Page 28

SYDNEY

When I had told AJ at the end of the night a few days ago that all those stops had been to set up matches for him, he acted surprised that he hadn’t been asked to go in as well.

Maybe he was even annoyed with me. But when I explained he wouldn’t know anything about Kaito’s new fighter either before his match and that he needed to be prepared for anything, walking into the ring, he smirked.

I thought he might have changed his mind about helping me, but instead, he asked if there was any cash on the line. I’d said only if he wanted bets to be placed, and his response made me smile a little as I thought back on it.

“Only if you want to make out like a bank robber.”

I leaned back in my bed against my soft pillows, exhausted from all the preparations of the funeral, on top of planning Kaito’s demise. But today was a new day and the first fight I’d set up for AJ.

AJ really is an interesting man. I can’t seem to figure him out in the slightest. He doesn’t want revenge in the same way I do, but he cares enough about people he doesn’t even know to still lend a hand. Then there’s the flirting. I can’t tell whether or not to take him seriously.

My mind wandered to when we sparred a few nights ago.

He’d landed a particularly well-aimed punch to my torso before I spun and kicked him in the chest. Then I swept his leg, and down he went, giving me the opportunity to straddle him and pin him down.

I’d thought I’d won until he wrapped a leg around mine and twisted, switching our positions before I could counter.

I dragged my hand over the tops of my breasts, remembering the weight of his chest pressed against mine as we had panted, our lips inches apart as he pinned both of my wrists above my head with one of his strong hands.

His eyes had danced with amusement as he pressed his body into mine harder. A low chuckle rumbled from his chest. He leaned his head toward my ear, his deep voice almost a whisper as he’d said, “Almost had me, Syd.”

I had been so flustered at his actions that I bit his earlobe, not hard enough to hurt him, but I swore I’d felt his cock grow hard as I did it.

I shook my head and sat up straight in bed. The morning light shone through my window, and I really needed to get things going if we were going to get to this fight in time. It was a little out in the middle of nowhere.

I rolled out of bed and quickly got ready, making my way out into the kitchen, where I was surprised to see Regan up and making some food already.

“There’s some tea in the kettle all ready for you! I know you have a long day today, so I made you some breakfast too.”

I smiled at her. She seemed almost like her usual cheery self again. I thought she had begun to heal from Raven’s death. She might have even been up late last night, working on some project and listening to music again.

I can’t let her world be destroyed a second time by Kaito. There is no way I will let him touch her again.

I poured myself a cup of tea and texted AJ.

Sydney

Are you on your way yet?

AJ

Yeah, almost there.

Perfect.

I drank my cup of tea and ate the food Regan had put in front of me. It was delicious and full of protein for the day.

“Thank you, Regan. Touma will be around today to keep you company. I think he’s coming a couple of hours from now. Are you going to be good on your own until then?” I stood up and grabbed my crossbody bag from the counter, checking to make sure my wallet and cash for the bets were inside.

“Yes, I’ll be fine. I’ll probably clean up from breakfast and read for a while this morning,” she said as she began to eat her own food.

“All right, I will see you later. Love you.”

With that, I went outside right as AJ pulled into the driveway. I walked over and got in, typing up the address we were driving to on my phone.

“First fight. Hope you’re ready,” I said, teasing him.

He smirked at me. “Pretty sure I showed you all week that I’m ready.”

I rolled my eyes and set my phone on the dash. “Surrre. You have your mask with you, right?”

I noticed he was wearing the shirt, but I didn’t see the mask anywhere.

He reached over and popped open the glove box, the mask sitting inside.

“Great. Now remember to put it on before you get out of the car. We can’t risk anyone seeing your full face,” I said as he shut the glove box and backed out of the driveway.

I waited at the side of the ring, watching as AJ stood on one side and his opponent walked in across from us.

His first match was against a decent kickboxer. He was cocky and long-legged, bouncing on the balls of his feet like he had springs in his heels. Tats ran up his neck, and his knuckles looked like they’d seen more pavement than gloves.

Soon, as the ref dropped his hand, he charged at AJ with a spinning back kick, fast as hell. I watched as AJ barely brought his arms up to block the kick with his forearms before it connected with his head. I would be worried, but AJ’s eyes crinkled with a grin as he reset his stance.

He kept trying to catch him with high kicks, but AJ slipped in close every time.

His reach meant nothing once AJ was up close.

He caught a side kick with his forearm and drove his shoulder straight into the kickboxer’s chest, knocking him back.

He stumbled but came swinging with a knee meant to knock AJ out cold.

I held my breath as I watched AJ duck it and answered with an uppercut that snapped his opponent’s head back.

AJ faked left, ducked low, then fired a hook into his ribs. I heard the air wheeze out of the kickboxer like a popped balloon. He backed up, gasping, and that was when AJ pounced. Left-right-left combo, then a brutal right cross that twisted his jaw.

He hit the mat hard. The crowd cheered as money began to exchange hands in this small dojo. AJ stood over him, breathing heavily.

I walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “No mercy, just like a real demon.”

He said nothing, only nodded.

I walked over to the sensei of AJ’s opponent, collected our winnings, and we went back to my place.

This became a pattern over the next two weeks for us.

His next opponent was a retired sumo fighter, but you would never be able to tell he was retired. He still looked to be in amazing shape.

I laughed when I glanced over at AJ because the look on his face was priceless. He stood there, pumped up and ready for his match, eyes wide as his opponent stomped into the ring.

He wasn’t expecting a sumo. Not in an underground circuit. But there he was—barefoot, mountain-sized, and grinning like he already knew how this was gonna end as he sized AJ up.

As the match began, AJ thought speed would be his best weapon. I watched as he bobbed, weaved, and stayed out of his opponent’s arm’s reach, peppering him with fast shots to the gut and thighs. It was like he was punching a wall padded with meat.

The sumo didn’t flinch, just moved with heavy patience. Every step he took felt like it shook the floor. Then he grunted and surged forward out of nowhere. AJ barely dodged a swipe meant to grab him, but he readjusted quickly, cutting off his angles like he was herding him.

AJ fired off a combo to the ribs—jab, jab, hook—but the sumo took it like he was throwing pillows.

Then I saw it—the twitch in the sumo’s foot, the shift in his stance. Before I could blink, the sumo wrestler exploded with a bear charge, hands wide. AJ ducked, but the sumo caught him with a forearm and lifted AJ clean off his feet.

AJ crashed out of the ring, skidding on hard wood like a sack of groceries tossed from a moving car. The ref called it. AJ stood up, rage pouring off him.

I jogged over to him and stopped him from doing anything rash.

“Easy there. Just because you lost this fight doesn’t mean you aren’t still making noise to get Kaito’s attention. Remember, the goal isn’t to win every fight; it’s getting a match with the highest man on the chart.”

AJ cracked his neck and glanced down at me, taking a deep breath before he relaxed slightly. “First time I’ve been thrown out like trash,” he said, chuckling as he and his opponent exchanged a nod.

I smiled up at him. “You learned something. Never underestimate a mountain in motion.”

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and steered me out of the gym and to his car. He leaned down and whispered in my ear as he opened my door for me, “Or just don’t get caught by the landslide. Let the bull charge out of bounds on his own.”

His next fight was someone he was much more equipped to fight against. A boxer.

He entered the ring as AJ was doing a few last-minute shoulder rolls.

The boxer had that old-school stance—chin tucked, fists up, clean footwork.

The match started, and I watched as they began circling each other.

There was no flash, just fundamentals from the boxer’s style.

He came in with sharp jabs, testing AJ’s guard.

The first couple of hits clipped AJ’s shoulder, but he kept his feet moving.

I gasped as I watched the boxer land a clean cross that buzzed AJ’s head, but I regained my composure when I saw AJ grin through it.

I thought he would go on the defense, but he started baiting him instead.

He let him throw, let him miss. When his opponent over committed on a left hook, AJ ducked under and cracked him with a rising elbow that split his cheek open.

It was one of the sexiest moves I’d ever seen in person. AJ was agile, and his toned body moved so fluidly in action.

They traded a few more punches in a flurry—his gloves smacking AJ’s flesh. But AJ was faster, hit harder, and was more relentless. AJ got in close, body shots making his opponent grunt, and then he hit him with a right hook that spun the boxer half around.

He tried to recover, but his legs betrayed him. One last haymaker under the chin from AJ put him down for good. He crumpled slowly, like a man folding into sleep. I looked down at AJ, blood on his knuckles, and felt my heart thundering.

This was the kind of win that would travel fast in the whispers of the fight circuit.

And sure enough, two days later, I got the fight offer that I knew would put us right under the eyes of Kaito, as it would happen in his ring against one of his new fighter’s upcoming opponents. If AJ won that match, then there was no way Kaito wouldn’t want to challenge us.

Especially if he thought his fighter could beat AJ and it would be a way to tear me down even more. Which was exactly what I wanted him to think.

I called AJ’s cell and could hardly contain my excitement when he answered.

“Yeah?”

“I hope you are ready because you have a new fight offer in two days. This one will be in the ring that Kaito owns. If you win this, there is no way he won’t challenge us next.

” I couldn’t hide the excitement in my voice.

I was practically bouncing off the floor as I thought about my next steps in my plan for revenge.

“Baby, I’m always ready.”

I sighed, and he chuckled at my exasperation.

“Always with the overconfidence. Remember the sumo fight? Thought you would win that one too. This time, you’re going up against a fighter who knows a little more about illegal fighting.

And he’s an MMA fighter. He’s pretty good, so make sure you watch his attacks carefully.

But that’s all I’m going to tell you,” I said as I settled down on the chair in my room.

“Sounds like a good challenge. And the sumo didn’t count. He was like fighting a slab of frozen meat. Someone who’s light on his feet and hits like me? That’s something I can handle.”

I heard some noise in the background.

“Are you at a pachinko parlor?” I asked.

“Just enjoying the benefits of some extra cash I earned,” he said as I heard the winning sound of a machine.

“By gambling it all away? That’s a bad habit to break, and you’ll never win more than you lose in a place like that. You should find something better to do with your free time,” I said as I tugged a blanket up on my lap and leaned over, opening the window a crack.

The evening air was cool against my skin. It felt nice.

“I can think of something else that I like to do, but …” His voice became clearer as the noise in the background faded away.

“But?” I asked, curious now.

“But I don’t have a woman to do those kinds of things with right now. Unless you’re offering?” he said, and I could already hear him chuckling.

“In your dreams. God, do you ever stop flirting? Do you know how wrong it would be for us to get together after you were with my sister?” As I said the words, I could feel my clit throb and my body get hotter.

As much as I denied his suggestions, I had to say that the thought of fucking it out of our systems had crossed my mind a time or two.

But I could never do that to Raven’s memory.

“Or maybe it would be so wrong that it’d feel right,” he said with a chuckle.

I sat there for a second, my thoughts rushing around. As I was about to reply, he cut me off.

“Gotta go. There’s money to be made. If you change your mind, call me.”

And with that, he hung up the call, and I was left sitting there, picturing doing things with my dead sister’s ex-lover.

I’m going to hell for thinking of him in ways I shouldn’t. But I’m probably going to hell anyway for what I plan on doing to Kaito.