Page 15 of Killaney Blood

"Fuck," I curse and reset, hitting harder this time.

Finally, she looks at me and looks away.

That's how she wants to play it.

I tear off my gloves, tossing them aside. The wraps come next, unraveling in angry pulls. My knuckles are already raw from days of fighting and training.

I approach the heavy bag again. Bare-fisted.

The first impact sends pain shooting up my arm. The second splits the skin across my knuckles. By the fifth punch, blood smears the black leather.

I hit the bag again. Blood drips onto the floor.

One more punch. Hard enough that I feel a sting.

"Fuck!" I shake out my hand, watching blood spatter across the mat.

"Jesus Christ," she says from behind me. "You're bleeding."

I smile without turning.

She storms over. "Why the hell would you punch the bag bare-fisted?"

I turn to look at her. "Felt right."

She glares at me, grabs my wrist, and turns it to examine the damage.

"Come on," she says sharply, dragging me toward the exam chair. "You can't bleed all over the place. I'll fix you. Again."

I let her pull me, smiling to myself the whole way.

The door swings shut behind us, and I leave a trail of red droplets in my wake.

She pulls up a tray, sets my hand on it, and starts wiping away the blood.

"You shouldn't hit bags that hard if your hands aren't wrapped," she says, turning to grab something.

"You lecturing me on training?"

"No, do whatever you want," she says, slamming a drawer closed. "Just don't make a mess all over my floor."

I hold up my hands, blood slowly running down. "Can you?"

She sighs, clearly annoyed.

I lean back in the chair, eyes on her face. "Why'd you ignore me out there?" I ask, testing her.

"Because I was working," she says, not looking up. "And because I didn't want to talk to you."

"You're a medic at a boxing gym. Treating fighters is your job."

"Treating injuries is my job," she corrects. "Not entertaining bored mafia princes who are trying to get a rise out of me."

"Who said I was bored."

"Your hands. It's self-inflicted. Deliberate. You took your gloves off."

I lean in closer. "So youwerewatching me."