”

Noah joined us, yanking me away from Max and into his own arms to look me over with a concerned frown.

“He didn’t get you anywhere, did he?”

“He wishes,” I spat.

“No, he doesn’t,” Noah snapped back. “Stop thinking the worst of us, sweetheart. Please .”

“Hey, you five!” Dom had returned to yell at us through the fence wire. “You’re done for the day. Head home and stop distracting my patrons.”

“Yes, sir,” Bennett replied, wiping his brow. “We apologize for the… spectacle.”

I turned to once again gape at him incredulously. “What the fuck?”

It was Dom’s turn to smirk at me, like he was enjoying the fact that the Heirs of the Four Families were treating him like a man they cared to impress. “I’ll see you guys later. All of you, I’m sure.”

Then he moved on, headed to the other side of the gym to check in with one of his trainers .

Max chuckled. “Well, peace out, assholes. Unless you want to hop on the bus with us back to Olde Town?”

“Fuck no,” Zach replied, pulling his keys from the pocket of the sweatpants he’d managed to pull back on after his fight, hiding those shapely, muscular legs—to the disappointment of every person in this gym attracted to men. “I’ll drive.”

“You parked the Ferrari out there?” I asked. It would stick out like a sore fucking thumb in this neighborhood.

“Shotgun!” Max shouted, bolting for the door.

Zach threw his arm around my shoulders. “The car’s fine. Let me drop you and Maxy boy at your house before I run these assholes back to the Academy. Then I’ll be back in time to tuck you in.”