Page 18

Chapter

Eighteen

ARI

T he back office of Sport n’ Beauty was painted an ungodly shade of pink. Everything was so bright—white fuzzy rug beneath our feet, bright yellow logo on the neon sign behind the CEO’s desk, crystal trophies lining the walls showing off their recent awards for “breakthrough beauty products.”

It lured me into a false sense of peace.

Because the door opened behind us and the King of Hell itself strolled into the room in a crisp pinstripe suit.

The second my eyes locked with Troy Godwin’s, my heart stopped beating.

This could not be happening. Why the fuck was he here? In all my research, not once had I seen his name. I’d believed we were free of him. I’d assumed this was our next-biggest chance. A fresh start. But I was wrong.

We were still chained to the cage in the basement of Heathens Hollow.

“So glad you could make it.” Troy took a seat in the pink velvet chair behind the CEO’s desk. “Selena won’t be with us for this meeting. She’s meeting with my board of directors, so I’m here in her stead.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Lotto stiffen. On my other side, River exhaled and shook his head like he wasn’t surprised at all. Troy’s eyes pierced me like a million bullets. God, I wanted to smack that self-satisfied smirk off his face, but we were, once again, at his damn mercy.

“So, you’re Sport n’ Beauty’s sponsor?” I asked.

“Main investor.” Troy leaned forward and grabbed the golden nameplate that read Selena Choi, CEO . “Her products are decent. Just needed some extra money to get started.” His smile was full of snake oil. “And seeing you all here, begging for my help, makes every penny worth it.”

“You set this entire thing up.” River laughed incredulously. “Right from the very beginning.”

“The Circuit was taking my competitors. I wasn’t going to let them get away with that.”

“And Lucien?” Lotto asked.

Troy’s smile somehow grew. “What about him?”

“His father’s business.”

“Point Seasons was already under investigation. A whistleblower happened to come forward with concrete evidence.”

“After Lucien stole us away from you?” I demanded. The puzzle pieces were starting to come together to form the final picture: the three marionettes and the puppet master across the table. “You probably paid the whistleblower to get that evidence.”

“If you have proof of that, I’d love to see it.” Troy settled back into the velvet chair, his smarmy smirk all the proof I needed.

“Lucien must have really pissed you off.” River’s laugh was bitter. Cold. I’d never seen him look so pissed, even in the ring. “They teach kids how to share in kindergarten, Troy. Did you miss that lesson?”

“I don’t share with brats who don’t know their place.”

“Which is why you paid off everyone but Pinstripe to keep us from getting a good third?” Lotto asked.

Troy gestured to his suit. “Are you unhappy with your choice?”

“It’s the only one we had because of you,” I hissed.

“I gave you more of a choice, didn’t I?”

His gaze narrowed on me. If a look could kill, I’d be dead on the spot. It was hard not to sink into my black velvet chair when all I wanted was the world to swallow me whole.

“You are one vindictive motherfucker,” Bones growled. “Mad because we stopped sucking your dick?”

Troy didn’t even bat an eye. “The Perks are doing great without you.”

Lotto laughed loud and clear. “They sure as fuck aren’t. We might not be in the scene right now, but trust me, I get updates.” He leaned forward, his button-up shirt tight against his muscles. “I don’t know how you have the money to fuck us over when half your investors switched to the Circuit.”

“That’s none of your damn business,” Troy snapped.

I whistled. “Did we hit a sore spot, Troy?”

“After this season, the Circuit won’t be a problem. Look how badly it’s already going.”

I couldn’t argue. The Circuit had a decent crowd. It was growing with each match, but it couldn’t compare to Heathens Hollow. Not by a long shot. And half the alternative sponsors already needed to be used, with us looking for a fourth. This was starting to look more and more like a busted venture, but I would never admit that out loud. Especially not to Troy fucking Godwin.

“There’s still a month left. Plenty of time to turn things around,” I answered.

“Sure. How’s Bones’ hand? Will he be ready in time to ‘turn things around’?” Troy chuckled and eyed Lotto. “Or will I be seeing him back in the cages? Or begging for sponsors another way? Since he’s so good at putting on a show at my club.” He met my gaze. “All of you are.”

My body flushed hot; my cheeks burned with embarrassment. I had to cling to the arms of the chair to keep from punching his lights out.

River chortled. “No, dick, you’ll be seeing me.” He leaned forward and smiled. “And I’ll whoop Jace’s ass so bad, you won’t have a fighter or investors left for your little exhibition at Heathens Hollow anyway.”

“Are you sure about that?” Troy lifted an eyebrow. “How’s your sister doing? That’s a nice house she moved into. I wouldn’t want it repossessed for being bought with dirty?—”

River was fast in the ring but somehow even faster here. He leaped from his chair and sprang over the desk. I jumped after him and held him back with arms around his waist. Objects fell to my feet as River fought me off. Selena’s nameplate bumped against the top of my foot, and I hissed with pain. Lotto was right behind me, grabbing the collar of River’s dress shirt and pulling him back.

Not once did Troy even flinch. He only smiled and rose from his chair, brushing off his Beetlejuice-copied suit.

“I’m afraid Sport n’ Beauty will have to decline to sponsor your gym. Good luck with the other sponsors. Maybe you can ask for a dildo to fuck yourself with? You already do it every time you step into the ring anyway. See yourselves out before security does.”

Without a glance to us, Troy strode from the room as cocky as he’d entered it.

We were left standing in the carnage of his nuclear bomb, shellshocked and dead silent.

River shrugged Lotto off and fixed his shirt. I’d never seen his face so wrinkled before.

He scrubbed at his eyes, flashes of his tattoos peeking through his shirt cuffs. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” I set my hand on his broad shoulder. “You did what we all wanted to do.”

“He was never going to sponsor us anyway. He did this to make us look like idiots.” Lotto played with his wristwatch and muttered, “And it fucking worked.”

“We still have options,” I offered weakly. “As much as we hate them, we’re not out yet.”

“Until Troy fucks with that, too.” River sighed and pulled his hair out of its bun. He scratched at his scalp, his inky black hair flowing around his shoulders. “Vindictive little bastard.”

“The ‘little’ is apt.” Lotto gestured to his crotch before cocking his head toward the door. “Come on. Let’s get back to Seattle.”

“This is going to be a long drive.” I sighed.

The entire ride back was silent, save for the low murmuring of the radio. None of us had anything to say. The weather was bright and warm, yet inside I felt so cold. Smiley’s wasn’t done for. We still had ways to make it in the Circuit, but everything felt so bleak. Every time we took a step fate kicked us back.

We had just entered Seattle proper when River cleared his throat. “Look, about what happened?—”

“I said you don’t have to apologize.” I turned around from the passenger seat to set my hand on his knee. “I promise.”

“Let me explain.” He glanced up to the rear-view mirror, and Lotto stared back at him through the glass. When he nodded, River drew a breath. “Remember I talked about my sister? Daisy.”

“I remember.”

“She’s more like my mom, though. Raised me my entire life, no matter the circumstances. Put my ass through rehab in high school. Then college and grad school. Never asked for anything in return.”

“But you feel indebted to her,” I murmured.

“Always.” He cracked a smile. “She’s put up with so much of my shit.”

I understood him perfectly. I felt the same way about my dad. He was my rock, the one I always leaned on. All I ever wanted was to make him proud.

“Not just me. Her ex-husband is a complete asshole. He didn’t just beat her. He took everything. The house and the car. Quit his job and only works under the table so she doesn’t get child support. He left her and his own damn sons on the streets. But she wouldn’t take my money. Not a cent of it unless it came from something other than the underground.”

“That’s why you left?” Lotto asked.

River nodded. “I was a damn suit, and every penny I made went to her.”

“Then why did you come back?” I questioned.

He set his hand over mine and squeezed. “Being a suit is fucking boring. I wasn’t looking to become the next Troy Godwin. The sales dried up anyway, and I didn’t want to bother looking for another gig. So, I stepped back into the ring, but she wasn’t too happy about that.” His smile grew sad. “Wouldn’t let me around the boys until I proved I could clean up my act. Or that my money wasn’t made in nefarious ways.”

“Did you?”

“That’s when I signed with Troy and the Perks.” He chuckled and let me go, leaning back in his seat. “A contract makes things look legit. I bought her a house with the money I got from my winnings. A new car, too, but that shit costs cash. More than I can bring if shit goes belly up with the Circuit.”

My heart dropped. I understood exactly what he was trying to prove. But his first avenue into something real—something legit—was being blocked every step of the way.

“River, I’m really?—”

“Don’t bother apologizing. It’s not your fault.”

“It’s not,” Lotto agreed. “Most of the blame lies with the asshat who roped us into Heathens Hollow in the first place.”

“He knows what he’s doing. Same with his threats.”

I sighed. “Do you really think he’ll turn you in to the police?”

“Not a chance.” Lotto gripped the steering wheel. “He practically begged Frankie not to get politics involved. He doesn’t want the feds on his ass.”

“Just get the feds on someone else’s ass. Small-dicked coward.”

River’s loud, happy laugh made me smile, too.

“This is why I appreciate Smiley’s. You keep it real. No underhanded shit like everyone else I know.”

“Oh, we’re underhanded in our own way.” Lotto shrugged.

“But not with you. We’re glad you’re with us,” I said.

His touch was warm when he grabbed my hands. “Thanks, Ari. I’m glad to be here, too.”

The tenderness in his voice flooded my body with a strange sense of belonging. It was like River just fit here. With us. He was the last piece of a puzzle I’d believed was already complete. I shared a look with Lotto. He didn’t say anything, but I could tell he felt the same way.

We would rearrange our puzzle as many times as needed, as long as it meant River was here with us.