Page 55

I ’ve been hit a few times. More so back when I started in the business. It’s been a long time since I let someone get in more than one punch without blocking. Two if they get lucky. I was also expectingit and had the adrenaline to keep me going.

I didn’t expect Henry to snap. I especially didn’t expect him to keep snapping. One punch I get. I mean, I bit part of his tongue off. But the third and fourth? Or was it the fifth? He rang my bell, that’s for damn sure.

I hurt. I hate hurting.

And I still smell the vomit.

He must suck at cleaning. If that’s not a sign that this isn’t going to work for us having kids, I don’t know what is.

Oh, right, the whole “Henry’s a psycho” part is another reason this isn’t going to be a successful relationship.

Time has faded in and out. He’s been keeping me drugged on something. Not sure what it is, but it makes me want to sleep. I don’t feel high or anything, so at least I don’t have to worry that it’s some kind of drug that’ll disqualify me for my next fight.

I tried drugs a few times in high school. Never saw the appeal of feeling as if time was going ata snail’s pace and you were thinking faster than a speeding bullet. At least that’s how I felt each time. I didn’t like it. Felt out of control, and that’s something I definitely don’t do.

And yeah, we get tested like any other fighter does.

The whole thing might be underground with no actual rules, but they still want it as fair as possible to keep the sponsors happy.

Well, as fair as telling someone to take a fall when you have to for some ungodly amount of money and all.

I never did, though. Tommy never asked me to.

I honestly don’t know what I would say if he did.

And yeah, I’m also thinking I’m getting out of this.

It’s too early to give up hope that I can’t make it out of here.

Give it a year or two and I might give in then, but I’ve got some time before I let the negatives come into my mind.

I’m not about to think the worst when it’s been only a day or two.

“Oh, my princess, you’re waking up. Good.

We need to move soon. I think I’ll give you only half the dose this time so you can walk for me.

You want to walk for me, right, baby?” He comes close and slides his fingers through my hair.

I can still see him. He never retaped my left eye, though he never bothered to uncover the other one.

It bothered me at the beginning when I came out of my sleep-induced state, but now that it’s the third, maybe fourth time, I’ve woken, I don’t even notice it anymore.

“Let me just get you your stuff, princess.”

He walks away, and I make a small whimper in my throat.

I don’t want to go under again. The more time I go, the less time I have to think.

The stuff he gives me makes everything go dead.

My entire brain and body just shut down.

A small part of me, a tiny part, fears I won’t wake up one of these times.

I blink and then the earth shakes, and I’m falling. I don’t even have time to scream or yell out before I stop. Looking up, I see the ceiling is too far away from where it was a second ago.

And then I notice the hole. And Henry leaning over it screaming. There’s a gun in his hand, but all I can think is How can there be a hole in the ceiling and it still be there?

Maybe I am high.

“I want him alive” is yelled louder than the ringing in my ears, and I look in the direction of the voice to see Domino. My Domino. Standing with some wired switch in his hand and a few brothers at his back.

Someone shoots, and I look up just in time to see Henry fall, getting the wind knocked out of me again when one of his legs lands on my chest.

“Oops,” I hear around my wheezing.

“Dammit, Lucky,” Domino says, and I see him walking toward me.

“What? I didn’t kill the guy. Promise. I only tased him.” Lucky hauls Henry up, who’s twitching but alive.

“I know that, dumbass. Who shot him?” Domino demands, and it’s then I see his left knee is bleeding like crazy. Thank God only half of him landed on me when he fell, and it was my legs that caught most of the weight. It was only one story down, so nothing is broken from him falling on me.

“It’s a wee flesh wound. He’ll live,” Mickey says, and I can’t help but snort. The guy sounds like a freaking leprechaun right now.

“Aw, now, Menace, I wouldn’t be going to name-calling. I might not be nice and use the bolt cutters to get you out of there if you do. ”

I don’t care that I spoke out loud. It’s the truth. And he must not feel too offended from the reference, as he quickly snaps off the cuffs at my feet and then my wrists.

Domino is there in a second to help me sit up. I hate that I let out a groan in pain, that I show weakness, but I get over it. I groan at the gym after lifting. Groaning is just pain leaving the body. It’s not a weakness. I take a deep breath and just sit there for a second.

No one seems in a rush to say or do anything other than get Henry out of here. A few of the brothers leave, taking him to the clubhouse I guess, or maybe the cops. Not really sure, and I honestly don’t care. Not right now.

“This might hurt,” Domino says softly as he picks at the tape on my other eye and slowly tries to take it off.

I wish he’d just say fuck it and rip it fast, but I can feel my hair sticking to it.

And while I don’t think I’m vain in the original sense of the word, I would feel like an idiot if an eyebrow was missing.

My hand flies to my other eye, and I sigh in relief when I feel I still have the other eyebrow. I didn’t even think about that the first time. Then again, I had other shit on my mind. Like getting Henry’s tongue out of my mouth when he stuck it in there a second after his big reveal.

When the tape is gone, I blink. Domino’s hands hold my face for a second as he looks me over, and then he bends down and kisses my forehead.

“Glad you’re okay, baby.” He brings me in for a hug, and I let him hold me.

“Domino?” I say a moment later, looking around behind him.

“Yeah? ”

“Did you blow up my shop?”

“I’m going to flush your system just to be safe.

You said it was the same drug as last time, but the blood sample we took then came back inconclusive.

Either the guy didn’t give you that much the first time, or it was already out of your system by the time we ran it.

I’ll run another tox screen and see what we get, but in the meantime, this IV will get you some fluids to help push it out,” Swiss says as he sticks me with needles.

I’m back at the clubhouse, in my least favorite room, the clinic.

Nothing against Swiss, just not a huge fan of the room.

It’s small and doesn’t have a single picture of a kitty hanging from a tree that says “Hang in there.” I love those pictures at doctors’ offices.

They’re stupid and make me smile. Which is the whole point. Everyone could use a smile.

“You know where my phone is?” I ask Domino, who hasn’t left my side. Even when I jabbed him in the gut for blowing a hole in my workplace.

“What do you need it for?” he asks, but he still reaches into his back pocket and pulls it out.

“Ya’ll need some new decor.”

“For what?” Swiss asks.

“This place. It’s depressing.” I tap away and then set my phone down.

“You going to at least show us what you picked?” Domino says with a side grin.

I shrug and hold my phone out for him and Swiss to see .

They look at each other, then back at me. “We ain’t really cat people. Having Hounds in the name should’ve given that away, babe,” Domino says with a single eyebrow raise.

“Everyone can use a ‘Hang in there’ poster for when times get tough. Especially in a clinic like this, which I’m sure sees more blood than others.

Plus, I also got you the one with the cat taking down the great white shark.

You know, to prove that cats might look cute, but they’re also deadly in the wild. Just like you all.”

Swiss huffs a laugh and leaves the room with a shake of his head, shutting the door behind him.

Domino cages me in with his arms pressing on either side of the bed I’m sitting up on. “You think we’re cute?”

I smile sweetly. “At least one of you is.” He leans in, and just before his lips touch mine, I speak again. “The one who didn’t blow a hole in my ceiling.”

His head falls low, his lips no longer seeking my kiss, and I chuckle a bit before he backs up. “You ever going to let me live that down?”

I tilt my head and think it over. “Only if you can tell me that the only reason they call you Domino is because of the game and not because of doing things like this.”

He opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again, and then closes it with a shake of his head.

“There you go.”

“I was doing it to save you. You know that, right?”

“And there wasn’t another way to do that?” I ask suspiciously.

“No!” he yells in exasperation, but I don’t believe him.

I’m not really mad. I mean, he did save me.

Sucks that I couldn’t save myself, but sometimes you need a team.

I have one with Summer, so I can’t be mad at him for this.

Well, I can and can’t all in one. I’m happy to be away from Henry but mad about needing a new work area.

I think it’s safe to say the Zen of the place has officially been demolished.

There’s a knock and then the door opens. Mickey pokes his head in and gives me a nod, and I return it with my own chin lift.

“We got something,” he says to Domino before leaving.

Domino stands upright. “Going to go talk to your stalker—”

“Henry.”

He pauses, then nods. “Thanks. Henry. Going to figure out some stuff. Be good while I’m gone.” He pulls me in for a side hug and a kiss on the forehead again. I haven’t gotten his lips yet. Not fully.

“And what if I don’t?” I look up at him from under my eyelashes.