Page 48 of Falling for A Lie
“What has you blushing,pretty boy?”Caden looks at me with a knowing smirk like he can read my mind and see what I do
“Nothing that concerns you, Cade. Watch the fight.”I grumble, shouldering him lightly with a smile as he lets out a loud laugh making the other two look at him with equal matching smiles.
“Whatever you say,pretty. Also, I've got a question. Henderson why the fuck did they set her up with him? Isn't this a match of disadvantage?”
He looks up as the referee steps into the ring explaining the rules and what's expected of each individual during this fight. The sight of the masked figures sitting in her corner catches my attention as one spins a knife that looks vaguely familiar
“Yeah, it seems my protege has pissed off the wrong people because this whole fight is bullshit. They almost didn't let herfight with her mask on risking her identity being exposed, Her safety is due to her being anonymous. The mask doesn't cause issues in the ring; it's designed so she can breathe and have the lower half of her face covered. So I told them if they forced her to part with it, I'd pull the venue and they'd be out of the 4 million they've earned for tonight's events. I tried the same tactic for getting someone more in her weight class but nothing would persuade these bastards, they said they couldn't find someone for her to fight that would make it worth the money that everyone paid to see her in action.”
He looks at us all as he leans in closer, whispering the next part in a voice so low like he's scared someone will catch the next part and put a bullet through his skull. “We got big-money players tonight and some low-level up-and-coming groups. They all want a piece of that girl in that ring, to own her in any way that they can but they want to test the product and see if it's worth it before pursuing her to make her an offer to join them.”
“Fuck it's that serious? ” Drake looks at Henderson, sucking in a deep breath trying to calm the panic that's so obvious on his face.
“Have you seen another like her? To have just started a month ago but to have a huge following and a name for yourself. She's rare” Caden says, paying full attention to the woman before us as she stalks her opponent like a lioness ready to kill for her pride.
“Hen, do you think she can survive this?”Drake asks, his leg bouncing a mile a minute as he watches Cerv try to land a series of rapid blows to the small woman, but she sidesteps him and slams her fist into the center of his back making him stumble forward with an audible grunt.
“Yes, The Nightingale can kick their ass with her hands tied behind her back and blindfolded. Now don't worry or doubt her, watch her and learn .” She barely blocks the kick he rounds to her ribs, lightly grazing her and causing a loud huff to leave her lips. She jogs three steps backward, bouncing from side to side as she watches her opponent waiting for the right moment to pounce on him.
The opening comes as she uses the cage she's been pushed against to avoid his advances. She hooks her foot into one of the second loops, propelling her body into the air. She latches onto the man before her and starts landing punch after punch on his head.
He grunts and slams her against the wall behind them, her back hits the cage with a hard crack. She groans but doesn't release her grip, her thighs tight around his legs, making his knees buckle. The big bastard stumbles before crashing onto the hard ground of the ring. He is currently calling her many obscenities, cursing her life and everything else. As he spits blood in her direction, she dodges it.
She stands up and delivers a harsh kick to his head, knocking a few teeth onto the floor before them as his blood splattersacross her leg and white shoes. He reaches up and snatches her foot right before she delivers the second kick, bringing her to the ground with his large body on top of hers as he slams his fist into her arms that are currently guarding her masked face from the onslaught.
The sight before me makes me clench my fists, reminding me of the memory of my father doing the same to my mother. My hands tremble as I rush to the cage. “Get up! Don't stop fighting!” I scream, pounding against the metal bars, praying my words reach her. “End him!”
Cerv pauses, looking at me with a bloodied smile that reveals the few teeth still attached to his skull. His next words send chills down my spine. “I was ordered to kill this bitch. She's not ending anything,” he replies confidently, barking out a laugh at my shocked expression, seemingly oblivious to the woman beneath him.
She reacts sharply to his words, seizing the distraction to her advantage by delivering a powerful uppercut directly to the center of his chin from her current position.
Cerv's head snaps back from the impact, blood pooling from his mouth onto the woman's body beneath him. His dazed eyes focus on her as she bucks her hips, causing him to lose his balance and fall onto his back. She’s on him again in record time, delivering one, two, and three punches to his unprotected face. His jaw hangs at an awkward angle as he struggles to regain control, but she’s not making the same mistake twice.
She is maneuvering him into a rear-naked choke hold, her legs barely able to wrap around the big bastard but that doesn't stop her from securing her grip on his neck, her arm tightening around his windpipe. As he struggles and attempts to lift himself, he hits and claws at her arm.
But it does not diminish her determination; the bloodlust is evident in her eyes as she chokes him. His flailing gradually subsides as he loses consciousness. It takes her a moment to release her grip once she realizes he is no longer a threat. When she finally does, she shoves his limp body off of her. Her breathing is ragged as she struggles to regain her composure.
My eyes remain fixed on the woman before me as the referee re-enters the cage, leaning down to check the pulse point on the side of Cerv’s neck. Once he is satisfied with the result, he walks over and offers his hand to the Nightingale, which she takes hesitantly. He pulls her to her feet, and with a smirk, raises her bruised arm, announcing her victory. The crowd surrounding the metal cage erupts into deafening applause, and her name is shouted from every corner.
The referee lowers her hand and signals for someone to remove the still-unconscious Cerv from the ring so he can begin preparing for the next fight.
The Nightingale staggers toward the exit, and two sets of hands reach out to help her escape the cage in which she is trapped. I begin to step in her direction when a hand on my shoulder causes me to spin around to see who it could be. “Notnow. You've got a fight to prepare for as well, Radley. Go ahead and head to the dressing room. We'll see you ringside.” Reed's voice trembles as he glances at the woman behind me, his expression revealing the emotions that are consuming him: fear and pain.
“Alright, alright. You're right. I'll see you all later.” With those parting words, I make my way to my dressing room to prepare for what I must do tonight. It won't be the first life I've taken under the orders of the Lords, and it certainly won't be the last. It's just part of the job.
I reach my room just in time to catch a glimpse of the guys from the race and Henderson entering Nightingale’s room. I fight the urge to follow them to check on her, but Reed is right; we will talk later, after my fight. I enter the dimly lit room, and the smell of cigarettes and sweat, permanently ingrained in the carpet, makes me cringe. I walk to the closet and pull out the shorts and the black tee with the Horsemen logo on the back. As I start undressing, my reflection catches my attention; my body is littered with love bites, interspersed with old and new scars, telling a story across my flesh. I slip on my shorts and then my shirt, sitting down to lace my shoes when a knock at the door causes me to pause.
“Come in!” Drake enters the room, quickly closing the door behind him as he walks up to me.
“Are you going to be okay?” He asks, looking me up and down trying to find my faults
I look from him back down to my shoes, sighing softly as the full weight of what I’m about to do falls on my shoulders. “I have to be. I’m a Horseman, Drake, and this is what Horsemen do.”
He nods along with my words but I see the look on his face. He’s worried about me. The guys know how hard it is for me to be so violent when my father was an abusive fuck. It makes me think maybe I’m not so different from him after all…
“Hey.”Drake puts his hand on my shoulder, causing me to look at him. “You’re nothing like him.”
I shoot him a soft smile before standing, stretching my arms up above my head as I hear my name being called from the ring. “Time to go.” Drake and I walk out of the room, Henderson now standing outside my door waiting.