Page 26 of Cruel Betrayal

“And more than enough money on the table to lose.” I sigh and toss both gloves to the side, unwrapping my other hand. “Not going to be home tonight either. I have other things I have to do.Probably going to come back here and do some more training too.”

Tyson arches a brow. “Are you sure that’s a good idea so close to a fight? You have a routine that you like to stick to, and if you deviate outside that, you might not do as well.”

“Don’t have much of a choice. Some things have changed, and I have to attend to them.”

Like the woman chained in a bedroom at my cabin because I can’t trust her to roam the house yet.

Not that Tyson needs to know that. We might share my apartment, but he doesn’t know about the cabin and all that hides there. I can’t risk him turning against me and reporting everything to the boss.

Tyson has been my friend for a long time, but with all the life I’ve lived, I know people can never be trusted. Even those closest to you have a way of screwing you over when you least expect it.

Tyson shakes his head as he follows me out of the ring. “I don’t know what things changed, but you need to watch yourself if it’s going to draw you away from the fights. You have too much riding on them to lose.”

“I know that. You don’t need to tell me all that’s riding on this. I’m well aware of it and in time, I will handle it. But for now, I have other things I have to do.”

“Fine, your funeral.”

I stuff my gear into my bag before grabbing my water and taking a long drink.

Yeah, it’s likely going to be.

I openthe door to the apartment, heading down the hall to my room and tossing my gear inside. When I turn back, I make my way to the living room.

It’s there that I see him.

Noah sits on the couch with his arm slung over the back, a glass of bourbon in his hand. “I was wondering when you were going to come home so we could have a little chat.”

“What about?” I stride to the fridge and open it, pulling out a bottle of water.

The hair on the back of my neck is standing straight up, and warning alarms are going off in my head.

Noah has done nothing but treat me like family, but he’s still the boss, and there’s still a concern there for everything he’s capable of.

After all, the man faked his own death and both his half-sisters turned against him.

There are whispers about him slowly losing control. It’s only made him that much more unpredictable.

Noah swirls the amber liquid around in his glass. “You lost the sparring with Tyson today. You backed down and stepped out of the ring even though you had the chance to finish him. Which brings up a problem for me.”

“Why would I finish him when we were just sparring?”

Noah puts the glass to the side, standing up and pacing across the room, drawing closer to me. “You’ve barely been winning fights these last couple of weeks.”

“I’m still winning.”

His eyes narrow. “Not the way I taught you to. You’re leaving these men less than broken. You’re allowing them to walk away. That’s a problem for me.”

“You told me you wanted your fighters to be left in fighting shape, so that’s what I’m doing. Besides, it’s not like I’m a killer, and you know that.”

The corner of his mouth curves. “Well, now, that’s not quite true, and you know it as well as I do.”

“I know that you’re implying that I’m not doing the job you pay me to do, which is wrong.”

“Have you forgotten where you stand in the hierarchy, cousin?” Noah’s tone is low and dangerous. “I have enough family turning against me. If you’re to be another, I’ll kill you.”

“When have I ever been anything but loyal?”

“I used to think the same of Zoe and Gia. I’m not going to ignore the warning signs anymore. If you keep barely putting in any effort to these fights, then I’m going to see that there’s punishment in your future. You either fight or you fall. Your choice.”