Page 283 of Blackwood

BARINOV.In black rhinestones. Right over her heart.

Ellie jogs out from the sideline, carrying a pair of purple and black heels and a towel. She tosses the towel at Bella’s head.

She flashes me a wink, slow, smug, and fucking lethal, like she knows she just branded my name across her chest and lit my soul on fire doing it.

Then she cracks her neck and glares up at Knox. “Okay, fucker. Let’s go.”.

Knox points to his backup DJ. “Hit it.”

“Right Thurr” by Chingy blasts through the gym like it’s 2004 again. What follows is chaos. Glorious, ratchet, Wexley-certified chaos. They switch off verses, each one trying to out-perform the other. Bella goes full stripper squat during her first chorus, throwing her hair like it’s a weapon. Knox tries to mimic it, fails spectacularly, and the whole gym loses their minds.

They do finger guns, body rolls, exaggerated air-humps. Knox even rips off his shirt halfway through and twirls it like adamn helicopter. Bella mocks him right back, throws invisible money at him, then turns around and twerks like the floor is her stage and the devil’s her hype man.

I think I black out somewhere around that part. Cade’s crying from laughter beside me.

When its over, Bella and Knox hug like the insane duo they are, arms flung, laughing, and still half-wet from the rain stage. She wipes her face with the towel one more time, cheeks flushed and glowing like she just conquered the damn world.

Knox leans back into the mic, voice echoing through the gym speakers like it’s his own personal concert. “Alright everyone, Thank you all for being here! We will see you tonight at the Pulse at the Catacombs!”

Chapter 77

BELLA

Wexley University

63 Days Since Daddy’s Death

The girls and I change, grab our bags, and slip into our sneakers before pushing out the back door of the gym. It’s golden hour. That early-evening glow that makes everything feel like a movie.

And waiting just outside?

Our army. Lex. Cade. The Whitmores. The Barinovs. Roman. All of them.

Lex sees me first. He breaks from the group and walks straight toward me like I’m the only thing that matters.

He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me in tight. “You were incredible.”

I smile up at him, still catching my breath. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, baby.” He leans in, voice low and rough against my ear. “I’ve never wanted to fuck you and worship you at the same time so badly in my life.”

I bite my lip. “Later.”

Then Cade steps up on my other side, all soft eyes and crooked grin. “You were magnetic, sweetheart. Like glow in the dark, steal the breath from the room kind of magnetic.”

“Thanks,” I whisper, brushing my fingers over his chest. “I missed this.”

Daniel whistles low behind them. “If that performance was you at practice… I’m terrified to see Nationals.”

Clay chuckles, eyes twinkling. “Y’all need to come choreograph my next office holiday party. We’ve got a folding chair and a fog machine. I’ll pay you in tequila and regrets.”

Ellie flips him off. Haley curtsies.

Then Irina speaks, and everything stills just slightly. “That rain number,” she says coolly. “It was… beautiful.”

“Thanks,” I nod.

I turn and see Roman. He’s standing a little ways off, watching quietly. Black dress pants, a fitted button-up with the sleeves rolled just enough to feel intentional. The top few buttons are undone, collar relaxed, trying maybe a little awkwardly to look more like a dad than a kingpin.